Chapter 194
Eleanor's POV
I sat rigidly on the bed, arms wrapped around myself as I waited. When the door finally opened, Sebastian entered silently. His face revealed nothing, but I could read the exhaustion in the slight drop of his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes. Without a word, he headed straight for the bathroom.
I remained where I was, listening to the shower running. Sebastian wasn't one to delay difficult conversations, which meant whatever he'd learned was truly troubling him.
Twenty minutes later, he emerged wearing only loose pants, his hair still damp. Our eyes met, and in an instant, he crossed the room toward me. His hands cupped my face as he kissed me with unexpected intensity, almost desperately. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine and sighed deeply.
"Eleanor," he whispered, burying his face in my neck and pulling me into a tight embrace.
I ran my fingers through his damp hair, trying to soothe him. "Tell me what's wrong. What did Fox say?"
He held me for a moment longer before releasing me with reluctance. "He told us everything," Sebastian said, "And it's bad, Berry. Really bad."
"How bad?" I prompted gently.
Sebastian's eyes met mine, conflict evident in their depths. "I wasn't going to tell you tonight. I didn't want to upset you. But I promised I wouldn't keep things from you anymore."
"Fox revealed that the organization has infiltrated deeper than we thought. They've recruited people from the Savidge and Callaway families."
My breath caught. "Benedict and Samuel's families? Are they involved?"
"No, not them personally, as far as we know. But some of their relatives are. It's going to cause them a lot of trouble when this becomes public." Sebastian's jaw tightened. "We're trying to figure out how to handle it without destroying those families."
"We need Killian's help. It's said that only his territory hasn't been infiltrated by people from that organization. The situation is very complicated," Sebastian rubbed his temples. "This is simply a political nightmare."
I nodded, understanding the complexity. "Killian is stricter with his alphas than Edward was. Edward gave his people too much freedom, which made them easier to corrupt."
"How do you know that?" Sebastian asked, surprised.
"I've seen the difference. Killian's territory has always been more disciplined. Before Edward, Charles's family was in charge of Forestvale. He only recently lost power to Edward, much like Killian's family has controlled Fireland for generations until just recently." I explained, drawing from my knowledge of the regions.
Sebastian went silent, his brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, his head snapped up.
"Charles," he whispered, almost to himself. "Why didn't I see it before?"
He stood abruptly and began pacing, his fingers counting off points as if connecting invisible dots. "Charles lost his position to Edward. He would have reason to resent that. Then his daughter turns out to be Edward's fated mate..."
I watched as Sebastian worked through his thoughts aloud.
"He sent Claire to your house," Sebastian continued, turning to me with widening eyes. "He put his daughter right in the middle of your marriage, knowing what would happen."
My heart began to pound as I followed his logic.
"You were the obstacle," Sebastian said, pointing at me. "You were the reason Edward resisted accepting Claire at first. If you weren't in the picture..."
He moved from the bed and paced more intensely. "Edward's wolf betrayed him, led him to Claire's room, made him claim her... but his human side fought it because of you. Because he loved you. Just like Fenris let go of Cassandra when I chose you instead."
A cold realization washed over me as I connected more dots. "Claire visited her father frequently," I said slowly. "I always thought she was complaining to him about me, but what if she was reporting to him? Telling him everything that was happening in our house?"
Sebastian nodded grimly. "Exactly."
Memories came flooding back, strange inconsistencies in Claire's behavior, her frequent absences, how problems seemed to multiply after she moved in. Charles had been suspiciously quiet after Edward took over, almost too accepting of his new position. And his strange attitude about his daughter being only a mistress to an Alpha, most fathers would be outraged, but he seemed unbothered.
The pieces were falling into place, forming a picture that made my blood run cold. Raze's threats, the Alpha issues, all of it connected through Charles.
I glanced at the clock, past midnight now. But my questions couldn't wait until morning.
"I need to call Edward," I said decisively.
Sebastian frowned but handed me his phone. I dialed Edward's number from memory, my heart racing as it rang several times before he finally answered.
"Hello?" His voice was groggy with sleep.
"Edward," I said simply.
There was a brief silence. "Eleanor?" His voice was suddenly alert, with a slight tremor. "Is that you?"
"Yes. I need your help with something."
"Anything," he replied immediately. "Whatever you need."
"Is Claire with you?" I asked cautiously.
"No, I just stepped out of the hotel suite. What do you need help with?"
I heard rustling in the background, guessing he was moving farther away to ensure privacy.
"Edward, I need to ask you something. Who gave you the idea of forming an alliance with Raze against Sebastian?"
"Quinn, of course."
"I know that. But who put that idea in Quinn's head? Who suggested it to him?"
There was a pause. "You wouldn't be asking if you didn't already have a theory."
"I think it was Charles," I said bluntly.
Edward was quiet for so long I thought we'd lost the connection. "Edward?"
"I'm here," he finally said. "You think Charles would do that to his own daughter?"
"I don't think this was about his daughter. I think Claire was just a tool for him." I tried to keep my voice gentle, aware of how this might hurt him. "You know I'd never say anything against her personally."
"I know, you saved hers," Edward replied softly. "I haven't forgotten that, Eleanor. I know you would never... I know you love Sebastian, and I remember how you surrendered yourself to Clifflands to save both of us."
His words touched something raw within me, but I pushed forward. "Claire told me herself that Charles threatened her to lie about things. I think he used her to spy on you, to manipulate you through your bond with her. The problems started happening right after she moved in, and she visited her father too frequently."
"You think she knew what she was doing?" Edward asked, his voice strained.
"No, I don't." I paused, gathering my thoughts. "Edward, I believe Charles is part of an organization that recruited alphas from Forestvale. In return, they promised to restore his honor and make him the leader of Forestvale again. He needed Claire because she's your fated mate."
"But why would-"
Before Edward could finish his question, Sebastian reached over and took the phone from my hand. I sighed and let him have it.
"Edward," Sebastian said, "I need you and Killian to come to the manor tomorrow. It's urgent. This is bigger than I thought. They're not just after me, they're after you and Killian too."
He paused, listening.
"Can you come without telling your mate?" Another pause. "Good. We'll expect you in the morning. We need to move quickly."
Sebastian ended the call and handed the phone back to me. I immediately called Edward back.
"Edward?" I said when he answered.
"Is what he said true?" Edward asked.
"Yes. It's worse than any of us imagined, and I believe Charles is part of it." I hesitated before continuing. "But please, Edward, don't do anything to Claire."
There was silence on the other end, and I knew Edward was battling with his emotions. I had to make him see reason.
"Please, think of your baby. Claire may not know what her father is doing."
"I'll try," he finally said, his voice tight with controlled rage.
"Promise me, Edward. Promise me you won't hurt her."
"I promise I'll try to control myself," he said after a moment. "Goodnight, Eleanor."
After ending the call, Sebastian pulled me into his arms. "Everything Charles did," he whispered, "breaking up your family for these stupid schemes... it breaks my heart, even though I'm grateful for how it brought us together."
That was when the dam broke. Tears streamed down my face as years of suppressed pain surfaced. I remembered Edward on his knees, begging for forgiveness. His desperate attempts to make things right. His weakness not in his love for me, but in his emotional strength.
And now, to discover it had all been orchestrated by Charles... that my pain, my heartbreak, my loss had been part of someone's political scheme...
Fury rose within me, hot and vengeful. This wasn't just about politics anymore. This was personal between Charles and me.
I sobbed in Sebastian's arms, trying to regain control of my emotions.
As if reading my thoughts, Sebastian held me tighter. "We'll make this right," he promised. "All of it."
I nodded against his chest, grateful to the Moon Goddess for giving me a second chance at love with this extraordinary man.
But another thought struck me, who was comforting Edward right now? He had just discovered the same devastating truth, and he was alone with it.