chapter one hundred sixty-one

**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