Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Miranda shook as it was freezing in her prison cell. This was literally the worst night of her life. The only company she had was the rats and cockroaches that inhabited this dark and cold cell, and she was not even given a blanket.

'How cruel can these wolves from the Silver Pack be?' She wondered.

'Don't worry. It's just three days. It will be all over after then,' Miranda tried convincing herself, but it was not working.

She didn't know which was worse; letting Alpha Damian kill her or going back to marry Alpha Walden after everything. Even though she did not like the idea, it sounded much better than dying a gruesome death and leaving her people behind to suffer.

After hours of tossing and turning on the ground, she finally closed her eyes for a bit before she heard some squeaky noises and felt a sharp pain on her finger. She opened her eyes to see a small rat chewing on her finger like it was a piece of bread. She growled, quickly grabbing the rat and squeezing the life out of the poor creature. The cell echoed with the squeaks of the poor rat as Miranda choked it to death before throwing the dead rat to another corner of the cell and wiping the blood off with her dress, shedding more tears.

This place was turning her into a monster, and she didn't like to be here at all. Miranda hated this place so much! She could not help but weep at the thought of that.

Suddenly, the cell door opened, and a middle-aged woman walked into the cell. She held a comforting expression, and Miranda didn't know why, but in a way, she felt at ease in this woman's presence.

She got up from the ground, carefully nursing her injured finger before walking up to the woman. "Hello, dear." The woman beamed a smile at her before noticing Miranda's bleeding finger and the handprints of blood on her dress."Oh, you poor thing! You must have been through a lot with these hungry prison rats."

"Uhm, who are you?" Miranda asked politely.

"You can call me Madame Jane. I'm the Silver Pack's keeper."  Her answer did not seem to wipe the puzzled look off Miranda's face. Obviously, Jane had not told Miranda why she was there. "The Alpha sent me to take you to another room since it's freezing cold down here."

She could not help herself but ask, "But why? Why would he do that?"

"I'll give you a good piece of advice that no one else might give you, dear, and you better follow it for a short time that you will be around. No matter how stupid the Alpha's decisions may seem, never question him and just go with it. Alpha Damian is a wise man, so he always knows what he is doing."

Miranda nodded her head vigorously. Of course, she would be a fool to keep asking questions when she knew that this cell was the last place she wanted to be.

"Okay, dear, I've prepared your room. Come with me."

Following Madame Jane, she was led out of the prison quarters and to the upper wing of the Silver Pack's house. The pack was truly triumphant. The Silver Pack's house resembled nothing short of a mighty castle, with many quarters and verandas standing tall in the middle of the city. No wonder they deemed themselves so high and mighty, for they had every right to be, unlike how gloomy it was back where she came from.

She was taken to a room that was well furnished with colorful drapes, a leather couch, a big bed in the middle, and a bathroom. The place looked exquisite, nothing like her former room back at home. "All of this is for me?"

Madame Jane didn't need to speak and only threw her a glance to remind Miranda of her advice earlier.

"Oh. Uhm, sorry!"

The smile returned to Madame Jane's face. "Okay then. Let me quickly run and get you some bandages for your finger, and then I'll run a nice bath for you so that you can sleep well. A princess deserves comfort, after all."

Miranda huffed as she sat on the couch. "Hmm, princess? No one seems to believe that around here."

"I do believe it. I've never seen someone as bold as you, Miranda. You are so different from any trespasser that has been brought into the court. The way you spoke depicted nothing short of royalty."

"I don't know what to say. Uhm, thank you," Miranda replied.

"Don't be thanking me yet, dear. I might believe you, but that isn't enough. Just pray that the Alpha keeps showing you kindness by giving enough time for your supposed husband to come. By the end of the day, if he doesn't; let's not think about that now. I don't want to frighten you more than you've already been today."

Miranda could not help but just sigh as her response.

Madame Jane then decided to change the topic. "Have you eaten?"

Miranda's stomach growled following Madame Jane's question, reminding her that it had been dreadfully long since she last had a meal. Madame Jane didn't need any worded response from her to know that she was famished. "I'll bring something for you to eat too, dear."

"Thank you, Madame Jane."

The sound of the door closing was heard as Miranda went to sit on the bed, still finding it hard to believe everything that had happened today. She still wondered why she was taken to this place instead of being left in prison. Alpha Damian was truly someone she did not understand at all, so could it be that he was beginning to trust her?

***

It was a beautiful night, and Miranda had slept pretty well after the bath and the food that Madame Jane prepared for her. She felt much better now, with the only thing disturbing her was the thought that she might die in a few days.

A knock on her door woke her up, and it was Madame Jane, entering with her breakfast.

"Good morning," Miranda greeted.

"Good morning, princess. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did sleep pretty well. Thank you."

"Good, because you'll need your strength after you finish eating. The Alpha demands to see you right away."