Watching the footage from the surveillance cameras and seeing how so many had been caught in the middle of the explosion brought back the emotions Eleanor had felt when it first happened.For a moment, she had been unaware of where the explosion had come from. And then there were the screams from inside the hall and Jonathan in the hallway.It had all happened so quickly, and when it registered to her that she had no idea where Henry was, the panic had hit.She had wanted to remain positive, telling herself that he was safe because he had moved away from the hall. But deeper, she had been freaking out that she wouldn’t see him again.Now, watching the footage, her fear was reawakened. That something would happen and snatch him away from her just when she had found him.“Hey, are you okay?” Henry asked, reaching over her shoulder to smooth her hair back. “What are you thinking so hard about?”Eleanor scooted over to his side, closing the distance between them. She wrapped her arms arou
The next day, Eleanor and Sophia sat in the area outside the library having breakfast. It was a bit late in the day, around ten o’clock. It was a beautiful day, with the flower garden right outside glimmering in the morning sun.“I envy you, my friend,” Sophia said, grinning at Eleanor over the rim of her cup of tea. “Just one look at you and I can tell you had some good sex last night. Maybe this morning too?”Eleanor sputtered, not expecting the sudden onslaught. She placed her cup of tea down on the small table between them and raised an eyebrow at her friend. “What are you talking about?”Sophia tsked and shook her head. “Don’t you dare act coy with me. You are glowing. And I’m pretty sure anyone within ten feet of you can catch his scent all over you.”Eleanor bit the inside of her lip, fighting to keep her smile from breaking. Well, she couldn’t deny it if Henry’s scent on her was selling her out, could she?Sophia sighed, a look of longing crossing over her face. “I wish Ethan
Eleanor had expected that Thomas would do such a thing to stop her from getting into the pack, so she had come prepared.Reaching into her bag, she brought out the documents she had brought along. They were divorce papers and orders from the Council giving directions about the property division.With them in hand, she opened the door and got out.“Here,” she said, handing them to the warrior who had approached the car. “These are papers from the Council showing that I have every right to be here. Alpha Thomas has no power to stop me.”The warrior took the papers and looked over them. He showed his partner the papers, and after a few minutes, they returned them to her.“We are sorry, Luna Eleanor,” the first warrior apologised. “We were only following orders. Please proceed.“I understand,” she told them with a smile. “No worries.”She got back into the car and they resumed the drive towards the packhouse. She was glad the warriors had not tried to complicate things. They too understoo
Mia strutted towards Eleanor, a smug look on her face. “What do we owe the pleasure?” she asked, coming to a stop and crossing her arms over her chest.To her total chagrin, Eleanor did not spare her a look. As if she didn’t see or hear her, she walked right past her and to Thomas. Mia rolled her eyes and scoffed, hiding her embarrassment.“Why did you remove my access to the pack’s funds?” Eleanor asked Thomas, getting right down to business.Thomas arched an eyebrow, facing her with an otherwise passive face. It hid the loathing and anger swirling deep inside him. “Why, were you planning to use them to throw a party to celebrate getting your divorce?”“Thomas,” she said in a serious tone, “I’m not here to play games with you. I want my access back right now.”He made a mocking sound in his throat. “You humiliated me at the summit and concealed the fact that you found your mate. Taking away your access is the least I can do to teach you a lesson.”Eleanor stepped closer until they we
Murmurs erupted throughout the hall at Mia’s accusation.Satisfied, Mia added smugly, “I just thought it’s only fair that everyone knows the truth before they make such an important decision. After all, an Alpha’s strength is crucial to a pack’s security.”Eleanor wondered how Mia had figured out that she was missing her wolf when nobody else, not even Thomas, had sensed it.But she did not let Mia’s words shake her. Instead, she faced her and said, “You cannot shapeshift. Do you think you are suitable to become the Luna of Blackstorm?”“This has nothing to do with me,” Mia claimed, rolling her eyes.“Oh?” Eleanor challenged, raising her brow. “You are the one who just claimed that someone who cannot shapeshift cannot be a good leader to a pack. Since you cannot shapeshift as an Omega, why should these people accept you as their Luna?”“Do not attack my mate,” Thomas said, butting into their argument. “This has nothing to do with her.”Eleanor scoffed. “Were you not paying attention?
“It’s alright if you want to stop the vote,” Thomas said to Eleanor. “We can all see how this is going to end. There is no need for you to lose face like this.”Eleanor gave him an indulgent smile. “Thank you for your concern, but it’s not necessary. Let’s keep on until the end, and we’ll know who is the loser soon enough.”Thomas arched an eyebrow. “Have you always been so stubborn? These people have respected you for many years. Do you think you can walk out of here with your reputation intact with the number of votes you have?”“Why are you so worried about my reputation?” Eleanor asked him. “I’m no longer your Luna.”“I’m not worried,” he claimed. “I’m just being nice. Seriously, do you want to be remembered as the Luna who demanded to have a pack of her own only to fail from the get go? The fact that people don’t want to choose you should make it obvious that you are wrong about this. But you are so obsessed with going against me that you would rather keep up with this outrageous
Eleanor rose from her desk and walked around it towards Sophia. She took her friend’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.“Maybe he lost his way. He might have trouble finding the new packhouse,” she suggested.Sophia shook her head, her worried expression not letting up. “I was communicating with him on the phone, but it suddenly went off. He knows where the new house is. He knows the pack inside out, he would never get lost.”“Have you talked to anyone else who could be in communication with him?” Eleanor asked. Sophia was right, it was impossible for Liam to get lost in the pack’s territory.Sophia nodded. “I have. Nobody else has heard from him for hours.”“When did you last talk to him?” Eleanor asked.“Right after we came here after the voting ended,” Sophia replied. “He assured me that he knew the way here. Since then, his phone has been off. I didn’t think much of it at first, but it’s been hours. He should be here already. What if something has happened to him?”“We’ll fin
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Eleanor asked, eyeing each one of them. “Does Jonathan know about this?”At the mention of Jonathan’s name, the four hybrids exchanged glances, and Eleanor knew she had made the right guess. They were all connected to Jonathan. Now, the question was, were they doing this under his orders, or Mia’s?“The last time we talked,” she continued, “he did not mention wanting me dead. Did he change his mind? Is this how he does business? I thought we had a deal.”She was bluffing, but they did not know that. Thanks to his little visit to her room after escaping from the dungeons that night, she was certain he did not want her dead. Not yet, anyway.She could see the confusion setting on all four faces, and that’s how she knew this was all Mia’s doing and Jonathan had no idea.“How do you know that name?” one of the hybrids asked.“How do you think? Now tell me, is he the one who ordered you to kill me? I did not take him for a coward who would have his minio