Chapter 66

Eleanor:

I watched as Killian walked inside the kitchen.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and I smiled as he leaned in to kiss my cheek from behind. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, and I looked down at the pot as I stirred the food. I hummed in response, not wanting to talk to him, as I fought the reaction to move away from his touch, not wanting him to touch me. The door opened, and I turned to look at Natasha as she walked inside the kitchen. My chest ached and the air felt tight around me, and I knew that I had to get out of here before I said something that was going to end up costing me more than I could afford. To both Killian and Natasha.

I put the spatula down and turned to face my mate before kissing his cheek. The last thing that I needed or wanted was to argue with them right now. The anger and pain that I felt after the way that she treated me were indescribable, but I knew better than to let my anger out when it was at its peak.

“Are you okay, malyshka?” Killian asked, noticing my cold attitude toward him. I nodded, giving him the best smile that I could muster in the circumstance that I was in. The last thing that I wanted was for him to ask me more questions than necessary right now.

“I am going to shower before I set the table for the two of us,” I said, and he studied my expression before nodding. I looked at Liana, who nodded before looking at her daughter, clearly knowing that something went wrong, however, I was thankful for the fact that she didn’t start asking me questions. I wouldn’t have known how to answer them if she did anyway.

I walked out of the kitchen and closed the door before heading to the suite without saying a word. The last thing that I wanted was to be looked down upon and yet, that was what I was getting. Natasha saw me as someone that she could mistreat and a part of me knew that it was because she knew of my past. It was something that pained me especially when I knew that she wasn’t one to treat anyone in the house like that.

Never did I think or find myself hating a full moon’s evening more than I did today. It was a night where I was supposed to be with my mate and though it has been months since the two of us met and considering that it wasn’t his first time shifting while I stayed in my room, I knew that I shouldn’t be upset. It was something that I should have been used to. Elton has damaged me enough for my wolf not to want to shift, and that was something that I couldn’t blame her for. Had it been any other way, I would have lost her a long time ago.

The bedroom door was knocked but I didn’t bother turning to face it as I knew that it was Natasha who was behind the door. She opened the door, but I simply walked toward the closet to get myself my clothes.

“I came to apologize, Eleanor.” She said, and I froze. My heart ached as I pulled my dress out of the closet and I shook my head as I turned to face her.

“I don’t need your apology, nor do I need your sympathy,” I said, and she frowned in confusion. Neither she nor Killian knew that I heard them talking when I wanted to go and get the tray. I didn’t want to leave my mess for others to tend to, but the last thing that I expected was for Killian saying that I was the weaker one there.

Flashback:

“Luna, I can…”

“Don’t worry, Liana, I put them there, I can bring them back.” I said, stopping the woman who smiled at me.

I walked toward Natasha’s hall, wanting to get the tray from beside her door. I knew that Liana and the maids would end up tending to it, but I also didn’t want the food to go rotten until that happened. Plus, it wasn’t fair for me to be the one to cause a mess for them to clean it.

“But I also don’t want you causing damage to those that we care about, especially when we know that they are weaker than we are.” I heard Killian say, taking me off guard as he spoke inside. My heart raced against my ribcage and I forced myself to not make any sounds so as not to catch their attention, not wanting them to hear that I was there.

“I’m sorry, Killian,” Natasha said, and my heart raced. 

“The two of us know that I am not the one that you should be apologizing to,” My stomach churned and I was quick to carry the tray before walking out of the hall without making a sound. Tears fell from my eyes as I stopped beside the kitchen door. The last thing that I wanted was to be the center of anyone’s attention.

My heart ached before I was forced to suck in a breath as I walked into the kitchen. Liana looked at me and shook her head in question as I put the tray on the counter. I smiled and took a deep breath before picking up one of the knives.

“So, what should we start with?” 

End of Flashback.

“Eleanor…”

“You can leave, Natasha.” I said, stopping her, and her eyes widened in surprise. “I have other things to tend to,”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Eleanor, it’s just a lot…”

“I don’t need your apology, and I don’t need you thinking that I am weaker than you are to be apologizing to me, Natasha.” I said, stopping her. 

“We didn’t mean it in that way, Eleanor.” She said, shaking her head at me. Her heart raced and tears welled up in my eyes before I was quick to wipe them. She took a step toward me, extending her hand and I took a step back, raising my hands, not allowing her to. “Eleanor, you need to try listening first, please don’t come…”

“I heard what I had to, and the one thing that I came to learn was that it was a mistake opening up to you or to Killian to begin with.” I said as I caught sight of my mate who stood by the bedroom door. His heart raced and I shook my head at the two of them. “I trusted you and dropped my walls so low that I did the one thing that I thought I would never think of.”

“Eleanor…”

“I was hurt and was broken more than once,” I said, glaring at the two of them. “But I would like to see any of you take the hell that I did and be able to stand the way that I am. Please, I would be waiting to see you do so, only then would you two be allowed to see me as weak.”

I wiped my tears and took my dress with me before walking past Killian whose heart raced against his ribcage as he processed my words. “Your food is inside the oven. I did want to make something special for you because for ONE second, I thought that I meant something to you. Little did I fucking know that it was nothing more than sympathy and lust.”

“Eleanor, stop.”

“Have a nice evening,” I said, ignoring the Alpha as I walked toward my bedroom. “I’ll be here when you’re done in the morning…”