Chapter 3

Eleanor had been in her cell for a while, wondering why the man who she felt so pulled to had walked out in the middle of interrogating her. She wasn’t sure, but she was pretty convinced that the man was the Alpha of the pack. She hated how he made her feel, as she was certain he was going to distract her from her goal. But he was hot, she couldn’t deny. He definitely stood above six feet, she giggled to herself about that. He was dark, and had a chin filled with beards that connected to his hair. His skin glowed, that even in the dimly lit room, she was about to ask him for his skincare routine.

Eleanor leaned on the iron bars of her cell, listening to her stomach rumble and life sing sad melodies before her eyes, while she tried to get her mind off the attractive man that she felt so in love with. She didn’t even know him, but she cared not.

“Please comply,” one of the guards who had been standing in front of her cell told her as he unlocked her cell, causing Eleanor’s eyes to almost pop out of her head.

He was letting her go, without her having to prove she wasn’t a bad person. She frowned a bit, looking up at the guard who looked really young and had a gentle smile on his face. “You would please follow me ma’am,” he told her gently.

Eleanor nodded, feeling joy overflow in her at her release. But as she was about to get up, it dawned on her that, what if she was about to be executed. What if because she wasn’t making sense and couldn't prove her innocence, she was about to be killed. “I-”

“No objections are allowed ma’am,” he told her, still smiling gently like he knew her from somewhere.

Eleanor quickly swallowed her words back as she tried getting up, only for her to fail, causing her to fall back on the ground as she groaned in pain. The sole of her feet was aching a lot, and her ankles were killing her.

“Ma’am?”

Eleanor sighed. “I think my legs have gone feeble.”

The guard eyes widened with concern as he rushed to the other guard, returning soon with him. “We’d help you ma’am, he told her as they both bent to assist her to her feet. They held her by both hands, why she tried to move one foot after the other.

Eleanor couldn’t deny the fact that, the pack house was the biggest she had ever seen. As she was being led out of the prison, she was led into an endless passage. There wasn’t any doors in sight, but there were enormous windows, that stood far above Eleanor.

She immediately presumed that they were in a castle, probably the castle she saw that stood tall towards the entrance of the territory when she had sneaked in. She looked out the window as they moved slowly. She could see little kids running about outside, mothers sitting about and talking with loud voices, jesting. They all look happy and fresh. She doubted they was anyone who was anyone without food in the entire pack.

The more they walked, the sooner she noticed the pattern of guards consistently placed about. It was like the territory was under constant protection, which gave her a understanding of why she couldn’t make it far into the territory.

They soon got to where there were many doors, face to face, side to side. Soon one of the guards opened the door, revealing a smaller passage that had only two doors on the opposite end, a few steps away from each other. The guard who had been nice to her, opened the second door and let her in. A woman had been standing there, waiting for her to arrive.

“Have a lovely day, madam,” the guard had told her with a smile, before him and his colleague left.

The woman who had been inside, helped her to the king sized bed that was in the room, to help her sit on it.

“Is this how you treat rogues who are about to be executed?” Eleanor asked, earning her a weird look from the woman. Eleanor nodded. “You let them experience happiness and give them all what they want for how many hours before they are killed?”

“My name is Claire, and I am your help ma’am,” Claire told her, moving away from her. “I have been assigned to work for you, till the end of my life.”

Eleanor frowned. “What?”

Claire began to arrange some clothing items on her bed as she said, “I’d help you to your bath ma’am.”

Eleanor was still confused by what was going on, and was trying to process it all. “Why are you doing all this?”

“Like I told you, I have been assigned to you, to be of help to you till the death of me or of you. I have no sole purpose but to be of complete help to you.”

“Why?” Eleanor had said a bit louder than she had intended. “That is my question,” she said a lot calmer.

Claire wasn’t fazed by her display and made her way to her indoor bathroom. “I am not the one to answer that question, miss.”

With that, she went silent for some seconds before she returned and told Eleanor, “You need to have a bath. I’d help you with that.”

Eleanor didn’t argue with her as she let her undress her, while she looked around the room. The room was not only large but very spacious. The only things in the room was a closet, a table and her bed. When Claire helped her to the bathroom, she almost gasped. She began to wonder if it was really necessary for it to be so big.

***

The resolution room was filled with the elders and his mom. Their noise quieted down the moment he walked in. He let out a gentle sigh as he went to his chair and sat down.

The resolution room was the one place in the territory where great matters were to be solved. Matters that can’t be resolved by the elders are brought to the resolution room to be resolved by both Luke and the elders.

“The news has spread that you have found your long-awaited mate,” Luke's mother said as she adjusted herself in the chair she was seated on.

“And who said this?” Luke asked.

“Do not question me, Luke. The walls have ears and that is all I can tell you,” his mother replied.

“Mother-”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’d love to know who she is.”

“She is not from this pack mother.”

His mother smiled widely, resting into her chair. “Explains why you haven't found her. Did she arrive to shop for some good and you found her?”

Luke shook his head.

“Oh, she came to visit a friend.”

“No mother, she-”

“She came to see an extended family?”

“No mother, she is-”

“Wait. She is a-”

“A ROGUE.” Luke didn’t know it was possible for the room to get anymore quiet than it already was. The silence could deafen the person with the most sharp sense of hearing. It was so loud.

“She is a rogue mother,” Luke said again, causing murmurs to arise all of a sudden amongst the elders. “I only found her today – not long ago, and I wasn’t ready to let anyone know, I am still processing all of it.”

“What is he going to do now?” one elder whispered to another, but Luke could hear them all.

“Is he going to accept such a person as his partner? As Luna above us all?” another whispered.

The whispers were going on for a while, while Luke had his head down, conflicted. Luke didn’t know how to calm everyone down, as he also had the same thoughts running through his mind.

“Silence!” Luke's mother’s voice rang through the room as she stood straight up, causing everyone to look at her. “I do not want to hear a single word from anyone.” she turned to Luke, her voice becoming a lot more gentle. “Do you want this rogue as your mate?”

Luke frowned a bit, not exactly knowing his reply. But, he soon found himself nodding in response. “I find myself wanting her.”

His mother nodded. “That would be all.”

With that, Luke’s mother walked out of the room, causing them to burst into a fit of murmur and whispers. Luke stood up and left after his mother, returning to his office.