Chapter 6

Eloise

My head felt like it was going to explode.

An unbearable pain woke me abruptly from my sleep, and I cursed under my breath in pain. I didn't know what was happening; I just wanted to keep sleeping, to have calm and peace. I sat up in bed and took deep breaths until I realized that the texture of the sheets covering me was fur.

I opened my eyes quickly and gasped when I realized this.

I shook my head, then realized that my brother Emmett was lying asleep next to me, completely unaware that we were not in our pack. It was then that all the memories of the last two days came flooding back to me.

I stifled a moan of pain as I realized that none of it had been a horrible nightmare.

It had all been real, every bit of it.

My father was dead.

My nanny was dead.

My stepmother and stepsister were traitors.

My mate, the man I loved most, turned out to be a vile insect, and I couldn't help but let a couple of tears roll down my cheeks. The situation was terrible, but I couldn't afford to cry or break down.

I couldn't do it, not when my brother depended on me exclusively.

What Hall had done was not only despicable, it was completely deranged.

My brother was the rightful heir to the Steel Fangs Pack. No one else but him was supposed to take over as Alpha once my father left this world, but I never thought my father would die prematurely, being so young and with so much ahead of him.

I roughly wiped away my tears and checked on Emmett.

I didn't know what was really wrong with him.

It was clear that my little brother had been poisoned with something, but given the situation, it wasn't fatal.

It's not fatal; it's much worse, Alondra muttered fearfully.

I gasped when I heard my beast's voice and felt a sense of happiness. I was afraid that somehow, exposure to the moonstone had put her into a deep sleep.

You're awake.

Yes, I just needed to rest a little. But Emmett is in danger. The poison he was given has effects on his beast, long-term effects that could be terrible for him, Alondra said.

I felt chills all over.

Do you know what it is?

I don't know, but I can feel the magic seeping into Emmett's wolf and slowly weakening him. It acts like a parasite, and I fear that the goal is to destroy his beast to the point of erasure, Alondra said with concern.

That made me check Emmett thoroughly. He complained because I moved him, but I didn't feel at ease until I realized that he was fine, whole, and without problems. I was so focused on that that I didn't notice anything else.

It wasn't until my bladder gave signs of life that I took the time to observe the room I was in. I looked around and realized it was a large room, full of simple luxuries and discreet comforts. I raised my eyebrows and sniffed deeply to try to figure out the place, but everything was strange, as strange as the rich scent of a wolf nearby.

The essence of that man was exquisite, but at the same time it put me on guard.

So I got up quickly and started walking toward the source, then I saw a terrace and walked toward it.

I stopped when I saw a blond man with his back to me. I froze immediately, and that made him turn to look at me. His eyes looked at me carefully, but his body was tense with something unexpected.

“Dark Alpha,” I whispered, and he nodded seriously.

“How are you feeling?” the man asked with genuine interest.

Alondra growled happily, delighted to hear him, and that annoyed me.

“Where am I?” I asked firmly.

Alpha Elijah raised his eyebrows but then sighed and crossed his arms.

“You're in my pack, in Blood Moon,” he said calmly. “Don't you remember anything?”

I leaned back and frowned.

“I was in the dark forest—”

“And I saved you and your brother,” the Alpha said without hesitation. “You entered the most sensitive area of the forest, so the creatures were desperate to hunt you down. I had to intervene immediately, or you would have died on the spot.”

He was right; the creatures would kill us without hesitation, but something in his words, in the way he said them, bothered me, and mistrust crept in, then took hold and consumed me without fear.

It was a matter of feeling, and I couldn't feel anything from this man.

My Omega powers didn't activate with him, so I couldn't read him, and that was frustrating.

You didn't read Hall either, and he did deceive us, Alondra said with annoyance.

That's exactly why I don't trust anyone, I muttered firmly.

“Thank you for saving our lives and for your help, but my brother and I are leaving here immediately,” I said quickly and went back for Emmett.

But he walked quickly and grabbed my wrist firmly.

That made me turn to look at him and growl fearlessly.

He opened his eyes in surprise, then let go of me and raised his hands, then smiled with some guilt.

“Don't you dare touch me,” I snapped angrily.

“I'm sorry,” said Alpha Elijah. “But I think you're jumping to conclusions. I—”

“I don't know you,” I said fearlessly. “I don't know who you are, so while I appreciate you saving our lives, I need to get away because I don't know your intentions, and I've had to learn the hard way not to trust anyone.”

The Alpha frowned and looked at me intensely, as if he were seeing me for the first time, as if he understood more than I could understand myself. That made me very uncomfortable.

“It's normal to be suspicious, especially if you've been hurt, but we made a deal; did you forget?” He asked gently and lifted her wrist.

I looked at the sacred promise mark, and my eyebrows rose, then I checked my wrist and remembered the promise he had made in the forest to calm me down. A promise that tangled in my chest and froze me for a moment.

“What did you do?” I asked in horror, finally understanding the situation.

“I did what I had to do to ensure that you and your brother would survive,” he said fearlessly, with greater seriousness and firmness. “It's not the most orthodox method, but with that you have the guarantee that I won't hurt either of you.”

“I don't believe you, and I don't trust you,” I said without shame. “It makes no sense for you to make a promise like that. You don't know me, and you don't know who I am or why I was in the dark forest.”

The Alpha nodded.

"You're right that I don't know you, but I don't need to be a psychic to know that you were running away from something very bad. Only in that state of total desperation would someone venture into the dark forest, because no one with a functioning brain would enter that death trap,” he said without hesitation, and I swallowed hard. “You needed help, so I gave it to you. However, I believe your brother needs more than help."

“What do you know?” I asked furiously.

“He was poisoned with debilitating dark magic,” said the Alpha, and I felt chills run through my body, to the point that my skin bristled. “It's a powerful poison that will affect your brother, and I have a feeling you have neither the place to take him nor the resources to treat him.”

His conclusion was true and at the same time insulting.

“You have no idea what my brother and I went through, so you can't make such simple inferences just because,” I snapped angrily.

“I'm sorry, you're right,” said the Alpha. “However, I want to help. I made a deal, and I feel responsible for you. I don't mean to bother you; I just want you to—”

“You don't have to lie to me,” I said fearlessly and with great anger. “I'll never know your intentions, not really. So don't try to sell me on the idea that you're a hero, because I'm not buying it.”

“Someone must have hurt you badly to make you so distrustful,” he whispered, and I let my claws out in anger. “You don't need to be so defensive, not with me.”

“I don't need help, I don't—”

At that moment, Emmett screamed, and I ran to him; then he began to convulse so horribly that I was afraid. I froze for a moment, but the Alpha moved quickly, turned my brother on his side, and helped him.

That made me react quickly, and I helped him. Then the convulsion ended, and I looked at the Alpha in disbelief.

“You need help,” said the Alpha. “A lot of help, and I can give it to you, so we can make a deal so you don't feel like I'm pressuring you. Just... please accept help.”

I looked at Emmett, and my heart broke.

“What deal?” I asked calmly, but everything inside me was boiling with mistrust.

We can't be demanding, Alondra muttered firmly.

And I felt angry because my wolf was right.

“You will receive help, shelter, and care for your brother in exchange for working for the pack,” said the Alpha, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “I don't know why you're running away, or where you come from, or why your brother was poisoned, but we never stop helping anyone in trouble. So I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, and I would ask the same of you. At the end of the day, I don't know who you really are.”

The Alpha's words shook me to my core.

“You're right,” I said firmly, thinking I'd better set the record straight. “I can work until I've earned enough money to leave, but working for you doesn't mean I'm selling my dignity, my body, or my powers. My brother is not a slave or an accessory, so he is not the pack's responsibility. I'll take care of everything.”

The Alpha nodded but looked at me very seriously.

“I don't know what lies the other packs tell about us, but all of that stuff is completely made up,” he said without hesitation. "My powers have nothing to do with the reality of my people. Here we are respectful, we have strict laws that are part of the deal, and we protect each other. Here, exploitation, prostitution, or any of those depravities are not accepted, so you have my word that you will not be used in any way."

That calmed me, but only briefly.

I knew that things were not accurate or correct, so I didn't take them as entirely true.

There is always something wrong, there are always broken people, and there are always violations of the laws.

However, I was in a bad situation, and I was further away than I thought, so asking for refuge elsewhere was going to cost me.

“Fine,” I said calmly and looked at the Alpha without fear. “The best thing is for us to write down and seal the deal.”

The Alpha smiled in a way that shook my soul and held out his hand to me.

I squeezed his hand firmly and felt such intense heat that I had to control myself.

I had no idea what that man would do to my body.

And to my soul.