Chapter 185: Chapter 185: The Dog at the Table
SONIA’S POV
I looked around the faces of my brothers as I walked towards my seat, hoping for some sort of explanation.
The long dining table stretched out under the golden light of the chandeliers, every plate and glass arranged with perfect precision. The scent of roasted meat and spiced vegetables filled the air, rich and familiar, yet it turned my stomach.
However, nothing was forthcoming. They all continued to eat, as if nothing was happening around them. Forks scraped against plates, jaws worked steadily, and low murmurs passed between a few of them as if this was any ordinary evening.
"Sonia! My darling, you came," my father said, widening his arms as he rose from the head of the table. His voice boomed across the room, warm on the surface but carrying that undercurrent of command I remembered too well.
I walked up to him first, and placed a kiss on both of his cheeks. His skin felt rough against my lips, the familiar scent of leather and smoke clinging to him. He did the same to me, his large hands resting briefly on my shoulders before I took a seat next to Seth and Jed.
"You look beautiful," Seth whispered to me, his voice low enough that only I could hear. His eyes held genuine warmth, but there was something guarded behind them.
"She really does. I used to think she looked like an ogre, but you’re right, Seth," Jed butted in, his grin wide and mischievous as he reached for another piece of meat.
"Jed? Be nice to your sister," our father warned, his tone carrying just enough weight to make the table quiet for a moment.
"What did I do? I just agreed with Seth that she looked beautiful," he defended himself, shrugging as if he had done nothing wrong.
I rolled my eyes in my mind, but kept a smile on my face. The conversation flowed around me, but my attention kept drifting to the corner of the room where Freya knelt on the cold floor.
"Are you better now, Sonia?" Wolf asked, as everyone ignored Jed’s antics. His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder, making the silverware tremble slightly on the table.
I wasn’t expecting to hear anything from him. I had almost forgotten how thunderous even his normal speaking voice sounded like.
A shudder threatened to run through me, but I steeled myself so as not to appear weird. I forced my shoulders to stay relaxed and met his gaze.
"I am, thank you," I replied politely, my voice steady despite the knot in my stomach.
They were all acting blind to the fact Freya was eating from the ground like a dirty dog. At intervals, father would toss a piece of food down, and she’d be forced to eat it with her head to the ground, her movements slow and humiliated. The sound of her tongue against the floor made my skin crawl.
"Are you alright, Sonia? I know you said you’re fine, but your face looks sad," Cade said, setting his fork down and studying me with concern.
I tried to force a smile, but I just couldn’t. Of course I wasn’t fine. How could I be comfortable, when the girl I knew since we were kids, was eating from the ground?
"Is it the food? Do you want something else?" Castiel asked, already signaling one of the maids with a slight nod.
I looked down on my plate, not even realizing one of the maids around had filled it up with food. The rich aromas of herbs and roasted meat rose up, but instead of making my mouth water, they made bile rise in my throat.
"It’s not that," I replied, shaking my head slowly, my fingers tightening around the edge of the table.
"Is it Freya then?" Caleb asked, an amused glint in his eyes as he speared another piece of meat.
Cutleries instantly stopped scraping across plates.
It was like he had touched on an untouchable topic, and now everyone’s eyes were on him. The silence that followed felt heavy, pressing down on the room.
"What? It’s not like we all can’t see her. She probably has questions." He shrugged, completely unbothered by the sudden tension.
Jed was just as naughty as Caleb, with Caleb being the blueprint. But I was grateful for his callousness.
At least, I was hopefully going to get an explanation.
"We don’t talk about the dog, do we?" I heard my father ask, and turned to him.
"Oh common, father. I know she’s dying to know. Tell her," Jed said, his expression mirroring Caleb’s.
They were two peas in a pod. I didn’t think two siblings could be more alike.
Perhaps, they were even the most childish siblings I had.
"What does she need to know?" My father asked as if I wasn’t in the same room with them, his voice carrying that casual authority that always made the air feel thicker.
"Well, she’s closer to you. Why don’t you ask her?" Caleb said, leaning back in his chair with a grin.
"Fine, Sonia," my father turned to me, and I returned his gaze. "Are you curious about the dog?"
"Freya right? You mean Freya?" I asked before I could stop myself.
I knew she had hurt me, and betrayed me in the worst way possible.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to root for her downfall like this.
I quite remembered it was due to her egging on my rebelliousness, that I was able to hone my healing skills.
If she hadn’t sneaked me out all those years, I would never have used my gift the way I did.
"Freya?" Father called the name like it was an abomination. "Does anyone know about a Freya?" He asked, looking around the table with raised brows.
To my surprise, all my brothers shook their heads negatively, their expressions carefully blank.
I was more disappointed in Seth. He was supposed to be the reasonable one.
"See that, princess? No one knows about a Freya," my father said, and then burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, the sound echoing off the walls and making the chandelier crystals tremble.
I cringed with disgust. All alphas had at least one annoying habit.
It pained me to realize that my father wasn’t any different.
"Why are you doing this?" I found my voice again, my hands clenched in my lap under the table.
He paused in the middle of his laughter, and raised a confused brow.
"You’re asking like you don’t know," Jed was the one to answer, spearing another piece of meat with his fork.
"No I don’t know. I need an explanation, please," I said, not allowing his silliness keep me from the truth.
"Sonia, she’s the one that sold you out to Ramon. I thought you knew that?" Seth divulged gently, his voice soft but firm as he set his fork down.
"Well, but I’m fine as you all can see. Even if she must be punished, isn’t there a less dehumanizing punishment? This is just cruel!" I said with great alarm spread all over my voice, my hands trembling slightly in my lap.
Wolf chuckled, and it sounded like a bellow, deep and rumbling.
I almost slid underneath the table in fear.
"You’re still so sweet. Thankfully, that bastard didn’t take away your innocence. Anyway, this is the best punishment for her likes. Betrayers are the worst kind of people you can have around you. Never forget that, Sonia," Cade said, his tone matter-of-fact as he took another sip from his glass.
"Do you agree with this?" I turned to Seth, praying to the moon goddess he would at least see my side.
He had to know that this was awkward for me to witness.
No matter what I went through in bloodmoon, I had happy times too.
I wouldn’t have discovered a lot of things about myself if it wasn’t for Freya’s actions.
I wasn’t excusing her behavior, far from it. I just hated to see her this way.
"I’m sorry, but I do. She has behaved in a repulsive way, Sonia," Seth replied, completely shattering my heart with his calm, measured words.
The chair scraped across the carpeted floor as I rose to my feet, my legs shaky but determined.
"I won’t be a witness to this. I’m sorry father, but I’ll be returning to my room now."
Not giving anyone a chance to stop me, I turned around, and fled from the room, the heavy door swinging shut behind me with a dull thud.
