45

ELEANOR
The hugely anticipated day when we would finally set our plan into motion was finally here. Today, I would meet with Easton and tell him about my plans, our plans, rather.
Every muscle in my body was pulled taut in anticipation, and I could feel my heart thump erratically in the confines of my chest. I wondered if this was really the best thing to do. Letting Easton in on the plan could either guarantee our success or be a final signature to our death wish, all depending on how he took it.
It didn’t make me feel any better that Easton had only just signed a truce with Zane, making them more or less allies now. He would be risking Zane’s anger and possibly a war by even entertaining me.
I had second thoughts about going forward with this, but Jasmine and Clara’s resolve was unfaltering, urging me to trust my instincts, which was pretty contradictory, seeing as every alarm bell in my head was simultaneously going off, asking me not to go forward with the potentially damning plan.
“You can cancel it and choose to remain a slave to Zane since you are too chicken to even try and find out if Easton would go to the lengths he’d sworn for you,” Alpine said through the mind link and I rolled my eyes.
“Easy for you to say, I went on to reject him even after he promised all those and dismissed him like trash. I’ve given him no tangible reason to want to risk anything for me.” I argued back immediately and could feel the frustration wafting out of Alpine.
“You were doing it to protect him, you’ve been on the receiving end of Zane’s wrath and rightfully thought he would be too weak to defend himself against Zane, but you thought wrong, and now you know that he is worthy of defending himself. He is an Alpha in every sense of the word, so what exactly are you so scared of?”
“Of being refused. I’m scared of being wrong about all this and ending up dead, I’m scared of being cast out or sent to the dungeon and being subject to Zane’s blind rage again, okay! That’s what I’m scared of,” I answered truthfully, and for the first time since the plan was created, I could feel my body trembling, in fear and anxiety. I was scared of the unknown, scared of what might become the outcome of taking such a heavy step.
If Easton really does prove to be true to his allegiance and goes straight to Zane with my words, all my fears and worst nightmares would come to life. Zane would have no trouble killing off every single one of my friends in the most brutal, agonizing ways right in front of my eyes, and I was sure he would make me beg for death only to be denied of it when it becomes the more favorable option compared to whatever hell he would put me through.
I sigh heavily, feeling my body cave in on itself as more negative thoughts flood my already overstimulated brain. I couldn’t find the strength to move and push myself into getting dressed, even knowing all the slaves appointed to accompany Mark to Easton’s pack would be on the move soon.
Failure to be early would attract punishments, obviously, but I was too weighed down and preoccupied with my own ugly thoughts to get my limbs into action.
It extends into a downward spiral for me as I continue to think about all the possible outcomes of what would be our second encounter, each one of them worse than the last, because I had no reason to believe otherwise.
Alpine remains optimistic, nearly singing the praises of Easton into my head, but what would she know? She wasn’t there when I mouthed off at him and messed everything up. He may have kept a cool front back then to uphold his dignity, but there was no way in hell my words didn’t cause some level of damage. His first impression of me was the worst I’d left on anyone in all the years of my life, and there was no salvaging that.
I cursed at myself on various occasions, knowing it had all been my fault for being so quick to make assumptions and brush him off so brashly even when he’d tried to have a level-headed conversation the whole time. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I shouldn’t have called him weak, I shouldn’t have rejected him. I am scared and blinded by hatred now. I was only coming to the realization that all odds were against me. The one I sought to kill was my own mate and the one I now had to look to for assistance also claimed to be my mate, one that I rejected on the spot, and now, both men have decided to work together.
What good would come out of having two mates who are seemingly of the same ideas and values if their alliance was anything to go by? Those were formed based on mutual agreements, were they not? I wondered what Jasmine and Clara were thinking, being so sure of Easton’s agreement.
What could’ve prompted such unfaltering confidence that Easton would go against someone like Zane for a girl who was nothing but discourteous on their first encounter? This was not going to work. It was way too big a dream, and everything about this plan was already a failed attempt even before initiating it.
The sound of the door pulling open startled me back to reality and I immediately sprung to my feet, grabbing my gown and hurrying to put it on, the fear of the head of slaves finding me slacking off enough to get my limbs moving with practiced haste, not needing a punishment added to the evergrowing list of problems I had.
When I turn around to find Jasmine walking in, a breath of relief is ripped out of my chest and my shoulders slack once again as I let my body drop back to its initial position on the floor that Jasmine joins me on in no time.
“Hey! Are you okay? Is something wrong, Eleanor?” She questions, her tone thick with worry, and I sigh for the umpteenth time.
“I don’t know…..” I grumbled out, “I just don’t feel the zeal to get dressed or even go with-”
“It’s too late to back out of the plan right now, Eleanor!” Jasmine interrupted, eyes wide and tone sharp, “And I know how selfish it must sound, but there are too many people banking on you! They need you to try atleast! Their hopes are on you to help them escape this hellhole. Your pack members are here. Would you allow them to keep suffering as if they were nobodies? Continue to slave away at the mercy of that ruthless brute for the rest of their lives? You are their leader, Eleanor, their Alpha, and it’s your damn duty to make sure they are safe, healthy, and free, not here….. trapped in a prison and forced into servitude under the most inhumane living conditions. You owe this to yourself and to your late parents too, so no, Eleanor, now is not the time to get cold feet. You’ve already come this far, and giving up should be the last of your thoughts.” By the time Jasmine finished, I could feel my eyes blurring with unshed tears, and I took a long drag of air, filling my lungs as her words sank.
Jasmine was right, and I knew there was not an iota of falsehood in her words, but those people were an added cause for my worries too. One wrong move could get them all killed too and their blood would be on my hands. If I was going to go through with this, I had to see to it that there were no loose ends. I didn’t want to lose anyone at the cost of our freedom.
I was startled by the sudden grip on my shoulders, and I was met with the cold eyes of Jasmine staring deep into mine, “You don’t have to be scared, if anything goes sideways, which I believe it won’t, you can trust me to be right by your side. I believe in you, Eleanor, and you are not alone. You will not be doing this alone, and I’ll always be ready to fight side by side with you.” she assures with a definitive tone, and I feel myself relaxing a little at her words.
I spare a small nod of understanding, and she helps me to my feet. My mind begins to wander again as she begins to slowly dress me up, still caught between the true definitive nature of my next actions.
Jasmine led me out to the field where everyone was gathered afterwards. I counted a total of ten people before my eyes locked on Clara, who was making her way towards us with a smile on her face. I force a smile of my own, not wanting her to catch a whiff of my internal turmoil.
I didn’t want her to see me in this state or share in my worry. She deserved every strand of hope she’d found, and I couldn’t take that away from her or have her questioning it even in the slightest. She deserved to be free and live the life she wanted with her mate, and the possibility of that happening depended heavily on whatever results today’s meeting produced.
The mark she bore was a tag on her head and I knew that she knew that that was synonymous with courting death, but it would not be on my watch that one of my own would lose their lives for the sin of finding love and a partner. I would do everything to make sure he didn’t harm a single lock of her hair.
I shouldn’t give in to the doubts weighing down on my mind. I had a responsibility, heavy as it was. I have my friends to save and my pack members to liberate. I am their Alpha. I should start acting like it. My father did not raise me up to be a weakling, nor did he raise me to succumb so easily to the weight of my problems.
He’d hammered it into my head, never to give up, no matter how rough my path looked to be. To always pick myself up, regardless of the number of times I get knocked down. To achieve my goals, even if I do so with staggering and bruised, wobbling feet, that success would be attained if I stayed resilient. I was counting on that now, my determination, for it to lead me to success in the form of our liberation… our freedom.
“What took you guys so long?” Clara scolds in a whisper, her voice snapping me out of my reverie, “Beta Mark was just about to start the count.”
“Eleanor had-”
“My zipper was faulty, sorry, Jasmine was just in time to help me, though, so we’re all good now.” I hurriedly explained before Jasmine could reveal the truth, flashing Clara an apologetic smile and not missing the flicker of surprise on Jasmine’s features. I knew I would have to explain later on why I gave an answer that was far from the truth, but that was a problem for later.
“Ah. Well, that’s a relief. For a second there, I thought you both had chickened out.” She whispered the last part of her words, ending it with a giggle before straightening up from where she had leaned. “We can do this, yeah? Alpha Easton is just a few hours away from us, and so is freedom!” She smiles, stretching her hand out for Jasmine and I to place ours atop it, breaking away in time to see Beta Mark take his place in front to address the slaves.
“Good morning slaves,” Beta Mark greeted loudly, his voice commanding attention. “Today is indeed a great day for the Blood Moon pack. For today, we march to seal a long-awaited alliance that has finally been approved by the Moon Goddess herself! The Crescent pack will now work hand in hand with us, and together, we both will be unstoppable.” he barks out as he strolls around, eyeing slave after slave until he pulls to a halt right in front of me.
“No one is allowed to ruin today. If any one of you is of the silly idea that this would provide a chance for an escape, I am telling you right now that if you do not die by my hands out there, you will be dragged back here to face an even worse fate at the hands of the Alpha. Your life is only important to you, and if you treasure it, I would advise you to be on your best behavior and not bring any form of disgrace to the Alpha.” I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding when he finally walked past me and felt my chest heave at his words.
“You are to wear a smile at all times, no matter what, because we are bringing good tidings with us this time. A smile to show that we are happy about this alliance and to relay the Alpha’s positive intentions. Are we clear?!” At our chorused ‘Yes’ that reverberated through the air, he nodded.
“Good. We’re off then.”