~Eleanor Black~

Blackmoon packhouse was never decorated this grandly for as long as I've lived there. My niece's presence had truly brightened up the evening it seems.

"Don't stray too far from me, honey. I can't take care of you otherwise and I don't want to lose you in the crowd." Said Nate.

"Is the crowd that huge?" I asked.

"Yes. Alphas from all around the world are here to celebrate her birthday and you know...pregnancy." Nate's heartbeat had risen when he said that. Hiding a scoff, I intertwined our fingers as he walked in with me.

Behind the shades, I could see everything.

The truth, The lies.

"Uncle Nate!" Deborah's excited voice greeted my husband. Her voice felt like stones being dragged on a chalkboard. I grimaced silently.

Nate let her hug him deeply. He sniffed the air around her. I was disgusted.

"Let me borrow my favorite uncle for awhile, aunt Eleanor~" Deborah said. I looked down at my feet. Didn't Nate just tell me to stick by his side for the whole evening?

Well, he left me all for the demons to surround.

I was sitting by the edge of the huge garden all by myself. And then, the voices started pouring in.

"If I were her, I wouldn't even show my face to Deborah."

"I'm really speechless by her act. Not only did she ruin Deborah's pregnancy three months ago, she came back to ruin it once again. Has she no shame?"

Two women gossiped behind my back, somewhere in the crowds. Leo, my wolf was growing agitated.

'Are you letting them speak to us like that?'

She asked.

'No. But I'm not interfering either. They must believe in their own lies before truth slaps them across the face. Very soon.' I said to Leo and she calmed down with assurance.

"There you are! I was searching for you—" Nate came back sweaty and panting. He was smelling of intense pinewood. His scent is of luscious cedar otherwise.

"My feet ached standing for too long." I cut him off with my reason.

"Oh my Goddess. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you worn those heels." An upset expression settled on his face.

Nate pulled my heels off my feet and replaced them with his own shoes.

"You'll feel better now." He said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'd have a pair or two lying around in the packhouse. I can go fetch..." He was talking, but the voice of those two alphas wives was heard again,

"Tch. Look at the royalty she's still being served. That too from a charmer like Nate. He's too good for her."

"He's giving her service even though she cannot even give him a heir or royalty status. It bothers me to know he's still with her. He should leave her."

They spoke within themselves. I subtly turned to observe Nate's reaction. His eyebrows were crushed.

"Did you...hear that?" He asked, his expression of annoyance clearer on his face than in his voice.

"Hear what...?" I pretended not to know.

"Nothing. Let's get you back inside. It's getting colder." Nate said and put his coat over me, coating me with his warmth.

"Sit here. I'll get my shoes." He said. I sat in my old bedroom, which was converted into a closet of a sort.

From the corner of my 'blind vision' I saw Deborah enter quietly. She tip toed towards Nate who was to my right, searching through the lower drawers for a spare.

I had to pretend not to see Deborah on her tippy toes, arms wrapped around his shoulders as she kissed him passionately, silently.

"Nate..." I called out,

The two flinched.

"Y-Yes, my love?" Nate answered, eyes wide and looking at me.

"Is there...someone else in this room?" I asked, my voice on the verge of breaking. I surprised myself with how stable I sounded.

"N-No, Eleanor. It's just you and me."

He lied.

Of course he would, for the woman carrying his child that he wanted ever since we got married.

"Alright. We can go back now. And this time, I'm going to stay with you no matter what." He said moments later, kissing my forehead affectionately. In hindsight, I should've never trusted anything that came out of his mouth.

Because the moment we stepped outside, he waved at an old friend and walked away.

"Hmm." I jumped my eyebrows, done with his empty promises.

I tried to entertain myself for the night. It was still too young and I wanted to enjoy myself of this luxury that was never a part of my life since I got married.

Soon, we were asked to gather around the birthday girl to sing. While I wasn't supposed to look, I glanced at Deborah's royal gown. It was handstitched by the same royal tailors who serve the pure blood royalty.

The red silk fabric with golden embroidery would've blown my mind away otherwise. But I'm supposed to be blind.

We clapped and sang an unconventional happy birthday tune. It sounded like a perfect orchestra, and Deborah was our conductor.

I watched as my in-laws gifted her numerous gifts. My mother in law couldn't hold her gaze away even for a second. She looked at Nate and Deborah, her gaze dancing between them for a while. She was excessively enthusiastic when Nate fed her the piece of cake.

Did my mother in law know about their intimacy? Or worse, was she supporting them all along?

I didn't care.

I knew I wouldn't be called up on the stage to wish her and feed her the blue cake - she was having a boy.

Even if I wanted, my parents would never allow me back there. I was their daughter's killer, after all.

So I braced the solitude and sat by the end of the garden all by myself, yet again.

"You're all alone here."

The female's voice made me turn to her.

She had her jaw clenched and arms folded over her little protruding belly.

"I am." I answered shortly, looking away. I made it clear that I didn't want to continue talking.

"Why do you even do this to yourself? My parents are questioning your husband about you. They're scared you'd do something to me again." Deborah said.

"You were the cause of your own miscarriage last time," I stated confidently.

"Yes. But someone had to take the blame. It was your fate that you were there to push me down the stairs." I sighed hearing her accusation again.

"For the last time, you should tell everyone I caught you doing drugs and not that I pushed you down the stairs which forced the miscarriage," I said to her in a tired voice.

"You shouldn't have come up to my room, you blind bitch." She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah. I shouldn't have." I replied.

Deborah didn't quite like my response.

"Why so indifferent now? What's changed?" She was pissed. Her arms folded over her chest again.

"I've changed," I answered with a fake smile.

"Well...I'm here to make sure you won't feel the change. I need you in a constant state of pain and betrayal, Eleanor. I need you to hurt yourself and possibly...die. Only that way, I'll ensure my success." I heard her say.

I rolled my eyes, feeling not a shred of threat from her.

However.

"AH! MOMMA! AH!!"

Out of nowhere, Deborah threw herself into the pile of rose thorns beside the bench.

Hearing her petrified screams attracted the crowd forth. My eyes widened. It felt like deja vu...Because I was about to be framed again.

"S-she pushed me! She pushed me!" She screamed a terrified finger pointed at me. I stood up despite the pain in my knees from the prosthetics.

"I didn't. She threw herself—" I was about to explain myself calmly, but should've known no one would believe me either way.

"Threw herself!? THREW HERSELF!? LIKE THIS!?" My birth mother, the one who should take care of me enraged. Her anger knew no bounds as she pushed me forcefully into the shrub of rose thorns.

Blood curdling screams flew out of my mouth, silencing the crowd. For a second there, Deborah wiped her tears and looked at me straight. But then, pity wasn't in her eyes. It was the lust to bring me down glimmering in her eyes.

"Eleanor..." Nate tried to approach me but stopped himself by Deborah's side.

"You shouldn't have pushed her into the shrubs. I know you're jealous...but this isn't the way. I'm sorry. You're on your own." My eyes widened.

"I- I'm in pain..." The words barely slipped out of my mouth.

"And you deserve it.' My older father, who was my best friend until 16, said and turned his back.

"Papa...mama..." I moaned in pain. The crowd started diluting slowly.

My prosthetic legs flew out due to the impact of her pushing. I couldn't remember the times my Gamma mother was this ruthless towards me.

"Someone...help..." I cried.

The movement of me trying to get to my feet was piercing each of those thousand thorns deeper into me. I could feel my face flush red, itchiness spreading all over my body like a wildfire.

I was allergic to roses.

I opened my blurry eyes to see the silhouette of a man passing by. He had a long cloak on, to battle the chill air he always brought with his presence.

My wobbly lips tried to ask for help, but they were swollen with fluids, allergy symptoms.

"Eleanor Black," He took my name. Was I that unrecognizable? I nodded, feeling the piercing thorns on my neck.

"Ah—!" Suddenly, he pulled me up to my legs and made me stand on my prosthetics. That's when I saw his glowing emerald eyes.

"Adam..." I muttered under my breath.

He spoke to me!? He took my name!?

Adam is Deborah's mysterious husband. He's of royal descent as well, but his mother's side was into magic. He was half a wizard.

With a calculated push on my chest, he let all the thorns fall off my back and every surface.

Once the thorns were gone, my wolf tried her best to remove all the bad blood as the allergy was suppressed. It would leave a thousand scars on my back, but I'd heal soon.

"Thank you—" Before I was about to show my gratitude, Adam lifted my tilted sunglasses and looked deep into my eyes.

I was terrified of his gaze. Glowing emerald eyes, rich heritage of powerful witches and wizards...I was feeling threatened. But then, he smirked.

And walked away.

What was that about?

His presence made even me - a Gamma Rank, the highest rank right below King of Alphas - shudder in my skin.

Breathing out softly, I realized I had no place here.

I turned on my heel to leave, and Adam was entering the party of his wife's birthday and pregnancy. They were in for a shock.

Adam was never home. Constantly travelled for business. Adam was selectively mute, too. There's something which happened to him in his childhood which broke him forever.

But that resolve also made him the strongest wizard in the world.

That explains the chill aura he always emitted.

As I stepped out of the fence, I heard the guards mumble behind my back,

"She gets help from whoever wants to help her. She really has no shame." They said. They didn't know me any better, or my past with Adam. So I left without a word of reply.

What goes down at the party when they realize who had come home was none of my business.

Because I was leaving.

Forever.

I was done.