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
After days of trying to find answers to her bugging questions, Emma had come to a conclusion. She'd spent nights and days in her office without rest, studying every single one of Eleanor's potions and continuously reaching a dead end.Her frustration had reached its peak.She pushed herself off her office chair and strode outside for the first time in days, calling the attention of all student workers in the lobby.It wasn't top secret most of them didn't like Eleanor, though Emma could not say why. Her tired eyes scanned every one of their faces as if hoping to detect whoever was the guilty one. Whoever framed Eleanor.She cleared her throat to speak. "I'm just going to cut straight to the chase. As you all know, Eleanor has currently been locked up for poisoning the Queen." Tears welled up in her chest but she pushed them back down. "If anyone knows anything about this ongoing issue, or how Eleanor came in contact with poison, I ask of you to step forward."Everyone stayed mute, and
Drakken was already on his second bottle of alcohol that night when Emma burst into his study. He let out an exasperated sigh, wanting to just be left alone. He'd dismissed Duncan earlier than usual for that same reason.The disappointed look on her face gave him an idea of why his sister had come to see him. She most definitely heard about the fight with his father from those gossiping mongrels called omegas."I heard everything," Emma let out to confirm his suspicion. "Did you really have to fight with him?"He said nothing in return, his stare blank and unbothered."Avoid him for now. Let's focus only on honoring our mother."Drakken poured more alcohol into his glass, more invested in the way the liquid slushed into the cup than whatever reason Emma still stood there. Maybe she'd take the hint he wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone and leave."I found the poison that killed our mother." That got his attention now. His head shot up and his curious brows furrowed. "I'm currently w
EPILOGUE"Magdalene, come here this minute!" Eleanor screamed at the top of her lungs as she chased after her last child who seemed unaware of her mother's rage she giggled heartily, racing down the well-trimmed meadow at the back of the house where they went out to relax every day. "Magdalene!""Daddy!" The girl squealed, changing course from her favourite hiding spot at the back of a tall tree, towards her father who was smiling as he stretched his hand to catch her. "I am going to make sure you are sent off to a boarding school just like your older brother!" Threatened, Eleanor, tapping her forehead. She had been chasing the little foot from the house, refusing the help of the guards whom she knew her daughter feared greatly. Drakken had insisted his daughter was never to be left at the mercy of the brutes under any circumstances."Forgive us, Luna, we have sinned." Drakken made a face as they approached her, rephrasing the biblical words. "You spoil her, baby and then you leave
ONE MONTH LATER."I can't believe this is finally happening, dudes. Can y'all believe it?" George asked as he took a long swig from the glass in his hand, his face squeezing from the strong taste of the brown modern ale. "I can't believe it too," Duncan let out cheerily, his face a mask of smile. "So... I thought to ask Evie out today.""What!" George thundered, half sitting up from his seat in astonishment as his eyes widened in shock. "Eleanor's maid?" Duncan was nodding his head, his smile not breaking. "I haven't approached her yet, but I have been keeping tabs on her and know her real mate rejected her which somehow works to my advantage, you know.""What about your mate?"Duncan shrugged casually. "I have been crushing on Evie for as long as I can remember, Geroge. I am telling her tonight. If there's anything I'm certain of, is that I see the way she looks at me sometimes in a sneaky way.""That didn't answer my question, Duncan. Do you want to break her heart in the future?
Drakken threw himself at Benjamin at his words, already deciding within himself that if Benjamin wanted the throne then he had to win him for it. But one thing was for sure; he was done tolerating the bullshit called his stepbrother. As the situation was right now, someone's head had to roll for peace to reign.He delivered a clean punch to his guts and Benjamin toppled over, spewing out blood. When Drakken went to punch once more, Benjamin was very fast to move away, giving Drakkn a kick to the face. George rushed to carry Eleanor from the ground, getting Benjamin's attention who was on the verge of attacking Drakken and Drakken used the opportunity to clasp his big hands around his shoulders and crushed it over his knees. There was a painful growl and Benjamin started transforming into his hideous wolf.This was part of the reason Drakken had never been comfortable around Benjamin. When he was born, he overheard his father telling Benjamins's mother that he was never going to accep
Eleanor’s hands shook uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face. The world had stopped making sense to her. How could she have been so blind to the truth? The man she had trusted with her heart and her secrets had been the one responsible for the greatest tragedy of her life.She remembered the day when her family was murdered, the horror and pain etched into her memory forever. It had been Drakken who murdered them. And to think, she had trusted him all this time.But that wasn't the worst of it. The spy had gone ahead to reveal the thing that made Eleanor's heart sink to her stomach. Drakken was the one who had violated her, stolen her innocence and left her with scars that would never heal. And Nicky, the boy she had grown to love as her own, was the product of that brutal assault.Eleanor felt like her whole world was crumbling around her. She had lost everything, her family, her dignity, and her love. How could she face Nicky now? How could she tell him that the man he was s
Drakken charged through the palace, his eyes scanning every corner and room for any sign of Eleanor. His mind was in turmoil, his thoughts consumed by the fear that something terrible had happened to her. He could feel his wolf inside him, agitated and restless, struggling to break free in his anger.Every room he searched, every door he opened, brought him no closer to finding her."Drakken, you need to calm down," George said as he approached him. "Destroying the palace won't help us find Eleanor.""I can't just sit here and do nothing!" Drakken snapped, his voice rising in frustration. "Eleanor is out there somewhere, and make sure she is safe."Duncan stepped forward and placed a hand on Drakken's shoulder. "We understand how you feel, but we need to approach this logically. We'll cover more ground if we split up and search different areas of the palace."He took a deep breath and tried to reign in his anger, but it wasn't easy.Just then, Emma appeared at the end of the hall. She
Merit’s hands closed around a heavy object when Benjamin turned back to Eleanor. Before she could even raise the object to strike, Benjamin lunged at her with incredible speed. Merit tried to dodge, but he was too fast. He caught her by the throat and lifted her off the ground, squeezing with all his strength.Merit gasped for air as she struggled to break free, but Benjamin's grip was too strong. She could feel her vision starting to fade as the world around her turned black.Suddenly, Benjamin was thrown back by a force. Merit crashed to the ground, gasping for breath as she tried to regain her bearings. When she looked up, she saw that Eleanor had somehow managed to break free from her restraints.Eleanor was wielding a chair, her hands still bound tightly to it as she swung it at Benjamin. Merit watched in horror as Benjamin dodged the blow, and the chair hit her instead.Merit's head spun as she tried to shake off the blow. She could feel the blood rushing to her head as she stru
Eleanor slowly opened her eyes, her head throbbing with a dull ache. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her. Panic rose within her as she realized that she had no memory of how she ended up here.As she tried to get up, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle and winced. Her heart was pounding now as she looked around the room, hoping to find some clue as to where she was. But the room was empty, except for a single chair in the corner.She tried to shout for help, but her voice was hoarse and barely audible. Suddenly, the lights came on, and she squinted, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness.To her horror, she saw two figures standing in front of her, smirking evilly. It was Merit and Benjamin.She attempted to get up, but her ankle throbbed with pain, and she collapsed back onto the ground."Merit!” She said in shock from seeing her. “What the hell is going on?" Eleanor demanded, her voice strained.Merit stepped forward and delivered a hot sl
Drakken sighed heavily as he stood up from his desk, shuffling papers into neat piles before grabbing his black leather jacket from the back of his chair. He had been looking forward to this meeting for days, hoping to persuade the Vampire King to leave the palace and take his daughter with him. He was also about to send word to Eleanor that he wouldn't be joining her tonight. But now, with the news that George had just delivered, his mind was elsewhere."You were right about Gwendolyn," George was saying. "I caught her...with one of the palace guards."Drakken shook his head disapprovingly. "I told you so. It's best to forget about Gwendolyn. She isn't good for you. You'll find your mate soon enough."George nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And you deserve to be with yours.""I will be dismissing Gwendolyn and her father from the palace tonight. It's long overdue."As a slight frown appeared on George's face at the news, Drakken felt frustrated with his fri
Eleanor stirred in her bed and tried to shake off the remnants of sleep. She rubbed her bleary eyes and groaned, dragging herself out of bed as the carpeted floorboards protested beneath her weight as if voicing their own complaints about being disturbed so early in the morning. Eleanor stumbled into the bathroom, staring at her haggard reflection in the mirror and wondering how she would make it through the day.She was feeling restless that morning, and so she opted for a run. That was the only thing that could calm her, or at least she hoped.Eleanor put on her running shoes, tied her hair in a ponytail, and started to jog toward the forest at the back of the palace.As she entered the forest, she felt the cool breeze on her face, and her mind started to clear. She was running at a steady pace, but soon, she felt that same sensation that she always felt when she came here- like something was about to burst out of her.Eleanor stopped in her tracks and knelt down on the ground. She