pov Eleanor
I woke up in the middle of the damp grass, my aching body craving rests as my eyes struggled to adjust to the intense sunlight. Confusion washed over me as I realized I was several yards away from home, with no recollection of how I got there. A shiver ran down my spine, warning me that something was wrong. Carefully, I mustered the strength to get up and decided to enter through the back, jumping through the window of my room. It was approximately three o'clock in the afternoon, and I silently thanked the fact that Emily and Johanna were busy, immersed in their beauty rituals for the ball, which meant they would be distracted enough to forget about me for a long time.It was almost dusk when I heard noises downstairs. I hid behind the door, apprehensive. I knew Emily and Johanna had returned home after a long day at the spa, and I didn't have enough courage yet to face them again."Mom, you should have seen her face! Her eyes were full of tears, she really believed that Asher would accept her as his mate or that he loved her," Emily's voice echoed in my ears, and I bit my lip to keep from screaming, pressing it so hard it began to bleed."I saw the video you made of her running. It's truly pitiful. At this moment, the video is circulating on all social networks, and all pack members have seen it. She will never be able to find another mate who will accept her after being exposed in this way," Johanna shrugged, showing no remorse."The best part was when I told her that she was to blame for her mother's death and that Dad had died of grief for having to live with the cause of his beloved wife's death!" Emily said, trying on the dresses that were in the bag."I just loved that moment in the video. I felt like I finally had my revenge. After almost being abandoned by her father because of Cristina, who was just a blind wolf. But when he realized she was his true mate, he refused to reject her. So, I had no choice but to poison her so she would die in childbirth. The idea was that the child would also die with her. The fact that Eleanor survived my poison was an unpleasant surprise and an obstacle to my plans."Shock paralyzed me as my stepmother's words echoed in my mind like a whirlwind. Johanna had always told me that my father had abandoned my mother when I was born because she was blind, and that she died of grief after giving birth to me. I spent years hating my father for it, refusing to visit his grave or bring flowers to him at the cemetery. This revelation shook the foundations of my beliefs, leaving me lost in a sea of conflicting emotions."Maybe that's why Eleanor can't awaken her wolf..." Emily commented absentmindedly as she tried on a yellow dress in front of the mirror."Indeed, the poison I used was lethal to werewolves. Since she was still a newborn baby, maybe that affected her wolf nature irreversibly. But frankly, I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, Eleanor shouldn't be alive. I've kept her all these years just to have someone to do the heavy lifting and take care of the house, after all the anger Cristina caused me, it was amusing to make her daughter the maid," Emily laughed disdainfully.A wave of revulsion washed over me, struggling to keep calm in the face of the shocking revelation. The coldness in my stepmother's voice and the indifference towards my existence cut like sharp blades."Do you think she'll leave the pack now that Asher publicly rejected her?" Emily asked, curious, as she adorned her hair. "Where would she go? We're the only family she has. Eleanor is too weak and won't survive on her own. The only reason she endured so many years of humiliation was that she had nowhere else to go. Everyone shut their doors to her when her father died... The only person who took her in was me. Luckily, I made her father sign a document before he died, transferring her guardianship to me. That way, I would be responsible for her and all the other assets. After all, how do you think we've managed to keep this house? With the money from that filthy creature. Tyler loved her, he would do anything for that girl, and I even managed to make her hate him. On his deathbed, Eleanor refused to see him. She truly believed he had abandoned her mother to die, but in reality, Tyler feared that Eleanor would suffer from blindness in the future, like her mother. He left her a good amount of money, but I made him believe that I would take care of her as if she were my daughter... Now that she's turned eighteen, the money her father left her is gone. We've spent it all. She's no longer useful to us."The weight of my stepmother's words fell on me like a sentence of condemnation."What if we sold her?" Emily said with a sadistic smile on her face, her eyes gleaming with the cruelty of her suggestions. "We could sell her as a sex slave. After all this exposure, that's the only future she can have...""Tyler and Cristiana must be rolling in their graves now, seeing their future daughter become a fifth-rate prostitute. Although to be honest, she's so ugly that I doubt anyone would pay more than ten dollars for a night with her!" Johanna said, letting out a sinister laugh as she watched Emily's expression in the mirror."I've chosen my dress for the ball already, it will be this one!" Emily announced, holding up my mother's dress, the same one I had carefully washed and hung out to dry on the clothesline.I clenched my hands tightly, feeling the anger burning inside me. I desperately wanted to rip that dress off her body. It belonged to my mother; how dare she wear it? Blood boiled in my veins, my mind swirling. I was alone in a world where those who should protect me were the same ones planning my destruction."I'll wear this one; for sure, I'd be the prettiest girl at the ball. Asher will introduce me as his partner in front of everyone, I need to be flawless. As for Eleanor, we'll decide later what to do with her," Emily said, indifferent. "Where is Eleanor? This was the dress she was wearing yesterday; she must have returned home..." Emily's voice made my body shiver; they couldn't find out that I had heard every word they said, so there was only one thing I could do.I took a bottle of pills from the dresser and placed a few pills around it, throwing the rest out the window, and leaving the bottle empty. I lay down on the bed carefully not to make any noise and covered myself with an old sheet, my mind swirling with tension."Where is that filthy girl... Eleanor!" my stepmother shouted as she climbed the stairs, her sharp voice echoing through the empty hallways. I remained still, holding my breath, as I waited for my plan to succeed."Look at her, she must have overdosed on sleeping pills. Maybe that's the only way she found to deal with rejection..." Emily laughed mockingly as she saw me lying on the bed, my eyes closed in a feigned sleep."Do you think she heard us?" my stepmother asked suspiciously, her footsteps approaching the dresser. She picked up the bottle next to me, noticing it was empty, and placed it back on the dresser."Mom, she's out cold. She must have overdosed on sleeping pills. When we come back from the ball, we'll figure out what to do with her. Maybe we'll find someone to sell her to tonight. Asher asked us to come early because he reserved the best seats for us! Let's go! If we're lucky, when we come back, she'll be dead," Emily pulled Johanna by the arm, slamming the door and rushing downstairs.As soon as they left, I sat up in bed and took a deep breath, relieved not to have been discovered. My mind was already working on an escape plan, as I knew my time there was running out. There was only one person who could help me in that moment, the only person I could turn to in this difficult time.**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