Chapter 23: Chapter 23

ELEANOR

“What would you like to eat, Eleanor?” Mrs. Costa asked me as she glanced at the menu.

“I’m going to have the risotto and a glass of red wine,” I told her.

Soon, a waitress came to our table and took our order.

“So, how was the naming ceremony?”

“It was so beautiful, Mrs. Costa. It was lovely to be surrounded by so much love. For most of my life, it’d just been my mom and me alone.”

“What do you mean you were alone? Weren’t you staying in a pack?” Mrs. Costa asked me.

I haven’t spoken to anyone here about my past, but Mrs. Costa made me feel comfortable talking about it.

“My mom was an omega in her pack, and that was when she met my father. Initially, everything was fine with them, and she told me stories of how my father would take her out for surprise dinners and buy everything she wanted. It was like a dream come true, a luxury she never experienced,” I said as I looked down at my fingers. “Just like how all the fairy tales come to an end, her mate bond with my father came to an end too.”

“Your father rejected her?”

“Yes. She was an omega, and he was a Gamma. He claimed that their relationship would never work out,” I mumbled. “The day he left her, she was pregnant with me, so she decided to leave the pack and live with the humans.”

“I can’t imagine how hurt your mother must’ve been,” Mrs. Costa said, and her eyes shone with tears.

At first, I didn’t understand the pain she went through. But after being rejected by Xavier, I think I finally get it, even if only a little.

“Don’t worry, Eleanor. I know my son will take good care of you. And I’ll make sure of that,” Mrs. Costa promised as she placed her hand on top of mine.

All I could do was smile, because deep down, I wasn’t even sure what to tell her anymore. There had been moments—brief, flickering moments—when I thought maybe something real could grow between Xavier and me. But I was still trying to make sense of it myself.

Soon, the food arrived, and we began eating. The food was delicious.

“I asked you to have lunch with me because there’s something important I wanted to tell you,” Mrs. Costa said.

“What is it?”

“Well, Henry and I will be moving into our new house tomorrow,” she said with glee.

Instead of being happy for her, my heart sank a little. I knew if they moved out, that meant Xavier and I would go back to separate rooms.

“What’s the need to move out? It’s your house, after all,” I said, but she shook her head.

“It’s a house given to the beta and his mate. I may be Xavier’s mother, but that house now belongs to Xavier and you.”

“But we don’t mind you staying there with us,” I told her, trying my last attempt to make her stay.

“I know, darling. But Henry and I need to spend some time alone too. I hope you understand,” she asked me, and I nodded my head.

Well, I guess I’ll be welcoming the guest bedroom back into my life again.

***

After we had lunch, Mrs. Costa and I made our way back to the house. After I dropped her there, I walked into the forest to begin my patrol duty.

“~Eleanor,~” Marquez mind-linked me.

“~Yes?~” I responded.

“~I’m so sorry, I won’t be able to join you on patrol today.~”

“~That’s all right.~”

“~Shall I arrange for someone else to accompany you?~” Marquez asked me.

“~No, I need some time alone. I will take care of it~,” I told him before the mind-link was disconnected.

The weather was gloomy, the cold breeze brushing past me with a quiet promise of rain.

“~You want to go for a run?~” Erica asked me, and I smiled at the thought of feeling the freedom wolf form provided.

I started walking deeper into the forest, and when I was sure that no one was around me, I removed my clothes and placed them under a tree before I shifted into my wolf.

We started running toward the northern border, and I finally came to a stop when the trees began to thin out. The view of the tall mountains ahead looked like a barrier protecting something beyond.

“~Ellie?~” I heard Ivan’s voice in my head. “~Are you on patrol?~”

“~Yes, where are you?~” I asked him.

“I think I saw you. Stay where you are. I’ll come to you,” he said, though his words left me confused.

I glanced around, searching for a white and brown wolf, but the area was empty. Then, just a few moments later, I spotted him running toward me.

What was he doing in no-man’s territory when he wasn’t on patrol?

“~How are you?~” he asked me as his wolf rubbed its head against mine as a form of greeting.

“~Good, but what were you doing out here?~”

BETA XAVIER

Ever since I got back from the naming ceremony, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eleanor.

I’ve been staring at my computer screen for hours, but my thoughts keep drifting back to her. I know I shouldn’t have said what I did about enjoying everything at the party, but I couldn’t help it.

Chantelle was never gentle with kids. She couldn’t even stand them being near her. But Eleanor was different.

The way Eleanor held that baby, so natural and calm, stirred something in me. Her eyes sparkled with warmth, and for a moment, my heart ached in the best kind of way.

“~She’s different from her, Xavier,~” Kyle said.

I rolled my eyes. But truly, I didn’t know what to believe anymore.

“~You keep saying that because she’s your mate. But I can’t open up to her,~” I told him.

I knew Eleanor was slowly breaking through the walls I’d built around my heart, and the realization filled me with dread.

~I don’t want to get hurt like the first time. I can’t do it again. I have to keep her at a distance.~