Chapter 3

Eloise

A loud, forceful howl sent shivers down my spine.

I opened my eyes, and the black wolf was standing in front of me; the beast looked at me with desperation, and I was surprised that it didn't hunt me down like it had done on previous days. So I raised my hand to touch it and then felt a chill on my skin when its rough tongue licked my hand.

The fear I had felt before quickly dissipated.

The beast that had tormented me in my dreams was comforting me, as if it knew what I was feeling, as if it knew my suffering, and I couldn't help but cry. The wolf that had previously frightened me whimpered in pain with me and wiped my tears with its tongue.

I smiled sadly and looked at him with pain.

“I'm sorry, friend, I'm not the best company right now,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

The wolf howled in pain, and the sky thundered so loudly that it began to rain without hesitation. Large, thick drops fell on us without fear, and I just let the water run down my body with some sadness.

I shivered as the cold penetrated my bones, and I finally woke up.

I shook my head as dizziness consumed me, and I felt my mouth dry.

I was cold, but not because I was asleep, but because I was in the dungeons of the pack, a gloomy, cold place that was filled with moonstone for the purpose of weakening the prisoners. I looked angrily at the handcuffs that were still on me and shook my head in rage.

“It wasn't a nightmare,” I said quietly and closed my eyes.

I tried to wake my beast, but Alondra was fast asleep due to the intense effect of the moonstone.

It was a shitty situation, so I concentrated on smelling, seeing, and hearing what I needed to.

I knew the entire pack, including the dungeons, but I had no idea of Hall's reach. I didn't know if there were more guards colluding with him, nor did I know if anyone on the council would help him or if he had said or done anything to manipulate people.

Despair overwhelmed me as I thought of my father and my little brother.

I needed to get out of the dungeons to fix this mess.

Just then, I hear a noise in the hallway and footsteps approaching my cell.

Out of nowhere, the door opened, and a couple of guards entered with Giselle.

She had gauze covering her face and a tray of food in her hands. She approached me fearlessly and left the tray of food on the floor, and I frowned.

“It's been over 12 hours; you have to eat,” Giselle said, and I looked at her angrily.

I took the food tray and threw it aside, scattering bread, beans, and soup across the cell.

“Take your crap away,” I said angrily.

Giselle screamed in anger, so angry that I knew immediately what she was going to do.

She approached me and slapped me violently, then kicked me in the face without fear and stepped on my back without hesitation. I tried to stop her, but I was weak; my body wasn't responding well to the moonstone, so I coughed and spat blood.

“Damn you,” said Giselle. “I'm sick of you, your princess airs, and your belief that you deserve everything.”

I laughed at her attempt at humiliation and pushed her as hard as I could, then looked at her with anger.

“And what do you deserve besides crumbs?” I asked mockingly, and she looked at me with rage. “Because that's what you want and what you'll get... Crumbs from a man who's using you.”

“You don't know shit about anything,” Giselle said with golden eyes, and I laughed ironically.

“It was enough for me to see what kind of bastard Hall is to know that he's using you,” I said honestly. "He found your greatest weakness, used it to his advantage, and manipulates you at will. You're just another puppet he plays with to achieve his goals. And I think it's sad that you fell for his deception. But I'm not surprised; you've always been an envious vermin crawling for power and ambition."

Giselle growled loudly and bared her claws, but one of the guards held her back.

“It's not worth it,” whispered the guard, and I smiled more.

“You don't know shit,” said Giselle. "You've always lived in a fairy tale; you don't know what real life is like. You've just become Daddy's spoiled little girl, but you don't know what people suffer and endure outside this damn herd. So I'm going to enjoy taking everything away from you, stripping you of the smallest thing, and taking possession of everything you own because seeing you destroyed is my damn pleasure, and keeping Hall is just the beginning."

I had always thought she envied me; it was clear in her obvious animosity towards me, but I hadn't realized that she didn't just want my life. Giselle hated me; she did it with such force that it surprised me a little.

“Why do you hate me?” I asked without hesitation, and she recoiled as if I had hit her. “What did I do to you? What did my family do to you? Because my father did nothing but take you and your mother in, give you a place in our family, in our home, in the pack... What did we do to make you hate us so much?”

Giselle turned away, and the guards looked at her with some concern, a clear sign that my question had affected her more than I intended. Then she turned and looked at me with hatred, a hatred so deep that I knew there was no turning back.

“Exist,” Giselle said without hesitation. “Your family shouldn't exist, especially you.”

“That's bullshit,” I said fearlessly.

“It's a fact, and I don't give a damn what you think. I'm staying with Hall, and I'll enjoy watching you suffer,” she said with a sinister smile. I felt angry, but I controlled it. “It'll be worth it to strip you of everything.”

“That doesn't mean anything to me, or well, it does mean something,” I said calmly and then smiled mockingly. "It tells me that you're just a jealous fool and, I don't know, maybe you're a resentful socialite who thinks that everything should come easily to her, that people should compensate her with love and adoration. But the truth is that Hall will never be yours, not the way you think he will be. A man like that doesn't love anyone, not even you, and it's clear that you're not someone worth his while, or he would have done everything to have you from the beginning."

The mockery in my voice was clear, and she screamed, ready to hit me.

The guards held her back, and at that moment Hall entered.

When he saw me, he frowned and then growled at Giselle.

“I told you not to come to the dungeons!” Hall yelled at Giselle, and she growled before storming out of the cell and walking away.

“You should control your little bitch,” I said mockingly.

“You should shut your mouth and not bother her,” Hall said angrily. “The situation is volatile, and you're doing nothing for yourself, your father, or your brother.”

The mention of them made me growl.

“What the hell did you do to my father and brother?” I asked.

Hall smiled.

His smile wasn't simple; it was sinister.

“If you want them to stay alive, you have to make a deal with me,” Hall said.

“I don't negotiate with terrorists,” I said hatefully, and he laughed before looking at the guards.

They hurried away and left us alone.

Hall approached me and smiled.

“You know what, you look beautiful in chains,” he said, grabbing me by the neck. He moved so fast that I didn't react in time. “It excites me to see you like this. It makes me want to tame you like I've always wanted to.”

I headbutted him, which hurt, but it pushed him away from me.

I shook my head to clear the dizziness, and Hall just laughed, as if what I had done was the funniest thing ever.

“You're sick,” I said, and spat at his feet.

“Maybe,” Hall said. “But sick or not, the reality is that we're meant for each other, princess. You're my mate. For some strange reason, fate and nature say you're the right woman for me, both emotionally and biologically. So you must have something twisted deep inside you for us to be soulmates.”

I shook my head and looked at him with disgust.

“This is just a mistake of nature,” I said disappointedly. “I could never be with a man like you. Thank God I didn't have sex with you like you kept insisting.”

Hall smiled amusedly.

“You will do it, even if I have to tie you to the bedposts,” Hall said. “You will submit meekly and give yourself to me, just as I want, and you will give me the children that will ensure my stability as Alpha. You will do it, or your little brother will die in the most painful way possible, just as your father is dying.”

His words froze me completely.

“You're lying,” I said painfully.

“I'm not lying,” Hall said and shrugged. “I poisoned your father so he would be incapacitated at the wedding, but perhaps the dose of poison was higher than I intended, and now he's fighting for his life in the hospital.”

“It can't be,” I said in horror.

“I have the antidote to cure him,” Hall said. “But you must prepare to marry me in a few hours, as stipulated.”

“I would never marry you,” I said angrily.

“You will,” Hall said. “No matter how, you will.”

“I'd rather die than end up tied to you,” I said, and he laughed.

“You don't have the guts, Eloise,” Hall said with false sweetness. “You have spirit, but not enough.”

His words burned inside me in a way I didn't see coming.

I thought of all the false moments of happiness he had given me, and I couldn't hold back the tears. I had to do something, so I did the most prudent thing in this situation.

“I, Eloise Everard, direct descendant of the Alpha of the Steel Fangs Pack and the Pure Omega, reject you, Hall Blackwood, as my mate and my everything.”

Hall opened his mouth in disbelief, and a tremendous pain shot through both of us before we lost consciousness.