Chapter 31

Eleanor:

I had to fight back the smile that threatened to tear my lips apart as I walked out of the Alpha’s room.

The way he spoke to me, and the way he looked at me made my chest swell. I entered my room and couldn’t help but admire his gentleness toward me.

Back at the pack, my home, between those that were related to me and the man that I was to marry, I was nothing. 

I was the woman that they hid in a room, the woman that they only allowed outside to the garden Estate, being escorted. Most of the people who knew of my existence thought that I died a long time ago. Others didn’t even know that I was born to begin with. Even my mother was hidden from view for a long while before she was killed. And though her death remains a mystery to me, I knew that she fought with her life to see my smile. 

I took a deep breath as I recalled the first time that I was introduced to Elton. It was the first time that I was allowed to speak to a man. The men that were within the Estate wouldn’t answer me no matter how much I tried asking them, and should they bother saying a word, they would be killed on the spot. The maids were barely allowed a few words, and those who I trusted were either sent away, or disgraced until they knew the limit of not speaking to me unless asked. 

Flashback:

“You called for me, father?” I asked shyly, entering his office. I was rarely ever allowed inside, and knowing that he called me here, I knew to keep a low tone so as not to be punished for something that I might have accidentally done.

“Yes, Eleanor, I wanted to introduce you to someone.” He said, nodding at Elton. I blushed and looked away from him, my innocence getting the best of me as a small smile formed on my lips at his beauty. The man smiled back at me and got up from his chair. He slowly extended his hand and took mine, his tone gentle, and I couldn’t help but notice the tattoo that was on his hand, coming out of his sleeve, meaning that he had a bigger one over his arm. 

He slowly kissed my knuckle, and I chewed the inside of my mouth as I blushed. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, signora.” 

“The pleasure is mine, though I apologize, I do not know who I am speaking to.” I said and he chuckled. I was sixteen at the time, naïve, juvenile, a child who just wanted to be set free, little did I know that I was going to be in this prison for a longer period of time.

“Elton and I were discussing wedding the two of you. I believe that you have reached the age of maturity enough to at least get to know the man, and we can announce your engagement on your eighteenth birthday.” Father said, taking me off guard. It was then that I looked up at the man for the first time and I smiled. His hungry eyes looked me up and down for a second, but I couldn’t understand his look. All I saw in the man was my gate to freedom from the prison that I was in for the past eleven years.

“I was not aware that you would be sending as a bride.” I said, looking down at my feet, avoiding the man’s eyes as I blushed. 

“You are a woman, and you should have expected that I would at least like to see my grandchildren.” Father said and I smiled. “The two of you can go out to the garden, and have a little chat to get to know one another. You two are, in the end, going to get married.”

End of Flashback… 

Tears fell from my eyes as I recalled the memory. 

It was a dream to me to be out of the solitary confinement that I was thrown into when I was just a child for a sin that I did not understand. It was a punishment and to my father, the lifestyle that I deserved. He thought and believed that he provided everything for me within the Estate, or maybe he always knew that he was isolating me. Though what he was isolating me from, I did not know.

I took a deep breath as I got up from the edge of the bed, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked down at the things that I had. And as much as it pained me to know that I was hiding who I was from the Alpha, I knew that him finding out would be deadly to me. And even if he chose not to kill and by some miracle, decided not to send me to my fiancé, the terrorizer of my life, I knew that he wouldn’t look at me the same way again. And that wasn’t something that I wanted.

Alienora Bernardi, the name that was given to me by birth only to be changed to Eleanor when they faked my death, was the one thing that I remembered of my past. Regardless of who searched for the name, I would come out as dead. Therefore, there was no need to open up about things that no one was going to find.

I wrapped my arm around myself before taking a deep breath, my wolf calming down almost instantly at the thought of the Alpha being around. The man was my savior, someone who had even my wolf making an appearance as she felt somewhat safe. And after a very long time of blocking the bond, I couldn’t help but find myself being grateful for feeling her again.

“I don’t know who you are, Alpha Killian, nor do I know why I came to you in specific.” I said, looking at my reflection for a few seconds. Voicing out the thoughts that I knew I wouldn’t be able to say out loud if he was in front of me. I wanted to, with everything that I had, I wanted to speak to him in such a sense, but it was something that I wouldn’t be able to do. To say the least, I might as well get it off my chest. “All I know is you, the man who I see in front of me, and a deadly man that I hear of in stories. Your reputation has beaten you to me despite my isolation, and knowing you now, I can’t help but hold on to you.”

“Whoever you are, Alpha Killian Ivanov, and no matter where this is going, you are my savior, and that is something that I want you to keep in mind…”