Chapter 4

When Alexander and I planted that peach tree together, he had asked me:

"Do you know the language of peach blossoms?"

I shook my head.

He leaned down, gently nipping at my earlobe, his hot breath washing over my skin, making my heart race.

"Eleanor, I am willing to be a prisoner of your love."

A spring breeze brushed past, snapping me back to reality. I let out a mocking laugh.

I walked into the courtyard.

Through the sheer white curtains of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the sunlight glinted off the polished furniture.

I saw the two of them tangled together on the lounge chair my late mother had loved most.

Alexander’s breath was heavy, his voice laced with teasing and restraint.

"Alright, you promised. Don't take it too far."

Sophia giggled, giving his shoulder a playful push. "You've already signed this house over to me. Why do you still care what I do with it?"

*Signed the house over to her?*

Losing all composure, I burst into the room and confronted him. "You really gave her this house?!"

Alexander pulled away from Sophia and leisurely wrapped his silk robe around himself.

"Yes. The paperwork is being processed."

The moment those words left his mouth, a high-pitched buzzing filled my ears.

I couldn't hold back the storm inside me anymore. Like a madwoman, I lunged forward, pounding my fists against his chest.

"Why did you give it to her?! You promised that as long as I obeyed you, this house would stay mine!"

"Alexander, why did you give it to her?! Why?!"

He grabbed my flailing wrists and shoved me violently onto the sofa.

Even though the cushions were plush, a sharp, throbbing pain shot through my lower abdomen when I landed.

"She lost a pup. This house is my compensation to her."

"If it had been you who lost a pup that day, I would have compensated you too."

"And Eleanor—don't forget why you came here today."

In that instant,

I forgot how to cry, how to scream, how to hate.

As my senses slowly returned, Sophia had finished smoothing her clothes.

"Eleanor, I haven't quite figured out how to punish you yet. How about... you get on your knees and beg me?"

Meeting Sophia's condescending gaze, a wave of profound humiliation washed over me.

Yet I knew I had no choice.

The room fell into dead silence.

In that moment, there was only a soft, dull thud.

It wasn't just my knees hitting the floor.

It was the pride of my werewolf soul, standing tall for twenty-six years, shattering into pieces.

Sophia smiled.

"I don't have all day to sit here with you."

"This is your old house; you must know where the security cameras are. If I check the feed on my phone and see you get up, I'm afraid I won't be able to help Charles."

With that, she looped her arm through Alexander's and walked out.

The pain in my stomach grew worse and worse.

It hurt so much I couldn't even straighten my spine.

Every time I tried to rise and catch my breath,

the security camera in the corner would tilt slightly.

The person behind the lens seemed to be warning me again and again: if I dared run, if I dared stand,

Charles was finished.

As dusk fell, I suddenly felt a warm trickle between my thighs.

Under the pale moonlight, I saw my trousers were already soaked in dark crimson.

In sheer terror, I dialed Charles's number.

Sobbing hysterically, I told him I was dying, that I was bleeding so much.

Charles came.

He was still in his work suit, not even having time to change.

Trembling, he scooped me into his arms and raced toward the Pack Healer's clinic.

"Eleanor, don't sleep! Look at me, look at Charles!"

"Eleanor! Stay awake!"

Right before being wheeled into the treatment room, through my blurred vision, I caught a glimpse of Alexander.

In all our years together, it was the first time I had ever seen him look so panicked.

A man who always kept every hair in place was now wearing his coat inside out.

Could he actually look this frantic for me?

Too late. I never wanted to see him again.