The sight of them together again made Drakken’s blood rage with fury, and he felt like his world had come to an end when he saw Eleanor laugh at whatever his half-brother said. She rarely even smiled at him, but she was already giggling at Benjamin after speaking for a few minutes. His hands curled up in a tight fist.Benjamin blatantly defied his warnings. Drakken wanted nothing more than to shred him apart for coming close to Eleanor once more. He reined his fury back in and grabbed her away from Benjamin."It is lovely to see you again," Benjamin said with a mocking smile.He released Eleanor's wrist, his eyes filled with rage. "Get back inside, Eleanor.""But...""Now." There was no room for argument, Drakken made that clear. Eleanor stared at them for a few seconds contemplating if it would be a good idea to leave them alone.She finally ran off back to the healing school after having a debate in her head.They were alone again. Drakken was tempted to use his fists to pass acro
Eleanor felt the air whoosh from her lungs. She had been right. Something had happened to the alpha King. She exchanged knowing looks with Emma, who now acknowledged Eleanor's words she had formerly dismissed."You know how to handle stuff around here. Do so while I am gone." Then she turned to the Omega. "Take me to him." And followed her out the door.Eleanor could not keep herself from worrying about what had happened to Drakken. It seemed really bad from the way the Omega had reacted to it. She managed to tend to the rest of the patients, but her mind did not stop racing.She paced Emma's office, wishing she could go to know what happened. Eleanor was aware she could not. Emma would skin her alive if she were to leave the school without her permission. So she continued to pace in agitation, counting the hours when she would close from work.The hours stretched on and on until day bled into night.Eleanor sprinted out of the healing school as soon as she had retired. She hastened up
"I owe you a lot." Eleanor stopped in front of the king's bedroom and gazed up at his huge, mahogany doors, eager to push them open.Evie placed a hand over Eleanor's on the doorknob to refrain her from doing so. "It is not too late to change your mind. You have not even had dinner yet.""I will skip it tonight. You can go to bed now. I will not be needing you for the rest of the night.""Are you certain?"Eleanor let out a low-throated laugh, amazed by her maid's fretfulness. "Evie, go."Nodding, she turned the other way and disappeared down the hall. Eleanor stepped into the room quickly before anyone else could spot her going in. Visiting an engaged man that late at night would surely put her in much trouble if caught.Mistress or not, she was supposed to set boundaries. But he had been with her that party night where she had laid bedridden. It was only fair she returned the gesture.The door closed behind her more loudly than Eleanor had wanted it to and cursed under her breath.S
Eleanor woke in the early hours of the morning in Drakken's bed. The embers of the fire still glowed in the hearth. Next to her, his breathing was heavy and slow.He laid sprawled on his back, one arm flung over his head, the sheets pushed to his waist. He looked like a sleeping God, his muscled shoulders and arms dark against the white sheets.She was still ogling him in admiration when Drakken stirred awake at the heavy banging on his door, and he had not had the time to come fully awake as Duncan and George burst in without welcome.Eleanor held the sheets tighter to her body at the same time their jaws fell open.Her face flushed with embarrassment."We're..." George lost his tongue. "We are truly sorry about the inconvenience...""Sod off," Drakken growled as they both turned around and hurriedly closed the door behind them.Eleanor intended to slip out of his bed as quickly as possible but he tugged at her arm, and she fell across him, her breast crushed to the heat of his chest
Eleanor could not get herself to focus on work that day. She had made a ghastly mistake last night. Having an affair with Drakken meant accepting her role as a mistress, did it not?She felt dirty and a whore.His gamma and beta had made everything worse by walking in at the most inappropriate time. They knew now how desperate she was for another woman's betrothed.Eleanor snapped back to reality when a patient yelped in pain. She assisted another student in surgery as she was not fully qualified to perform one yet. She rummaged through the surgical tray for suture scissors as the student outstretched her hands for them.Then the unthinkable happened. It fell from her hands and stabbed into the student's toe. Eleanor's mouth dropped open in sheer horror."I'm... I am truly sorry...""I do not get why Emma keeps you here," the student barked out. "You are a fucking psychopath!""It was a mistake..."But the girl was not having any of her excuses. "Get out, you stupid weakling!"Eleanor
After breakfast, Drakken spent the rest of the morning in his study, not only because he wanted to finish drafting a new fortification plan, but also because he feared that if the guests lingered much longer around him, they might take notice of his agitation. And besides, he was certain his father was in the vampire king and princess' company. He would be smart to stay well away from them.It was afternoon before he saw Duncan walk into his study."Are you busy?"Drakken gestured to his scattered desk of various ledgers. "As you can see.""I am here to remind you about leading the guests on a tour of the kingdom. It is due time."He waved a hand in dismissal. "I do not want to be a part of it. I can no longer bear their aura around me."He had put up with them long enough. Going out of his way to please them sounded obnoxious."I have better things to do than entertain a bunch of guests who have overstayed their welcome," Drakken said, frowning outside his window at a few guests who
Eleanor's head pounded in pain the minute she peeled her eyes open. Everywhere ached apart from her head. Her muscles had almost gone numb with the pain, and when she fully regained consciousness, she realized her hands were tied to the back.Panic shot through her as she sat up on the floor, whipping her head around to see where she was. It was an empty warehouse, filled with nothing but an eerie silence and her frantic breathing. The ropes bound her wrists tighter when she tried to struggle out of them. It was no use. She was trapped.Eleanor pushed herself off the floor and staggered to her feet as she looked around for a way out. All corners were sealed. It was not like whoever put her in that situation would make it easy to escape, Eleanor thought to herself.A single ray of sunlight peeked in through a tiny hole, and she ran to it for a view outside. She was greeted with the sight of nothing. Just bushes and wavering leaves that swayed along with the wind.Was she in the middle
She could sense Drakken was mad before he climbed off the horse. It was all getting too repetitive. Him seeing her with his brother and wanting to separate them as soon as possible.Drakken moved swiftly to drag Eleanor away from Benjamin, but she was not having any of his complaints this time."I thought I told you to leave her alone," he growled."Relax. He saved me back in the woods. There is no need to be mean," Eleanor said. "You are overreacting."Her words felt like a slap to the face because Drakken never expected she would defend his brother. His fury knew no bounds. "Why are you so adamant about defying me? Have I not made myself clear enough?" His voice got louder, but not loud enough to gather attention."You may be king, but you cannot decide who I choose to acquaint myself with," Eleanor stated. His reasons for frequently acting this way were unknown to her. He barely told her anything and just expected her to dance to the tune of his music."The girl is right," Benjamin
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