**Alpha's POV:**"Alpha, Cassandra Cooney has just arrived," my Beta communicated to me through the mind link.Several nights had passed since Helena improved, and my deadline to discover if Cassandra was truly my fated mate was running out. I needed to spend this night with her. Her pack would come to fetch her in two days, and I needed to decide if she would become one of the women in my harem or perhaps, my Luna."Let her in!" I ordered harshly to the soldiers standing near the corridor.Cassandra entered wearing a pink satin nightgown, adorned with various embroidery. The fabric was so thin and tiny that I could easily tear it off with my teeth."Alpha..." she murmured, lifting her eyes toward me and smiling. Cassandra approached, touching my arms and caressing them while pressing her waist against mine. Our lips were inches apart. I was about to kiss her when..."She is not our mate! This girl is lying to us!" Ragnar growled, irritated.I opened my eyes again and realized that he
### Eleanor's POV"It worked just as I imagined!" Amber burst into my room, practically skipping with joy."Amber... what did you do..." I murmured, rubbing my eyes and sitting up in bed.I hadn’t known she was still in the palace. It was late at night, and I wondered why she had spent so much time in that horrible place. Still groggy from sleep and trying to grasp what was happening, I saw Amber turn on the light and pull the sheet off. The sudden brightness hurt my eyes, and I blinked several times, feeling a sharp headache."Wake up, Eleanor! I have great news for you," she said, smiling confidently."What? What happened?" I mumbled, holding a pillow in front of me to shield my eyes from the glaring light."I finally got rid of Cassandra Cooney. You don't need to worry anymore. They won't be an obstacle. The Alpha King finally discovered everything," Amber said anxiously, waving her hands."Discovered everything?" I raised my eyebrows suspiciously, swallowing nervously."He finally
**Alice's POV**"You miserable piece of shit, I'm going to end your life!" Tyler shouted, yanking my hair so hard I felt my scalp burn as he pressed my face against the cold floor.He violently threw me against the wall, my back slamming hard into the rough concrete. I groaned in pain, feeling my skin scrape and blood spread across the floor. My vision was blurred from the beating."How dare you lie to me? Who sent you? Who's the bitch trying to deceive me?" Tyler snarled, his anger darkening his eyes, revealing his inner wolf on the verge of breaking free. Fur began sprouting from his skin, his sharp claws cutting into me as I desperately shielded my face to avoid losing an eye."Tell me! Who sent you?" He growled again, impatiently lifting me by the collar and choking me so tightly I could barely breathe."I... I don't know... I was just a slave in the Alpha King's palace... you bought me... I don't know anything else," I stuttered nervously, tears streaming down my face."Liar!" He
**Eleanor's POV**I knew I should stay quiet as Amber had asked, but I couldn’t sleep that night."Alice... Alice..." I murmured, tossing and turning in bed.The image of that young woman suffering haunted my mind. Her wide, terrified eyes, the trembling in her hands as Tyler dragged her down the hallway—all of it tormented me.I sat up in bed, feeling my heart race. The room was silent, but my mind was in turmoil. It wasn’t fair. I couldn’t ignore the guilt gnawing at me. Alice was out there, facing unimaginable dangers because of me.I got up and went to the window, looking out into the darkness. Snow fell softly, covering the world in a cold, white layer. But the peace the scene should have brought didn’t reach me. Instead, I felt more isolated and helpless than ever."I can’t just stay here and do nothing," I whispered to myself, clenching my fists. "She’s risking her life for me. I have to do something."I paced back and forth in the room, the restlessness growing inside me. With
### POV Eleanor"Eleanor... mistress, I'm sorry..." Alice crawled over to me, grabbing my feet and preventing me from moving. "He was going to kill me. I was afraid of dying. His brother, Bruce, convinced me..." She sobbed through her tears."Alice... I came here just to save you, and now I find out that you betrayed me to save your own skin!" I murmured, still incredulous at the situation. Amber was right. I shouldn't have snuck out, shouldn't have let my feelings take over.She wiped her tears and bowed in the freezing snow at my feet, seeking redemption."I didn't think you would come to get me. I never imagined this would work, so I told him everything. But I wouldn't have told him if I knew you had a plan to save me," Alice murmured anxiously, her lips trembling and her body shaking from the cold."Shut up, you fool!" Tyler approached and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground and spit blood.He pulled her hair back, forcing her to look at him. Alice was jus
### Eleanor's POV"Beta..." I murmured breathlessly, my lips freezing from the intense snow.The frost was increasing, and the strong winds indicated that a storm was approaching. The ice near the lake was brittle and steep. Nearby, there was a small cave where animals had taken shelter during this harsh winter."You son of a bitch! You're going to pay dearly for this!" Tyler growled in his wolf form, getting up again and trying to wipe the snow from his eyes.The ice was at such a low temperature that it burned. When I left home, it was –4 degrees, and I had to wear wool coats and sheepskin to keep warm. I knew it was dangerous to go out in the frost while pregnant, but I was reckless. Tyler leaped at the Beta, sinking his enormous claws into the wolf's shoulder, causing him to agonize in pain. The Beta took the opportunity to bite Tyler's left shoulder violently, leaving the mark of his teeth in an exposed wound that burned upon contact with the icy snow.The air was full of tension
Eleanor's POVI woke up the next day, and as I looked toward the entrance of the cave, I saw the sun rising. Thank God, the storm hadn't lasted for days, otherwise, Alice would be dead. I rubbed my eyes and noticed that the Beta was not in his place. I walked to the entrance of the cave and saw him near the trees, wrapping his shoulder with a piece of cloth and applying a sticky paste to his wound."Good morning," I murmured, and he automatically turned to see me better."Finally, you're awake. I thought you were going to sleep all morning and had given up on finding your friend!" he grumbled, and I rolled my eyes, annoyed."What is that you're using on your wound?" I asked, noticing that he was finishing bandaging the area."Tree sap. This time of year, it's excellent for helping wolves recover. Didn't your parents ever teach you that? It's the basics that every wolf should learn when they are young. You know, never transform near humans, tree sap helps heal wounds, if you're lost,
**POV King Alpha**"The Beta said they should arrive around lunchtime!" nervously reported the guard, observing my heightened nerves and my wolf constantly agitated, knocking things over."It's been too long since they left. Why are they taking so long?" I questioned indignantly, my breath heavy and fur bristling as tension filled the room. "Look! There they are!" I growled, looking out the window of my office and seeing the Beta entering accompanied by Eleanor.A girl ran towards her, embracing her. "Eleanor, where were you? How could you sneak out in the middle of the night?" the girl asked indignantly, noticing Eleanor's bruises.When I asked the Beta to keep an eye on her, I never imagined she would be so reckless. My irritated wolf observed the scene as the Beta realized I was watching them."Upstairs! Now!" I ordered through the mental link. He left without saying goodbye, leaving the two girls alone as the guards escorted Eleanor back to her room.After a few minutes, my Beta f