Chapter 1

Eleanor:

I frowned as my bedroom’s door opened, knowing that it was Elton, my fiancé, who was coming in.

He didn’t bother knocking on the door, he never did anyway.

He walked toward me, not bothering to say a word before he grabbed me by my neck from the back, noticing that I didn’t bother turning to face him. It wasn’t like he would want me to, if anything, he might end up bending me on my dresser, taking me as he desired.

He grinded against me, making me feel him through my dress, and I closed my eyes, anticipating what was to come.

“Not today, neonata.” He whispered, his voice sending shivers down my spine. “I am keeping the best for tomorrow when you are officially my wife and I get to mark and take you the way that I desire.” 

He squeezed my neck, leaving a bruise, before removing his hand and kissing the area. I had to fight back flinching, knowing that it gave him what he wanted. He wanted me to weaken and crumble, and that was not something that I wanted to give to him.

“I came to give you this,” he said, taking a step back, silently telling me to turn around and face him. I did as told and looked up at him, my eyes meeting his, despite knowing that it was not something that he liked. He raised an eyebrow at my behavior but didn’t bother commenting, something that was not like him, as he opened a box to reveal an emerald necklace. “An early wedding gift.”

I didn’t say a word as I kept my eyes on the stone. This marriage itself was going to be the death of me, and it was something that he knew, and that was something that I couldn’t allow. I turned around, not bothering to wait for his command, and looked at him through the mirror as he put the thing around my neck. 

“I don’t like your attitude today,” he said, tightening the necklace around my neck, knowing that the diamonds would be leaving their cuts and marks. They would be healing before the wedding, it was something that he was confident about, and whether or not they did, makeup was always used to cover my cuts and bruises, at least, when he wanted them to be. There were times where he refused to have me covering them, wanting to show off his strength the way that he did. “But I will excuse you for being nervous. You know, it is your big day tomorrow.” 

He loosened the necklace around my neck, and I couldn’t help but shudder as the diamonds were pulled out of my torn skin. My neck bled, but I didn’t move or respond as he clasped the necklace around it. 

He looked at me through the mirror, and I looked down at the dresser, avoiding his eyes. This was as far as I could go with challenging him. Considering that he chose to comment, I knew that one wrong move would end up costing me a lot more than I could afford, and had no one to fend for me; therefore, I knew to be quiet and obedient if I wanted the night to pass. 

“You understood your lesson well, good girl.” He said, his voice above a whisper before he lowered his hand to my thigh, digging his fingers on it, causing me to wince. “This bruise would be teaching you not to think of challenging me again, and I think you don’t need me to remind you of what would happen when you do.”

I kept my eyes on the dresser, fighting back the urge of talking back or giving in to my wolf who was begging me to stop challenging him. Me challenging him was the one thing that kept me going. It reminded me that I was, despite everything that was going on, a free soul who still wanted to fight. And that was something that I was not going to let him deprive me of.

He walked toward the door, not bothering to wait for me to respond, knowing that I wouldn't. He opened the door just as I looked up at my own reflection. I put my hand on the jewel, and he let out an amused chuckle.

“Get some rest, little one. You will have enough time to admire the necklace tomorrow. But I do believe that you could use all the rest that you can get.” He said, his tone mocking, making my chest burn. “Not that it would make much of a difference anyway.”

He walked out and slammed the door shut behind him. I glared at the door for a few seconds before ripping the necklace from around my neck and slamming it on the dresser. 

My heart raced against my chest, and I shook my head at my fate. This was not something that I wanted for myself, giving in to the man was not something that I wanted. 

I looked at the window, knowing that it was my only chance. If I was to marry the man, then I was going to deem my life a prisoner to the man who wanted nothing more than to hurt me, and that was something that I didn’t want to live through. 

“You can find someone else to toy with, Elton.” I whispered to myself as I tied my hair in a bun, reminding myself of the struggles that I have been through up to this moment. Six years of my life have been given to the man, and in these six years, all I have seen were tears and pain.

I walked toward the window and slowly opened it. The tree that my mother and I had planted years ago before she passed away was now two stories high, its branch reaching over my window. It was the one thing that she was able to give me, the one plant that could mask my scent. 

I pulled a few leaves off and rubbed my neck and wrist with them before holding my dress up, knowing that it was my one chance. “I won’t end up with your same fate, mama. I promised you that I wouldn’t, and I am going to fight to fulfill that promise.”

I looked down at the floor, knowing that it was my one chance. Cowering was not going to get me anywhere. And therefore, I did the one thing that I could think of.

I jumped…