The cold hard floor bit into Eleanor’s skin, making her battered body shiver. But neither the cold nor the bruises on her body were enough to make her admit a crime she hadn’t committed.
Thomas, her husband, could keep her locked up for however long, but she would not budge until she revealed Mia’s deception.
If only Thomas would listen to her side of the story. They had been together for many years and married for three. How could he believe Mia when she accused Eleanor of killing his unborn child?
Didn’t he know her at all? If he did, he would know she was not capable of such evil. Was he so blind to his lover’s schemes that he would be willing to treat her, who had been by his side since they were teens, like this?
Eleanor had thought that he would be on her side. That he would try to at least look into the matter. But the moment Mia accused her of causing her miscarriage, he and everyone else in the pack believed she was guilty.
They accused her of being jealous of Mia, who had been able to do what she couldn’t in the three years she had been Luna–conceive an heir. No matter how much she pleaded her innocence, Thomas had her whipped and locked in the cell, awaiting trial.
She never would have imagined that they would come to this. Was he the same person she had grown up with? He had been her best friend as kids, then as teenagers, they started dating.
Eleanor was sad to find out that they were not fated mates when she had her first shift at eighteen, but it didn’t matter. They still loved each other. They stayed with each other and got married three years ago when Thomas inherited the Alpha.
Together, they ruled the Blackstorm pack as Alpha and Luna. But all that was now on the line because her husband decided to trust another person over her.
The sound of footsteps reached her from outside the cell. After a few seconds, Thomas appeared on the other side of the metal bars. His Beta, Miller, was with him.
Eleanor sprang from her position on the floor. Pain intensified all over her body, but it didn’t stop her from rushing to the door.
“Thomas, you have to believe me! She is lying. I would never do that and you know it!”
Her husband looked at her with a cold expression, his dark eyes like shards of ice. He had never looked at her like that, like he didn’t care about her at all. Like she was a stranger.
“Grace,” Eleanor said, wrapping her hands around the metal bars of the cell door. Grace was her servant, who had served her for a long time. “Call Grace and ask her about it. She knows I had nothing to do with Mia’s miscarriage.”
If Thomas wouldn’t believe her, Grace was her only other option. Grace took care of most of her affairs while she was busy running the pack. She knew her movements more than anyone else, perhaps even more than Thomas.
“Is that so?” Thomas asked. “Let’s hear what she has to say, then.”
Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. Grace would vouch for her and she would have a chance to prove her innocence.
Thomas sent word for Grace and she showed up a few moments later. With her was Mia. Eleanor ignored her and focused on Grace.
“Grace, tell him that I didn’t do it,” she pleaded.
Grace looked at her then at Thomas. “Alpha,” she began, “it was Luna Eleanor who instructed me to put abortion drugs in Mia’s coffee.” She knelt down. “Please forgive me, alpha. I didn’t have a choice. I’m just an Omega, and Luna threatened to harm my family if I didn’t follow her instructions.”
“What?” Eleanor whispered in disbelief as she listened to her servants’ words. “What are you saying? No, I never gave you such instructions!”
“You said you couldn’t stand that she was pregnant with Alpha’s child and you feared she would replace you as Luna.” Grace slowly raised her head and looked at Eleanor. Her eyes filled with fear and guilty. “Sorry, Luna, I have to tell the truth. I have nightmares every night. It must be the Moon Goddess blaming me kill the Alpha’s heir.”
Eleanor was struck speechless. Why would Grace lie about that? Her eyes moved to Mia. She was standing behind Thomas, so he couldn’t see the smirk on her face.
The witch! She must have bribed Grace to lie about it.
Eleanor screamed, pulling the metal bars crazily, “She’s lying too! They’re all liars! Thomas, please–”
“Enough!” Thomas cut in.
His face now darkened with anger, and he reached through the bars and wrapped his hand around Eleanor’s neck.
Eleanor was weak from the earlier whipping and could barely fight against his hold.
“Miller,” Thomas called his Beta. His voice was cold and firm. “Set the execution for tomorrow.”
With a second hesitation, Miller lowered his head and answered, “Yes alpha.”
Thomas shoved Eleanor and she fell to the floor. “Let’s go,” he said, turning to Mia and offering her his hand.
“No,” Eleanor wheezed through her bruised throat. “Thomas, please. Don’t do this. She is lying. They are both lying.”
“Go ahead,” Mia told Thomas. “There’s something I must say to her.”
“Are you sure? After what she did–”
Mia shook her head and give him a soft smile. The smile everyone had fallen for. “It’s fine. She cannot harm me anymore.”
Thomas nodded, then kissed her on the forehead before leaving with Miller and Grace. Mia stood at the door, looking down at Eleanor. “Finally, I can get rid of you.”
With everybody gone, she was revealing her true colours. Colours that everybody around them couldn’t see.
“I’ll not let you get away with this,” Eleanor swore.
Mia laughed. “You still think you have a way out? Tomorrow, you’ll be gone. Dead. Out of my way. How exactly are you going to make me pay?”
Eleanor grinded her teeth together. When Grace lied, she lost her chance to prove her innocence. Thomas already ordered her execution. She was doomed.
Mia touched her belly. “How does it feel that he trusts me more than you? How would he feel if he knew this wasn’t even his child?”
“What?”
Mia smiled and paced. “That’s right. The father is a rogue. But it doesn’t matter, does it? This child is going to make me Luna of Blackstorm. At least I could give him an heir, unlike you.”
Eleanor got to her feet. “You are crazy. When he finds out–”
“How will he find out? Even if you were to tell him right now, do you think he would believe you? He would think you are desperate, cooking up stories to save your skin.”
“I should have never let you stay,” Eleanor said.
“It’s too late for regrets,” Mia told her. “I’m Thomas’s fated mate. You should never have clinged to him. He never belonged to you. And that’s why I made sure you never gave him an heir.”
Eleanor’s face creased in confusion. “What?”
“You have always thought of Grace as your loyal servant, haven’t you? It didn’t take long to convince her to work for me. She has been poisoning your food all along so you would never conceive. And now, my efforts have paid off. Soon, I’ll be the Luna of Blackstorm, and I’ll have Thomas all to myself.”
Hearing her words, Eleanor’s anger shot to a new level. She reached through the bars and grabbed Mia by the neck before she could step back.
“I’ll kill you,” she threatened, tightening her hold on the woman’s neck.
Mia grabbed her hands and easily pulled them away from her. Eleanor was weakened from the beating she had received, so she was no match for her. Mia reached through the bars and gripped Eleanor’s hair and banged her head against the metal bars.
“You are the only one dying here, bitch!”
She shoved her and slammed her into the floor. Hot tears streamed down Eleanor’s face as blindening pain shot through her head.
Was this really the end for her?
The next day, Eleanor was brought to the square to face trial. Everybody bayed for her blood.What a wicked Luna, to kill the pack’s only heir. It was nobody’s fault that she hadn’t been able to fulfil her responsibility as the pack’s Luna! She should have been grateful that the Alpha kept her around even after finding his true mate!Eleanor watched numbly as the very people she had lived with all her life, the same people she had served wholeheartedly, threw all sorts of insults at her.Why did they all so easily believe Mia’s accusations? Not even one of them gave her the benefit of the doubt. Was everything she had done for the pack so far not enough to earn her that at least?Since she became Luna, she had put all her energy into making the pack stronger. She often worked late into the night, doing her best.She knew her inability to conceive was a huge shortcoming on her part. Having an heir was important for the pack since it ensured stability. So she had tried to make up for it
When Eleanor came to, she was in a void that seemed like an endless canvas of white. Was this what heaven looked like?She looked down at herself. She was barefoot, wearing a white dress. She touched her chest. There was no wound. No pain.She looked around. There was nothing but white. Where was she?“Eleanor.”She turned around, shocked by the sudden voice. There was a woman standing in front of her. There had been no one there a few moments ago.The woman was tall, with curly golden hair that fell past her shoulders and to the small of her back. She was the most beautiful woman Eleanor had ever seen. She seemed to radiate brilliance, and Eleanor had to squint as she looked at her.Was she an angel? Was she here to lead her to the afterlife?“Who are you?” Eleanor questioned.“Selene, the Moon Goddess.”Eleanor blinked. She had to be dreaming. Or she had to have died and… Right. She was dead. She was truly dead. “The Moon Goddess?” she whispered.The deity who was responsible for we
Thomas’s face creased in confusion. He hadn’t expected Eleanor to say no to his suggestion. She had never resisted him before and always supported his decisions unconditionally. What was wrong?He let go of Mia and approached his Luna. He took her hands and noted how she looked at him with stubborn eyes, as if nothing he could say would change her mind.“Ella,” he called her softly by the nickname he used with her, “I know you might think she’ll take your position as Luna, but that will never happen. You are my Luna, the only she-wolf I want by my side. You don’t have to be worried about that.”Eleanor lowered her gaze. The way he sounded and the way he looked at her, no one would imagine that he would eventually betray her in the most cruel way.Anger, disappointment, sadness - a mix of emotions swept over her, making her nose tingle and eyes ache with unshed tears. But she gritted her teeth, telling herself she couldn’t let them go this time!“Come on, Eleanor,” he coaxed. “We’ve gr
Once outside, Eleanor shifted to her wolf form and ran into the forest. Her wolf, Harper, was a huge she-wolf with red fur that shimmered in the sunlight.As she ran, the breeze moved through her fur and birdsong reached her ears. The sounds of the wild gradually calmed her down. By the time she got to the highest hill peak in the pack’s territory, she was feeling more composed.Standing on the hill peak, she howled in anger, letting out her frustration. She vowed to take revenge on Thomas for betraying her. That was part of why she had accepted the goddess’s offer to be reincarnated, and she would do everything to see it through.It was a good thing that she now knew Thomas’s true motivation. She would no longer waste time justifying his actions. He had shown her that her love had never been enough for him. That he had never cherished her even half as much as she did him.He was the one who had betrayed and killed her in her past life. This time, she would not be his victim. She woul
Henry James Hudsen was easily the most powerful Alpha around. He was cold and domineering, and only those with a death wish dared to cross his path.No pack that went against Darkfall survived his wrath.While Eleanor had met most Alphas of the neighbouring packs, she had never met him. He was not the kind to frequent events where other Alphas gathered. Unlike her, he didn't need to lobby for anyone’s support.Whether he showed up or not, other Alphas would seek him out at his pack.But there was a huge chance that he would be at the Alpha party, which preceded the council meeting. If she could meet him at the party, she could convince him to support her at the meeting.Fortunately, in the previous meeting, she had met Henry’s Beta, Ethan, and had a chat with him. They had exchanged numbers and had communicated a few times since then.If she wanted to meet Henry, he was the only one who could help her.***Ethan Benjamin Scott, Beta of the Darkfall pack, was watching a group of warrio
Mia grabbed Thomas’s arm and shook her head. “Don’t do this, Alpha.”“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at her with worry.“I don’t want to cause any trouble between you and your Luna. If she refuses to accept me–”“Nonsense,” Thomas cut her off. “I already told you, you are not going anywhere. It’s her fault for not being reasonable.”Mia shook her head, as if she didn’t agree with him. She released him and stepped towards Eleanor, tears flowing down her cheeks.“It’s not your fault Luna. It’s mine. I shouldn’t come with Alpha. I... I just happen to be the Alpha’s mate.” Mia sobbed, taking hold of Eleanor’s arm.“Please Luna, if you don’t accept me, how can I stay?”Eleanor jerked her arm back to shake her off. If she didn’t already know what the woman was capable of, she would pity her. How conniving of her, to act like she would disappear simply because Eleanor said so.“Don’t stay, then,” Eleanor snapped, “because I’ll never accept you.”When Eleanor shook Mia off, Mia fell to t
“How about this?” Sophia Jade Allen, Eleanor’s best friend, asked as she held up a shimmering blue dress. “You’d shine like a star in this one.”Eleanor shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “I already told you, I’m going with white. Stop with the distractions.”It was the day before the Alpha Council meeting, and she was shopping for a dress to attend the party. She wanted to choose a white elegant gown, but Sophia was too excited and kept picking out colourful gowns.Sophia pouted and handed the dress back to the shop attendant. “You are no fun.”Just then, another shop attendant came along with a rolling garment rack full of white dresses. “These are the best that we have,” she told Eleanor. “Please have a look.”In a second, Sophia was done pouting and began fawning over the new arrivals. “Oh my god, look at this one,” she said, pulling out a white satin dress with spaghetti straps and a thigh-high split on one side.“Too revealing,” Eleanor said, not giving it
Eleanor was in her room preparing to go to bed when the door opened without a knock. Thomas walked into the room, his expression showing that he was about to start a fight.Eleanor stood from her seat at the vanity and faced him. “What do you want?”He had not shown up in their bedroom since that day he announced he would be taking Mia to the party.“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, giving her a disgusted look. “Why can’t you just leave Mia alone? Why do you insist on causing trouble for her?”Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest and paced. So it was about what happened at the store. Of course, the rogue had gone crying to her mate and now he was here to scold her.“What do you mean? What have I done?”Thomas moved to stand in her way. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Mia ran into you at the store today, and you humiliated her in front of everybody.”Eleanor arched an eyebrow. “I gave her the dress I’d chosen for myself because she liked it so much. How does