Chapter 43: 43: An Upset Stomach
"Jessie!" I exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
I had not seen Jessie ever since that night she had snuck into my room to bring me tea and some food. For weeks after that, I had tried to find her whereabouts, but no one was willing to divulge any information.
Frankly, I had already accepted the worst possible outcome― she had probably been tortured and was either sold off or left for the dead.
Even if the Alphas, especially Rowan and Soren, thought it was something beneath them, I didn’t dare underestimate Cedar and Violet’s hatred towards me. I had fully thought they would be excited to use the opportunity to torture a friend of mine just to get to me.
Admittedly, I had tried my best not to think about it. After a certain point, the lack of news got equally depressing. Violet had also kept me preoccupied, so much so that it became difficult to think of anything else other than the sort of torture she had planned for me instead.
I was a horrible friend. But I was still glad that Jessie was well and alive.
"I heard what happened," Jessie said, coming over to me. She held my hand, checking me over. "I... I wanted to check on you."
I felt the back of my eyes warm up when I felt her hands on mine. Her hands had turned even more calloused than before, and there were some faint scars left on her fingers and forearms, most likely due to silver. Thankfully, she didn’t have any open wounds, and the scars were mainly only on her arms and nowhere else.
"Where have you been this past month?" I asked, tearing up so much that my vision turned foggy. It felt as though all the emotions that I had tried to keep buried for the last thirty days welled up all at once. The dam had been broken. "I had looked everywhere for you! No one was willing to tell me where Cedar took you. I thought... I thought you―"
I choked on my words, reduced to nothing but a sobbing mess.
Jessie smiled sadly at me before pulling me in for a hug. She gently stroked the back of my head, allowing me to cry on her shoulder like a child.
"I was alright, Briar," she said right by my ear. "They didn’t do anything too bad to me."
"I am sorry," I wept. "If you didn’t try to help me that night, Cedar wouldn’t have taken you away―"
"I snuck in on my own, it had nothing to do with you," Jessie said, cutting me off. "There’s nothing you need to apologize for."
Her words only made me feel worse. Jessie was so pure-hearted and much too kind for this world. If she hadn’t befriended me, she would’ve lived a much more comfortable life.
"There there," she cooed, patting my head as I pulled away. "You’ve not returned the whole night. I bet you must be tired."
I raised a hand to rub the tears out of my eyes. It was true, however. The lack of sleep was starting to dry out my eyes, and I was running on the last bit of my remaining energy. I wanted nothing more than to catch some sleep before Violet next summoned me, whenever she would. Even five minutes would be better than nothing.
"I should get some rest―"
I barely got the chance to finish the sentence before I felt something come up my throat. Pushing past Jessie, I rushed to the windows, barely pushing them open before I projectile vomited out onto the lawn below.
I could hear Jessie’s footsteps as she ran over to me, patting my back as I continued to heave the contents of my stomach.
"Seriously, what has happened to you, Briar?" Jessie asked. She passed me a handkerchief, which I took gratefully to wipe my mouth with once I was sure nothing else would come up again in the next immediate moment.
"I think I have an upset stomach," I muttered. Puking my guts out only further drained my energy, and I slid onto the floor, exhaling heavily. "I’ve not been feeling well for the last few days."
Jessie frowned before raising an eyebrow.
"You... didn’t sleep with anyone, did you?" she asked.
I nearly choked on thin air at her question.
"W-What?!" I spluttered. "Why would you ask such a question?"
"You didn’t deny it," Jessie pointed out. She stared at me intently, as though she was trying to see through me. "Who did you even sleep with?"
"I..." I paused.
It wouldn’t be good to tell Jessie the truth. If she even believed me, she could get into trouble again for knowing such a big secret. Rowan, Soren, and Cassian were highly intent on keeping our fated bond a secret, even if there were already rumors going around about it due to what happened the day I was supposed to be executed.
But of course, the more I feared something, the sooner it came for me.
"Don’t tell me the rumors were true?" Jessie asked, her eyes widening. "Did you sleep with one of the Alphas?"
"Shush!" I said, slapping my hands over her mouth. "Keep your voice down! Do you know what will happen if someone overheard us?"
Jessie’s eyes seemed to sparkle. "So it’s true then?" she muttered against my hand, prying them away so that she could speak properly. At least she lowered her volume.
"No," I said, quickly denying it. A face flashed through my mind. "It... It was just a warrior. Once."
I’d better not name names. I couldn’t guarantee whether or not the Alphas and Violet, or even Cedar, had set up some spies or cameras around my room. If I said anything they didn’t like, I could be harming innocent lives.
Jessie’s fingers covered her mouth a little dramatically. Her eyes glanced me up and down, lingering on my stomach for a bit longer than normal.
"Briar," she said, her voice breathy and soft, "could you be pregnant?"
