Chapter 12
“Amiel, babe!” Sadie clung to his side like a parasite, too close, too eager to be seen.
Behind them, her parents stood–Teresa stiff and wide–eyed. Beside her, Solomon stared a Eleanor with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw, arms locked behind his back as though restraining himself from reacting too soon, too publicly.
Eleanor remained in place, waiting.
On the other hand, Amiel’s eyes widened–shock, confusion, longing, and rage flickering across his face.
“Eleanor?” he breathed. “You can see now?”
He moved toward her instinctively, but Sadie grabbed his arm. Her grin widened as she looked at Eleanor.
“Oh, dear sister! You’re here!” Sadie sang, her voice laced with syrupy sweetness as she stepped forward with arms outstretched.
She cast a fleeting glance toward their parents, clearly performing now that they were watching. “I’ve missed you so, so much–it’s just not the same without you.”
Eleanor stepped back. “Don’t!”
Sadie stopped, feigning hurt. She looked back at their parents. “I told you, Mom, Dad. My big sister’s still mad at me.”
Teresa’s eyes swept over Eleanor from head to toe. “Look who’s enjoying parties while her owr husband suffers.” She gripped Eleanor’s arm. “What are you doing here? Leaving your husbanc and pretending to be single? You’re hopeless, Eleanor.”
The hatred in her mother’s eyes was real. Eleanor couldn’t understand it.
Still, she forced a polite smile. “Good to see you, Mother. Father.”
Teresa sneered. “Well, we’re not good to see you.”
Solomon gazed at her with an authoritarian tone, saying, “I sent you a message to return home. You ignored it. Yet here you are, entertaining guests. Explain.”
Teresa folded her arms. “Simple. She’s having an affair. Not content in Duskridge, she’s chasing a bigger alpha. Am I right?”
Eleanor couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Why do you see me like this, Mother? Like I’m a stranger? Me–having an affair? Is that what Sadie told you?”
Solomon’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Eleanor gave a bitter laugh. “It’s funny that you don’t know. The whole pack does. Your favorite daughter is my husband’s mistress.”
She turned to Sadie, her eyes sharp. “Don’t worry, sister. He’s yours. Just recycle what I alread dumped.”
Sadie’s mask slipped for a second, fury flashing in her eyes. But she caught herself. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said sweetly. “I’m just here to support Alpha Amiel.”
3:38 am DDDD
“He’s no alpha to me,” Eleanor snapped.
Amiel couldn’t take it anymore. He seized Eleanor’s arm and leaned in. “Why are you doing this to me, Eleanor? If you’re angry, why not just talk to me? Why go this far and bring on a scandal like this?”
Eleanor pulled her arm back. “Talk to you? How, when you were too busy screwing my sister?”
“Eleanor!” Solomon barked.
“Father, are you still pretending to be blind about my fake sister’s real behavior? She broke my marriage with Amiel. When I was blind, she was living in our house, doing everything a wife should do–for my husband. And Amiel? He even pushed me into the guest room so he could ‘take care‘ of Sadie more thoroughly.”
“You brat. You’re destroying your family’s name with lies!” Teresa pointed an accusing finger a Eleanor.
Amiel growled. “Enough. We’ll settle this in Duskridge.” Then he leaned close. “You’ll come with me. Whether you like it or not.”
“Don’t touch me!”
Eleanor shoved him hard. Amiel lost his footing, crashing against a table, hitting his arm on the
corner.
Sadie shrieked, rushing to him. “Amiel!”
Sadie couldn’t hide her behavior anymore. She shouted at Eleanor as she dropped to her knees beside Amiel. “You just walked away from Duskridge and now you see yourself as a high person? Don’t you forget your place, Eleanor. You are always a loser, so don’t pretend you are
someone!”
Eleanor smirked, clearly provoking Sadie even more. “And yet you’re so desperate to be me.”
Sadie snapped. “No wonder Amiel chose my bed!”
“Sadie!” Solomon barked.
Teresa froze. “What did you say? Is it true?”
Sadie paled. “Mom, I-”
Solomon cut her off. “I thought we had agreed upon this long ago. The moment you flew to Milan, you were supposed to cut ties with him because he is your sister’s husband.”
That moment, Teresa and Solomon received messages–simultaneously, as if it had been a scheduled delivery. Photos of Sadie and Amiel together. A copy of Eleanor’s miscarriage report. Eleanor smiled inwardly. Perfect timing. She had planned it that way. Let them see the truth now in front of everyone.
Teresa gasped. “My grandpups?” She looked up, eyes wide. “Eleanor, is this true?”
Eleanor didn’t speak.
“She lost them because she was reckless!” Sadie jumped in.
“I lost them because Amiel was with you when I needed help.”
Eleanor’s eyes didn’t drop. She stared straight through Sadie.
Solomon growled and glared at Amiel. “You messed around with my daughters? Under my roof?
Chapter 12
3:38 am D D D D.
While one of them was blind and grieving?”
Amiel, breathing heavily and clearly rattled, lifted his chin with a flash of defensiveness. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this. It wasn’t supposed to go that far. But it did. And I–I thought I could fix it before it all fell apart.”
“Nonsense excuse for an Alpha!” Solomon growled again. Then he turned to Eleanor, his eyes burning. “You’re going with us. In our house. We already have enough scandal here.”
He grabbed her arm.
Before she could pull away, a thunderous growl shook the walls.
Colt landed between them, half–shifted, glowing with fury.
At the same moment, Cal was already behind Eleanor, his hand gently at her back as he shielded her with his body. His gaze swept over her quickly, checking for injuries, before lifting toward Amiel with narrowed eyes.
Unlike Colt, he didn’t snarl–he watched, head slightly tilted, as if curious to see just how badly his brother would maul the bastard who dared lay hands on their Luna.
The pressure of the Brakenhowl twin’s aura made Solomon stumble back. Guests averted their eyes. No one dared speak.
Amiel stood, bloody and furious. “Let us take her. She’s from our pack. My mate.”
Colt turned to him slowly. “Say that again… and you’ll crawl home with one leg.”
Since Amiel had enough of this day, he couldn’t control his fury anymore. He cared no damn if he was influential. He just wants to get Eleanor back. “I said I will take Eleanor with me! Let’s go,
Eleanor.”
Colt’s eyes narrowed.
In just a nanosecond, he shifted into his huge, pitch–black wolf and lunged. He leaped at Amiel, who was caught off guard. Colt sank his teeth into Amiel’s leg, then hurled him across the room, slamming him into the wall with a sickening crack.
Behind Eleanor, Cal grinned–utterly unbothered, even entertained.
“Amiel!” Sadie screamed, running to him.
Teresa, crying, looked at Eleanor. “You’re really going to turn your back on us? We’re your parents.”
Eleanor wiped a tear and stared at them. “And I’m your daughter. Your real daughter. But have you ever treated me like one? While you fulfilled Sadie’s every whim, you overlooked the things truly needed. While you cheered for her achievements, I was left to mourn my misfortunes in silence. So tell me–have you ever, even once, treated me like your daughter?”
Solomon lowered his eyes while Teresa nervously smoothed the fabric of her dress, a flush of shame rising to her cheeks as they became aware of the watching crowd around them.
Colt, still in his massive wolf form, growled again, his black fur bristling and eyes gleaming with dominance. “From this day forward, everyone from Duskridge and all your alliances are banned from setting foot on Brakenhowl estate. Our support ends here. Now leave!”
Chanter 17.
