Doris forced herself to eat when she remembered that she had a baby to take care of inside her. A baby that made her three times more hungry than she usually felt. She would have much sooner eaten a book rather than the food that was served to her on a fancy tray.
She knew it was unlikely that Prince Martin would have poisoned her through desserts and soup-but the back of her mind still cautioned her to be on alert. Already he showed signs of an unstable man, but she didn't have much choice. It wasn't fair to starve herself because she was afraid.
Prince Martin must not have known she was with child, he hadn't mentioned it once. Although, he hadn't mentioned that she was his mate recently either. His strange denial to what was happening made her feel even more uneasy.
What would he do if he found out she was pregnant with William's baby? Would he try to sicken her until it shriveled up inside her? Would he tell her he would raise it as his own as if some secret part of her would ever want that? The fear of the unknown was more terrifying than what might actually occur, but it didn't stop her thoughts from trying to scare her.
Doris slept horribly throughout the night. She tossed and turned so many times, she doubted that more than a few hours were spent actually sleeping. By morning, she felt her exhaustion start to finally take a hold of her as she pulled herself out of bed weakly.
Doris dressed herself quickly before anyone could come. She had to be awake, she had to be on alert just in case he came back. She paced the room until finally the lock unlatched and Beth came through with a tray. As usual, the door locked behind her.
"Oh my goodness, Beth!" Doris quickly crossed the room to her friend. She took the tray out of her grasp and set it aside before she threw her arms around her. "I was so worried that something happened to you! I'm so glad you're okay."
"Me? Doris, I thought you were going to be killed! I swore it was the last time I was going to see you." Beth pulled away to look at Doris. "They were fine to me once we arrived but I thought he was going to take you here to kill you just to get back at you for what Prince William did."
"I... I thought I was going to die too, but-" Doris chewed on her lip and glanced at the floral walls. "He said he built this place for me."
"I'm sorry. What?" Beth took Doris's hands and pulled her to the bed to sit. A moment later, she felt a wave of dizziness hit her before it soon passed. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Prince Martin. He said he brought me here because he had this place made for me." Doris looked around at the room and it was obvious that Prince Martin didn't really know her at all. Not as well as he thought he did. While she loved flowers, he painted ones she didn't favor. He brought desserts because she had a sweet tooth, but he didn't know which ones were her favorites so he included as many as he could.
"Are you saying he's in love with you and built you this house for you to live in?" Beth's eyes grew wide. "That is... I mean I knew he always had some sort of feelings for you, but this is crazy."
"I don't know why he did this. I barely spoke to him at the castle-I didn't know he cared for me this much. I thought it was just a crush that would eventually fade!" Doris ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I don't know what's happening."
"Sometimes people grow attached to others without them knowing. I knew he looked at you with affection but I didn't realize... this."
"We have to get out of here, Beth. I don't want to risk any more time here in case he has something else planned for me. Men never react well when they're rejected." Doris sighed. She wished she could call out for William. She wished there was a way for him to find her through their mating bond.
Was there a way?
It didn't matter. Her wolf was silenced inside her and it might be days before she woke up again.
"I was able to see a lot of the house, my room is all the way across the building. I was led here and given a tray for her by these two large men that didn't say much else."
"What did the house look like? Are there others?" Doris whispered. She glanced at the door to make sure it wasn't open. "How many guards did he bring?"
"I think there are many guards, more than I could guess. I passed quite a few and could hear more far away. The house looks like a larger version of a plain cottage house that wasn't fully decorated. Many of the areas were plain with a few pieces of furniture but no life."
Doris dropped her head in her hands. "I don't think William will ever find me here. It looks like we're in the middle of a forest from outside of my window-who knows how far we actually are from the palace or the kingdom."
"That's not true, we could be close by. Don't you remember that the palace has many off properties around the kingdom? They have areas like this for the royals to rest in if they were ever traveling." Beth glanced around the room as if she was finally taking it all in for the first time. "If William knows where those places are, he will eventually find you."
"That could take weeks, Beth. Especially with all of the snow." Doris didn't want to admit that she was terrified of not surviving that long. "Wait... I think I might have an idea... Or the start of one at least."
Beth leaned closer with wide, desperate eyes. "What is it? Are you going to use your wolf to get us out of here? I saw you fight back at the camp-I know you can take a few dozen men down. Easily."
"No, he used a drug to put my wolf to sleep so I couldn't defend myself or try to escape." Doris said quietly. Beth gasped. "No, I have another idea. Men may react badly when they are rejected, but they will fall into your hands if they think you're giving them exactly what they want."
Beth looked at Doris suspiciously. "Okay, what would you do?"
"I'm not sure entirely yet, but I could play along with whatever he throws my way. I know he sent you here to win my favor, perhaps I could tell him how thankful I am."
"Oh." Beth frowned. "A girl back at the castle used to do that to one of the royals. She would do whatever he asked even though she hated his guts. He always thought she was in love with him, though. She got a lot of gifts."
"If he trusts me, he won't be so strict. His leash on me will loosen and I can try to get a weapon to fight back or try to escape when he isn't around." Doris stood. It sounded easier said than done, but she had nothing else to work with.
"What can I do to help?" Beth asked. She watched as Doris started to pace the room while her thoughts ran wild.
"If Prince Martin asks you about me, feed him the lies too. Tell him I talked about him and that I complimented the room. Just little things to grow the seed in his mind."
"It's a dangerous game, Doris. He won't like his feelings being toyed with when he thinks you're finally opening up to him." Beth warned.
"I know that, but I have to get us out of here and I don't have any other options. We could be days of travel away from the palace, I don't know how long I was out for."
"I wish I could tell you. He knocked me out the minute they did the same to you. I suppose it was so I couldn't find the way back to camp even if I tried." Beth bit her lip in thought. "It's worth a try, Doris. He's clearly obsessed with you and might take every crumb he can get from you."
"Exactly." Doris said. "If he thinks there's a chance, he might be more willing to make me feel as if I'm not trapped here."
"It could blow up in our faces, Doris." Beth said gently. "It might go wrong, he might see what you're doing."
"I know." Doris said. She offered a small smile. "But I have to try at least."