Chapter 51

Eleanor:

“Did Killian just slam the door shut?” I asked, frowning in confusion. 

“I assume that the two of you are now on a first name basis.” Natasha teased, making my cheeks redden. “I am guessing that you being an Alpha born does have its perks.”

“Hell, more than anything.” I said, and she frowned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“I am the one who should apologize, and not you, El.” She said, stopping me. I smiled and shook my head at the woman before wrapping my arms around her as I pulled her in for a hug. It wasn’t something that I should be blaming her for. If anything, I knew that her situation was no better than mine, to some extent at least. The woman was somehow saved, but I knew that it was a scar that no one forgot. And no matter how old they were, the pain always stuck. “I am guessing that one never really knows what goes on behind closed doors, does he?”

“Well, everyone technically knew that I was being abused. It was just that no one really reacted to it. The first person to show any concern was Killian, then I met you.” I said, and she smiled. It was true. Killian was technically the first to react to my wounds, and I wasn’t referring to my knees. The bruise that he saw, and though I could tell that he knew that it was due to someone hurting me, I was more than a little thankful that he didn’t go in detail about asking how I got it.

“Can I ask you a question?” She said, and I nodded. “When you saw the love bite before, did you think that someone physically abused me?” 

I nodded in response and she frowned. It wasn’t like it wasn’t true. These were facts that I came to terms of accepting, and I knew that it was better for me to accept them anyway. It made them less painful as they went by.

“I was never a girl to grow up with love. Well, at least, not since mom died. She used to have so much love to give despite all the abuse that she went through. I swear, that woman was a hero in disguise and no one knew it.” I said, looking down at my lap for a second. “When she died, everything in my life crumbled. Well, it technically had crumbled already, but things just got too messed up to the point where it was very difficult to keep up.”

“Why did your dad hurt you? Or at least, if he didn’t, why did he accept you being hurt?” She asked, and I sighed. 

“My father never believed in girls being anymore than pleasure toys or birth givers. I am sure that things might have been different if I were a boy, maybe he would have loved my mother more, if not, he might have feared the fact that her son might and would end up turning against him, I don’t know. It just backfired against me because I was a girl." I said, and Natasha nodded in understanding. “What about you?”

“What about me?” She asked, shaking her head in question. I could tell that she was well aware of what I was asking, but I didn’t know whether or not she wanted to answer the question. Nevertheless, considering the fact that I was answering her questions, I didn’t see a reason for her not to answer mine, right?

“Do you know or remember him?”

“He is not my father. Hasn’t been since Alpha Lucius saved my mother and I.” She said, and I smiled. “I was lucky at that point. Luna Maria didn’t let things slide, and Alpha Lucius was the knight in shining armor despite who he was. I don’t know what I would have done if I lived under that man’s roof, I have to admit, but I am thankful for how things turned out for us.”

“Do you ever wonder how he was with you?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“Mom told me, more than once, that he was somewhat loving toward me.” She said, and I smiled. “To him, I was his sanctuary. Too bad that he was abusive at the same time, and therefore, being a sanctuary to him wasn’t really possible.”

“I don’t regret what happened to him, because I know for fact that I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I knew that my mother was suffering on a daily basis to simply protect me. If he was abusive to her, he was bound to be to me, and if not me, he would have sexually abused her to have other kids, and that is not something that I wanted anyone to live through. It is bad enough that I have to live with that guilt.” She said, making my chest ache. 

For one, I knew what it was like to be a child of an assault, I was one myself. Married or not, I knew that my mother never wanted to be with my father as a man. She was sold to him to pay her father’s debt, and in turn, to at least keep a little of her dignity, she married him. Little did she know that it was a decision that ended up killing her. 

“Anyway, enough with all the drama. The two of us have a third movie to watch.” She said, and I shook my head as I laughed. 

“Natasha, we’ve been going at it, movie after the other.” I said, and she grinned. 

“Yes, and we will keep doing so until you’ve found yourself curled up on the couch with a blanket over your body as you slept.” She said, and I laughed and shook my head at her. 

“Alright, how about you let me go and get something to drink? Then the two of us can continue to have our endless movie nights, most likely, going to bed nights.” I said, and she smiled and clapped her hands. I got up from the couch and walked out of the room, frowning in confusion when I saw that Killian’s bedroom door was closed. Normally, he wasn’t one to close the door, but I wasn’t going to complain or ask questions about it. 

“Do you really believe that because you locked the fucking door, she wouldn’t hear me?” A woman asked, taking me off guard from inside his room. My heart dropped, and I froze for a second before taking a step back. “What if I scream so loud to call her over? You know, I would love…”

I took a step back and rushed back inside the room. My heart raced against my ribcage and I couldn’t help but find myself shaking as I stood in front of the door for a second. 

“El?” Natasha asked, frowning in confusion. She stood up and walked toward me, her eyes meeting mine before I shook my head as a low growl rumbled through my chest as my wolf made herself known. This being the first time I’ve growled, I couldn’t help but frown in confusion myself. “Eleanor, what the hell is going on?”

“Killian has a woman inside his room.” I said, looking at her, ignoring the clench as I tried to form a sentence. This was the last thing that I expected to say or even hear when I walked out of the room. And judging by Natasha’s frown, I could tell that she felt the same way. “He locked the door, because there is a fucking, damn woman inside…”