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 in every possible way.
She managed most of the pack’s affairs, many which would have naturally been the Alpha’s domain. For instance, Thomas didn’t like socialising, so it remained up to her to engage with other Alphas from other packs.
Most times, she would have to drink excessively with them to the point of getting sick just so she could form connections and bring back investments to Blackstorm.
She had to act like them, show them that she was one of them even if she was not an Alpha. If she didn’t, they would never take her seriously.
While the pack benefited from her sacrifices, her marriage suffered. Thomas thought she was becoming less of a woman. Eventually, he started spending less time at home.
She understood why he would feel like that, but why couldn’t he understand her? As the Luna and Alpha of Blackstorm, it was their responsibility to ensure the pack’s prosperity and safety. If she didn’t step in to take care of certain things, they would all be doomed.
She had thought he would see that at some point. Instead, she had been shocked to come back home one day ago after one of her warrior-training sessions to find that her husband had a lover who was pregnant!
It so happened to be the Omega he had saved a while back and who he claimed to be his true mate.
While she was out there doing her best for the pack, forming alliances and strengthening their borders, he had been busy betraying her.
She had ran away in tears, not able to face him. It hurt her, but there was nothing she could do. After thinking for long, she decided it was best to accept the child.
After all, she had failed to conceive. The pack needed an heir. Thomas betrayed her, but at the end of the day, as Luna of the pack, she had to put the pack first.
She knew her relationship with Thomas would never be the same, but before they could discuss that, Mia accused her of killing her unborn child.
Things had escalated quickly from that point on. Eleanor’s packmates always thought her to be cold-hearted because she demanded high training standards.
She was ruthless and merciless when dealing with enemies, and she didn’t stand for mediocrity among the pack’s warriors. Because of that, they believed she lacked kindness and easily believed Mia’s accusation.
Everything she had ever done was to protect the pack from the rogues, but it turned out to be the weapon they all used against her.
What had she done to deserve such rotten fate?
She gazed at Thomas, his eyes as cold as an iceberg beneath the sea, lacking all warmth and filled with hatred. He had unjustly branded her as a criminal of the pack!
Eleanor laughed, finding it ridiculous for her to have blindly sacrificed to him, to fall fully in love with him. Also, she felt pity for him; he was cheated by Mia.
Thomas frowned at Eleanor's expression. "What's so amusing? Do you feel no guilt? You killed an innocent baby! My heir!"
Listening to his accusation, Eleanor felt even more ridiculous but she wouldn't tell him the truth!
If he didn’t believe her, then, she was more willing to bury the truth and let him pay the price for his foolishness!
Eleanor looked down at the angry crowd below and then back at Thomas, keeping her back straight and stating firmly, “I said, I AM INNOCENT!"
"Still as stubborn as a malicious witch," Thomas replied coldly. He marched towards her with his sword in hand. "It seems only death can make you repent."
The crowd erupted in anger, shouting for Eleanor's sentence.
"Alpha, punish this vicious witch!"
"Kill her! Dig out her heart!"
Eleanor could not hear the cries of the crowd. Instead, she numbly watched as Thomas approached her with determination.
His steps steady, without any hesitation, until his sword pierced her heart.
Very precise, it hit her heart swiftly.
Her blood spurted out and splatter on his face.
Until this moment, her tears flowed out. She had been betting that Thomas would spare her life.
The man she had loved faithfully for years was now the one who took her life.
No mercy.
It was that moment that her heart truly broke, shattering to pieces. His betrayal pained her more than anything else, more than the false accusations. He was supposed to be by her side, always. To protect her and encourage her and love her.
All of that was in the past.
The crowd cheered.
Blood dripped down her shirt. She couldn’t breathe. It was too painful. Thomas drew the sword back. Blood gushed from the wound.
It was really the end.
Before she went unconscious, she heard someone scream her name. She pulled her eyes from Thomas and towards the voice.
A man was running towards her, having broken through the crowd. He was handsome, she thought. If he was her knight in shining armour, she thought, he was too late.
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
Ethan looked around, searching for his Alpha’s position. He was on the other side of the room, conversing with two other Alphas. His eyes, however, were directed at Eleanor.Ethan’s brow dipped slightly as a troubling thought crossed his mind. Henry was looking for a red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm’s territory.He didn’t often ask about she-wolves. Could it be that he had recognised her? Was Eleanor the she-wolf his Alpha had been searching for all along?“She is the Luna from Blackstorm pack who called wanting to see you,” Ethan told him honestly.Across the room and through their mindlink, Henry could sense Ethan’s feelings. Not that he needed to get into his head to realise that. He had seen how he looked at the red-haired woman, totally entranced like many other males in the room.The moment she had walked into the room, he had recognised her as the red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm’s territory. Was his Beta in love with the she-wolf he had