01|Prologue

Birds shrieked in alarm as they scattered in different directions. The sounds of howls and snapping of branches could be heard in the far distance, the moon that hung high cast an eerie atmosphere in the surroundings.

Eleanor stumbled through the dense forest with her bloody bare feet. The sounds of paws drew nearer than she would have hoped. Snarls filled the air and the rustling of broken twigs reached her ears from behind, drawing her attention.E

Eleanor came to an abrupt halt, swiftly moving to the side, barely avoiding the claws that were aimed at her neck.

“Bloody bastards” she gave a low growl as the wolves surrounded her, their eyes showed a dangerous glint, and the predators now stalked their prey.

Her eyes narrowed at the wolves and her breath came out uneven as they bared their fangs at her, inching closer. She looked around for an escape route, since that was the only thing she could do in this situation.

She had to fulfill her promise to him.

Shifting her stance and with a sudden burst of speed, she charged towards one of the wolves that appeared slightly weaker than the others. In a blur of motion, she jumped on its neck and twisted it, the breaking of bones reaching her ears.

But she didn't have the chance to relax because one of the other wolves leaped at her, and she roughly collided with a tree. She groaned and coughed out blood, her injured body struggling to finally get up as she wiped the blood with her arm.

“Just give up already, my dear Eleanor” a deep and muscular voice rang out.

The wolves surrounding her suddenly moved back, their heads bowed in submission as they parted ways for their leader.

A man came into view, his long hair fell past his shoulders and his presence alone commanded respect.

“Traitor” Eleanor's voice is dipped in venom and her wolf, which had been forcibly locked up, tried to resurface to tear the man before her into shreds. “You betrayed everyone. We all trusted you!”

Ethan chuckled and crossed his arms, his head tilting back just a little.

“Trust” he repeated, the word sounded foreign coming from him, he shrugged and smirked, it wasn't his fault that they were fools enough to trust him. “Trust, my dear, is for the weak,” he remarked with a tone of certainty.

Eleanor sucked in a breath as she watched him, the person she once knew now replaced by a stranger. He felt no guilt or remorse, but how could he betray him of all people?

“You will never be Alpha” She spat her words through clenched teeth. Her fist tightened by her side as she confronted Ethan. She knew her words would only anger him, but she had to bid time for the pack reinforcement, and keeping him distracted for the time being was the only way to win, to ensure everyone’s survival.

Ethan's expression turned furious and the cracking of bones could be heard as he shifted to his wolf. A large black wolf came into sight, its fur as dark as the abyss and his eyes seemed to glow under the reflection of the moonlight.

There was a snot, and before she could react, the wolf lunged itself at her. Using one of his paws to pin her down, he leaned closer, his canines close to her neck and his claws dug deeper into her arm.

“Watch your tone” The wolf sneered and Eleanor hissed in pain, her eyes changing to the color of her wolf as she tried to fight against the poison that restrained her wolf. “I am the rightful Alpha, not him.”

Just a little more time, please. She silently prayed to the Goddess.

She gave him no reply and he continued.

“So would you rather die here or submit to me” the voice came again in a low growl in her head, challenging her to dare resist.

But they both knew that her fate had been destined to die here.

Finally,

She smiled when she caught a sniff of the familiar scent and relief washed over her. He was close by and that meant he succeeded in warding off the ambush. Everything was going to be fine, everyone was going to be saved.

“Fuck you” her voice barely came out more than a whisper as her hand gripped the silver dagger strapped under her dress. Her reflexes were still quite fast in her human form and the blade sank into the wolf’s flesh.

The sound of an angry howl shook the forest and the enraged wolf sunk its fangs into her neck.

Eleanor gasped in pain and the hand gripping the dagger fell to her side. She knew she couldn't kill him, but she was happy she could inflict as much pain as she could.

Under the watchful eyes of the moon, her breath is ragged as the cold embrace of death slowly wraps around her. Blood gushed out of her wounds, tainting the once snow-white dress. Her eyes are unfocused as she sees the silhouette of a man sprinting towards her.

“Eleanor!” The man’s figure cradled her body tightly, desperate to find any sign of life, any reassurance from her gradually dull expression, even a false hope would do.

“Please, Eleanor please…” he pleaded, his voice breaking at the end.

Her hand, despite being weak, stretched out to wipe the falling tears, the man sobbed, whispering words of assurance, but they both knew who they were for.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't fulfill the promise” Eleanor whispered through painful gasps, her voice barely audible, but he heard it. His grip on her tightened, refusing to face the cruel reality, he muttered under his breath, but she couldn't hear his words anymore because her life began to slip away with each passing moment.

Her once unfocused eyes began to close and her beating chest laid still.

“You will be fine, you will be fine” he seemed to be in a trance as he mumbled to himself. He couldn't hear the calls of his beta nor could he hear the cries of the fallen. No one could pull him away from the body that gradually turned cold.

He pleaded, he yelled, he prayed, and he cursed, but he was met with broken silence.