The conversation with his father kept Drakken up all night.George would chip in some snide remark about his large eyebags due to lack of sleep, he knew. The ball was in just a few hours, yet Drakken was not excited about it. Drakken viewed it as an avenue for his father's latest achievement.Why he kept trying to get his father to be reasonable for once, he could not say. The man proved to be a lost cause, and the conversation they had earlier that day buttressed his point.His father's words still continued to ring in his ears like an old, overplayed record."If you know what is best for you," he had said, his mouth twisted in a stubborn sneer. "You would not think of disobeying me.""How far are you willing to go?""Do you really want to know?" Drakken figured his next words would be nothing but threats as soon as he had heard him say that. "You are to declare your betrothed before everyone at the ball tomorrow. And if you say one word that goes against the wedding with the princes
The bedroom was empty when Evie came in to rouse Eleanor the next morning. Everyone took a break from working because of the ball that day, so Eleanor could not have left for the hospital.Agitated, she left to scour every nook and cranny of the palace for mistress-her heart thudding rapidly in fear that something had gone wrong. It reminded her of that one time the girl had gone missing and she had almost lost her mind thinking Eleanor ran away. Evie would not claim Eleanor was incapable of running away now, but she did fret at her young miss' disappearance.Much to her dismay, she found Eleanor hiding behind a mounted sculpture somewhere in the palace. The bags under her eyes were heavy and the skin on her lips looked pale."Do you realize what time it is?" Evie crouched down to her eye level on the floor. "It is quite early for a game of hide and seek.""I could not sleep,” Eleanor quickly let out, not willing to tell the girl her unanticipated findings from last night.Evie beamed
He was wearing a mask when Eleanor gazed up to see whose arms she had collided into. His grip on her was strong and firm, almost welcoming.She could make out the features of his face despite his mask, the contours of his sharp jaw, and his lips that curved up in a smile for no reason. Who is this and what was so amusing to him?"Pardon me," Eleanor apologized as she took a step back, adjusting the mask on her face that had gone slightly askew. "I did not look where I was going.""The ball only just began, Pretty bird. Where could you possibly be in a rush to?" He dragged impassively.Away from Drakken and his ethereal looking betrothed, Eleanor thought. She glanced over her shoulders to the dance floor where he continued to hold the vampire princess in his arms. Eleanor's waves of jealousy doubled.The man in front of her saw her attention drifting to the dance floor and smiled again, holding out his hands. "Should you care for a dance?"Eleanor panicked, taking more steps back from
AN HOUR BEFORE:Drakken tapped his feet impatiently; scanning the crowd for a familiar redhead. That was all he could get himself focused on even when his father introduced him to the vampire king.His absentmindedness toward someone as important as his future father-in-law vexed Drakken's father, but the man covered it with a false smile.It was supposed to be a wonderful and entertaining evening. Yet, Drakken found nothing about the ball wonderful. Not only did Drakken find himself distracted, but he was also anxious as he thought of how Eleanor would feel the moment when she realized he wasn't coming to pick her up.Men frolicked with the amiable ladies on the dance floor, whispering words of endearment in their ears as the women blushed a bright red."The vampire princess approaches us," Drakken's father snapped beside him in a hushed tone, referring to the beauty that ascended down the large stairs, clothed in a red, lustrous dress that glided after her down the steps, instantly
An unconscious Eleanor lay limp in Drakken's arms when he flew up the flights of stairs. This garnered the attention of a few guests that saw him hurry in distress but gave them no room for unwanted queries. Albeit, the situation appears one of in-depth scandal. Benjamin would pay for this tremendously, Drakken swore. He would see to it. His half-brother had only been in the palace for hours, yet he caused so much havoc already.Evie who also saw him hurry in with her mistress looking dead in his arms was soon hot on his heels, too terrified to ask what the problem was in fear of horrible news. It looked really bad, whatever it was."Is..." she forced down the lump in her throat. "Is she alright?""Get a damp cloth," Drakken barked out an order. "Hurry!"She ran off at the urgency in his voice as he pushed the door open, setting Eleanor on her bed. Drakken pressed two of his fingers to her neck and he felt her slight pulse getting weaker. If someone as frail as she was survived that
Quiet abruptly descended in the ballroom as the gathering, oblivious to Drakken’s inner turmoil waited a long time until he spoke, willing himself to go as planned if he wanted to keep his throne and Eleanor safe."I am glad to announce that our clan would be welcoming a new Lunaqueen," Drakken began, not sounding as glad as he claimed, his voice flat. "She is in our presence today, as some of you may have noticed."He beckoned for the vampire princess to join him on the stage and she blushed, a touch of red heating up her naturally pale face. He took her hand in his, helping her climb up the stage.Drakken faced the audience again, feeling her wrap her fingers around his arm. He continued speaking without responding to her touch. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to meet my chosen mate and future Luna queen, Princess Gwendolyn of the Belfast kingdom."Cheers and merriment broke out in the crowd after his announcement. Benjamin smirked devilishly as he raised his glass of wine a
Eleanor was taken aback by the question and frowned. What was going on with Emma?"Eleanor," Emma voiced. "Are you okay?"Emma looked around the room as if now recognizing where she was. She recovered from her trance immediately and stood, pacing around the room. Eleanor followed Emma's movement with curious eyes."Yes. I am sorry.” Eleanor was confused. “Something bizarre just happened." When Emma didn't stop pacing, Eleanor pressed. “Can you tell me what it was?"Emma did not stop pacing. "It was a revelation. A bizarre one. I could not pinpoint what it might be because you woke me up too soon."Same with Eleanor's dream. It had no context or meaning. But whatever it was, Drakken was in danger. The image of the beast from her dream lurching at Drakken sent chills down her spine once again.She recalled the fight too, what happened before and during the whole thing. Why had he attacked the man she danced with that way? It seemed like they both had bad blood. Drakken could have been ov
Eleanor was alone for the rest of the night after Evie came in to check on her. She had bid her maid a good night while sleep evaded her as she walked around the room in complex thoughts.Drakken's safety surpassed her jealousy that he was with another woman. Eleanor had been unsettled since her blood chilling dream about him. Was it wrong to desire to see him so badly now that he was engaged to someone else?She could not leave her room because of his orders to stay in. At least that was what Evie told her. Even if she decided to go against his orders and make her way to his room, she would hate to walk in on Drakken and the princess. Who knew if they already were consummating their engagement?The image of them together on his bed stirred up plenty of bile in her throat.She stood by the window contemplating going on one of her night walks, and so when the bedroom door opened, he was the least expected person she guessed would walk in.But Drakken had come for her, and she had to bl
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