My Personal Hell - D. Richardson (read with me .txt) 📗

The seats had filled completely and the doors opened to admit Tom along with four men. Three of them I recognized as Drake’s but the fourth I had never seen before. He took the podium as the three men secured Tom in his shackles, so I assumed he was the defense. I hadn’t recognized him because he was the beta to another pack.

But my focus was on the man I hoped would burn in hell. He had walked in like he was about to take part in a tea party in his honor. He even managed to appear calm and collected while they chained him to the floor. He wasn’t just confident, he was cocky. I hated him more and more by the minute.

When he was secured the three men took their places around the room, and everyone in the seats calmed down. Drake stood at the top podium and looked around the room, meeting this alpha’s eyes or that one’s. After the room was good and full of apprehension he began.

“Thomas Ryther, you have been summoned here to face charges you are believed to have committed,” he paused and Tom took the opportunity to speak.

“What charges do you have to bring against me, Alpha Drake?” the condescending tone he used towards his alpha caused a bit of a stir among the audience. But Drake leveled his gaze at him calmly and answered his question.

“I am not the one bringing charges against you, Tom,” the older man’s eyes widened in surprise and I detected a little bit of worry.

It had been kept as secret as possible that I was the one conducting this trial. Only members of Drake’s pack new and they were all explicitly ordered not to inform Tom. Almost none of them were happy about it. Drake was actually quite ashamed to admit that I had to stay in the house in case of a threat from members of his own pack.

It was actually through word of mouth amongst the females that brought me all of my witnesses. It was almost like black market talk. But I was beginning to learn that while the males were always dominant, the females had a society all their own. Beneath and out of sight from the males. Apart from the order to keep their mouths shut, that apparently didn’t pertain to pillow talk.

“Alpha Ailith Blackbourn will be prosecuting.” At the sound of my name I walked around the stage so the room could get a good look at me.

There were several feminine gasps, and many more masculine grumbles and complaints. I was told that generally a female did not hold a trial unless there was no one else to do it. Well, there wasn’t so here I was.

I would forever remember the look on Tom’s face when he laid eyes on me. The last he knew I was locked up safely going insane and slowly dieing. But to see me standing there in obvious good health and sanity made his face go pale, and he swallowed hard. His defense immediately leaned in to talk to him quietly.

By the time I reached my podium that faced him directly, he was calm and confident again. I fought the urge to lick my lips. It was time for me to start by listing the charges against him. But in order for my plan to work I needed to seem just as calm and confident as the distinguished doctor.

“Thomas Ryther, you are being charged with direct disobedience against your ruling alpha, as well as, the intent to cage and murder another alpha on his territory,” I had practiced this part, and the result was as I had expected. The room erupted.

Men were yelling their complaints and the demand to remove the charges. One of them was so loud that I was able to actually here what he said. That there was no reason to keep up this nonsense just to appease a little girl’s desire for drama. But no matter the insults they yelled at me. And no matter the smug smirk Tom gave me at his loud defense. I kept my expression calm and emotionless. It was something I had a lot of practice at in worse circumstances than this. At my non-reaction Tom’s smugness diminished. Finally, ordered was restored and the beta spoke.

“What evidence do you have to support these charges?” his demeanor was cold and professional. The way he held himself and the look he gave spoke of belief that I was lying.

“I have eighteen witnesses to the act itself. And four witnesses to his direct actions that led to that act,” my answer made him and everyone else stumble in their arguments. “I came to live with Alpha Drake and his family roughly eight weeks ago. I was injured upon arriving and the doctor was called. I was unaware of my being a werewolf at the time, and upon discovering it, Tom also realized that I was born a lone wolf.” I waited as whispers filled the room.

When quiet descended I continued. “It was later discovered that my father was a human and my mother was a wolf, which indicated that I was a half breed.” More whispers, then quiet. “Upon realizing these facts, Mr. Ryther advised Alpha Drake that I was unstable and would turn dangerous.” More interruptions, this time a rather loud voice yelled.

“Then you should have been taken care of! What is a dangerous wolf doing conducting this trial anyway?!” I waited until they all settled down again, giving no indication that I had even heard him. It was Sadler’s father who had made the statement. Much to my disgust I saw several others agree with him.

“He informed Alpha Drake, that I should be either terminated or locked away to ensure the safety of the pack.” There were several murmurs of agreement, and Tom looked at me with that smug look back in place. “Upon the advice of his pack doctor Alpha Drake locked me in a room for the span of four weeks. In that time I suffered major depression and suicidal thoughts. I injured myself trying to go through glass. I stopped eating and drinking, resulting in major malnutrition and dehydration.

“Upon urging from his family, Alpha Drake, decided to gain a second opinion to my condition.” Tom’s self satisfied look disappeared completely. “He brought in a doctor from a trusted ally. Who informed him of Mr. Ryther’s lie. He confirmed that I was not dangerous in anyway, nor was I unstable. Mr. Ryther intentionally lied to his alpha in order to have me falsely imprisoned and eventually driven to death. Whether by the order of Alpha Drake or my own hand.” There were several other protests, but the beta managed to get his statement in over the disruption.

“What proof do you have that his advice wasn’t given out of ignorance, and was a simple mistake?” I decided to ignore that he considered whether I had died or not as a simple mistake and continued.

“At the admission of the lie by the second doctor, Alpha Drake consulted three others who had no experience with my specific breeding. All three confirmed that it was common knowledge. There were no indications what so ever that I could be considered anything but a normal female.” With my answer hanging in the air several members of the audience mumbled to each other.

It wasn’t enough though. I had the proof, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t overturn me. Simply because they didn’t want to believe that he had done it intentionally. It was time to keep a promise and play my ace in the hole. Well, it was more like an entire deck.

“There are further charges that need to be acknowledged today.” The entire room went silent. Even Drake and his family looked at me with curiosity. From the corner of my eye I saw Sadler look at me with confusion. Tom just looked green. “Upon discovering, through the very tightlipped grapevine, that I was bringing charges against the doctor, several other young females came to me with their grievances. Would you all care to stand and join me on the floor?” There were a lot of murmuring at this.

It was unheard of for everyone that had a charge to file to stand on the floor together. It was also unheard of for twenty three young females to stand as one and make their way down. As each one of them joined me behind my podium, Tom swallowed and turned a little greener.

“There are twenty three girls standing with me today. They are not the all of them. I asked the youngest to stay with their families. You will know who they are when they are ready to tell you. Now, they wish to speak to you themselves, and tell you exactly what horrible crimes this man committed against them.” I stepped aside and Liz stepped up to the podium. All of the girls that were under the age of twelve were still with their families. I felt like they were too young to really handle this level of scrutiny, as they told everyone the most humiliating and traumatizing thing that could ever happen to them.

One by one they each described how Tom had brutalized them. How, starting when they were each eight years old, he would get them in a private room for a ‘check up’, and take advantage of them. Leaving them bruised and damaged, then telling them that if they ever tried telling anyone he would just say that they were lying. And they would believe him, because they were only females and he was a male. They told how he had made them feel like trash and less than what they were. How he had committed these acts repeatedly over the years.

Until finally we reached the last one. The one most effected by the heinous acts he had committed. Her name was Kiera and he had ruined her life more than the others, if that was even possible. He had started attacking her when she was eight just like the others. And continued until just a few months ago when she turned eighteen and could press charges against him in a human court for rape. This particular story hit the hardest, because Tom’s defense was her father.

“When I was sixteen he raped me, and I got pregnant. On my next appointment he realized and forced me to have an abortion. Told me that if I didn’t go along with it then he would see to it that I was forever shamed in my pack. He performed the abortion himself, refusing to give me painkillers, he refused to used sterilized tools. He rendered me unable to have children.

“Then after it was over, he went to my father and my alpha. Told them that he did an exam and there was concrete evidence that I had been pregnant and had an abortion in secret. My father disowned me, my alpha shamed me in front of my entire pack. And now I’m left to be a wolf with no rank and no family. I’m shunned by everyone I have ever cared about. Even friends I had had in school would have nothing to do with me. He ruined me,” her voice was strong and her eyes and cheeks were clear and dry. She had harbored a lot of hate for the man for a long time.

The beta that was defending Tom looked at his daughter as if seeing her for the first time. Then his face started turning red as he turned to the man he had been willing to defend. I glanced at Sadler and motioned for him to do something. Before the man lost his mind and killed Tom before his conviction could even begin.

Sadler nodded at me and three men came forward to detain the beta. It took all three of them to get him out of the room