Chapter 24 The Way She Eats

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 The Way She EatsAt the mention of her, Damon’s hands clenched tighter, his knuckles whitened, pain and sadness flickering through his angry gaze.

"I would never."

"Good, now promise me," White urged again.

"I promise," he said, his chest heaving heavily up and down.

The snapping of bones echoed through the forest, followed by a powerful howling, then a white dash further into the forest, vanishing from plain sight. The only thing that was remaining were his tattered clothes, which were lying on the ground.

...

(Ember POV)

My stomach arched from the too much food that I had shovelled down my throat, and I’m still trying to process what was wrong with me. Why do I eat like I’m an animal?

"Eat slowly," Caroline’s voice cut the trail of my thoughts. When I looked down at my plate, I saw that it was already wiped clean. ’For fuck’s sake, this is the third plate. Where is the food going to?’ I thought inwardly as I licked the corner of my lips.



"You can have one more plate if you want..." Before Lydia could finish her word, my head was already bobbing up and down.


My mouth watered as she brought a plate of pancakes and a glass of milk to me. I reached out my hand, collecting the food from her.

"Thank you," I muttered, before burying my head down, shoving the pancakes into my mouth with both of my hands.

Unknowingly to me, Caroline cast a worried glance to Lydia, who was also taken aback by my behaviour. Even the maids in the kitchen were casting pitying glances at me.

Cough. Cough.

I choked on my food, my little frame jerking with every cough. However, I continued to chew the food down, before grabbing the glass of milk, juggling it down my throat. After my body had calmed down, I stilled as I could feel water streaming down my face.

Lydia squatted beside me, her hand patting my back. "It’s okay, eat slowly. No one is ever going to starve you again. The door is always open for you whenever you are hungry." Her words brought strange warmth into my heart.

"I have never..." I completely trailed off, finishing the sentence in my head. ’Starved.’ Then a memory flashed through my head.

...

A petite girl who was around the age of thirteen stood by the corner of the wall, staring at the dining hall which was bustling with laughter and chatter. Her father, stepmother, and her two siblings, Maddie and Sebastian.

Her throat bobbed up and down, as her eyes were more fixated on the food that was gracing the table. Her mouth watered, but she didn’t dare to come out from her hiding place, even though she hadn’t eaten for three days now.

Her sister Maddie was the one who saw her lingering malnourished frame from the corner of the wall. "Ember," she called out sweetly, even though mischief was dancing in her eyes.

At the mention of her name, the rest of her family turned their eyes towards her. Their laughter and chattering died down immediately.

But Ember didn’t dare to move an inch, because she knew better of what to expect if she went there.

"Ember, come," she called again, her eyes sparkled while she wore a kind smile. Her brother rested his back on his chair, amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked forward to the show that was about to happen.

However, Ember retreated further back, hiding herself behind the wall.

"Come here now!" Maddie ordered using her alpha voice, her blue eyes flickering to a light shade of gold.

Ember whimpered as she bared her neck in submission, before making her way to Maddie. Although her steps were slow and reluctant, it still brought her closer to the people she wanted to run from the most.

"Hungry?" Maddie asked, her lips pressing into a thin line.

Ember, seeing her sister dangling a roasted drumstick at her, her stomach grumbled in anticipation. She nodded her head.

"Here you go," Maddie handed the plate of roasted chicken to her. Ember’s eyes widened in surprise. She couldn’t help but wonder why her sister was being nice today, and that made her scared. She looked over to her father, but the old man was eating his food as if nothing was happening.



Her eyes darted to the rest of her family members, who were staring at her as if she was the most interesting thing in the room.

Ember’s fingers trembled beside her. It seems she didn’t have to go through their normal routine. She grabbed the food, "Thank you." Her soft voice came out a little weak, a smile contorting her face.

Without another second, she dashed out of the room before she changed her mind. Seeing her behaviour, Maddie couldn’t help but laugh mockingly at her behaviour.

’Get her,’ Maddie mind-linked to a group of servants who were waiting at the end of the hall.

Ember’s lips stretched into a smile as she ran down the hallway, but her smile instantly turned to one of horror as she tripped over a foot. She crashed on the floor, her gaze fixated on the food scattered on the floor.

She scrambled, picking one piece of the meat, shoving it down her throat. She didn’t need to look around to know what was happening. Some of the servants began hitting and kicking her.

Her face scrunched in pain. She didn’t bother to defend herself; she has always been helpless in their presence. Quickly, she shoved more food down her throat, avoiding chewing as much as possible. This had been the way she had eaten her meal. If she can’t get enough fill now, she would have to wait for the next three days—or even more, depending on her sister’s mood.

Then one of the servants began to trample on the rest of the food. A cry escaped her lips as she watched her food smashed into pieces.

.....

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I realised that my body was already programmed to gobble food—that no matter of etiquette could save.