CATRINA

The stinging in my wrist doesn't let me sleep as I twist and turn on the cot. Finally, I let go of the thought of getting some sleep and sit upon the stiff mattress in my dingy cell. I have a cellmate too but I am yet to see her face. She's been sleeping and sometimes sobbing with her face turned towards the wall. I can make out her shoulders trembling when she cries but she doesn't respond to me so I don't call her again.

I just remember that I woke up in this room a few hours ago when there was sunlight, now it's dark, with only one candle here which the cell guard lighted for us.

"Who are you?" I startle at the voice and turn to my right to look at the girl. I try to take in her features, and when I do get a clear glimpse of her face, I gasp, recognising her immediately.

"You! I know you. You are the maid, the one when I first met Xanthos," I whisper, quickly checking her form. Like me, she's also sitting and looks quite uncomfortable on that cot.

She's still pregnant but her body is severely malnourished. Only her belly's protruding and her cheeks have gone hollow as if she's being starved. She doesn't look much more than 5 months pregnant but looking at the severity of her malnourishment, I am not quite sure if she's in her third trimester.

"I am Xanthos's mate," she speaks but her voice is very low. She's trembling again and from what I guess, she's trying to control her sobs. I get up from my cot, wincing at the pain in my wrist when I move it and the sting that goes through my shoulder at being moved.

I ignore the pain and walk towards the girl's cot where she is sitting with her legs folded while resting against the wall with both her hands covering her belly. She's not hiding her face anymore and the sight of her malnourished face with all her bones sticking out elicits a shocked gasp from me. I lift my hands and go to wipe her tears but she shakes her head and then covers her face with her hands, pushing back against the wall.

"Go away," she sobs and I feel bad for her. The sight of her disparity eats me and I want to do something to make her feel good, even if we are in this rotten cell trapped by my half-brother. I still don't understand why is his own mate imprisoned in here.

Is he treating his mate like my father did his? The sudden thought sends a shudder down my spine.

No! I need to find out a way to free her. If not for her then for the sake of her child. The raging thoughts in my mind take over, and I forget about the pain in my wrist and shoulder. I push the girl's hands away and wipe her tears slowly.

"Listen to me," I speak, loud enough to catch her attention. She stops hiccupping and looks at me, her tears lessening now. Good!

"Tell me your name," I whisper, keeping her hands in mine, hoping that it comforts her.

"Alex... Alexa...ria," she whispers and I make out that speaking is also difficult for her. Maybe because she's thirsty.

That bastard brother of mine hasn't even kept a glass of water for his mate. Idiot!

"Rhea! I'll call you Rhea, okay?" I ask hoping to cheer her up a bit. She nods and then bends her head to look at her belly and then starts crying again.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. Just a few more days, someone will come to rescue us," I whisper however I am not so sure about this thing.

"So...rry," she stutters again and this time I think she's saying sorry so I shake my head, although that movement makes my head swim, I somehow regain my balance and focus on the pregnant girl who needs more emotional support than me at the moment.

"No worries, dear. Just don't give up okay."

"No, I have no hope left. There is nothing worse than this fate. I did what he said. I spied for him. I tried to do everything he told me so that he would accept me but all he did was use me and then discard me. I am nothing more than this baby carrier. The moment this baby is out of my body, he'll kill me. He said... He'll kill me and the baby too if it's a girl. He wants a boy," she is sobbing uncontrollably now, her shoulders racking with the sobs that are flowing.

"He won't. Xanthos won't be able to lay a hand over you. I'll try my best to make sure that he doesn't reach you or your baby," I promise, not sure of how to fulfil it but I am determined enough to fight Xanthos, tooth and nail.

Rhea doesn't reply, maybe because she's doesn't want to hope, so I just pull her close to me, making her lean onto me and like the starved girl she is, she does. She lets go of all the reservation and then lays down with her head in my lap. I finger comb through her hair, hoping to massage her head, slowly and steadily, caressing her so that she falls asleep.

Her body is so tired that she gives in and in just a few minutes her breath evens out and she's finally resting. I watch her belly, not sure what caught my eye but the dress that she's wearing stretches over her belly and gives me a clear view of the little one moving inside.

I think, I probably see the head of the foetus move. It's protruding out of her belly and it's moving slowly. I've watched this scene before, many times when conducting sonography but this sight, especially in this depressing time of life where I have very little hope of seeing my loved ones again before dying, is refreshing.

It gives me hope. Hope to hold on to life, like this little one, who's struggling inside its mother's beaten, depressed body. I hope it gives Rhea and me the strength to deal with Xanthos and his evil plans.

~~~~~

Bright light floods into the room making me blink my eyes open. I cover my eyes with my hand, wincing at the pain in my wrist. It hurts, damn.

"Get up."

I sit up in the bed, gingerly and help Rhea too as she groggily sits up, clutching on to her belly. The baby is kicking again, I assume as Rhea winces a bit and then changes the location of her hand on her belly.

We both watch the guard enter and place two plates of hot food in front of us. There's also a bottle of water, two of them for us.

"I don't want to eat," says Rhea, turning her face away, trying to not cry at her situation.

"You make sure to keep your belly full or Master has warned to..."

"Let your master come. I would rather die than live like this," screams Rhea, surprising me and I immediately lay my hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

She does, taking deep breaths she calms down while I continue caressing her head. The motion calms her, I think so I continue doing it.

"We'll eat. I'll make sure she eats," I whisper to the guard and watch as he narrows his eyes at me and then nods his head once before getting out and locking us in.

"Come on, let's eat," I whisper and get up myself. I offer her a hand and when she takes it, I put my other hand around her shoulders urging her forward towards the food.

Not wanting her to bend to pick up the plate, I pick up both the plates and keep them on the lone table.

Pushing the table a bit towards the cot, I heave in a long breath and try not to wince when the vein in my wrist pulls up.

"Come on Rhea," I whisper once again when she remains standing there not willing to sit on my cot and eat.

"I don't want to eat. I know he's going to kill us anyway. Then why all this drama?" She sniffles with her head bent towards her belly as she caresses it. She loves her baby, that much is clear from the way she's caressing her belly. Only her situation is not letting her deal with her pregnancy. She's afraid for herself, for her baby and that fear is her cause of denial.

"You should choose your battles. This is the time to strengthen yourself. You are growing a person inside you. That person is going to be your sole purpose in the next phase of your life. You should make sure to be strong for him and in return for yourself. What if Xanthos doesn't kill you but you die out of your own negligence? Who will look after your child? What if Xanthos too neglects that child? How will that be fair to your child who was made out of your flesh and blood?"

I let my words wash over her and watch as she listens intently. After a few minutes, she wipes her tears away and then picks up the water bottle to drink a few sips of water.

"Sips only. You are dehydrated. Go slow at first, okay?" I tell her and she nods, not replying but she's listening to me so I consider it as progress.

I let out a huge breath and take a seat beside her, checking the food to make sure that it's edible for an expectant mother. It is, surprisingly so I encourage her to eat.

She does slowly after sniffing it, her werewolf senses still strong. I start eating too. It feels good to get some food inside my body. Somewhere I feel that having Rhea over here is like a blessing for me.

It made me forget my problems. She has more problems than me. An evil mate, an unborn baby and possibly no family to return to, I think her situation matches my mother's and it's going to take a lot of courage to get out of this disparity for Rhea.

I hope I'll be able to help her with the first obstacle. I promise myself, I'll not let the hurt and pain be the cause of her baby's death like it was for mine.

"Why are you here?" she asks me after finishing off her plate. Her soft words bring back all those memories and all that regret back to me. I wish I could undo all my mistakes regarding Xanthos. Connor was right from the beginning and I am a fool for falling for my half-brother's charms.

"Xanthos wants my blood to grow stronger," I whisper and watch Rhea as her eyes widen in surprise or shock, I am not sure.

"So, you are the dormant whose blood can give him the power to go feral," she whisper-shouts and then her gaze shifts to my wrist which has now dried up a bit.

"Yes, he already took it," I whisper raising my wrist to her.

"Oh no! He's powerful now, powerful enough to defeat King Fenris," she whispers, her voice trembling but her words send a chill down my spine.

"What?"

"You don't know? King Fenris is the only one who can defeat Xanthos but now Xanthos's chance of killing the King is more. Your blood doesn't have a protector, it makes it easier for him to conquer over it," she whispers but I don't understand anything.

"Conquer? What do you mean?"

"You are dormant. You don't have a wolf. Usually, a werewolf's blood cannot be used for black magic without his wolf's consent. But since you lack that wolf and also because you are Xavier's daughter, Xanthos easily took advantage of it. Your blood must have recognised Xanthos...," she whispers but now her voice has gone low, she's just whispering to herself, hugging herself and then curling up in a foetal position. I can't hear anything.

Her face has gone ghostly pale, even after the meal she had. Her words feel like some kind of warning. As if whatever she says is true and that I am somehow in trouble because of it.

~~~~~

Thank you for reading this chapter! Please vote if you like the story so far. 

Who's this Rhea? Any clue? We have already met her in THE ROYAL ALPHA

Also, please let me know your view on the story. Please comment with your views about this chapter too.