Chapter 15: Chapter 15

~After a few days~

“Why can’t you just let it go already?! Why are you so bothered about that Slave still being alive?” Maeve muttered to Alpha Cephas who had just finished having a meeting with his Betas on how to track Belinda.

“You know I won't give up, Maeve. That girl and that wolf ridiculed me, I will never let that slide.”

“Haven’t you done enough? I went with you to that tree stump, I smelled her awful blood because of you. I told you, she is far away from here, and I believe she’ll never return.”

“You can’t be so sure, Maeve. You lost track of her in the woods, that doesn’t mean she’s far away.”

“So I just lost track of her? You and I know very well that once I can’t get the scent of anything, it means it’s so far away from where we left and where we’re headed.”

Alpha Cephas sighed and walked up to her. He lifted her hand and gave it a kiss.

“Maeve, don’t worry about it, okay? I promise not to get you involved anymore.” He uttered softly.

“That’s not what I want. You’re so much invested in finding this slave than giving me the attention I deserve, Cephas! You never even for once bothered to find out who got her pregnant. Why aren’t you bothered about that? He should be punished too!”

“I don’t care who got her pregnant, Maeve. She was my slave, she never supposed to have given anyone a chance. I feel humiliated, Maeve. Don’t you see?”

Maeve sighed and shook her head. She snatched her hands from his angrily and moved back.

“I knew talking to you will not change anything. Keep looking for her, and I hope you find what you’re looking for so badly.” She responded and headed out of his chamber.

“Maeve… wait!” Cephas called, but she ignored him and kept going.

‘I’m sorry, Maeve, but I can’t let the truth come out. I can’t let her have that baby. I can’t give her a chance to ruin our relationship. I need to make sure she is dead and forgotten’

She got to her room and opened her door. She shut it behind her, rested her back on it and closed her eyes.

“Sister?” Maisie, who was already waiting for her in her chamber, called.

“Maisie? When did you get here?” Maeve asked in surprise and walked to the bed where Maisie sat.

“Some minutes ago. I was told you were in Alpha Cephas’ chamber, so I decided to wait for you here.” Maisie answered.

“Oh…” Maeve sighed.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy. Did you two argue again?” Maisie asked, and she nodded.

“The disappearance of that slave is causing more harm than good, Maisie. I don’t get it… why is he so bent on finding her? The girl is probably scared to death now and would never come here again. Why can’t he give himself a break? Give us a break?”

“Hold on. I thought this search was over. Didn’t you say you found her?”

“We found her blood on a tree stump, I tried to trace her with it, but it grew fainter and fainter as we kept searching. I’m so mad at him. He doesn’t even give the attention he has always showered me with.” Maeve sadly answered.

Maisie’s expression turned into a sad one and she held her sister’s hand. “I’m sorry about this, Maeve. I really wish I could help.”

“I swear if I find that girl first, I’ll kill her before telling him about it.” Maeve muttered, and Maisie chuckled.

Maeve smiled and shook her head. “Let’s forget about that. Why are you here?”

“Well, I came to tell you that I’ll be taking the next step to winning Prince Damon’s heart tomorrow. I’ll be visiting the Queen!”

“Really? That’s awesome! I can’t wait to be the sister to the next queen of Moonlove kingdom.” Maeve said, and they both laughed.

***

Belinda was on her way to the tower when Prince Damon called her.

“Belinda. Where are you going?” He asked, making her halt. She looked back and saw him approaching her.

“I… my Prince.” She bowed, before she continued talking. “I am on my way to the tower. It’s my turn to watch the boundaries.”

“Alone?” He further asked, and she bounced her head.

“Isn’t it supposed to be like that, my Prince?” She asked, and he shook his head.

“No. There are supposed to be two people on guard. You’re new to this. You should have a partner.” He explained.

“Oh. I wasn’t told.” She answered.

“It’s pretty obvious. Don’t worry, I’ll watch with you.” He answered and took the lead.

“But, Prince Damon, you don’t have to worry about me. I can do it alone. You should be resting.” She uttered, making him stop.

He turned to look at her and shot her a deadly look. “And who are you to tell me what to do? Are you questioning my orders?”

Belinda hastily shook her head and bowed. “I’m sorry, my Prince. I didn’t mean to.”

“Good. Now come with me and let’s get there as soon as possible. It’s going to be a long night.”

They got to the tower after walking for some minutes. Damon took the lead and climbed the concrete stairs, and Belinda followed after him.

They got to the top, and Belinda began to breathe hard.

Climbing the stairs was harder than she thought. She looked around and saw the beauty of the kingdom. The houses, tents, and even the palace looked so beautiful from the top.

“Wow.” She uttered with a very warm smile. She moved closer to the window and kept staring down. The street lights which were made of gas made the streets so beautiful.

“It’s so beautiful.” She muttered. The cool breeze brushed her face, and she chuckled. She spread her arms wide and closed her eyes, inhaling and enjoying the feel of the cool wind.

“I love it here.” She uttered.

As Belinda admired virtually everything, Damon couldn’t get his eyes off her. ‘She is… beautiful.’ He said to himself.

“I wouldn’t mind watching the boundaries everyday!” She uttered in excitement and looked at Damon, who was still staring at her.

‘I haven’t seen her this happy since she got here.’ He thought, and unexpectedly a smile lit up his face.

Belinda blinked in disbelief, seeing the prince smile seemed like a miracle to her.

“You’re smiling.” She thought out loud, and Damon hurriedly called himself to order. He clenched his jaw and looked away.

“I wasn’t.” He answered coldly. ‘F**k!’ He screamed inside of him.

Belinda smiled and looked away. She continued to feed her eyes with the beauty of the kingdom. Out the boundaries, she hardly saw the next Kingdom. They were super far from each other.

“What happened to you?” Damon asked, and Belinda looked at him.

“What?” She asked.

“When you were still in that pack. What happened to you? Why were you tied to that tree?” He asked.

Belinda swallowed hard and lowered her head. She looked out of the window and began to speak;

“I was a slave to the Alpha and his Luna after they killed my parents in a fight. The fight was between Alpha Cephas’ pack, and the pack my parents and I used to be with. I must say they were nicer than Alpha Cephas’ pack.”

“They both derived joy in maltreating me. Luna Maeve made me do all the work and hardly gave me anything to eat. I’d eat once a day, sometimes, I’ll starve till the next day. Alpha Cephas on the other hand sexually assaulted me every night, in my cage. He was so aggressive with me, and after he finished, he’d give me a pill to use…”

“A pill?” Damon asked, and she bobbed.

“Yes. I never knew that pill was to prevent me from getting pregnant until I stopped taking it. Some weeks after I stopped. Luna Maeve found out I was pregnant. Alpha Cephas was angry and he asked his men to strip me and tie me to the tree. He didn’t let me say who was responsible for the pregnancy because of his Luna. He wanted to kill me to shut me up for life.”

Belinda stopped talking and sniffed. She cleaned her eyes with her palm and looked outside the window.

“So his Luna had no idea that he was sexually assaulting you every night?”

“No. He made sure he was very careful, and I, on the other hand, dared not say a word about it to anyone or I’d be killed. I was crying for help when I was tied, and that was when you came to rescue me.” She added and looked at Damon’s face.

Damon sighed and clenched his jaw. “Asshole.” He muttered within gritted teeth.

“That night, I wanted my wolf to take over so badly and make them pay, if that was possible, but it never responded.” Belinda added.

“Why?”

“I don’t know, my Prince. Since I clocked eighteen, I expected it. I anticipated every full moon but nothing changed. It was just like every other night.”

More tears rolled down her cheek, and she cleaned it off with her hand.

‘I shouldn’t have started by asking her these saddening questions.’ He thought. He looked at the wooden chair that was where they stood and picked it up.

He moved it closer to Belinda and pointed at it. “You can’t stand throughout the night. Sit.” He said to her.

Surprisingly, Belinda didn’t try to offer him the chair, she sat and breathed out. “Thank you, my prince. You know how to treat a woman.”

Damon scoffed and folded his arms. “I sure don’t. I’m the least person that cares about anyone.” He answered and looked out of the window.

“You keep telling yourself that, but that isn’t true. I hope one day, you’ll find your partner among those beautiful maidens and fall in love.”

“What do you know about love?” He asked her, and Belinda smiled.

“Honestly, my Prince, I know nothing. I’ve never been in love. Never thought about it, and I think I’ll never be in love. Love is a beautiful thing, and it isn’t meant for a slave like me.” She answered.

There was an awkward silence after she spoke. Damon kept his eyes out for anything weird, while Belinda, on the other day, fell asleep after staring at Damon for minutes.

Damon looked at her and saw she was fast asleep. He moved closer to her and squatted in front of her. He stared at her face and unconsciously, he let out a warm smile again.

He moved a strand of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her small, pale ear. He admired her perfectly curved heart shaped face. Her nose was long and pointed, and her cupid-bow lips were very pink.

Damon stared at her lips and slowly licked his. After moisturizing his lips, he slowly moved his face to hers.

“I shouldn’t do this! I shouldn’t…”

His lips took in her soft lower lips slowly and he inhaled heavily. He stole another peck from her before moving back.

‘I did not just do that to her.’