ELEANOR
“Please save us!!! Please save us!!!” The continuous pleas of the girls kept echoing in my head, and it slowly started to become a lot. I closed my eyes, hoping to block the voices out, but it seemed to grow louder if anything.
I still felt overwhelmed at the thought that I’d just taken the life of someone, brutally, and despite the continuous assurance from Aurora and the other girls that I wouldn’t get caught and punished, I couldn’t get my rapidly beating heart to keep still.
At this rate, I would be the one exposing myself if I do not start acting normal. All the girls had resumed their duties with the reentrance of the guards who had been away for a while and they all chatted leisurely, completely unsuspecting, but I couldn’t help sparing nervous glances at them the whole time.
Even as we made our way back to the pack house, they continued to chatter loudly, still unaware of the fact that one of their own was missing. I wondered how come they didn’t catch the stench of blood that filled the work field.
Aurora and Diane had refused to tell me how they’d disposed of the dismembered parts of the gamma guard no matter how many times I’d asked, they kept telling me to forget about it and focus on how to get a plan together to free us all from this hellhole.
A huge burden had been placed on my shoulders now, and the doubt was beginning to set in as I wondered if I was going to be able to really pull through or was deserving of the hope they’d placed in me.
My aim was to get revenge and leave with what was left of my pack. Never had I thought about everyone else. How stupid of me, how could I be thinking of just my people and not saving the rest? What if another alpha was to follow in Zane’s footsteps?
Greed and thirst for power was the reason he’d become a monster, and anyone who was ambitious enough would want to carry on with his legacy. Judging by the audaciousness and history of that gamma wolf, I’d shredded to pieces. That was the mindset of everyone present here, and I now had to get rid of every one of them. To purge this pack clean. I know it wouldn’t bring everyone’s lost years and loved ones back, but the joy of freedom and these assholes getting what they deserved was something they all deserved to feel.
“Eleanor, we are here.” Jasmine’s subtle touch brought me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at her and then at Diane, and finally at Clara, who quickly avoided my gaze.
“Damn!!!” I grumbled, my hands balling into fists as I decided to continue to wait for what would be the perfect opportunity to get some damn answers out of Clara. There was no way I was buying her lies anymore, especially now that I could see it clearly. What I had thought to be a bruise was not really a bruise, it was a mark….. a hickey mark, now coupled with the bruises from the gamma wolf’s grip on her neck that were littered around the mark.
When the head of slaves finished announcing our next duties after an hour’s rest, I sighed before pulling Diane close to me and hugging her. The little girl had a smile on her face at the gesture.
“It’s good to see you, Alpha Eleanor. I was scared when I heard that there were no alpha females among the slaves. I thought something bad might have happened to you. I was scared but seeing you now…. that renews my hope, ” she said with a smile on her face, and I couldn’t help but ruffle her hair, earning a tiny giggle from her.
“How have you been, I hope your stay here isn’t all bad?” I asked lowly, and she shook her head belatedly, “Don’t lie to me, Diane, you don’t want me to force it out of you, do you?” I deadpan, and she shook her head again, more violently this time.
“It’s hard……very hard. I am forced to do more work than I have ever done in my entire life, but in the midst of all that, I’m aware that it could be worse, at least the one who bought me treats me well….. except for his son, who is always out to cause trouble for me, ” she answers honestly now, and fear grips me at the thought of her owner’s son doing something bad to her. I held her hands in mine, slowly raking my eyes over her body as I prayed to whatever higher power there was that I did not find what I was looking for. I almost sighed in relief as I found her skin to still be smooth for the most of it and there was no sign of being forced into anything on her, but I knew that didn’t mean she was entirely out of danger.
“Diane, listen to me, okay? This…… boy, has he…. Does he ever try to touch y-”
“Oh no no, Alpha Eleanor, nothing of the sort” she quickly intercepts, brushing it off with her hands, “He usually just goes around throwing fits because it upsets him that his dad sees me as his late sister and does not make me do a lot of chores. He even gives me pocket money to buy things I want for myself, but I have been saving it until the day I am finally free. Since we don’t have a pack to go to, I wanted to be able to survive in a world out there where I won’t have to work under someone and be free,” she answered honestly, and I finally felt like I could breathe again since the issue with Clara.
“Thank Goddess, I’m so glad you are okay. I’m so thankful that you’ve been surviving thus far. Thank you so much for not dying, thank you, thank you, ” I mumbled, a tear trailing down my cheek, which she was quick to wipe off.
“I had faith, I never gave up on my faith that I would be free from here. Now that I have found you, it is like my faith has been strengthened. I am certain you will get us out of this, and soon. I will inform the rest of the pack members that I have seen you. Some of them were forced to go back to our destroyed pack, trying to make a new resort out of it for Alpha Zane. I will be sure to tell them about you whenever I go around with their food and that we have hope to be free again. Thank you, alpha, for not dying on us,” Diane said, tears streaming down her own eyes, and I smiled, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape, leaving my vision blurry.
“I’m glad you still keep in touch with them. Tell them to hold on a little longer….. I will rescue us all. I promise we will all leave this cursed place alive. They must hang in there for me. Okay?” I sniff, nodding with determination, and she does too.
“Okay,” she answers with a weak smile, sniffling as I wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“That’s good, you should go get some rest now. I will be seeing more of you and you can look for me in the kitchen or I will find you at the farm. Is that okay?” She nods, now smiling as she wipes her face with the back of her palm. She takes a step backwards and waves, which I did too.
I watched her figure go out of view before turning back to the girls, especially Clara who was eerily quiet all through our journey back, not even saying goodbye to Diane as she ran off even after hearing her talk about the rest of the pack members.
I cleared my throat, drawing their attention to me.
“Clara, I advise you to start talking now or you’d leave me no choice but to force it out of you and you know you wouldn’t like an alpha wolf forcing the answers out of you. So start talking right now.”