**POV Eleanor**I woke up suddenly with Alice stirring next to me. She was sleeping soundly, her head resting against the seat beside her. I looked around and noticed it was dark, most of the windows closed, indicating that all the passengers were asleep. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep. This train connected to several human cities at the same time, and Alice had convinced me that it would be safer to stop at the last station, which could take two or three days of travel. She said we could endure it if it was necessary to keep us safe.I carefully got up to go to the bathroom and excused myself to the woman in the seat next to me. I followed the flickering lights down the corridor and saw a sign near the cabin: "Bathroom out of order." I huffed, indignant. I was really pressed and couldn't transform in this train to go in the woods. The announcer said we would arrive at the next stop in 40 minutes, and that was too long. I wouldn't be able to hold my urge to urinate until the
**POV: Alpha King**"Any news on her?" I asked, running my hand through my hair as I paced back and forth, impatient."I suppose she's no longer in that territory. It's been seven days of searching. You even went yourself and saw she's not there!" my beta responded seriously, staying calm despite the tension in the air."She ran as soon as she saw me, as if I were a monster. The expression on her face was the same as everyone else's." My voice trembled with frustration. "She must be so angry with me!"My wolf, Ragnar, was restless, agitated by the absence of our mate. She had been missing for days and no one could locate her. The desperation of not knowing where she was consumed me."We have to find a way to locate her," I said, trying to stay calm. "Ragnar is impatient, and so am I. We can't let her remain missing."My beta nodded, aware of the gravity of the situation. "We're doing everything we can, my Alpha. All the trackers are on alert, and we're expanding our search area. She c
**POV Eleanor**"Attention passengers, the train will be arriving at the terminal in 10 minutes. Please gather your belongings and be ready!" the woman announced over the intercom.Alice and I adjusted ourselves in our seats, with nothing but the clothes on our backs. I took the moment to observe the last green trees and grass I would probably see before entering the city. The city was full of buildings, houses, and asphalt. They didn't have much connection to nature, nor did they value it as we did. I was still distracted when Alice called my attention."I can't believe that woman did that to you. If I had been awake, I would have definitely beaten her face and made her bleed!" Alice growled impatiently."Calm down, you're letting your wolf side take over. Don't forget that humans don't know about our existence; they think we're just ancient legends," I murmured with a serious expression, placing my hand on her shoulder to calm her down."I'm so sorry, Eleanor. It's your first contac
**POV Eleanor**“No... this can't be happening,” I murmured to myself, fighting against the wave of terror that threatened to overwhelm me. The hot water was still falling on me, but now it mixed with the blood, creating a disturbing contrast.I forced myself to take deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil in my mind. I couldn't allow myself to fall apart now. I needed to get out of the shower and seek help. Slowly, I turned off the water and wrapped myself in a towel, my body trembling with pain and fear.“Alice...” I called weakly, trying to leave the bathroom.She rushed to help me, her eyes wide with worry upon seeing my condition. “Eleanor, what happened? My God, you're bleeding!”“I don’t know... it started suddenly,” I replied, trying to stay strong. “We need help... now.”Alice supported me, helping me lie down on the bed. “I’ll find a doctor. Don’t worry,” she said, trying to stay calm, although I could see the fear in her eyes.I lay down, trying to control my breathing and
**POV Eleanor**"My babies... my babies?!" I screamed again, placing my hands on my belly, before realizing it was just a nightmare.I woke up for the tenth time, frightened, in that hospital room. The doctor didn't want to discharge me after I told him about the pills, but the truth is, I was more scared than anyone. I knew my child could become a target, so I hid the pregnancy, but I never thought they would try to make me abort... with the baby still in my womb."Eleanor, are you okay? I heard the screams in the hallway!" Alice said worriedly. She had gone out to finish filling out my medical forms, and I had another nightmare."I'm sorry for worrying you," I replied, looking down. "Where is David?" I asked, curious."He had to leave for work, but don't worry. I didn’t tell him about the pregnancy, just that you need to stay hospitalized for a while because the doctor needs to do more tests before discharging you. He was concerned and offered to pay the hospital bill. Since we have
**POV Eleanor**At four o'clock sharp, everything was ready for me to leave the hospital. Alice had taken care of all the details, and now I was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting to go. She entered the room, holding an envelope."I got a taxi. David left some emergency money with me for when you were discharged," Alice said, helping me up from the bed."David? Why is he being so kind to us?" I asked, confused. "He barely knows us.""Maybe he's just a good person, Eleanor. And right now, we need all the help we can get," Alice replied, giving me an encouraging smile.I nodded, trying to understand what motivated David to help us so much. With the envelope in hand, we headed to the reception desk, where we completed the discharge process. The nurse wished us good luck, and we left the hospital.The taxi was already waiting outside. Alice helped me in, and soon we were on our way to the boarding house. During the ride, I watched the city pass by through the window. Everything seeme
**POV Eleanor**Four months later, I was at the diner, trying to stay on my feet while serving customers. My large pregnancy belly made every movement difficult. The exhaustion was constant, and my feet were so swollen I could hardly stand for long periods."Hey, miss! Where's my order? I've been waiting for ages!" a customer shouted from across the dining room.I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Sorry for the delay, sir. I'll check on it right away," I replied with a forced smile."Come on, Eleanor, serve table 6," the manager said, giving me a warning look.I made an effort to move, feeling every step as a challenge. The doctor had already warned me that the effects of pregnancy would be more intense with twins, and I was feeling every word of his warning. I had to quit my job at the pharmacy a few weeks ago; working two jobs had become unbearable.I reached table 6, where a family was sitting, patiently waiting. "Hello, good afternoon. Can I take your order?" I asked, tryi
**POV: Alpha King**Months had passed since Eleanor disappeared. Dr. Afonso had been executed, and Katy was imprisoned. Her family had tried several times to intercede for her, but I had determined she would remain under house arrest. Today, she would be returned to her family. Katy Baker was forbidden from returning or setting foot on the Alpha King's lands without my authorization."Alpha, everything is ready!" my beta informed me, and I just nodded.I walked to the truck where Katy was shackled with her hands cuffed. When she saw me, her eyes filled with tears, and she murmured, "Alpha, please, don’t send me back to my family. It's such a great dishonor to be returned after spending years in the harem. Allow me to stay by your side, even if it’s as your slave! I can do household chores and everything you command!" She pleaded one last time, as she had done in the past months."Katy, you have no choice. You should be thankful your family insisted so much for me to spare you. You onl
**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,