Eleanor

“You did what?” My aunt screamed, her eyes wide in horror after I told her I had just rejected Alpha Zachary as my mate.

I knew my aunt was going to overreact, but I had also miscalculated how loud she was.

“I just wanted you to be the first to know before you hear it anywhere else.” The words flowed from my mouth and I shivered in disgust as I realised they were the same words Zach had said to me before giving me the news that tore my hearts to shreds.

My aunt looked at me like I had gone crazy.

Contrary to what Zach had said, I did have family. I had family that loved me to a fault.

I had an aunt, and a man who had picked me and cleaned me up when nobody would.

Although I don’t think aunt Liv still haboured that love after what I had just told her. In fact, she looked ready to murder me.

“Can you hear yourself, Eleanor? You just threw away a chance at finally finding a home, a home of your own.”

A home?

I frowned at her. “This is my home, aunt Liv.”

And it was true.

Twelve years ago, my own father had killed his mate, Liv’s sister, and my mother’s dying wish had been for Liv to take me to the farthest place where my father could not find me.

We had traveled, hungry and battered, until we had gotten to Nairethorne Pack. It had taken us eight whole days because Liv, a trained warrior of my former pack, had done everything she could to lose our trail and scents and make it look like we had been killed.

How Alpha Carden had accepted us into his pack would forever remain a mystery to me.

Nairethorne was known for it’s strenght and danger, and Carden ruled with an iron fist.

But the man who had taken me into his home, was far from the man I had heard about.

In fact, I owed him my life.

Aunt Liv looked like she wanted to strangle me, clenching and unclenching her fists in frustration before finally placing her hands on my shoulder. “Please tell me you are joking, Eleanor. Please.”

Why was this so important to her?

She had been the most thrilled when I had told her I had gotten a mate.

“Did you hear me at all? The man said he has taken a chosen mate, while still being fated to me. Aunt Liv, I would die, slowly, as the mating bond eats at my soul. I can’t sit and waste away for a man who sees me as worthless!” I hissed, trying to shake her off, but she held on firmly.

“And so what, Eleanor?! You will not be the first, or the last she-wolf whose mate took a chosen mate! You are strong, you come from a strong bloodline. You are meant to fight for your place, Ellie. This world is tough, and you cannot remain in here, playing princess to a man who is not, and would never be your father!”

I wanted to see reason in her words, but all it felt to me, was like I had been slapped in the face.

Did she really think I was going to sit and let a man walk all over me?

Enraged, I peeled her hands off me. “So you think because I refuse to live like a second choice, I’m weak? No! I am strong, and that is why I am able to work away from a life of pain!” My eyes stung as I remembered my mother.

If only she had walked away earlier, she would have been here with me.

“What aunt Liv? I let him have his way and then put up a happy facade as Luna while he enjoys his time with his chosen mate who he loves. And then what? When I refuse to do his bidding, he turns me into a submissive punching bag! Hell no!”

Oh I was going to fight for my place, but not in the way she was insinuating.

I watched as her eyes widened at my words, and scoffed when I saw guilt flash in them. “Eleanor_” she started to say, but I interrupted her.

“Save it!” I snapped. “As for Alpha Carden, he may not be my father, but he has done a thousand times worth more than that disgusting man has, and will ever do for me. This is my home, and you have no right to say those things because just as he took me in, he took you in too!”

Aunt Liv could be harsh, but I never would have expected her to be this harsh.

I knew she loved me, and always wanted the best for me, but this time, she was wrong as hell.

I would rather slice my skin a thousand times with a bread knife, than play second for another worthless alpha.

“Eleanor_”

The door opened just then, cutting off whatever my aunt had been about to say.

We were currently in the huge library of the alpha’s mansion, and while I would have preferred the ground to open and swallow me, at that moment, I knew it was not going to be possible.

In the open door way, stood the very man I had thought was not going to be in the pack’s mansion until the next morning.

Alpha Carden.

“What is going on in here, Eleanor? Liv?” His thick brows with streaks of grey hair were drawn together. “And what is this I’m hearing about you rejecting the Daysette Alpha?”

I couldn’t tell if he was angry yet, as that was his tone on a normal day.

But the thick baritone had my heart pounding erratically.

In the twelve years since he took me in, I had done everything I could to make him proud and not disappoint him.

I had in fact, now done the very thing I had tried so hard not to do.

Aunt Liv rushed forward, “Eleanor and the Alpha are just having a lover’s spat, Carden. You know new mates, they can be a handful.”

I appreciated her trying to cover up, but it just annoyed the heck out of me that that was what she had come up with.

Couldn’t she remember that I reeked of rejection, and as an Alpha, he could smell it?

I sighed and looked down at the floor, unable to meet his gaze.

It's not like I was going to take Zach back, so I might as well just come clean.

“Actually, I did reject Alpha Zachary. He turned out to be worthless and undeserving of my time and loyalty.”

I should have chosen subtler words, but heck, I didn’t care.

Just thinking about Zachary caused rage to course through me.

I waited for Carden to yell at me, scold me, tell me how disappointed he was, but the voice I heard next did not belong to Carden.

In fact, it was when he spoke, that I realised the air had in fact, shifted.

“And may we know how you came to this conclusion and decision, Beetle?”

EZRA

Fuck.

She had grown.

How long had it been since I last saw her?

The plan had been to stay away from the pack till the next crystal anniversary, but Carden had requested my presence. And I knew he wouldn't force it if it wasn't urgent.

I definitely wasn’t expecting to run into her the very minute I stepped into the damn mansion.

Eleanor was easily five feet four, but she packed mean long legs, and the shorts she currently had on, put them on display for my helpless eyes.

I swallowed, forcing my gaze away from those legs of hers to her face.

Fuck.

Her lips had grown plumper than the last time I saw them.

I tried to focus on what she said about Zachary.

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped, her cheeks turning red as her green eyes met mine.

My wolf, Duryan jumped excitedly at seeing her, but I cautioned him.

She’s not ours.

And Eleanor was untouchable. Especially by me.

“I’ll call you whatever I want, Beetle.” I replied cooly, stepping fully into the huge library.

Carden let out an exasperated breath. “That’s enough, you two.” he scolded, then turned to his favorite person in the world. “Tell me, Ellie. Why did you reject Alpha Zachary? I remember how excited you were when you recognized him as your mate.” he moved forward and past Liv, stopping just a few meters away from her.

Eleanor flickered a guilty gaze my way, then back to Carden. “He didn’t really want me. He has taken a chosen mate..”

By the time she was done speaking, I was ready to rip Zachary apart.

I had warned him.

Hurt her and he was dead.

That bastard had not listened.

I swallowed my rage, watching her gaze flicker with uncertainty as she awaited Carden’s reaction.

When Eleanor had first arrived at our borders, he had immediately, without seeing either her or Liv, requested they be turned away.

I had been both annoyed and amused, even at seven, to hear that a little girl was demanding to see the Alpha or she wasn’t going anywhere.

And she had stayed put, even defying Liv, who had been in a weakened state.

I had snuck into Carden’s truck when he had gone to send them on their way personally, and I could testify that we had both been shocked to see the dark haired scrawny little girl who kept standing on shaky legs with her chin held high.

Nope.

She had him wrapped around her fingers.

“That bastard!” Carden bellowed. “How dare he treat one of mine like that!”

I could literally see the smoke coming off his ears.

I felt same.

I had been so pissed when I found out that of all the males the goddess had chosen for her, it had to be that asshole.

Girls pined for him, and it had gone straight into his thick skull.

Eleanor gave a small smile, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter, Carden. I have rejected him, and he is of no concern of mine anymore.” she sighed shakily, her eyes warm.

He may not be a concern of yours, Beetle, but he was certainly mine now.

“Eleanor_” Carden started to say, but she cut him off.

Huh?

“Before you say anything, I have something I wanted to tell you all.” She looked at all of us, then back to Carden, wringing her hands together. “I have been keeping this till I was sure, but now it has been confirmed, I think it’s best I say it now.”

I frowned, wondering what it is she wanted to say that was making her this nervous.

“I got into the Moonlight Academy For Gilded Bloodline.”

The silence was deafening, as we all gaped in shock.

My ears rang.

My heart dropped.

She had to be joking...

“No.”

“No.”

“Hell no, Beetle.”

Her face paled as we all voiced our disapproval at the same time. Her eyes widened, and the hurt I saw there wasn’t there when she had talked about Zach.

This one was different.

She looked like she had been slapped in the face.

“But_”

Liv placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “Look, the M.A.G.B is not for you, Ellie. They will eat you alive in there!”

Eleanor pushed her away, “Are you saying I’m not strong enough to be seen as gilded?” She snapped harshly, but Liv stood her ground.

“Think about this, Ellie. You have made enough bad decisions for today!”

“And how is this a bad decision?”

Carden stepped in. “We are not condemning you, Ellie, but there are other schools, proper for a girl like you.”

I scowled.

I disapproved for personal reasons. But Liv and Carden should have known Eleanor enough to realise they were only making matters worse.

And from the way her brows drew together, I was right.

What I didn’t expect, was to hear my name.

“But Ezra can go? I should go to a proper school for girls, but he can go to M.A.B.G? Remember how it was the topic of discussions for years until he got in? Why is it now a taboo for me?”

Carden hissed.

I raised my hands with a nonchalant frown. “Hey, you could make your point without bringing me into it.” I threw the words, knowing what I was about to say next would only get her to explode. “And they are right, M.A.G.B is not for a girl like you, Beetle. You should go to one of those princess schools or something.” I shrugged, then smirked when she physically moved to confront me.

It was Carden who held her back. I secretly wanted to see what she had been about to do.

Carden's next words had my shoulder's stiffening.

“Fine. You can go there. But on one condition. One academic year, and if you do not come out with the results you are supposed to come out with, you are out!”

I knew Carden couldn’t say not to her, but this was beyond being wrapped around her finger. This was straight up dark magic.

“This is bullshit!” I snapped, as Eleanor, though stunned, jumped into his arms. “You know how competitive it can get in there, and you are just going to throw her into the den? C’mon, man!”

He turned to me with a raised brow. “I’m sure she can cope. Besides, you will be there to take care of her. Won’t you?”

It was said with so much casualness, then if you didn’t know him, you would miss the threat beneath it.

I took one long enraged look at Carden, forcing myself to ignore her even if I felt her eyes on me, before turning and walking away.

“Make sure you are back here by dinner. We still have to talk!”

But I wasn’t listening to him.

I needed to be far away from them before I lost it in front of her.

How dare she?

Why did she have to be in my fucking face all the fucking time?

First my house...

And now the only place where I could escape her annoyingly angelic beautiful face...

My fucking school!

And now I was supposed to babysit the very person I had spent months getting her fucking green eyes out of my head!

“Fucking hell!” I growled, getting into my car.

I needed a distraction.

And I knew one.

Duryan, although annoyed at me leaving Eleanor's presence, took a dangerous stance.

Eleanor

What the hell was his problem?

Alpha Ezra was had and would always be a pain in the ass.

Only one person on earth, called me Beetle.

And it was the man who had stormed out of the library, clearly enraged because his uncle had asked him to look after me in a school he clearly did not want me in.

I refused to allow my thoughts to wander to how good he looked, and how piercing his eyes were.

Gosh, the last time I had seen him, we had had a fight because I had insisted on going to a pack party for young adults.

And then Ezra had gotten into a fight with a young wolf who had pulled me against him while we were dancing.

I had never been so embarrassed like I had that day. Especially when I had been about to handle it on my own.

Now he was against me going to the academy.

Why did he always feel like he had a say in my business?

I pushed Ezra out of my mind and picked up my pen and notepad, taking note of the things I needed.

I had exactly one week before the academy resumed, and that was a really short time to prepare.

I still couldn’t believe Carden had agreed to let me go, despite Liv disapproving. After trying to get her to accept and she remained adamant, he had sent me to my room and picked her bridal style to their bedroom.

Yes. Liv and Carden were a thing.

They were not fated mates, but they did love each other.

I climbed onto my bed and got to work.

~

The sound of the window shifting had me sitting up, and my wolf alert. I was almost out of the bed to attack whoever or whatever it was, when I smelled him.

“What are you doing in my room?” I hissed, aware of how intoxicatingly good he smelled.

There was a hint of alcohol though, and something...metallic_ “Oh my goodness, are you injured?” I switched on the bedside lamp but Ezra scoffed.

“Calm down, Beetle. It’s not mine.” he said casually, his tall frame occupying so much space in the room, that it made my room look too small, and warm.

Had he really gotten into a fight on his first night back into the pack?

It was not rare, and at a point, I had learned to mind my business.

I sat back in my bed, watching him with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing in my room?” I asked again, peeping at the bedside clock to see I had slept till it was almost time for dinner.

“It’s my house.” he shrugged and moved to my reading table, picking up a book. “I can be wherever I want.”

The thick hair on his head fell forward, in a way that made my hand itch to touch it.

Jeez, Eleanor! Cut it out! I scolded myself.

I searched for a retort, but came out empty. So I kept quiet instead, watching him.

“You can’t go to the academy, Beetle. It doesn’t suit you.” Ezra said after a moment, placing my book back on the table.

My ears rang at his words.

He turned so his eyes were now on me, and I was suddenly aware of them.

“Why?” I asked, swallowing my annoyance. I was on the brink of losing it, though.

“Because I said so.”

My mouth gaped open. “You don’t get to decide that!” I snapped, getting off the bed. "It is my decision to make!"

Ezra growled, moving with the speed of light until he was inches away from me.

His icy blue eyes flashed and pierced into mine. “Well I am telling you the truth, Beetle. Why not go to the other schools? There are a few out there that would be suitable for you. Why do you have to come to the one I am in?” He sounded pissed.

But his words hit me. And I actually felt a sliver of hurt slide up my spine.

We had never gotten along.

For the years since I got into Nairethorne, Ezra had mostly avoided me. And in the times where we couldn’t avoid each other, it had been a tug of war.

I blinked, his scent hitting me as I inhaled sharply. “Do you really hate me that much, that you can’t stand to be in the same school as me?” A hard lump formed in my throat.

My voice was way too small and shaky for my liking.

I saw his blazing eyes dim slightly at my words, before he broke our gaze, slipping his fingers through his thick hair. “Eleanor, I don_It’s not like that_I just..” he sighed. “I just_fuck!”

I was right.

He didn’t want me with him.

I took a step back, and Ezra flashed me a look. “I have made my decision. And Carden has accepted. So whether you refuse or not, it’s none of my business.”

He looked at me for the longest time, his eyes hardening.

Had he been expecting me to say I wouldn't go again because he didn't want me there?

“Fine. But once we cross those gates, you stay the fuck away from me.” he advanced towards me, and instinctively, I took a step back. “I don’t want you in my space, Beetle. And I mean it.” my back hit the wall, and Ezra stalked nearer, placing a hand on the wall over my shoulder. “You want to be at Moonlight? Fine. But know that you are on your own.”

There were very few times I had been up close with Ezra. But not like this.

This was too much.

This was sending a huge swarm of butterflies fluttering low in my belly.

His face was barely two inches away from mine, and I could feel his breath on my lips. His lower chest grazed the tips of my breasts, and I fought a gasp as my nipples instantly hardened.

Oh dear. What was happening to me?

I blinked rapidly, forcing myself to think.

“Ezra Nairethorne, Even if I am paid ten million dollars, I wouldn’t still want to be in your space. I have no business with you, so quit being a cry baby and man up to the fact that I was able to get into the best academy for our kind.” I heard myself say, still painfully aware of him.

His eyes fell to my lips, and flashed red, then back to their original color. A smirk formed on his lips, and he raised his gaze back to mine. “Okay then. Goodluck at the academy.”

And then he was gone, taking his warmth with him and sliding back out of the window from where he had entered.

A heavy gasp left my lips, and my heartbeat accelerated, making me slide down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.

What the hell!

Since when did I care about Ezra Nairethorne’s hair, eyes or lips?!

And since when did he have any kind of effect on my body?!

And why was that so hot?!!!