Drakken did not sleep a wink the previous night, and by the time he finally got back to the comfort of his room, he was tired to the bones. There had been an all night fortification that lasted until the early hours of the morning.The blood moon was fast approaching, so that meant a plenty amount of work. It was that time of the year again where fortifying the pack against outside intrusion were important as festivities loomed just around the corner.He had spent the last hours wanting as little as a minute’s break, so when the knock interrupted his alone time, Drakken was not pleased."What?" he growled, disgruntled. The door wasn't locked but no one could just walk in at will."The head of council wants to know if you would be attending today’s meeting. It is about the festivities," Duncan called back."I would be there," he replied absently. There was a short silence, and he thought for a moment Duncan had gone away.Then the key rattled as Duncan turned the doorknob and stepped i
After a few days, Evie was unable to find Mrs. Goldberg’s whereabouts so Eleanor took it upon herself to uncover the woman’s location. It was past two in the afternoon when she decided to take a leave from work and check out the workers in the gardens. Evie had mentioned Mrs. Goldberg works in the garden, so it was only reasonable to check there first.The main problem was asking Emma for permission to temporarily leave work. Eleanor would have to come up with a lie. Emma would not easily allow her to go see her neighbor in the gardens in the middle of work.Eleanor approached Emma having her lunch break, a combination of biscuits and coffee, Emma’s back facing the door."What do you want?" Emma stunned Eleanor with her question."How did you know I was here?"Emma snorted. “I heard you coming from a mile ago. I do not appreciate people sneaking up on me."Eleanor waved her hands in the air in denial. "I was not sneaking up on you." Then she hesitated a bit with her next words, picki
Drakken was letting his wolf control him at this point more than his head. Normal him didn't plan to do what he was about to do. He felt like he had been possessed by some unknown forces. Because this was not him.He needed a distraction after being weighed down by his father’s expectations about taking the vampire princess as Lunaqueen, and his legs had led him there, to Eleanor’s room. For the first time he did not think about taking a run in the woods with George when he needed a distraction, instead, he had thought of her first for some odd reason."Close your eyes," Drakken told her when they reached halfway to the location."For what reason?" Eleanor frowned at him.He dug his hands into his pockets and brought out a piece of blindfold. Eleanor took a step back from him when he held it to her eyes. "Stay put. I do not want you knowing the way to where I am about to take you."A pretty blush was creeping up her cheeks as Drakken wondered what she was thinking. She caught his gaze
Months passed and Eleanor was starting to find a bit of happiness in the palace. The Alpha King has been taking her to see Nicky from time to time, making her more relaxed than the previous months.Eleanor took up more responsibilities in the hospital as it turned out she was a fast learner. Even her relationship with Emma was no longer as rigid but she still sensed there was something odd about the girl sometimes. But she could not quite place a finger on what it was. Emma never let on too much information about herself and had this air of mystery surrounding her. But Eleanor didn’t let that trouble her.What worried her was the fact that she still had not found Mrs. Goldberg after all these time. Eleanor did not want to think she was dead. She believed words would have gotten to her already if that were the case.Evie was her only trusted informant in the palace but the lady also had no clue about Mrs. Goldberg’s whereabouts.Today, Evie walked into Eleanor’s room after she returned
Raw fury was a better word to describe the jolt of emotions that rushed through Drakken at her admission. Someone had dared force themselves upon his mate and raped her? He could feel his wolf going berserk at the news and for the first time in a while, Drakken was in tune with his wolf.Eleanor knew he was mad from the tick in his jaw that indicated gnashed teeth. He ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly restless with unbridled anger."Who was it?" Drakken growled out. "Who put their hands on you?"She shook her head in denial. “I wish I knew. It was during nighttime so I did not get the chance to see his face." Eleanor shuddered a bit from the memory of someone thrusting themselves into her as she begged and cried repeatedly to be let go. "But I know for sure he was not a human.""A vampire?"Her head moved once more. "Werewolves have a particular smell that is not hard to miss. He smelled and felt like one."That heightened Drakken’s curiosity to find out who it was in his King
Standing there at the door watching his father plummeting into that girl from behind, so intent that they didn't even notice him enter, Drakken's blood boiled, anger like a raw silver stabbed unto his vein making him feel metal in his tongue. He has never wanted to kill his father so much as it raged through at that moment. So this was what he did? This was why his mother's smile has never truly reached her eyes right from when he was a boy. There is no way this would be the first time. Drakken just knew. His body shook, his wolf threatening to burst through but he reined it in, trying to be calm. No wonder his mother was looking pale initially, and almost half of the time. His father was slowly killing her!Drakken thought of leaving the room and going back to comfort his mother but then his feet couldn't move and then unable to hold himself back, he cleared his throat, causing his father's head to snap in his direction, and rapidly jumped away from the girl, his manhood still sta
Eleanor waited up for the Alpha King but he never came to her room or called her to his. She immediately knew something was wrong as she felt uncomfortable in his absence. Their emotional attachment and bond had deepened with every night they spent together, every kiss and touch they shared to the point of knowing when he was not okay.And something told her that was the case today.She needed to see him. So, when Evie bid her good night and the halls fell quiet-stipulating everyone has gone into the bedrooms-Eleanor slipped on her robe and went in search of him. She headed to his room first and found his bed empty.Where could he be by that time of the night? Preferably not somewhere out there in another woman’s arms, Eleanor mused.She went in search of Gregory next in hopes that he would have a clue where the king might be. He always stayed up late enough than everyone else, so if the king had left the palace, Gregory would be the one to know.He was sneaking back into his room as
Drakken’s eyes peeled open at the break of dawn with no recollection of the previous night, or how he got to his bed. He caught a whiff of Eleanor’s scent on his bed and body. She had been there with him. She slept in his room last night.His hazy memory only recalled Gregory coming into his study along with Eleanor, and scolding the boy’s nanny for allowing him to roam the palace that late at night. His head had blanked out after that. He rubbed his banging head with a sigh, feeling frustrated and agitated.Frustrated because he could not remember what happened last night, and agitated for being that careless. What if he forced himself on her while being under the influence of alcohol? Was she mad at him?Sitting there with those horrific thoughts and no answers, he decided to go in search of her and confirm if she was in good shape and to make sure he didn’t hurt her in his moment of relapse. On his way, he spotted someone with a striking resemblance to Eleanor walking down the ha
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