Page 4 of The Baby Contract

"Things will never be the same, Nova." I shook my head, opening the glove box to Dad's old Camaro. "I can't believe it's been a week since Mom and Dad have been gone."

Nova reclined the seat, leaning her head back. "Alpha Orion hasn't made it much better. Being around him is like throwing gasoline on fire." She rolled her eyes, looking out the window.

I did the same, looking out the window at Mom and Dad's burial site. It wasn't much of a site, more of just a newly plowed dirt area that was once grass. Alpha Orion let me pick the site, and of course, I decided on Dad's favorite place by a rose garden.

"Don't talk that way, Nova. He's our Alpha-" I sighed, the window fogging up. "You know we have to respect him no matter what."

Nova sighed. "Alpha is a relaxed term. How could you not be mad Millie?" she turned, her eyes full of tears. "Not even a condolence or a 'you're going to be okay' or how about some positive words for the kid that just lost her parents?"

"Oh-" She continued, getting mad. "Don't even get me started on him selling your Dad's Camaro. Or-" she stumbled, looking at her shaking hands. "Or, him taking you out of the training sessions. He's practically destined you to live the life of a maid!"

I shut my eyes, sensing Nova's intense stare on my back. "Life is never going to be the same, Nova," I whispered, looking out. "Never."

Nova took a deep breath, reaching over the console to put her hand on top of mine. "You'll always have me." She smiled sadly, squeezing my hand. "We'll always be together, right?"

I cried, reaching over the seat to hug her. "Of course." I gripped her shirt, as my tears fell. "And, I'll always protect you, Nova. I'll never let anything happen to you. You're my only family now."

Nova chuckled, pulling away. "You know- "she bit her lip. "Things are going to be better when we meet our mates, Mills."

"Then we can all be a family! Me- "she pointed to herself. "You, your mate, and my mate!" she laughed, her wolf swooning at the idea of finding her true love.

I rolled my eyes, chucking at her love for mates. "We can live in a cabin together. Like a big family!" she clapped her hands, getting excited. "And we can have the cutest little pups ever!"

"I think you're getting too ahead of yourself." I chuckled, shaking my head. "We are only fourteen. I don't think our parents would want us off mating and having babies yet."

"Yet." She winked, wiggling her eyebrows.

We both stared at each other before breaking out in laughter, tears running down our cheeks at our silliness. I leaned forward, turning the radio up, a host catching my attention with some breaking news in the Kingdom.

"Well, turn it up!" Nova ushered, always wanting to get the gossip.

"-and Theo Stormblade, the newly mated couple, have been seen traveling to the Moonstone Valley this weekend for their honeymoon-" The radio host beamed.

I groaned, going to turn it down before Nova caught my hand. "Hey! I want to listen to that!"

"What vacation Luna and Alpha Stormblade are going on now is hardly breaking news." I rolled my eyes, turning it off. "We can't even afford food for dinner or clothes to wear."

Nova leaned her head on the seat, her eyes swooning. "I just hope my mate loves me as much as Alpha Stormblade loves Luna Ember."

"Hey, Nova?" I whispered, leaning my head on the seat to meet her eyes.

Her eyes met mine in surprise, breaking out of her love-crazed state. "Yeah?"

"You know I will always protect you, right?"

Nova's face blurred, her eyes becoming heavy. Her hand reached out to hold mine, but when I went to meet hers, I couldn't feel it. I looked up, confused at the lack of contact, even though I should have felt her hand. But, this time she wasn't there, an empty seat in her place.

"Millie, dear?" A gentle hand rubbed my shoulder, shaking me. "Millie, are you okay?"

I became aware of my heartbeat, my hands and legs tingling at the new sensations I was feeling. "Maybe I should get Beta, she's not waking up "a concerned voice shook in a low whisper.

"Honey, please wake up."

I shot up out of my dreamlike state, my eyes becoming wide at my new surroundings. My pulse raced, my breathing becoming rapid, as I realized I wasn't with Nova anymore.

Instead, I was in a full-sized bed, with a white sheet now covering the lower half of my body.

The room was cold, sterile, and small. There was one small sliver of a window, that let in a bit of sunshine.

The door had a small window as well, that led to the hallway.

A large heavy lockbox was placed on the knob of the door, making its presence known.

And, a woman, who was looking at me wide-eyed, stood in front of me, her hands on her heart in shock. "Oh-"she gasped. "I didn't mean to scare you, dear. My apologies."

She smiled nervously, pulling up a small chair to sit by my bed.

"I was worried when you didn't wake up. I thought something might have happened to you.

You seemed to be in pain when you were sleeping.

And, I tried to wake you up many times- "she breathed, catching her breath. "But, you were impossible to wake."

The woman took many deep breaths, seeming relieved that I woke. "I'm Ingrid, maid of the Stormblade pack. And now, your maid."

My head hurt as I tried to process what was happening. Nova wasn't here. We weren't in Dad's Camaro. We weren't fourteen again, listening to the radio.

Instead, I was here, in this hospital room, in front of this woman named Ingrid. The events of last night came back to me, as my mind cleared up from the dream it was in.

Alpha Orion had told me that I was coming to have Stormblade's pup. But, last night, was the first time I had fully heard the contract and all the details he had signed me up for in my next 9 months here at the Stormblade pack.

Of course, that piece of shit would tell Alpha Stormblade that I liked to run away, knowing that he would put a lock on these four tiny walls for my prison sentence here.

Alpha Orion never liked it when I snuck out to the ring, not that he didn't like the fact I was fighting, but he never liked the fact I was good. Like Mom and Dad.

Alpha Orion would do anything to get money and power, and that included selling me to the Stormblade pack at the first chance. And he would make sure that it was the worst possible pregnancy that I could have while he was at it.

"Maybe I should get the Beta-"Ingrid stood, looking worried.

"Sorry-"I jumped, shaking my head out of my state. Please, no. I've already been here one day, don't get in trouble, Millie. You know the punishments aren't just for you. "My apologies, I'm Millie. Maid of the Eclipse Pack. It's nice to meet you." I coughed, my throat dry.

Ingrid sighed in relief at my voice. "It's great to meet you, Millie." She smiled, the lines on her forehead showing her age. She was different than any maid I had ever seen at the Eclipse pack. If you told me Ingrid was a maid, I probably wouldn't have believed you given the way she looked.

She was well kept, her dirty blonde hair kept clean and neat in a plait on the back of her head. Her uniform was clean, intact, and looked new. It wasn't stained or dirty. Her boots were shiny and sleek, pulling her outfit together. And, she looked happy.

"I'll let you get back to sleep." She walked over to a cart, which I now noticed had two plates on it. "But first, Alpha Stormblade would like you to eat breakfast. After you finish, I can help you with a shower if that's alright."

My stomach whined at the thought of food. I looked at the large, analog clock on the wall. Seven-thirty am. "Um-" I gulped nervously, as she picked up the two plates. "I'm not very hungry."

"Oh, nonsense!" Ingrid smiled, pulling a table over the bed to set the plates on. "You had a long trip last night. You will need something to eat to start the day, honey."

Ingrid lifted the lids, displaying two options in front of me. Full of food. Some food items, I had never even seen before. Of course, I was used to eating bread once a day If I was lucky. So, all of this. Well, it was a lot.

"Our chef prepared French toast or omelets today." She nodded proudly. "They make some delicious food, you'll love it."

I looked down, surveying what she had brought. It did look good, and it smelt appealing too. But, my stomach turned at the thought of eating. I was sick thinking about eating this without Nova and the other maids, who hardly got anything at home.

"Millie-"Ingrid offered me a fork, ushering me to start eating. "Go ahead."

I took the fork, smiling politely. "Would it be okay if I skipped breakfast? I'm really tired."

Ingrid frowned, her eyes moving from me and the plates. "You know, those French toast sticks are my daughter's favorite." She pointed, not giving up. "I think you'll love them once you try it."

I sighed, putting my fork down. "Ingrid-"

"Honey-" She caught my hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I know you're not hungry." She closed her eyes sadly. "But, you have to. If you don't, I'll have to tell Alpha Stormblade, and he won't like it."

I had felt so comfortable talking to Ingrid since she was a maid, that I forgot that she had to report back to him. "Right-"I shook my head, picking up food with my fork. "I'm sorry, Ingrid."

"No. Don't be sorry, sweetheart." Ingrid smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry about being pushy. Alpha's orders."

I ate as Ingrid watched, making sure that I didn't hide or throw away anything on my plate. I took small bites as my stomach protested, complaining at the unusual amounts of food.

Ingrid grabbed my bag from my bedside, opening it up as I ate. "Beta said the Luna only gave him this bag to take with you."

"Yes." I nodded, internally rolling my eyes, knowing it was Lily. She was always on the way to calling herself a Luna, even though she and Jasper never made anything official. But, she wanted to present herself as a caring, loving, wolf who packed my bag. How sweet.

"Is this all you wanted to bring with you?" Ingrid took out my other maid uniform, my diary, a book, and a pen.

It was everything I had underneath my mattress. "Yeah," I stated simply, not wanting to tell Ingrid this was everything I owned.

"We will have to get you some new clothes," was all she said, making me feel grateful that she didn't ask further. "For now, there's some extras in the bathroom."

After I swallowed my last bite, Ingrid helped me out of bed and into the bathroom on the other side of the room. The bathroom was small, with an open walk-in shower in the corner. It had a small counter, which had a few piles of folded clothes and towels.

Ingrid turned on the shower before stepping out. "Just shout if you need me, sweetheart. I'll be right out here."

The steam of the shower made the room steam quickly. It was an odd sensation; one I had never felt before. Hot running water. I stuck my hand underneath it, my wolf and I enjoyed the feeling.

I stripped my dirty clothes, kicking them to the ground. I stood in front of the plastic mirror as I untangled my two braids, letting my waves loose. I stepped onto the tile, the water immediately bleeding red and black from the blood and dirt that was on my skin.

I watched as it washed down the drain, feeling good as my skin became free from the filth. I took the soap Ingrid had in here, using it to wash my hair and body, loving the feeling of the bubbles.

"Are you okay, Millie?" Ingrid knocked. "Let me know when you're done. I'll help you get dressed."

I must have been in here for a while given Ingrid's knock, so I decided to wash the last bits of soap from my hair and dry off. "Yes, sorry. One moment."

I picked up a pair of black leggings and a sweatshirt, throwing those on. The sweatshirt was about three times too big for my body, but I was grateful for that. It was comfortable.

"Oh, you look so cute!" Ingrid gushed, as I opened the door. "You're hair is so long and beautiful! Let me get my brush, I will dry it. Do you want it in braids to sleep?"

I smiled at Ingrid, as she ran into the bathroom behind me, finding a brush and a blow-dryer. When she came out, she held them up proudly, motioning me to sit on the bed. I did as she wanted, sitting with my legs crossed, as she pulled up a chair behind me and started doing my hair.

"Uh!" Ingrid moaned happily as she braided my hair. "I love being a maid to a girl for once."

I laughed quietly, relaxing as Ingrid played with my hair. It was nice, and even though it was a shitty situation I was in, it reminded me of when my Mom used to do my hair when she was alive.

"So much better!" Ingrid tied off my braids, finishing them. "Alpha will be pleased by your appearance."

I shuddered, remembering the nasty words he said about me in his office. How disgraceful I looked, how I looked worse than a rogue, how disrespectful in his presence.

I did not look forward to seeing him tomorrow.

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