Eleanor: “I know that you don’t like celebrating your birthday. Natasha told me your reason…” “Then why did you…?” “Open the box, Killian.” I said, stopping him. My heart raced against my chest and I knew when I first came here that this might hurt him, but if I could face my fear and pain, and if I could stand strong to start fresh, then so can he. His eyes hardened, but he took a deep breath and did as told. He frowned in confusion at the sight of a small album, it was what Natasha, his mother, and I could find of both him and his sister. Their pictures growing up, and it ended with the surprise that I wanted to give him. His heart raced, and his hands shook as he looked at the pictures, and it took everything in me to stay still in my place as I forced myself not to walk toward and comfort him. If anyone knew how painful it was to lose your family member, best friend, and everything that you had, it is me. But if anyone knew how to rise from that pain, then it was also me. He
Killian: I kept my arm wrapped around Eleanor as her words played in my head as she slept in my arms. The fact that we were having a girl was something that brought more joy to me than I could have pictured, and the fact that she would be raising my princess along my side, as the mother that I would have always wanted for my children was something that made my heart skip a beat. “You are my redemption, my healing, my angel, and the light in the dark world that I live in, malyshka.” I whispered to her, careful not to wake her up. I knew that our story was hard, and I knew that the pain that the two of us have gone through was one that no one should have lived with. But it had to go the way that it did for us to be able to grow. I knew that I wouldn’t have met her if not the way that I did, and I know that I wouldn’t have loved her as deeply as I did if not for everything that the two of us went through together. The memory of her hiding when I first met her played in my head, and
Eleanor: If anyone would have told me that saying ‘YES!’ was going to be the highlight of my day, I would have called them a liar. But here I was, wearing a wedding dress as I walked toward the aisle to see the love of my life. Vladimir, the man that I can never pay back for what he was doing for me, walked down the aisle. And though he and Lyov had a debate on who should do it, both men settled for the fact that the man that I considered a brother would do it. But I knew that Lyov was going to be the shadow that I needed as a father in this world. “You are running,” Vladimir teased, tightening his arm around my looped one, and I laughed. He ran his hand over mine gently, and I blushed. “To think that I once ran away from the oath of hell to the man of my dreams,” I said, and he smiled. He squeezed my hand gently and I looked at him. “I could never thank you enough for everything that you are doing for me. And believe me, it is a lot more than you can think of imagining.” “I am d
Natasha: “Mom, where are we going?” I asked, frowning at my mother who seemed to be pulling me away from the garden. “Eleanor is getting married, I am not going to leave her halfway…” “You are going to come with me,” she said, making me frown in confusion. “We are going to have to get out of here as fast as we can.” “Mom, what is going on?” I asked, pulling my hand away from her. She glared at me and the growl that escaped her took me off guard as I took a step back. The anger that I saw in her eyes was one that I don’t remember seeing before, and the fact that I knew that she had no reason for it made my heart race. “You are scaring me,” “I am your mother and you are to listen to what I tell you, no questions asked when I don’t want to answer them. Therefore, if I said that we are leaving then you are going to come with me without asking anything,” she said, and I took a deep breath. I shook my head at her. This was never how she acted or treated me, and I knew for fact that if sh
Killian: I wasn’t sure what shocked me more. Whether it was Natasha’s words as she told me about Liana, the fact that the woman somehow managed to escape whatever she was going to be put through, or the fact that Elton was here, in our pack grounds, now locked inside the basement until I managed to find a way to get things done. “Secure the pack grounds, all underground gates, and the roads. Liana wouldn’t have gone far, but the last thing that we need is for her to use the security breach that she managed to put us through.” I said, and Vladimir, ignoring the pain that he felt like me, nodded. The two of us were raised by the woman since we were infants. I don’t even remember the last time that she wasn’t in the house to begin with; therefore, to know that she was doing this, I couldn’t help the pain that I felt in my chest. “Alpha, the men guarding the front gates are all dead or dying.” Luca, one of my gammas said, and I growled. I knew that my growl would not only reach Liana,
Eleanor: “Come on, Eleanor, just a little harder.” Natasha encouraged, holding my hand. I squeezed her hand as hard as I could as I screamed. She smiled and kissed my temple, letting her lips linger there for a few seconds before pulling away. “Do it for Killian, come on, you can do it, Eleanor.” I cried out so loud that my lungs felt like they were going to burst. My heart raced, and a heaviness made my lower half feel like it was being ripped apart before I felt the heavy weight loosen. My chest rose and fell, and I couldn’t help but feel my head dropping on the pillow behind me as Maria stood in front of me. It wasn’t until a baby’s cry filled my ears that my eyes widened as I looked at my daughter who was in Maria’s arms. She looked at me with proud eyes before handing her to me, and I couldn’t help the tears that fell from my eyes at her sight. “Baby?” I whispered, watching as Natasha smiled. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn’t say a word as she looked down at m
Killian: I walked to Natasha’s room, catching her scent there, and knowing that it was going to be the one place where she allowed herself to break. I knocked on the door twice, and though she made no sound, I didn’t have to be told twice to know that she was crying. She opened the door for me, and I watched as she shook her head in question. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and I knew that she was in more pain than she would ever be letting out. The anger that she must have felt, the despair, the pain, and the heartbreak, everything just piled up on her. And I had to admit, I didn’t know how I was going to be able to redeem her from what she was feeling. I wrapped my arms around her, not saying a word, and she let out a sob that broke my heart as she fisted my shirt. She lost a lot more than anyone should have in a very short period of time, and I knew that she was going to need to take a lot more time to heal from them, but I didn’t know how she was going to be able to do so with
Eleanor: I watched as the door to the room opened just as I handed Katerina to the nurse that was to take her to her crib. My eyes met Killian’s, and I frowned in confusion as I saw his tired and weak eyes. It was an expression that I never expected my mate to have, but now that I saw it, I was more than a little scared that I had done something wrong. The nurse took a step away from him, taking our daughter to the infirmary room. Our little one was to stay there for three days, just as I was to rest here for the next three days. And I watched as my mate walked toward me with an uneasy expression before he sat beside me. “It was Liana,” he said, not looking at me. He sat on the edge of the bed, and his heart raced, making me frown in confusion as I tried processing and understanding his words. The fact that he looked defeated didn’t slip my gaze either. “It was Liana who brought Elton here, who was behind the betrayal that we have been through, who was letting the fucking bastard