Once outside, Eleanor shifted to her wolf form and ran into the forest. Her wolf, Harper, was a huge she-wolf with red fur that shimmered in the sunlight.
As she ran, the breeze moved through her fur and birdsong reached her ears. The sounds of the wild gradually calmed her down. By the time she got to the highest hill peak in the pack’s territory, she was feeling more composed.
Standing on the hill peak, she howled in anger, letting out her frustration. She vowed to take revenge on Thomas for betraying her. That was part of why she had accepted the goddess’s offer to be reincarnated, and she would do everything to see it through.
It was a good thing that she now knew Thomas’s true motivation. She would no longer waste time justifying his actions. He had shown her that her love had never been enough for him. That he had never cherished her even half as much as she did him.
He was the one who had betrayed and killed her in her past life. This time, she would not be his victim. She would take charge of her own destiny and look for ways to strengthen herself.
Feeling happy with her decision, she shifted back to her human form and lay on the grass. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. The sounds of the forest were muted to her human ears, which she found more relaxing.
She could have lain there for hours, soaking in the sun and the sounds and the scents of the forest, if she hadn’t caught the foreign scent of a wolf from another pack.
She sat up quickly, instinctively covering her bare chest with her arm. She looked around, looking for signs of an intruder. She couldn’t see anyone, but the scent was enough to tell her that someone had trespassed into Blackstorm’s territory.
She reached for her clothes and dressed up, worried that someone had been spying on her. It was quite some way back to the pack, and she decided to walk back so she could take her time.
On her way back, she came across Miller, the Beta of the pack. Miller was a tall, well-built warrior who was often silent but who always got things done.
He was powerful enough to become Alpha of the pack, but he served Thomas loyally and never showed any ambition to challenge him for the position.
“Luna,” he greeted politely.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked. He had been one of the pack members who had been in the house when Thomas brought Mia home. She wondered whether he had come to look for her.
“I’m patrolling the area because I’ve caught the scent of wolves from another pack,” he told her. “Have you come across any?”
“No,” she replied, “but I’ve caught the scent too.”
“I wonder what they want in our territory,” Miller said. “If I don’t find them, I’ll arrange for more men to search around.”
“You do that,” Eleanor instructed. There was the possibility that the wolf had wandered into their territory unintentionally, but there was also a possibility that they could be spying on Blackstorm.
Eleanor made to leave, but Miller was not done.
“Eleanor, will you leave the pack if Thomas insists on marking Mia as his mate?”
Miller had grown up with Eleanor and Thomas. As the pack’s Beta, he understood the relationship between Eleanor and Thomas well because they often worked together.
Thomas’s decisions to bring another she-wolf to his side had blindsided him. He had thought he knew Thomas well, but now, he couldn’t fathom why he would risk ruining his relationship because of another she-wolf, mate or not.
Eleanor did not answer his question directly. Instead, she asked, “On whose side are you?”
Would he choose Thomas’s side like everyone else?
“I’m loyal to you,” he told her. “I’ve seen what you’ve done for the pack, and he is wrong to betray you like this.”
Hearing Miller’s words, Eleanor felt reassured. She was grateful that someone acknowledged her input in the pack and was willing to stand on her side. Besides, Miller was quite powerful and he was devoted to the pack. It would be great to have him on her side.
“Thank you Miller.”
When Eleanor went back to the Alpha’s villa, Thomas was waiting for her in the bedroom.
“Where have you been?” he demanded the moment she stepped into the room. “Do you know how worried I was?”
Worried? Eleanor fought the urge to scoff. Certainly not about her. Maybe he was worried that she was delaying his plans to acquire a mistress.
She crossed the room, headed for the bathroom, but he caught up to her and stood in her way. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have sprang that up on you like that. I don’t want this to come between us, so can we please talk about it?”
“Are you going to send her away?” Eleanor asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
He sighed impatiently. “I’ve told you, this has nothing to do with us. It’s not like I’m replacing you as Luna.”
Eleanor stepped to the side and went past him. He grabbed her arm from behind and whirled her around. Her body slammed into his. Before she could react, he held the back of her head in one hand and kissed her.
She pressed her lips tight and pushed at his chest. When he couldn’t pry her lips open, he pulled back. His face darkened with anger.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you hell-bent on resisting me when I’ve said I won’t replace you?”
She jerked out of his hold and rubbed her lips. “If you really want me to stay with you, you’ll send her away. It’s as simple as that.”
“Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?” he asked. “Or are you just jealous that I finally found my mate?”
Eleanor laughed. Reason to doubt him? How about him killing her? Was that reason enough?
Her laughter infuriated him further. “If you continue like this, I might just strip you of your title as Luna,” he threatened. “I’m the Alpha of this pack, and my word is final. I’ve tried reasoning with you, so don’t blame me for what happens.”
He turned around and stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
The Alpha of this pack? So well then.
This time, she refused to be under his control anymore. she would not leave her life or death up to him.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and deleted all of their photos. There were hundreds of them, from back when they had first started dating as teenagers.
She ruthlessly squashed the emotions that threatened to rise at the thought of all the happy and romantic memories that were now left in the past. She refused to shed a tear. He had put her through the worst, and from now on, he would be a part of her past that she cut off from her life.
He was mistaken if he thought she would stick around no matter what he did.
She was going to get a divorce.
The forever she had dreamt of having with him had turned to nothing. So she wanted to erase him from her life and begin afresh.
Not only that, but she would also fight him for the position of the Alpha. She was no longer content to remain in anyone’s shadow, being taken for granted no matter how much she gave to the pack.
She was ready to dedicate her life to the pack, and she wasn’t going to let anyone, least of all him, get in her way.
It was a good thing that the Alpha Council meeting was happening soon. There, she would garner support from other Alpha wolves to help her achieve her goals.
She was on good terms with most of them, so it wouldn’t be hard to get their support. But there was one Alpha whose support would be the most important.
Alpha Henry James Hudsen of the Darkfall Pack.
Henry James Hudsen was easily the most powerful Alpha around. He was cold and domineering, and only those with a death wish dared to cross his path.No pack that went against Darkfall survived his wrath.While Eleanor had met most Alphas of the neighbouring packs, she had never met him. He was not the kind to frequent events where other Alphas gathered. Unlike her, he didn't need to lobby for anyone’s support.Whether he showed up or not, other Alphas would seek him out at his pack.But there was a huge chance that he would be at the Alpha party, which preceded the council meeting. If she could meet him at the party, she could convince him to support her at the meeting.Fortunately, in the previous meeting, she had met Henry’s Beta, Ethan, and had a chat with him. They had exchanged numbers and had communicated a few times since then.If she wanted to meet Henry, he was the only one who could help her.***Ethan Benjamin Scott, Beta of the Darkfall pack, was watching a group of warrio
Mia grabbed Thomas’s arm and shook her head. “Don’t do this, Alpha.”“What do you mean?” he asked, looking at her with worry.“I don’t want to cause any trouble between you and your Luna. If she refuses to accept me–”“Nonsense,” Thomas cut her off. “I already told you, you are not going anywhere. It’s her fault for not being reasonable.”Mia shook her head, as if she didn’t agree with him. She released him and stepped towards Eleanor, tears flowing down her cheeks.“It’s not your fault Luna. It’s mine. I shouldn’t come with Alpha. I... I just happen to be the Alpha’s mate.” Mia sobbed, taking hold of Eleanor’s arm.“Please Luna, if you don’t accept me, how can I stay?”Eleanor jerked her arm back to shake her off. If she didn’t already know what the woman was capable of, she would pity her. How conniving of her, to act like she would disappear simply because Eleanor said so.“Don’t stay, then,” Eleanor snapped, “because I’ll never accept you.”When Eleanor shook Mia off, Mia fell to t
“How about this?” Sophia Jade Allen, Eleanor’s best friend, asked as she held up a shimmering blue dress. “You’d shine like a star in this one.”Eleanor shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “I already told you, I’m going with white. Stop with the distractions.”It was the day before the Alpha Council meeting, and she was shopping for a dress to attend the party. She wanted to choose a white elegant gown, but Sophia was too excited and kept picking out colourful gowns.Sophia pouted and handed the dress back to the shop attendant. “You are no fun.”Just then, another shop attendant came along with a rolling garment rack full of white dresses. “These are the best that we have,” she told Eleanor. “Please have a look.”In a second, Sophia was done pouting and began fawning over the new arrivals. “Oh my god, look at this one,” she said, pulling out a white satin dress with spaghetti straps and a thigh-high split on one side.“Too revealing,” Eleanor said, not giving it
Eleanor was in her room preparing to go to bed when the door opened without a knock. Thomas walked into the room, his expression showing that he was about to start a fight.Eleanor stood from her seat at the vanity and faced him. “What do you want?”He had not shown up in their bedroom since that day he announced he would be taking Mia to the party.“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, giving her a disgusted look. “Why can’t you just leave Mia alone? Why do you insist on causing trouble for her?”Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest and paced. So it was about what happened at the store. Of course, the rogue had gone crying to her mate and now he was here to scold her.“What do you mean? What have I done?”Thomas moved to stand in her way. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Mia ran into you at the store today, and you humiliated her in front of everybody.”Eleanor arched an eyebrow. “I gave her the dress I’d chosen for myself because she liked it so much. How does
Ethan looked around, searching for his Alpha’s position. He was on the other side of the room, conversing with two other Alphas. His eyes, however, were directed at Eleanor.Ethan’s brow dipped slightly as a troubling thought crossed his mind. Henry was looking for a red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm’s territory.He didn’t often ask about she-wolves. Could it be that he had recognised her? Was Eleanor the she-wolf his Alpha had been searching for all along?“She is the Luna from Blackstorm pack who called wanting to see you,” Ethan told him honestly.Across the room and through their mindlink, Henry could sense Ethan’s feelings. Not that he needed to get into his head to realise that. He had seen how he looked at the red-haired woman, totally entranced like many other males in the room.The moment she had walked into the room, he had recognised her as the red-haired she-wolf he had come across in Blackstorm’s territory. Was his Beta in love with the she-wolf he had
After Mia told Thomas what had happened at the clothing store, he assured her she didn’t need to wear the dress Eleanor gave her. Instead, he bought her a new pink dress which exuded innocence and delicacy.Mia couldn’t wait to see the look on Eleanor’s face when she saw her. She was happy that Eleanor and her friend had harrassed her at the store. It made Thomas get close to her and get even angrier with his Luna.With Thomas’s support, she didn’t need to worry about fighting back against Eleanor. He would fight all her battles, and that would make her victory so much sweeter.When Thomas got to the party with Mia not his Luna, many men paid attention to her. Mia enjoyed the attention secretly–she couldn’t openly show that she was thrilled to be here. She clung close to Thomas, acting like a kitten scared to leave its master’s side.“Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at her with worried eyes. Nobody had ever looked at her the way he did. How lucky she was, to not only have an Alp
Thomas was only gone for a few seconds when he realised that leaving Eleanor with Shallowend’s Alpha was not a good idea. Since it involved Mia, Eleanor always got mad, careless about his and their pack’s reputation.Ever since Mia came to their pack, Eleanor had been taking every chance to tear into his mate. If he left her alone with the man, there was no telling what kind of trouble she would brew.Handing Mia to Miller, Thomas rushed back to the dessert table. He got there just as Eleanor asked Alpha Walter what he knew about Mia. He reached out to Eleanor through mindlink. “Watch what you say,” he warned, “don’t embarrass me in public. We’re bound, Eleanor.”“Embarrass? What’s your point to say that, Thomas? Have you considered about me when you announced Mia as your mate in public? Wasn’t this a deliberate attempt to embarrass me either?”Choked and speechless, Thomas turned to the onlookers who were still standing around, waiting to hear the gossip about an alpha’s mate. “There
A while later, Eleanor returned to the house and went to her room. She had hoped going on a little walk would make her feel better, but she was still upset.How much longer was she going to take such treatment from Thomas? She wished she was in the position to divorce him right away. His behaviour towards her was only going to get worse, and she couldn’t bear it.She hadn’t forgotten why she was here, why Selene had offered her a new chance at life. She knew what Thomas was capable of, and she wasn’t here to save their love.But she couldn’t stop her heart from breaking when the man she had loved turned violent against her. She was mad at herself for feeling hurt.It should no longer matter what he said or did. He didn’t love her. She knew that. But her stupid heart was still vulnerable to him. That’s the only reason his earlier outburst hurt her.It would take time to stop getting affected by the memories of their good times, but one thing was sure–she was never looking back.Once sh