Eleanor clung on to Henry as he held her, his soothing words slowly bringing her back to the present. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Her heart rate eventually calmed and she could take in steady breaths.When her body stopped trembling, Henry pulled back and looked into her face. “Are you okay now?”She nodded, looking into his dark eyes. With the effect of the nightmare gone, her brain was now fully registering their current position.Henry’s arms were around her body, his bare chest pressed against her. He was shirtless, and she was wearing a nightdress she had found in the closet.Her body warmed up in reaction to his proximity, and her eyes skimmed over him, taking in his muscular physique. He had well-defined muscles, and against her, he felt all masculine.She had gotten a peek earlier when he changed at the car after they got away from Blackstorm, but this was way different.“What did you dream about?” he asked, lifting his hand to her face. He pushed back some strands of h
The atmosphere around them took a sudden turn. Henry’s confession formed cracks in the walls Eleanor had built to keep him out.She had been keeping her guard up at least until she figured out what his intentions with her were. But now, it turned out the reason he paid her so much attention was simple. She was his saviour, and he had spent years looking for her.It wasn’t fair, she thought, as her heartbeat went off-kilter again.Just when she thought she was well-guarded against him, he took out his trump card, warming her heart all over again.“Finding you was the best thing to happen to me,” he said, stroking her hand with his fingers. “It took me so long to find you, and I’m not going to let you go easily.”She swallowed, her heart beating in her throat.“Do you understand?” he asked, leaning forward.It was at that moment she realised that she had never stood a chance of keeping herself protected from his pursuit. She could have fought against the emotions that he stirred up in h
The day of Darkfall’s Floral Party finally came, three days after Eleanor’s arrival at the pack. From what she had gathered, it was one of the biggest annual events at the pack.She had been to many parties at other packs before, but never to one at Darkfall. Also, she had never been to one in a personal capacity. It was always as Blackstorm’s Luna, representing her pack’s interests.She wore a white velvet gown, one of the dresses she had found in the closet when she first arrived. The dress had a V-neckline and was sleeveless, fitting her upper body and flaring at her knees. She wore a gold drop necklace that settled in the middle of her chest and matching gold stud earrings. On her feet, she wore white heels to match the dress.The party was being held in Darkfall’s ballroom. The room was large enough to hold dozens of guests. As she walked into the room, Eleanor tried to reach out to her wolf. She didn’t like the idea of being surrounded by strange werewolves without her wolf. It
Shortly after the first scream pierced through the air, Henry received a frantic message from Ethan through their mind-link. They were under attack by rogues!“What is going on?” Eleanor asked, her worried gaze set upon the building they had just left.“Come,” he said, taking her hand and rushing towards the building. Who had the guts to attack him in his house?They were near the door when it burst open and a werewolf came flying through. Henry instantly positioned himself in front of Eleanor, standing between her and the werewolf. It was a rogue. One of Darkfall’s warriors shot through the door right after and pounced on the rogue.Eleanor looked from the pair and through the broken door. The ballroom was total chaos. Werewolves were running all over the place, some screaming, the warriors engaged with the rogues. She started towards the door, but Henry’s arm stopped her.“Don’t go in there!” he ordered.“I’ve got this,” she said, pushing his arm out of the way and hurrying towards
The she-wolves were taken aback by Eleanor’s strength and powerful aura–it was almost like an Alpha’s!Eleanor turned away from the dead rogue and walked towards the door, wiping blood from her face. “I’ll take you somewhere safe on the second floor,” she told them. “Stay there and don’t leave until everything is clear.”They removed the couch and she led them out of the room, the broken chair leg still gripped in her hand. She led the group to a safer lounge on the second floor and instructed them to keep the door shut.“Where are you going?” the she-wolf who’d taken charge of encouraging the others earlier asked when Eleanor made to leave.“I have to go help the others,” she said.Close Advisor’s wife scoffed. “You were just lucky down there. Do you think you are a warrior or something? You’ll just be a burden to them.”Eleanor ignored her and smiled at the she-wolf who had asked where she was going. “Stay here, okay? You’ll be safe.”She nodded, and Eleanor walked out of the door a
Eleanor held her breath as Henry unfastened her dress’s zipper. His knuckles brushed against her back, the soft touch causing tingles all over her skin.She only sucked in a breath when he stepped away to get fresh gauze. When he touched it to her back, she felt a mild sting. “Is it bad?” she asked.“Just a few bruises,” he said.“See? I told you I was fine,” she told him. She was trying to act normal. Like all of this was normal. Like he wasn’t standing behind her in all his naked glory. Her voice didn’t sound as normal as she wanted it too–it was strained, betraying her unsteady breathing.“It could have been worse,” he told her. His touch disappeared. Was he done? “You should never get into a fight without your wolf. I almost went crazy with worry.”She bit down on her lip. Was he really that worried about her? Was it because she had saved him all those years ago?“I’m trained to fight without my wolf,” she said. “You didn’t have to worry so much.”Training in both their human and
Eleanor lifted her eyes to his. She did not know how to feel about this. Was there a special connection between them she didn’t know about? She wished her wolf would wake up. Maybe she’d be able to clear some things up.Henry’s hand moved from her face to the back of her head. His fingers toyed with her hair, massaging small circles into her scalp. “You have no idea what you do to me,” he said, his gaze roving all over her face. “You have no idea how much I want to claim you as mine.”Eleanor bit down on her lip, unable to come up with a response. There was no more denying her attraction to him. If he wanted her right then, she wouldn’t stop him.But being reckless enough to give in to her physical desires was not the same as what he was talking about.He sounded as if he wanted to keep her by his side, and not on a temporary basis.“I want to mark you as my mate,” he said, taking her by shock.What? He wanted her as his mate?Her heart beat heavily, overwhelmed by his announcement. S
When Eleanor woke up the next morning, her head was against Henry’s chest, his heavy arm around her waist. They were in his bed. They had gone upstairs to his room at some point–after having sex twice in the infirmary.She pulled back and looked up at him. His eyes were closed, his breathing even. He was still asleep. A smile curved her lips as a fluttery feeling took over her insides.She was having a tough time believing all of this was true. She had finally found her destined mate, and it turned out to be him.All this time, he had been so close to her, and yet their paths had never crossed. And when they did, she didn’t even recognise him. Sure, that was because her wolf had been hiding, but…she felt like she should have known.How could she not have known?His eyes opened while she stared at him. “Hey,” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.“Hey,” she said, pressing a kiss to his jaw. A day’s growth of beard pricked her cheek. “Mate.”He smiled, the expression making him look m