Drakken headed to his study that morning for another day of misery. The news about the Queen's death had spread, and the whole palace was in mourning. Burial arrangements were already in motion. What Drakken dreaded the most was the incoming pressure from pack elders about producing another Queen to take over her roles.They would expect him to replace his mother that easily with the vampire princess. What blasphemy. Just the thought of it provoked him.He linked the entire pack through the pack link, informing them of the general mourning that would last for the entire thirty one days before they burned the Queen's ashes and blew it off to the full moon. The bonfire night would also be postponed concerning the Queen's passing away.He sent a personal link to Duncan after the announcement. Drakken asked his beta to summon the palace sewer that was going to prepare mourning clothes worn by him and every other person in the palace for the whole thirty-one days.When he severed the link,

Drakken stormed out of the dungeons and tossed the keys at a guard.His inner conflict manifested as a struggle between his desire for Eleanor and fear of the unknown. He felt torn between sticking with what was familiar and comfortable or taking the risk of pursuing what he truly wanted.Drakken never really knew what steps to take when it came to Eleanor. And he'd made everything worse by marking her. He blamed that for the reason why he was so conflicted about the current situation. He had claimed her as his. It wasn't that easy to turn his back on her.He should be furious at her, and he was, but not at the same velocity if it was someone else who killed the Queen.Drakken turned to a corner on his way up to his room and bumped into someone. Benjamin stood in his way, unmoving, the look of playful mockery that was always on his face gone."Get out of the way," Drakken growled at him. "The mere sight of you annoys me.""I've always known you to be a coward." Benjamin's words threw

Drakken was already on his second bottle of alcohol that night when Emma burst into his study. He let out an exasperated sigh, wanting to just be left alone. He'd dismissed Duncan earlier than usual for that same reason.The disappointed look on her face gave him an idea of why his sister had come to see him. She most definitely heard about the fight with his father from those gossiping mongrels called omegas."I heard everything," Emma let out to confirm his suspicion. "Did you really have to fight with him?"He said nothing in return, his stare blank and unbothered."Avoid him for now. Let's focus only on honoring our mother."Drakken poured more alcohol into his glass, more invested in the way the liquid slushed into the cup than whatever reason Emma still stood there. Maybe she'd take the hint he wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone and leave."I found the poison that killed our mother." That got his attention now. His head shot up and his curious brows furrowed. "I'm currently w

The sun filtered through the curtains, illuminating the empty bed next to her. Eleanor rubbed her eyes and sat up, feeling a mix of disappointment and confusion. The memories from the previous night slowly started to filter in as she got out of bed, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was all just a vivid dream.She remembered the feeling of Drakken’s strong arms wrapped around her, the way his hands explored her body, and the sounds of their passion echoing in the room. But as she looked around her bedroom, there was no sign that any of it had actually happened.She walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face, trying to clear her head. As she looked in the mirror, she noticed a bruise on her neck and a love bite on her shoulder. The evidence of the previous night's activities was right there in front of her.Last night, she had finally given in to her pent up desire for Drakken. They had shared an intense and passionate night, filled with the heat of their bodie

Eleanor remained in her room for what felt like an eternity. The walls of her room seemed to close in on her, and the lack of human interaction was starting to take its toll.She tried to busy herself with reading, writing and practising her game of archery, but the emptiness of her days was starting to weigh on her. She missed the clinic tremendously. She recollected the first time she was sent there, she had thought her life had come to an end. However, with the days that passed and all the knowledge she had acquired there, including the wonderful people she met during treatments, the place had come to become special to her. Eleanor's only solace was the occasional visits from her maid, who would bring her food and supplies. But even those visits were brief and lacked the human connection she so desperately craved. The emptiness was starting to turn into depression, and Eleanor didn't know how much longer she could bear it.She longed for the freedom of the outdoors. She couldn't