**POV Eleanor**"I can't believe it, did it work?" I asked, astonished, while Amber confirmed the last details with the maid."Yes, I made sure the information got to her. She freaked out as usual, and the maid was almost sentenced to a hundred lashes, so she expects to be well rewarded for this!" the maid responded maliciously, extending her hand.Amber rolled her eyes and grabbed a sack with some gold coins, placing at least seven in the maid’s hand. The maid held them up to the light to check if they were genuine and smiled with satisfaction as she left the room."When you need my services, just call me. It was a pleasure doing business with you!" she said before leaving."See? I told you it was easy to get the servants on our side. You just have to offer a bribe. Most of them support their families and depend on this money to survive," Amber replied, breathing deeply and sitting on the bed to relax."Even so, it was risky. If Katy finds out that we were the ones who created this s
**Eleanor's POV**We walked hurriedly through the dark corridor. There was a woman with him helping to carry my belongings, which weren't many."Are we close?" I asked, breathless, feeling a great shortness of breath and my hands sweating coldly."We still need to walk a few more kilometers to reach the safe entrance," the guard replied, shrugging, not caring about my condition.I walked for a few more minutes and felt dizzy. The place was steep and stuffy, and the smell of dust made me sneeze incessantly. I could barely support myself against the walls."Quiet, girl! You're going to ruin everything. You should be grateful that the guard is helping you. Come on, walk faster!" the woman grumbled angrily.She seemed older but walked faster than me, and I couldn't understand how she managed to breathe in that small and stuffy place."I... I can't breathe..." I murmured, feeling a little dizzy and leaning against the wall to avoid falling."This is no time for drama, girl! If you get caug
**POV Eleanor**I woke up startled, with everyone around me. Luckily, I was lying on the bed and not rotting in that narrow, filthy place. When I looked around, I saw Amber watching me, nervous. Her forehead was covered in a cold sweat, and she looked scared."Eleanor... it's so good that you finally woke up!" she said, desperate."But... what happened?" I asked, a bit dizzy, trying to sit up. Amber lowered her head and bit her lower lip, nervous."You were unconscious for three days..." she said seriously, motioning for me to stay in bed."What?" I almost choked when I heard those words."That's right. The guard took pity on you and returned you to me as soon as you fainted. We all thought you were dead. Fortunately, the doctor said you still had a pulse, even though your body had stopped breathing for several hours... I had no choice but to call the palace doctor. After all, you are the Alpha King's concubine..." she said hesitantly."I can't believe it... I was so close... so close
**POV Alpha King**I was looking forward to tonight. Cassandra appeared at the door, wearing a beautiful red dress with golden details. The fabric was so fine that it would tear at the slightest touch, and that excited me. She was covered in gold and wore a veil over her face."Alpha King..." She lowered her head, greeting me, and I gestured for the other servants to leave us alone in the room. "Cassandra Conney, come to me!" I ordered, and she began to walk slowly towards me. I could feel her nervousness from afar, and it only heightened my excitement.As she approached, my eyes fixed on hers. I pulled the veil from her face, closing the distance between us and sealing our lips in an intense kiss. I lightly bit Cassandra's lower lip during the kiss and tasted the strong flavor of strawberries. She smelled like strawberries, and her skin was so soft that it made my wolf restless."Are you nervous, dear?" I asked, removing some of her adornments and lowering my hands to the zipper of h
### POV Katy"That was risky!" Gaby whispered in my ear after we left the room where the Alpha was resting beside Helena."You don’t know what you're talking about. I have everything under control!" I snapped angrily, spitting in her face."Pneumonia, Katy? Helena only had a simple cold, but you risked her life, making the illness worsen suddenly just to get the Alpha's attention and prevent him from sleeping with another woman. Aren’t you afraid of losing your daughter? Helena could have died!" Gaby raised her voice, irritated, wiping her face and looking at me with contempt."You don’t understand. This was the only way to make him stop, to hit his weak spot. The other pups died from respiratory infections. Did you see how desperate he was when the doctor said it was pneumonia? He even canceled all his commitments and demanded not to be disturbed so he could take care of his daughter!" I replied, growling with anger at Gaby’s accusations, as if I didn’t care about my daughter’s healt
**POV ELEANOR**"I'm sorry, my daughter, but I'm doing this for our future!"Katy's malevolent voice echoed through the crack in the door. My fingers trembled upon hearing those words. I saw Katy inject something into her own daughter, little Helena. If she was capable of doing that to her own child, what would she do to the baby I'm carrying?I shook my head, nervous. After everything I had heard that night, I had planned to visit Helena, but instead, I discovered the truth and felt guilty. I had informed Katy that Cassandra would be spending the night with the Alpha."Ellen, are you okay?" the maid asked when she saw me wandering aimlessly in the corridor."Yes... I just got up to get a glass of water and got lost. This palace is big, and it's dark..." I murmured, trying not to show the perplexity of what I had witnessed."Oh, dear, it's late! If you keep wandering alone at night, you might catch a cold, or worse, the guards might mistake you for an intruder. I heard King Alpha has
### POV Alpha Gideon"Is Eleanor Parker pregnant?" I murmured in surprise, letting the objects fall onto the table and shatter into thousands of pieces scattered across the cold floor."Yes, Alpha," the doctor said, his head bowed in respect."How could she hide this from me? Why didn't she come and tell me herself? This is huge news. I mean, I thought Eleanor was unable to conceive or maintain a pregnancy for long. Thankfully, Dr. Alfonso's treatment worked quickly; I should give him a bonus," I commented happily.The doctor lifted his head and looked around the office to make sure we were alone, then whispered carefully."That's what's intriguing. Eleanor's reaction to discovering the pregnancy was very different from most other women. She cried and seemed desperate. I remember her begging me not to tell the Alpha King. She even offered me some gold coins in exchange for my silence," the doctor said, showing the pouch with the small coins.I became so angry that I threw the coins on
POV ALPHA GIDEON### POV"Did you call for me?" my beta asked through the mind link, his voice laden with apprehension."Yes, come in!" I ordered curtly, and within seconds, he opened the door to my office."Have you been hiding from me?" I asked mockingly."Alpha Gideon, it's almost two in the morning. Why did you call me so late?" he asked, confused.I simply picked up the papers on the table and threw them on the floor in his direction. He carefully bent down to pick them up, widening his eyes as he read what was on the paper."What does this mean?" he asked, perplexed, seeing the test results."Eleanor is pregnant with my child," I smiled with satisfaction as he furrowed his brow in surprise. "However, she doesn't want me to know..." I shrugged, unconcerned, taking a sip of whiskey. "So, we'll pretend I don't know about it...""What do you want me to do?" my beta asked, sitting in the chair across from my desk."Follow her and find out what she's up to. Eleanor is acting very stra
**POV Eleanor**“I love you, Alpha Gideon...” I murmured nervously, those last words, and I could see the surprise in his eyes...It was brave of me to come here to set things right and stop this sudden wedding, but after hearing the words of the Moon Goddess, I couldn't just ignore it and allow him to marry another.“You only gave him a child, and that makes you think you’re special. I’m also young and healthy and can give many children to the Alpha King; he doesn’t need you and your bastard!” Lauren dared to speak again, her teeth clenched, trying to prevent our reconciliation.“No, you’re wrong. I didn’t just give the Alpha one child; I gave him two!” I responded firmly, and he looked at me, startled and frowning, not understanding what was happening. “You have a daughter, Alpha... I’m sorry for hiding this from you, but you have a daughter named Zoe. She is beautiful and healthy and blessed by the Moon Goddess, just like Noah!” I said, trying to control my tears.“Eleanor...” He w
**Alpha King's POV**It was almost eight in the morning. The maids were decorating the main courtyard while the doctor wrapped a tight bandage around my abdomen to ensure I wouldn’t start bleeding again from moving around."I'm sorry, Alpha. I'll prescribe some pain medication, but I fear it won't be enough. Unfortunately, you'll have to remain standing throughout the entire ceremony so that people won't suspect the assassination attempt," the doctor said anxiously, finishing the bandage near my chest.I just nodded while finishing putting on the black suit. When I reached for the jacket, a searing pain shot through my body, and I bit my lips, trying not to let out a groan. The bandage was so tight it intensified the pain, but I couldn't remove it as it prevented me from bleeding to death."Alpha, the bride has just arrived!" My beta informed me through the mental link.I positioned myself near the wooden altar in the central courtyard, where the maids had just finished decorating. It
**POV Eleanor**I woke up, still seeing everything around me blurry. I looked around and noticed there was a crib next to me. Noah seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and I wondered how I had ended up in this place."Awww," I groaned in pain as I tried to sit up on the bed. Ruby hadn't been able to heal me completely, and all I remembered was being chased by the guards before losing consciousness. I still didn't know how I had managed to get here. It seemed like a house hidden in the middle of the forest. I looked out the window, and there was no one in sight. Maybe I had managed to escape and made it here, but I couldn't remember.The pain in my body was intense, especially where Ruby had tried to heal my wounds. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out, and I leaned against the wall to avoid falling. I looked around, trying to identify anything familiar.The room was simple but cozy. There was a small wooden table with some herbs and bottles, probably natural remedies. A lamp emitted
**POV King Alpha**I woke up in the palace infirmary, the pain still intense in my abdomen. My beta, Josh, was by my side, a worried expression on his face."Alpha, what happened?" he asked, helping me sit up."Eleanor... she..." I began, but the pain was too much to complete the sentence.Josh looked at me, eyes filled with understanding and sadness. "She took her revenge, didn't she?"I nodded, unable to say more. The reality of what had happened, the depth of Eleanor's hatred, everything was clear to me now. I had lost not only her trust but also any chance of redemption."I can't believe she dared to try to kill you. Luckily, she didn't hit any vital organs, and although the wound was deep, it didn't damage any of your tissues. The hardest part was stopping the bleeding and containing the hemorrhage!" my beta said worriedly, noting some information on a clipboard.I took a deep breath, trying to get up, and realized my arm was connected to a large blood bag. I tried to stand, but
**POV Alpha King**"Are you sure about what you're telling me?" I asked, raising my voice in disbelief. Even though this was the fourth time he repeated the same information, I couldn't believe Eleanor would be so stupid."Yes, Alpha," he replied, trembling with fear, worried I might blame him for not keeping an eye on her."You're telling me that, in less than a day in captivity, Eleanor tried to kill herself in the cell?" I muttered again, nervous, running my hands through my hair impatiently."Yes, Alpha. The doctor suspects that Eleanor has developed postpartum depression and that she was taking controlled medications. They found a large amount of drugs in her blood test, mostly antidepressants and long-term sleeping pills," the guard informed, handing the test results to me."It can't be... how did Eleanor develop this mental illness? She was so healthy!" I responded, throwing the papers into the fire, not wanting to see them again."The doctor said it's common for some mothers t
**POV Eleanor**"Don't give the prisoner any water or food. The Alpha has decreed that she can only eat once a day!" the guard ordered the others as they locked me in the cell.I curled up in that dry, filthy place. They had shackled me just like last time. It was foolish of me to come here without a plan in mind, but when the Moon Goddess revealed to me that Noah was in danger, I couldn't bear to stay away."Stupid, I was so stupid!" I murmured to myself, seeing the blood trickle down my skin. "I need to find a way out of here!"I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate, and that's when a brilliant idea came to my mind.---A few hours later, I was lying on the floor, covered in blood in that dark cell. My face was pale with deep dark circles, as I saw the blood stain my dress and continue to flow."Oh my God, call a doctor! This girl is crazy!" I heard the guard yell as soon as he saw the amount of blood spread across the floor.They desperately opened the door and began to bandage my
**POV Alpha King**I paced back and forth in my office, my hands sweating. I looked at the picture frame in front of me, with one of the photos of Eleanor when she arrived at the palace. She was smiling beautifully, and the sun lit up her green eyes, making them shine in the photo."Why? Why did this have to happen!" I shouted furiously, throwing the picture frame against the wall.The object shattered instantly, and the glass broke into thousands of pieces on the floor. Eleanor's photo was completely crumpled. Unsatisfied, I approached and started tearing it into several pieces, throwing them into the fireplace."Alpha... is everything alright?" my beta entered my office, staring at the mess I had made, and then quietly closed the door."Eleanor is different!" I muttered, sitting in the armchair and staring at the fire. "She has harbored so much hatred for me, and for a while, I understood why I sent her to the Vale of the Rejected. But I remember that, before leaving the pack, she w
**POV Eleanor**I was thrown to the ground again as the guard dragged me by my hair towards the hallway. I took a deep breath, trying to get air back into my lungs when I heard a voice that made my entire body tremble with fear."Let her go, now!" The deep voice echoed in my ears, and I refused to lift my head to look at him again after so long. Every fiber of my being shook upon hearing that voice."Eleanor... is that you?" he asked, but I didn't respond. The silence between us was heavy, laden with years of pain and suffering. I knew he didn't deserve an answer, not after everything he had done."You... finally returned home," he said, his face serious.I slowly lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. The shock of seeing the Alpha King again after all this time was almost unbearable. His presence was overwhelming, a constant reminder of the terror he had inflicted on my life.The guards let go of me, and I stumbled, trying to keep my balance. My body hurt in so many different ways, but
**POV Eleanor**I got up early and packed a small change of clothes in my bag. Alice and Lillian were still sleeping, so I placed my letter on the dresser where they would see it when they woke up.I approached Zoe's crib, where she was sleeping peacefully. At six months old, she was already crawling around the house, with beautiful blue eyes like her brother's and she was extremely loving. I caressed her face and she smiled beautifully, even in her sleep."Forgive me for this, dear. I will miss you," I murmured, kissing her forehead. "Please be a good girl and grow up far from all this. Aunt Lillian and Aunt Alice will take good care of you!" I placed my mother's necklace next to the crib.I took a deep breath and silently left the house, walking to the terminal and taking the first train that would take me back to the pack's home. A chill in my stomach and the tremor in my entire body reflected the fear of returning to that place, but it was the only way to save my children."Miss,