Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

ELEANOR

I was drowning.

The water grabbed at me, pulling me under, and no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get to the surface.

I screamed, and water rushed into my lungs. My arms flailed and my chest contracted at every movement.

And for the life of me, I didn’t know which way was up or down.

Then I felt pressure on the back of my neck, and someone pulled me out.

I sputtered, sucking in a grateful inhale.

Then my entire body went cold. I was suspended in the air as I processed the world around me in fragments.

My drenched clothes clinging to my skin.

The pool I’d been drowning in…the pool someone had tried to drown me in.

The secure hold on the back of my neck that had kept me underwater…and had pulled me out.

And those clear, ocean-blue eyes that were colder than ice and watched me with a casual disdain.

“Miss me, little rabbit?” Alexander Hawthorne smirked.

I bolted upright in my bed, completely drenched in sweat and panting, my chest still cold from my nightmare.

I sucked in a shaky breath. It made sense that after Alexander saved me, I’d have a dream like that to remind me why I had to remember who he really was.

The image of Alexander tenderly seeing to my injuries popped into my head involuntarily.

He’d had an almost gentle expression on his face while he’d taken care of me. He hadn’t touched me inappropriately, not even in the slightest. But it hadn’t stopped my body from reacting to his touch…and his proximity.

The mating bond was a twisted thing, and it probably didn’t help that he’d saved my life, further blurring the lines between us.

The only reason I’d come to the hunt at all was because it was one of the social bonding activities for a pack.

After being segregated my entire life in the Red Moon Pack, I was eager to find my place here. But theory was different from reality, and I’d found myself unable to talk to anyone.

I’d called it a day and was heading back home when someone clocked me over the head with a blunt object. When I came to, I was pumped full of wolfsbane, unable to escape from the wolf who held me captive.

Alexander was the last person I expected to come for me. Maybe that was why I’d returned to check on him instead of running away after I’d broken free of my kidnapper’s hold.

Whatever the reason, it had enabled me to see yet another aspect of Alexander that scared the hell out of me.

His lethal rage, his whip-fast movements, the way he’d killed those wolves…how easily he’d torn them up…

No. I didn’t want to think about it.

Just like I didn’t want to think about how Dylan helped save my life, despite the fact that I’d chosen his brother over him.

I stepped out of my room, even though I was anxious about seeing Alexander. Would yesterday’s events change the dynamic between us?

Alexander’s room was empty, and no sooner had I entered than the bedroom door opened and Lily entered with a tray of food.

She paused when she noticed me.

“Mistress, you shouldn’t be up,” Lily said, her voice holding a soft tone of chastisement that reminded me of Elena. “The alpha said you needed rest.”

Lily had to be the only person unaware of the fact that Alexander was no longer the alpha heir of the Nightshade Pack.

“My injury is already healed,” I said, which was mostly true.

The wounds had completely scabbed over, leaving only a dull pain in my muscles. If not for the wolfsbane that was in my system yesterday, I wouldn’t have needed a dressing for my wound.

“Where’s Alexander?” I asked.

“He left the pack on official business,” Lily said, inclining her head slightly, almost apologetically.

I let out a sigh of relief. That was good.

I needed to get my wits about me before Alexander returned. In my weakened state, I’d let myself be vulnerable around him. That couldn’t happen again.

With my resolve strengthened, I ventured out of Alexander’s residence.

The hunt might not have gone according to plan, but I refused to give up on my dream of finding my place and becoming integrated into my new pack.

I was on high alert as I made my way to the Nightshade Pack’s training grounds. After what happened at the hunt, I felt tense and jittery.

I wondered what the repercussions of the previous day’s attack would be.

The Nightshade Pack was known for their conquests, as well as the impregnable nature of not just their own pack but their allies.

If the news that multiple intruders infiltrated and tried to abduct a pack member got out, the effects could be disastrous.

I pushed those thoughts from my head as I reached the training grounds, following curt directions from different members of the pack.

The training ground was massive, several times larger than the one in the Red Moon Pack.

It was also teeming with wolves engaged in different types of combat training, from rapid hand-to-hand that I had a hard time following even with my supernatural vision to one-on-one fights with silver daggers that looked like a crossbreed between a traditional dagger and a short sword.

There were also coordinated group attacks that looked messy up close, but also seemed to have a level of organization and strategy.

Entranced, I moved between wolves, my eyes drawn to the gun range to the far end of the training grounds, then to the wolves rapidly shifting from wolf form to human form, their attacks unceasing even when they shifted. There were even fighting rings with people cheering around them and rooting for their picks.

It was insane.

Did the Nightshade Pack train like this every day? Were they planning a war or something?

A fighting ring caught my attention, but it wasn’t until the shirtless fighter turned, his black hair plastered to his sweaty neck and his hazel eyes clouded over in concentration, that I recognized it was Dylan.

Dylan, who’d seemed like a completely different person as he watched Alexander carry me away yesterday.

I looked away.

It would be best to treat the day before like it had been a fever dream, and leave everything that’d happened in the past, where it rightfully belonged.

I headed over to a friendly-looking group of brunettes who were talking amongst themselves as they watched two of their friends race up a rope wall, making leaps that had me questioning gravity.

I approached the one with her hair slicked back into a bun, who I overheard one of them call Mia. She seemed to be the leader of the group.

“Hi.” I cleared my throat, feeling awkward and out of place, especially when all four of the women looked at me. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. It’s just…I’m new here, and I was hoping to get some pointers.”

Mia offered me a smile before holding out a hand to me.

“Of course, I—” she began, only for an abrasive voice to cut in.

“So you are alive and healthy.”

Micah moved between Mia and me, a clique of women following her. The other women nearby gave us a wide berth, silently deferring to Micah.

Right, she was the future luna of the Nightshade Pack now.

Unlike me, her time here had seemed to agree with her. With her rich auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail and her stunning chestnut-brown eyes brimming with charisma and arrogant authority, she was the very embodiment of power.

Micah circled me like a predator that had found its prey.

“Your mate was in such a hurry none of us could confirm your health status,” she remarked, her smile as hard as nails. “It’s a relief you weren’t harmed.”

Her words sounded anything but sincere, but I couldn’t openly question the future luna of the pack I was trying to belong in.

I returned her smile.

“I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern,”

Her merciless brown eyes met mine, and I felt the wolves around us tense up, as though readying for a fight.

But Micah’s smile only broadened, showing no hint of hostility.

“Don’t mention it. Enjoy your workout.”

With that quip, she walked away, her retinue on her heels. I turned back to Mia, eager to continue our conversation, but her smile was gone.

“I apologize, but I can’t help you,” she said curtly, then turned away from me.

Wait, what ?

She didn’t offer up any more explanation, and after a few more seconds of standing idly and feeling utterly confused, I moved on to another group training weights.

This group didn’t even bother to speak to me.

For all they cared, I might as well have been invisible.

It wasn’t until I approached a woman standing by herself and she glanced in Micah’s direction briefly before turning down my requests, that I realized what was going on.

I will become the luna of the Nightshade Pack in your place, and I will make your life here a living hell.

Micah’s words rang in my ears.

It would seem she intended to follow through on her promise. She knew how much being ostracized in our old pack had affected me, and now she was replicating that here.

I gave up on finding a group to train with. With Micah against me, I would need to train on my own.

As I was deciding where I wanted to train, an intense fighting scene caught my eye. Anastasia attacked her opponent so ferociously that I couldn’t look away.

Goddess, she was strong.

No wonder Alexander liked her.

I pushed the errant thought out of my head before it could take root. Who Alexander liked was no business of mine.

I began to move away from the ring, but it was too late.

No sooner had Anastasia’s partner tapped out than her razor-sharp gaze met mine.

“Eleanor,” she said, her voice sweet and welcoming, as if we were long-lost friends. “Here for a warm-up?”

A warm-up would require knowing how to fight in the first place…which I didn’t.

I mean, I could fight, but not at this pack’s level.

I’d learned how to fight by practicing on trees and a few times with Micah, since Father had prohibited me from entering the Red Moon Pack’s training grounds to “curb my rebellious streak.”

My fighting was nothing like Anastasia’s sophisticated chaos, so I shrugged.

Her partner stepped out of the ring, and Anastasia offered me a hand.

“Let’s train,” she suggested with the soft tone that I was growing to be highly suspicious of.

I didn’t move, and her smile broadened before she spoke louder than she needed to, her voice carrying.

“Why are you hesitating?” she asked, her tone a perfect blend of concern and scorn. “I can go easy on you, if you want.”

I felt the attention of the wolves around us shifting to Anastasia and me.

As my mate, you are an extension of me. When you act weak, you make me look weak.

As I remembered Alexander’s words from our first night here, I took a step toward the ring.

It wasn’t just because of that, though. I was in a pack where strength was one of the highest-valued skill sets. If I backed down from every challenge, I would never fully integrate into the Nightshade Pack.

I entered the ring, and up close, Anastasia’s smugness was apparent before we even began circling each other.

Anastasia smiled, showing too many teeth.

“Don’t worry,” she cooed. “You’re Alexander’s mate, so I’ll do my best not to break you.”

She came at me hard, her fists swinging. Purely on reflex, I dodged some of her punches, but when I lifted my fists to defend, one of her punches snuck in, and she clipped my shoulder.

I staggered back, my vision blurring around the edges.

Anastasia was stronger than I was—clearly.

But the thought of letting her win didn’t sit well with me. With a deep inhale, I let my consciousness take a backseat and fell back on Lara’s instincts.

My defense sped up and for the first time, I was able to go on the offensive. I threw a punch at her, and it hit Anastasia square in the face.

She stared at my hands for a second, and then faster than I could blink, Anastasia had me on my back.

I tried to flip her off, but Anastasia didn’t give me a chance to recover before she threw a punch at me that had me seeing stars.

Her cool gray eyes glittered murderously as she pulled back her fist to hit me again. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the blow while mentally berating myself for accepting her challenge in the first place.

But the blow never landed.

I opened my eyes to see Dylan staring down at me, his hand wrapped around Anastasia’s wrist and preventing her from hitting me.

Dylan’s voice was clipped and cutting as he spoke.

“Eleanor was almost killed yesterday. I’d expect you to have more tact than to draw her into a fight.”

Annoyance flashed in Anastasia’s eyes, but it was gone almost as quickly as it’d appeared.

“My apologies, alpha heir,” she said contritely, before climbing off me.

Dylan offered me his arm so he could help me up.

I ignored it, my cheeks burning with mortification as I stood by myself. Losing on my own merit was fine, but needing Dylan to save me was humiliating…and the entire pack had watched it happen.

“I don’t need your help,” I said hotly. “Not yesterday, and not today.”

Dylan’s hands formed fists at his sides and his gaze darkened.

“Don’t think I forgot your betrayal, Eleanor. I wasn’t helping you,” he said, his voice dipping to a whisper for his final words. “I’m the only one allowed to hurt you.”

How original. Yet another person in this pack wanted to hurt me.

I rolled my eyes.

“Get in line.”

With that, I walked out of the ring and straight toward the bean bags to spar solo.

After that debacle, no one was going to talk to me, much less spot me, out of fear of pissing off Dylan or Micah.

So much for socializing.

I took out my frustration on the bean bag, keenly aware of the eyes watching me the entire time.

When I finally returned to our room, Alexander still wasn’t back. I felt a slight twinge before I headed to my room and noticed Lily laying out a selection of dresses.

I looked at the dresses on my bed with confusion.

“What is this for?” I asked.

Lily smiled at me.

“The alpha called for a gathering tonight.”

Yet another celebration. Did the Nightshade Pack party every night?

How exhausting.

“I’m not up for an event tonight,” I informed Lily, heading to the bathroom for a warm bath to relax my aching muscles.

All the parties would be the same. Alexander would wander off to talk to Anastasia or another woman while the rest of the pack acted like I didn’t exist.

Lily stood in my way, a soft apology on her lips.

“I’m afraid you must go, Mistress,” she said. “The alpha is going to officially step down and crown the next alpha of the Nightshade Pack.”

I froze.

No wonder the wolves at the training center behaved that way toward me. In mere hours, Dylan and Micah would ascend to alpha and luna, respectively.

What would that mean for me? Would my life get even worse?

“Will Alexander be back soon?” I asked.

Lily averted her gaze, a harsh set to her lips.

“He might not make it for the announcement, so you must be present in his stead, Mistress.”

Being present in his stead? That made it sound like we were mated in truth, but my lack of access to the pack link said otherwise.

The party was just as I’d anticipated—dull and dreary, with most of the wolves ignoring me as usual. Alpha Maximus was absent, so the party revolved around Dylan and Micah.

I went to the buffet table and began to pile finger foods on my plate.

No sense in being annoyed and hungry.

“Can I just say, you’re far more stunning in person?”

I turned, shocked that anyone had spoken to me.

The lady standing next to me was a few inches taller than me, with beautiful jet-black hair, warm brown eyes, and a bone structure that was so familiar I was certain I’d seen her before.

But I couldn’t recall where.

“Sorry, do I know you?” I asked, puzzled.

She beamed at me before offering me her hand.

“I’m Seraphina Hawthorne. You’re mated to my brother.”

This was Seraphina?

She was seventeen now, but she’d been just thirteen years old when I got engaged to Dylan. I hadn’t gotten a chance to meet her back then.

Plus, she was heavily guarded since she was the only daughter of the Hawthorne family, a potential Achilles’ heel, and her extravagant bouts of mischief probably didn’t help matters.

Ignoring her hand, I pulled her into a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m Eleanor.”

Seraphina seemed surprised, but she returned my embrace enthusiastically.

When she pulled away, she looked around me, like she was searching for someone.

“Alexander didn’t come with you?” she asked, her brown eyes wide with surprise. “I thought mated pairs were supposed to be inseparable.”

Ouch.

I wanted to make an excuse for Alexander, but Seraphina seemed so guileless that I couldn’t lie to her.

“Your brother and I…we’re different,” I began, struggling to find the right words. “Those mated pairs you hear about have love… probably even a true mate bond. We don’t have that.”

Seraphina paused and for a moment, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

I panicked.

Shit. I didn’t know she was that sensitive. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.

Seraphina’s jaw clenched, and a strange determination bloomed in her eyes.

“There’s something you need to know about Alexander, Eleanor. The real reason he?—”

“And what exactly does she need to know, Seraphina?”

I froze. Alexander?