The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Sarah POV
God, it stinks in here. I wrinkle my nose in disgust, my body shivering violently from the dampness and the mildew of the dungeon. The mattress is covered in stains and I shudder, looking down at it, my knees curled up to my chest, tears trailing down my cheeks. I made a pitiful sight. I had gone way past my initial plan, but after seeing how Grant had reacted, the rage had just flared inside of me and I’d grown petty, wanting to lash out and hurt Jordan as much as possible and him. Just seeing the way he watched her, his eyes wide and soft, a small smile on his lips, made me sick to my stomach. He wasn’t over her. Anyone could tell, looking at him.
Footsteps sounded and I raised my head, my red and puffy eyes glancing hopefully towards the door as it swung open. I wasn’t sorry about what I did. My only regret was how I had behaved atrociously in front of the Alpha and Luna and that it had led to this. The wine that I’d drunk hadn’t helped, encouraging me to get meaner and even more cruel towards my so-called pathetic weakling of a sister.
A warrior approached, a grim expression on his face. He produced a key and put it in the lock of the cell I sat in, twisting it and opening the door with a clang. I held up my hands, still restrained by the cuffs but he shook his head dismissively. “Sorry, my orders are to escort you to the study, restrained with the cuffs in place” he grunted, reaching down and yanking me to my feet roughly as I let out a small cry in protest, my muscles feeling stiff and frozen in place.
It had been a very uncomfortable night spent in the cell and I was aware of what a mess I looked like as the guard dragged me unceremoniously out of the cell and towards the door. I offered no resistance, blinking my tears away. Maybe this was a good sign, I thought hopefully. I hadn’t been tortured or hurt. I had merely been left to wallow in my own misery for the night. Maybe that had been my punishment?
We walked upstairs and made our way silently through the pack house, stopping in front of the study door. The warrior, a large heavily built man, knocked on the door with a confident rapping, glancing down at me with a small scowl on his face. What in the hell was his problem? It’s not like I’d done anything to him, I thought with a snarl. How dare he look at me as if I was some offensive creature he’d like to stomp on with his boot! My hands twitched as I fought the urge to hurl insults at him and firmly put him in my place. I knew right now was not the time, but I imprinted him into my memory for the next time I would see him. Once I was made Luna I would make a point of visiting the warriors and would single him out for his own little punishment. See how he’d like that I thought wickedly.
“You may enter” Alpha John boomed from behind the door.
The warrior opened the door and bared his neck respectfully. I did the same, albeit a bit reluctantly. My eyes swept around the room and the blood drained from my face. My father was sitting in an armchair, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes flashing with fury, my stepmother Stella sitting placidly next to him, Luna Mary stood behind Alpha John who sat behind his desk and Grant, well Grant surprisingly was nowhere to be seen.
“Thank you, You may leave,” Alpha John told the warrior who nodded and immediately complied.
I swallowed nervously, standing in my crumpled outfit, my hands clasped together, made all the more awkward by the stupid cuffs which burned and dug painfully into my skin, making it bubble and blister. Alpha John raised an eyebrow, Luna Mary looking at me coldly.
“Sarah” Alpha John said evenly, indicating my father “Your father Maxwell, has come to plead on your behalf,” he said, sounding a little bit frosty.
“I want to apologize for my conduct last night,” I said hastily, bowing my head and acting ashamed, my cheeks burning bright red “I acted in a way that was demeaning and unbecoming of a future Luna,” I said in a cracked voice.
“You could have seriously harmed Jordan or even blinded her with your actions,” Luna Mary said in a scandalized tone, although she relaxed slightly, and appeased a little by my apology.
“I wasn’t thinking and wasn’t acting myself,” I said in a meek tone, trying to appear sincere, while on the inside I was fuming. God, I hated this. Couldn’t they see that Jordan was the one who was the problem? It wasn’t my fault she was so damn pathetic. Why did everyone insist on standing up for her?
“It was very unlike Sarah to act in such an unusual way towards her younger sister” my father cut in, leaning forward and pinning me with a gaze, “I daresay that she is struggling perhaps to transition into the new role that is expected of her, combined with the pressures of her new relationship as a chosen mate. That would be stressful for anyone” he added” Isn’t that right Sarah?” he asked firmly.
I nodded. “I’m having difficulty with the transition. It’s no excuse I know” I continued, wringing my hands together as Luna Mary nodded, looking thoughtful “I should have said I was having trouble and asked for help instead of acting in such a mean way and taking it out on an innocent person in my frustration.”
“It takes a brave person to admit their mistakes and when they need help” Alpha John muttered, his eyes softening towards me “and Mary and I did not realize how much pressure we might have been putting on you. Not to mention your graduation on top, wouldn’t be helping matters.”
They were totally buying this bullshit I marveled. My father leaned back in his chair, one leg folded over the other, his own eyes narrowed as he regarded me. It didn’t take a genius to know he was pissed at me and for good reason. I cringed at the verbal abuse I was sure to get from him later.
“Where’s Grant?” Luna Mary asked her husband anxiously, glancing at the watch on her wrist with some concern “He specifically said that he was going to be here for this meeting” she said a little bit haughtily.
“I don’t know. He mentioned needing to meet someone in regard to important business and that he’d be back as soon as he could. He didn’t tell me where he was going and who he was meeting, and to be honest I didn’t ask” Alpha John murmured.
She sighed. He looked at his wife apologetically. My father unfurled himself from the armchair, sitting up straight and sighing heavily.
“I believe that my daughter has been punished enough for her transgressions towards her younger sister. Jordan while harmed, suffered only minor injuries that have healed already, or almost have. She has perfect vision and has suffered no ill effects from Sarah’s actions.”
“I would have liked to have heard that from Jordan,” Luna Mary said evenly “What is the reason she could not make it?” My father inclined his head “She had a migraine this morning and was not well Luna Mary. Therefore I believed it was far better for her to rest in bed and recover than to attend this meeting, but if you insist on her attending, I will go and fetch her” he said tightly, the tic in his jaw the only thing indicating, to me at least, that he was lying through his teeth.
“Oh no, not if she’s unwell. Besides I think we’ve come to a resolution, haven’t we John” Luna Mary exclaimed, sounding a bit regretful as I tried not to smirk. I’d gotten off easy and I damn well knew it. Thanks daddy.
Alpha John drummed his fingers lightly on the desk, his eyes sweeping over the room as he cleared his throat. He opened the drawer to his desk and withdrew a key. He passed it to my father who began to undo the cuffs on my wrists. I let them drop to the floor with a relieved sigh, rubbing the burn marks on my wrists with a groan.
“A word to the wise. This time you have gotten off lightly” Luna Mary said quietly, “but the next time Sarah, the next time you will be punished and it will be far more severe because of how easily you were let off the first time. Is that understood?”
“I understand, but I swear, it won’t happen again” I breathed.
She nodded. My father clapped me on the back, and I winced. Stella hadn’t said a word this whole time, but she got up now and headed out the door, giving me a wink on the way out.
“Sarah” my father growled, “a word if you please.”
I swallowed hard and gulped, my father guiding me out of the study and outside, where he promptly turned around and let loose, a barrage of insults that was enough to have me blushing profusely as pack members openly stared and tittered behind their hands.
“Father” I hissed “Stop.”
“What in the hell were you bloody thinking” he roared and then quietened his tone “You really did it this time. You have no idea how long I had to talk on your behalf to sweeten things over. You were this close to being tortured” he growled and I flinched “the next time, there won’t be anything I can do to stop it. Are you aware that Grant is having someone look through your bank statements and transactions? I’ve had someone following his every move and even had someone hack your financials and change them and I noticed something very interesting. There was no project about things that affect shifters, was there” he hissed and my shoulders slumped. s**t. He knew.
“I can explain” I stammered, but he held up a hand and shook his head, his eyes warning me to keep quiet. “Don’t. My man has changed the transactions so that Grant won’t find the proof he’s looking for, but there’s no guarantee that his man isn’t smarter than mine. So be warned, watch your back. I can’t believe you would be this stupid” he snarled ” but if you’re found out, don’t expect me to come clean up your mess, because you’ll be on your own and I’ll deny knowing anything about it.”
He glared at me some more, raised his chin, and then stormed off, muttering nonsensical things under his breath while my feet remained firmly planted on the floor, panic rising inside of me. Grant was looking into my financials. If Father hadn’t had him followed, Grant would have found out I’d drugged him. He could still find out. I was going to have to take drastic measures. But what? What was going to distract him enough to stop him from looking any further into my background? It had to be something big but also something meaningful that he couldn’t just ignore or toss aside. I pondered for a moment, an inkling of an idea flashing into my mind. I sucked in a breath. It was brilliant. Far exceeded my expectations. But would be almost impossible to initiate, unless I was willing to go above and beyond in an effort to keep myself safe, to the point of degrading and even humiliating himself.