**POV Alpha King Gideon**I woke up nervous in the middle of the night. The room was dimly lit by lightning, and the sound of thunder echoed through my room. My wolf, Ragnar, was restless, eager to go out again in the middle of the night in search of his mate. Controlling him was becoming increasingly difficult; the strength of the bond was too strong, and I had never desired someone so intensely. I had never wanted so badly to bury myself in someone and possess them for myself, and something told me that the person I was looking for was not Cassandra Connery."Darling... come back to bed, I can distract you," the blonde woman whispered in my ear, nibbling on my earlobe.With her breasts exposed, she held my face and sealed our lips in an intense kiss. Her tongue sought entry, and I yielded. She slid her hands toward the zipper of my pants. As much as I wanted to feel pleasure, something screamed in my head."No! She is not our mate; she's just some whore!" Ragnar growled, his voice e
**POV Eleanor**“Ouch,” I murmured as my eyes opened and the dawn's light hit my retina, making me squint and tear up in pain. The day had finally broken. I looked down, and there was no sign of those men nearby. I had fallen asleep on the tree branch where I had been resting. The wounds on my body were healing, and I was amazed at the improvement.“What is happening?” I asked myself as I placed my feet on the ground without feeling any pain. I thought I had sprained or broken something, remembering how I had silently groaned in pain all night. Now, I could walk again. My healing power was expanding more than most other wolves. I walked to the stream and took the opportunity to dive into the water and wash off all the mud from my skin. While I was submerged, enjoying the refreshment, I heard an angry growl that seemed familiar.“Did you find her?” he asked, agitated. When I turned my face, my eyes met the Alpha King himself, wandering through the forest. I immediately ducked, diving a
### POV Alpha GideonI reached my quarters and was about to take a bath to wash the stench off my body. My wolf was irritated from spending the night searching without finding any sign of our mate.“Alpha Gideon…” I heard a female voice behind me and rolled my eyes. My hand clenched into a fist, and my beta stepped beside me, trying to prevent me from doing something rash.“Alpha Gideon… I was worried. The servants said you were out all night…” She repeated apprehensively, the fear evident in her voice.“I’ve told everyone a thousand times not to interfere in my business!” I yelled angrily, turning sharply. I came face to face with Cassandra Cooney, who was looking at me with curious eyes. She took a few steps back, noticing my tone.“Sorry… Alpha…” She murmured, looking down, unable to meet my eyes again.“Mate…” I whispered nervously.My wolf was catching her scent again after a long time, but something told me she wasn’t the one. No matter how beautiful she seemed and how much her
**Eleanor's POV**"This can't be true, Ellen..." Amber whispered, almost collapsing onto the bed, perplexed."I'm not lying, Amber... I don't know what to do..." I responded anxiously, pacing back and forth, nervous.It was already lunchtime. I had managed to take a shower, clean my hair, and get the smell of wet mud off my body, but ever since Roxy discovered that the Alpha King was her mate, she wanted to run into his arms and surrender."I don't think you should keep using the perfume..." Amber said seriously."Are you crazy? If the Alpha King finds out the truth, I'll never be able to leave this palace. He'll keep me here forever," I muttered incredulously. How could she be supporting my wolf Roxy at this moment? Did she forget how cruel that man is? Or that I almost died because of him? I don't want to go through that again..."Eleanor... Maybe this is necessary. If you don't do anything, Cassandra will convince him that she is his true mate, and you'll be cast aside. I heard the
POV Katy"This can't be true. You're lying to me, you insolent fool. I'll have your head cut off; after all, I am the mother of the Alpha's daughter!" I shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. My heavy breathing woke Helena, and she began to cry."Miss Baker, I would never dare lie to you! I swear! I beg for mercy!" The servant knelt in repentance, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with despair, which somehow gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction.It was good to see that most of the maids submitted to me without any resistance due to the power and influence of my family."You want to correct your mistake..." I murmured, walking towards her and forcing her to tilt her head in my direction. "You can start by telling the truth and everything you know and heard in the palace!" I demanded, eyes blazing with rage, as I aimed the knife at her neck, causing her to let out a faint moan of pain when the blade made a slight cut in her skin. If I pressed harder, with a quick m
**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 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,