Chapter Seven: Hiding

Emerald POV

I do not leave my room for two days.

The first day, I tell myself I am resting. The doctor said I need rest. Exhaustion. That is all. Nothing wrong with me.

But I know something is wrong.

My body does not feel like mine anymore.

The second day, I stop lying to myself.

Something is happening to me. Something I do not understand.

The morning sickness starts on the third day.

I wake up before dawn. My stomach lurches. I barely make it to the small washroom in the corner of my room before I am on my knees, heaving into the basin.

Nothing comes out. Just dry heaves that leave me shaking and weak.

I sit on the cold stone floor. Press my forehead against the wall.

What is happening to me?

I have never been sick like this before. Not once. I have never fainted. Never felt this strange heat in my chest. Never craved food the way I have been craving it.

Something is wrong.

But I cannot tell anyone.

If Cassius finds out I am weak, he will use it against me. If Kendal finds out, she will kill me. If the servants find out, they will gossip. And gossip spreads faster than fire in this castle.

So I hide it.

I hear the maids before they knock.

Their footsteps are soft. Their voices are hushed. They think I cannot hear them.

"Do you think she is sick?"

"Who cares? She is a slave."

"The Alpha visited her room last night. I saw him."

"Shut up. You did not see anything."

I press my hand against my stomach.

The Alpha visited her room last night.

He did. He stood in the doorway for a long time. Did not speak. Did not come in. Just watched me.

I pretended to be asleep.

After a while, he left.

I did not sleep at all.

The knock comes.

"Miss? Breakfast."

I open the door. Two maids stand there with a cart. The smell of food hits me.

My stomach lurches again.

I force myself to smile. "Thank you."

They wheel the cart inside. I see roasted meat. Eggs. Fresh bread. Fruit. A jug of water.

"Will that be all, miss?"

"Yes."

They leave.

I close the door. Lean against it. Breathe.

Then I run to the washroom and vomit into the basin.

I cannot eat the meat. The smell makes me sick. I cannot eat the eggs either. Or the bread.

But the fruit.

I eat all of it. Every piece. The sweetness settles my stomach. For the first time all morning, I feel human again.

I stare at the empty plate.

Fruit. I only want fruit.

That is strange. I have never been a picky eater. Back home, I ate whatever was put in front of me.

But now my body wants different things. Strange things.

And I do not know why.

The guards are outside my door again.

I hear them talking. Low voices. Bored.

"She has not left in two days."

"So? The Alpha said to keep her here."

"Boring assignment."

"Shut up and do your job."

I press my ear against the door.

The Alpha said to keep her here.

He is keeping me prisoner. In a nice room with soft sheets and good food, but a prisoner all the same.

I need to escape.

But how? I have no money. No allies. No weapons. I do not even know where I am. The Dragon Kingdom is foreign to me. I have never seen a map. Never traveled beyond Black Moon territory.

If I run, where will I go?

Back home? No. My father sold me. Derek tried to kill me. There is nothing for me there.

But I cannot stay here either.

I sit on the bed. Stare at the ceiling.

Think, Emerald. Think.

An idea comes to me.

The castle is enormous. I saw that when I explored. Endless corridors. Hidden doors. Rooms no one uses.

If I can find a way out—a servant's entrance, a garden gate, a tunnel—I could slip away at night. Disappear into the mountains.

But I need a plan.

First, I need to learn the castle layout. Every hallway. Every door. Every guard post.

Second, I need supplies. Food. Water. Warm clothes.

Third, I need timing. A night when the guards are distracted. When Cassius is away.

It will take weeks. Maybe longer.

But I have time.

I am not going anywhere.

The afternoon passes slowly.

I pace my room. Count my steps. Thirty steps from the bed to the door. Twenty steps from the door to the window. The room is small. A cage with pretty walls.

I hate it here.

But I hate Black Moon more.

At least here, no one pretends to love me. Cassius does not pretend. He is openly cruel. Honestly.

There is something almost refreshing about it.

Stop it, Emerald.

I cannot afford to think about him that way. He is my captor. My enemy. The man who bought me like a piece of meat.

I cannot forget that.

No matter how many times he visits my room at night.

No matter how many times he watches me from across the room.

No matter how gentle his hand felt on my stomach.

I cannot forget.

There is a knock at the door.

"Miss? Dinner."

I open the door. Different maids this time. Older. Their faces are blank.

"Leave the cart," I say.

"We are supposed to—"

"Leave it. I will return it to the hallway when I am done."

They exchange glances. Then they nod and leave.

I close the door.

The food smells different tonight. Soup. Bread. More fruit. No meat. No eggs.

Did someone notice? Did someone tell the kitchen I could not eat the meat this morning?

I look at the cart more closely.

There is a note.

Eat. You are too thin. — C

My heart stops.

Cassius sent me food. Cassius noticed I did not eat breakfast. Cassius told the kitchen to make me something different.

Why?

I read the note again.

Eat. You are too thin.

His handwriting is sharp. Angry. But the words are not angry.

I do not know what to feel.

So I eat.

The soup is warm. The bread is soft. The fruit is sweet.

I eat everything.

And I hate myself for being grateful.

That night, I cannot sleep.

I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about escape. Planning. Counting.

If I leave through the window, there is a fifty-foot drop to the ground. Too high. I would break my legs.

If I leave through the door, I have to get past two guards. Maybe more in the hallway.

If I leave through the servant's passages, I need to find them first.

I need information.

Tomorrow, I will explore. Pretend to be obedient. Pretend to accept my fate.

And while they are all watching me, I will learn every secret this castle has.

There is a sound at the door.

Soft. Almost silent.

I hold my breath.

The door opens.

Cassius stands in the doorway. The candlelight from the hallway casts shadows across his face.

He does not speak. Does not

move.

Just watches me.

I pretend to be asleep.

After a long time, he closes the door.

His footsteps fade down the hallway.

I let out my breath.

Why does he keep coming here?

I do not have an answer.

But my heart is pounding so loud, I am afraid he heard it.