That evening when Eleanor got back from work, Evie brought good news. Eleanor played a game of scrabble alone after enjoying a well cooked dinner, raising her head from the scattered letter tiles to her Evie when she walked in. Evie plastered a bright smile on her face. “I did it," she announced. "I found her, the woman you asked for."Eleanor hopped off the bed at that news, knowing exactly who Evie referred to. "Are you certain?The maid nodded. "I most definitely am. There is just one person with the name Golberg in this palace. And she is a human.”Eleanor’s heart leaped with joy. She was beginning to think the woman was dead as her attempts to find her had gone futile. But now there was hope, and it was all thanks to Evie."I know you have done so much for me already, but can you take me to her tonight?" she inquired. It had been months. Eleanor wanted to see her neighbor for herself to be certain she was in good shape."Well... I am not so sure about that," her maid hesitated f
Two days later, Eleanor had not changed her mind about leaving the palace with Drakken like she had spent sleepless nights contemplating. It led her back to square one no matter how much she thought about it. Her heart wanted to be away from the palace with him.She might have mistaken those sleepless nights as worry when in truth, Eleanor was the most excited.She had taken a brief leave from work after informing Emma about it. Their friendship still hung by a thread, but that was the least of Eleanor's worries for now.Drakken left the affairs of the palace with George and Duncan while he was away, entrusting them to not say a word about his departure to his father. He intended for the trip to be peaceful. That would barely be possible if his father as much as suspected he was leaving. Eleanor had agreed to his offer and it came as a surprise to him, as well as a relief.He never planned on forcing her to go with him, hell, he didn't plan to ask her to come with him. It was supposed
Eleanor stretched her limbs out in a satisfying yawn the next morning, wincing as a knot cracked in her upper arms. The space beside her was empty, lacking the warmth of Drakken's body, and so she opened her eyes to find herself alone in the room.The littlest part of her had been worried he would make any sexual advances toward her but was baffled there was not anything like that from him. Drakken only bade her good night with a kiss on the cheek. He had watched her sleep, that she knew. He did so protectively, as a mother hen protected its chicks.Eleanor listened for any sound that indicated he was in the house as she closed the bedroom door behind her, exploring the rest of the beach house.She found Drakken in the kitchen, his face turned down in a frown, holding out a hand and examining it like he had been injured. The kitchen around him was a mess. Flour smeared all over the counter. Pans heaped up in piles at the wash sink as Eleanor wondered what exactly he had been up to whi
Drakken received a link from his gamma the next day. His father had discovered he had gone missing and wrecked havoc in the palace if they would not tell him where his son went.The man had found out sooner than Drakken expected. It was because of the masquerade ball taking place that weekend which required the king's presence, George told him, along with the fact that now was a bad time to disappear from the palace.They were the ones who told him he needed space away from the palace. He was enjoying one now and they expected him to come running back at his father's threats. Drakken could not see that happening.He informed George about his return in the next two days. His gamma would have to cover up for him. He had not severed the link when George further told him the vampire princess was to arrive at the palace in a few hours from Belfast, the home of vampires.Drakken froze in his chair. He was not expecting the vampire princess anytime soon. Why was she in a haste to be at the p
Eleanor did not sleep in the same room as Drakken that night but stayed as far away from him as she could. She had been too hurt and mad at him to even go anywhere near him.She climbed out of bed earlier than usual the next morning and went for a swim at the beach. Birds chirped at a far distance and echoed throughout the surrounding. The sun was not out yet, but the sky was not entirely dark.She came back after a few minutes of floating around and enjoying the coldness on her skin, her mind disburdened of some of her anxieties from last night.Drakken sat at the dining table when she stepped through the front door, eating a plate of fried steak. He ignored her and she did too, not sparing him another glance as she rushed off to her room.How long were they going to keep being this way? It was childish to hold a grudge. At the same time, Eleanor was not ready to say anything to him yet. If anyone needed to say something, it should be him. After all, he said all the hurtful things to
For a while, Drakken was dumbstruck as he gazed upon his mate, unable to believe she was giving herself wholly to him. Eleanor was giving herself to him willingly, and it fired his blood to dizzying heights.He had been waiting for this very moment for nights. But when the opportunity finally presented itself, Drakken hesitated, suddenly feeling sceptical. His hands were still held to her core which he withdrew and swiftly lifted her off him, dropping her weight on the bed, and ambled towards the fireplace."We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow," he told her. "You should go to bed early."Drakken’s behaviour confused Eleanor. "Correct me if I am mistaken, but is this not what you wanted?" Eleanor panicked a bit at the thought of misinterpreting his behaviour over the past days and had set herself up for foolishness. "I might not be very experienced with...""I desire you more than anyone I had ever desired in my life. Do not question it," Drakken uttered quickly, seeing the ap
Very early the next morning, but they set out for home.After the link he received from George, Drakken had to be present at the ball as Alpha King or his father would cause a fuss, as always. If he had a choice, he would prefer to remain at the beach house with Eleanor. Last night was everything he had ever dreamed of and more.It had been a good long while since Drakken had last coupled with a woman, not since Eleanor's arrival. He had forgotten how intoxicating the feeling was. Drakken thought as he glanced over at Eleanor in the passenger's seat, he did not remember it ever being this terrific. This glorious."I am sure you know about the palace ball tomorrow," he said softly. "I want you to come as my special guest."Drakken did not look to gauge her reaction but from his periphery, he saw her smile. "I take it that I am no longer a prisoner in your palace." She slurred, fiddling her fingers. "I do not know,” Drakken matched her wit. “It is not every day I invite prisoners to my
Drakken could hardly believe the words Benjamin uttered. He said that with every ounce of confidence in him, Drakken was almost convinced. How could he just barge in there and declare residency in the palace? He would have his father to blame for constantly making Benjamin feel as though he was an important member of the royal family.He was nothing but a bastard son!"I am not in the mood for any one of your games," Drakken said with a sneer. "Go back to that hole where you belong. Or better still, I will have the guards drag you out myself.""Yes, the little puppets at your beck and call. You must feel like you have it all; the throne, the fame, the princess.” Benjamin counted all three of them, his wolfish smirk still in place. "Father offered everything to you on a platter of gold, didn't he?"Drakken had heard enough. "Guards!""Save your breath. There is no one out there."Then it dawned on Drakken. Technically, Benjamin wouldn't have waltzed in so easily like he owned the damne
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