"Is he back yet?" Drakken questioned the minute Duncan walked into his study. He had been anticipating George's return from a kingdom mission, missing his gamma's company more than he wanted to know how his mission went. Plus, he was tired of receiving guilt-tripping looks from his Beta. So, he was excited when that morning, Duncan came in with good news. "Yes. He arrived just last night." Drakken slammed the file in front of him shut, not interested to spend even a second more in his study. He was already out the door. "Tell him to meet me up for fencing." An excuse was what he needed, to take a break from working. Sitting there in his study all day almost drained the life out of him. George's absence in the palace had him realizing his gamma was more useful than he thought. There were not many people Drakken loved spending time with. His mother always stayed in her quarters these days for some odd reason and so he rarely saw her, he was also ignoring the vampire princess for obv
It was Friday and Eleanor didn't have many activities that day. It gave her more time to round up the potion she started preparing last night for the school's project. She put some aside for the Queen and made a mental note to visit her quarters later on.Eleanor had rushed out for work this morning and created no time to visit Bettie. She wondered what improvements her health made.She studied the cannabis flower more that afternoon in the lab, reading on its components. Eleanor did it for the greater good of all the omegas who had no one caring enough to make potions specifically for them.She'd only seen Emma and the others create medicines for the more powerful werewolves and none for the weaker creatures. They deserved fair treatment even if they were the lowest in the pack.It was a few minutes later when Emma strolled into the lab, her reading glass drawn down to her nose. She inspected the flowers Eleanor experimented with and picked one up."You're making progress," she sound
Drakken had never stared at her the way he did now. At least not since the first day she met him. The anger in his eyes was crippling. Eleanor never knew she could witness such a look in his eyes ever again.While still confused about what was going on, Eleanor rushed to the Queen's bed where Emma cried quietly. The pack doctor stood at the other side of the bed, gazing down at Bettie's lifeless body.The Queen wasn't responding to her touch when Eleanor tried to wake her up. Eleanor's blood ran cold.No.It couldn't be what she thought it was. The world spun below her feet as reality began to hit harder. The Queen was dead. Dead to the world."She's gone. There's nothing I can do to save her." Hearing the pack doctor confirm the Queen's death did more damage to Eleanor's heart. It clenched and contracted. "The Queen had been fed poison which was killing her slowly from the inside all this time. The dose she took last night broke down all her defences and killed her at once.""That ca
"There could be a mistake somewhere. I personally don't think Eleanor killed your mother." George held the door that was about to be slammed in his face and followed Drakken into his study. "Be rational with your thoughts. Eleanor has no reason to kill her.""Get out. I wish to be alone.""I understand, but..."With a violent sweep of his hand, Drakken shoved all items on his desk to the ground and slammed his fists on the table, causing it to slightly sustain a crack."No, you don't understand. My mother is dead! I do not care what anyone has to say about this. Someone has to pay.""That's not fair to Eleanor. She's innocent. I think you should release her to have a proper dialogue about what really happened."Drakken shook his head, not wanting to even hear anyone speak her name. "That would not be happening. She shall rot there as long as I see fit."He was too overpowered by grief, too angry to even think straight. If he didn't find an outlet for his emotions soon, then he might j
The cold in the dungeons was intense.Eleanor hugged herself tighter on the floor and shivered. She didn't know how much time had passed since she was thrown into the dirty cell. It couldn't be more than twenty-four hours. Maybe more or less.She was starving, tired, and also grieving the Queen. In her time alone, Eleanor had convinced herself that she was at fault. She might not have indirectly killed the Queen, but she had a hand in it. She'd fed her poison.There was no way to prove her innocence.Everyone would've been coming up with bizarre theories by now relating to why she killed the Queen.Drakken had wasted no time casting her to the dungeons without hearing what she had to say. His face before the guard dragged her away stayed etched in Eleanor's mind and disturbed her. The cold look in his eyes was chilling, all adoration he had for her was gone and void. She jumped to her feet when she heard a sound coming from the dungeon's entrance, hoping it was Drakken coming to see
Drakken headed to his study that morning for another day of misery. The news about the Queen's death had spread, and the whole palace was in mourning. Burial arrangements were already in motion. What Drakken dreaded the most was the incoming pressure from pack elders about producing another Queen to take over her roles.They would expect him to replace his mother that easily with the vampire princess. What blasphemy. Just the thought of it provoked him.He linked the entire pack through the pack link, informing them of the general mourning that would last for the entire thirty one days before they burned the Queen's ashes and blew it off to the full moon. The bonfire night would also be postponed concerning the Queen's passing away.He sent a personal link to Duncan after the announcement. Drakken asked his beta to summon the palace sewer that was going to prepare mourning clothes worn by him and every other person in the palace for the whole thirty-one days.When he severed the link,
Eleanor raced through a maze with Ambrose hot on her heels, a pocket-sized knife held tightly in his left hand. She was trapped as the maze seemed to have no exits.Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, both in the dream and reality, dripping down the sides of her face. She was frantic in her breathing and terrified of the looming danger in the name of Ambrose."I'll kill you, you cunt!" Ambrose thundered in a loud voice behind her. His badly cut body oozed blood. It pooled beneath his feet and left bloodied footprints in his trail.Eleanor kept running until she got to a dead end. A giant wall stood as a barricade between danger and her freedom. She quaked with fear knowing Ambrose was close now. His demonic laughter rang out in the air and caused goosebumps to spread on her skin.He was going to take her life."You can't run away from me," Ambrose cackled. "You're weak. You would always be overpowered by everyone."He walked closer, grinning, blood running down his teeth like a v
Drakken stormed out of the dungeons and tossed the keys at a guard.His inner conflict manifested as a struggle between his desire for Eleanor and fear of the unknown. He felt torn between sticking with what was familiar and comfortable or taking the risk of pursuing what he truly wanted.Drakken never really knew what steps to take when it came to Eleanor. And he'd made everything worse by marking her. He blamed that for the reason why he was so conflicted about the current situation. He had claimed her as his. It wasn't that easy to turn his back on her.He should be furious at her, and he was, but not at the same velocity if it was someone else who killed the Queen.Drakken turned to a corner on his way up to his room and bumped into someone. Benjamin stood in his way, unmoving, the look of playful mockery that was always on his face gone."Get out of the way," Drakken growled at him. "The mere sight of you annoys me.""I've always known you to be a coward." Benjamin's words threw