Promises

~The next morning~

“How is she now?”

Megan sat next to her bed, staring at the sleeping beauty she had brought into her home without thinking of the consequences.

“She should be awake any moment from now, Princess.” Megan’s personal healer answered.

Megan bounced her head sadly and kept staring at her.

“I feel so bad for her. Why would they do such a thing to a pregnant woman? Didn’t they know she’d lose the baby with such treatment?” She uttered.

“They must have known, and that’s why they did that to her. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to get pregnant.” Her nurse answered.

“I know, but still… they shouldn’t have been so cruel. If we hadn’t saved her, not only the baby would have been terminated, she would have died too.” Megan added.

“True. But… Princess, what are you going to do about her? Your father, the King, can’t know you had to intrude another pack's boundaries just to save her. You know it’s unlawful.”

Megan sighed and bounced her head.

“I know. I’ll talk to him later. For now, I should still keep her in my room. I just want her to be okay. She just lost her baby. This is the least I can do for her, right?”

“Right. Well, I should be on my way now.”

“Yes. Thank you so much.”

“When she wakes up, I have placed all she would need to eat on the table. Let her drink some milk and eat a lot of fruits. I have provided them. Most especially, she needs to rest very well. If possible, she should be in bed for a week before attempting to walk.”

Megan nodded and smiled. “I’ll do just that. Thank you.”

After her nurse got out of the room, she heaved a sigh and looked at Belinda again.

“I can’t wait for you to wake up. I’m so curious to know your name.” Megan uttered. She held her hand and smiled faintly.

After a few minutes of Megan staring at her, she saw her eyes tighten. Megan sprang to her feet and widened her eyes.

“Hey… are you awake?” She asked excitedly.

Belinda moaned and slowly opened her eyes after hearing someone speak very close to her. Her vision was blurry at first, but she kept blinking until it got clearer.

She stared at the ceiling blankly and began to think. ‘This isn’t my cage. I have no such beautiful ceiling. Where am I?’

“Hey… Helloooo.” Megan waved at Belinda’s face, trying to catch her attention, which she finally succeeded in doing.

Belinda gasped when she looked at her side and saw a pretty lady smiling at her.

“You are awake!” Megan yelled. She pushed back the chair she sat on and ran out of the room.

Belinda gulped hard and looked around her still in awe. ‘This place is unfamiliar. Where is Alpha Cephas? Where is everyone?’

She looked at her hand and saw a transparent wire, connected to her hand. She could see fluid passing into her body.

She grabbed the tiny hose fearfully and tried to pull it off but the throbbing pain that was sent to her brain made her stop immediately.

“Argggh.” She groaned. She stared at her hand and then, back to the room again.

She placed her hands on the bed and tried to sit up. After sitting up, she gave the bed tiny little punches, checking out its soft texture.

‘It feels so comfortable. But where am I? The last thing I remember, I was naked and tied to a tree, I cried for help and then I heard a voice…’

The door to Megan’s room opened, and she jolted out of her thoughts. She looked at the door and saw the same girl she first saw walk in with a young handsome man.

This man had a cold look on his face. ‘He’s so scary. Who are they?’

“Hey, are you okay? How are you feeling?” Megan asked as she sat next to Belinda on the bed. Belinda was covered with fear and tried to move away.

“Hey, relax? I won’t hurt you. My name is Megan. What’s your name?” Megan asked as nicely as she could.

Belinda clenched her jaw and just stared at Damon who wasn’t having it at all.

“Was her mouth affected too?” Damon coldly uttered.

“Damon, c’mon, please be nice. She’s just recovering. She will need time to adjust to the new environment and even trust us. She has been through a lot.” Megan answered, keeping her gaze fixed on Belinda.

Belinda looked at Megan , and Megan smiled back at her.

“You don’t have to say anything now. I want you to know you can trust me. I will never hurt you. Do you remember what happened to you?”

Belinda lowered her head and nodded faintly.

“Great! You see, Damon? We are improving. She is beginning to trust us.”

“Oh please, Megan. She isn’t dumb. She is supposed to talk to us. At least, we don't have guns, knives or arrows with us. She is on a bed, not tied to a tree. How are we going to tell father about this? I shouldn’t have let you talk me into…”

“Damon!” Megan cut him short. “I’ll be back soon.” She said to Belinda and stormed to where Damon was. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of her room.

“Watch what you say in front of her, Damon!”

“Shut up, Megan! We have been keeping this from our father since last night! You promised to send her away as soon as she wakes up. Why are you trying to talk to her?”

“Because she’s a woman like me! She just lost her baby! She has feelings too, okay?! She’s fragile, can’t you see? She needs someone she can trust. Can’t you just give her some time?”

“You should be saying this to our father, not me. You know once he finds out, he will scold me, instead of you. We need to send her on her way as soon as possible.”

“I can’t do that! If father is the problem, then I’ll talk to him about it. And I won’t mention you. If you’re so scared to face your own father and ask for help for a fellow human, then I’ll do it.” Megan answered angrily.

“Fine. Suit yourself! I know nothing about this! You broke the rules on your own!” Damon smacked and scurried away.

“Coward.” Megan mumbled and heaved a sigh. She placed her hands on her waist and shook her head.

She walked back into the room and caught Belinda staring at the door. She could guess she heard everything that Damon said to her because they were pretty loud.

“I’m sorry about that. You don’t have to worry. I am not sending you off. I’ll talk to my father for you. Can you please tell me your name at least? I need to know something about you.”

Belinda swallowed hard as she stared at Megan. ‘Can I trust her? But she just defended me in front of that man. I think I can.’

“Belinda. Belinda Bartling.” She answered. Her voice was so tiny, like that of a baby.

Megan let out a hearty smile after hearing her name. “You’ve got a nice name, Belinda . I like it.”

Belinda bobbed and let out a feeble smile. “Are you hungry? The healer said you should drink some milk and eat fruits. Your body has lost so many nutrients, you need to replenish them.”

Megan stood up and walked to the table that was prepared. She picked up the tray and put the cup of milk and some apples on it.

She carried it back to the bed and placed it next to Belinda. “Have some. You need some energy.”

Belinda gulped hungrily and stared at the food in the tray.

She was reluctant to take any of them because she had never had them, and maybe she was scared Megan wasn’t as nice as she seemed to be.

Megan noticed how hesitant she was and she picked up the cup of milk. “Look at me.” Megan took a sip from the cup and smiled.

“See? Nothing is in it. Here, have it.” She stretched the cup to Belinda, hoping she’d take some of the milk.

Belinda finally took the cup from her and moved it slowly to her lips. She took a sip at first and when she realized how nice it tasted, she gulped all of it at a go.

“Wow!” Megan uttered. “You must be hungry. Have some apples too.” Megan took a bite from the apple before giving it to her.

And she kept doing this until Belinda was full. Belinda refused to eat any of the apples unless Megan took a bite from it first.

“Are you full now?” Megan asked out of excitement and Belinda bobbed, and for the first time, let out a genuine smile.

“You like it?” She further asked, and Belinda nodded.

“Thank you.” Belinda said, and Megan’s heart melted. She moved closer to Belinda and pulled her into a hug.

“I don’t regret rescuing you from those evil people, and I promise to keep you here, where you’d be safe.” Megan said as she hugged her with emotions, running through her veins.