Beta Xavier Costa
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Amina Hazim
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3,8M
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61
Chapter 1
ELEANOR
âMom, please listen to me!â I begged her.
âIâŚIâŚIâm not going to make it, Eleanor,â she choked out, blood dripping from the corner of her lips.
âPromise me something, sweetheart,â she mumbled, but I shook my head. I knew what she wanted me to do, and I didnât think I would ever be able to do that. âGo and stay with your father.â
âNo! Mom!â
I jolted awake and glanced around, disoriented. The depressing gray walls of my bedroom greeted me. A thin layer of sweat coated my forehead, and I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
It was just a nightmare, again, I mumbled to myself before I got up from my late-afternoon nap and walked into the bathroom. I splashed some cold water on my face, trying to clear my head, and slowly looked at my reflection in the mirror.
My dull gold eyes stared back at me.
âWhy did you leave me, Mom?â I whispered, wiping away the tears forming in the corners of my eyes. It had been a year since I lost my mother and came to live with my father and his family, but the memory of her torn body still kept playing in my mind.
Life hadnât been easy ever since I lost her, but I promised myself that I would find who was responsible for her murder and make them pay for what they did. Iâd waited long enough for the âprofessionalsâ to do their job and find out who did it. But theyâd gotten nothing, and now it was time to take matters into my own hands.
I quickly wiped away my tears and took a shower to wash away the emotions and prep myself for whatever family drama awaited me next. I grabbed a red T-shirt and a pair of black jeans before I walked out of my room.
ââŚI donât like it!â My stepmotherâs voice boomed from downstairs.
âWe donât have a say in this, Karla. She has to come with us.â My father sounded irritated.
I didnât want to go downstairs with everyone in the house, but I had no other good option. I plastered a blank look on my face and slowly walked downstairs.
The noise was coming from the kitchen. No one looked up when I walked in. My dad, my stepmother, and my stepsiblingsâJacob and Averyâwere all huddled around the kitchen island.
âDo you want anything else, sweetheart?â Karla asked Dad as she handed him a few painkillers.
He shook his head and took the pills while gently rubbing the left side of his chest. I didnât know what disease he had, but I frequently saw him rub his chest and complain about an indescribable pain.
âHelâŚhello,â I stammered, but no one acknowledged my greeting.
Well, at least I tried to be nice for once.
âYouâre going to attend the Moon Ball with us today, Eleanor. Weâre leaving early, so clear your schedule,â my father said in a monotone the moment he saw me.
The Moon Ball! Why do they even need me?
âWhy?â I questioned.
âLook, if it was up to me, youâd be staying home, but the alpha insisted that everyone from my family should be present, and that includes you,â he answered.
I glanced at my stepmother to see a scowl etched on her face. She clearly didnât like me tagging along.
âI tried talking to the luna, but she wouldnât hear it,â my stepmother said. âGood thing I ordered a dress for you just in case. Make sure you do your makeup and hair properly. I donât want to be embarrassed in front of the other high-ranking members,â she said.
âI could have bought something for myself,â I asserted, and she rolled her eyes in response.
âI donât want people to think that Iâm treating you poorly,â she said before getting up and walking out.
A few tense minutes passed in silence before the rest of the family quietly left the kitchen, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I walked to the fridge, pulled out the carton of milk, and poured myself a glass.
âYou shouldnât have let her walk all over you,â Erica, my wolf, chimed in, and I could feel the anger pulsing through our veins.
âJust a few more months, and when we have enough saved up, weâll leave this pack,â I told her.
I knew I was breaking the promise that I made to my mom, but I didnât think I could cope with this house any longer.
Clearly, no one wanted me here, and I knew that the longer I stayed, it would only make things worse.
âWe can leave once we find our mate,â Erica responded.
Erica had been bothering me about finding our mate for a while now. But after what happened with my mother, it really hadnât been on my mind.
âEleanor! Your dress is on your bed,â Karla called from upstairs.
I finished my milk before slowly making my way to my room to find out what horrible style dress Karla picked out for me.
I was greeted by a wine-red dress that was sleeveless, and it had quite a deep neckline and a huge slit on the left leg that would stop a few inches above my knee. If this didnât scream slut, I knew the low backline would definitely do the job.
I wished Karla wouldâve let me pick a dress instead. This one would make me stand out too much. I slipped on the dress.
âWe do look badass though,â Erica said, but I shook my head.
I knew exactly why she chose a dress like this for me. It certainly wasnât out of love. She wanted to portray me in a bad light. I used to get upset when she did things like this, but I didnât really give a flying fuck anymore. Iâd go to the ball, play the part, and get through the night.
I took my time getting ready. I removed the curlers from my hair, letting it fall into a wavy mess before I moved to my eye shadow palette to touch up my makeup.
âEleanor, weâre leaving in five minutes,â my fatherâs gruff voice called from downstairs.
I quickly grabbed the off-white purse, stuffed it with my phone and a few dollars, and walked out of my room.
When I reached the foyer, I saw that everyone was dressed and waiting for me. Karla was wearing a black long-sleeved dress that flowed down to cover her shoes, while Avery wore something way worse than mine.
It was a pink lace dress that barely covered much of her skin.
âLetâs go,â my father said as he quickly walked out of the house.
The SUVs were already waiting for us. Karla, Jacob, and my father got in the first one while Avery and I got into the second, and we soon drove off.
I turned my attention to the window while Avery was busy texting someone. We left the pack territory and merged onto a highway that had nothing but trees on either side. After a forty-five-minute ride, the SUV turned onto a narrow lane before we reached a huge iron gate that automatically opened to let us in.
The deeper we went, the wider my eyes grewâuntil they were practically the size of saucers. The pack town was massive, with sleek glass buildings towering above rows of modern boutiques, flower shops, bakeries, and so much more. It was like stumbling across a miniature New York City tucked away in the middle of nowhere.
Iâd never seen a pack like this before.
As we continued past the town, rows of one- and two-story houses came into view. Some were so large they looked like mansions, each with its own private garden.
âWhatâs the name of this pack?â I asked, but I didnât get an answer. I wasnât surprised because Avery hated it when someone spoke to her while she was texting.
A minute later, Avery said, âItâs the Full Moon Pack.â
The Full Moon was the strongest and largest pack in this country, and even though many claimed that their alpha was one of the most feared in this country, rumor had it he wasnât as ruthless as his beta. For decades, theyâd managed to thrive on their own, making sure to keep their distance from the other packs.
This pack had a history of not allying with anyone since they did just fine on their own.
Usually packs only put on events when they wanted alliances. It seemed odd that all of a sudden theyâd reached out to other packs. I wondered if it had anything to do with what happened to my mom. Maybe Iâd be able to find out something useful tonight and coming here wouldnât be as much of a waste of time.
My thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the SUV stopped in front of a mansion. This was the biggest I had seen so far. Soon, our doors were opened, and we were helped out of the SUV by Full Moon warriors.
I walked to stand beside Avery, who didnât look as shocked as I was.
âLetâs head inside. Mom and Dad are already there. Our driver was freaking slow today.â Avery started climbing the staircase, and I followed behind.
There was a huge water fountain in the foyer with two sets of staircases leading to the upper floors and an elevator in between. The entire place was well lit with a giant chandelier right above the fountain.
âMiss Amato, please follow me.â A warrior greeted us and walked into one of three large hallways connected to the main foyer.
This hallway was lit up with warm light, and there were a lot of wooden tables placed at regular intervals, which had huge vases of multicolored flowers.
The warrior came to a stop in front of a pair of wooden double doors and opened them for us to enter. Avery walked in without even glancing at the warrior, but I made sure to smile at him.
âThank you for helping us,â I politely thanked him, and he nodded his head.
It was a huge ballroom. Many wooden tables were set up, and most of them were already occupied. I stood near the doorway and scanned my surroundings.
The room was designed with warm colors and decorated with fresh flowers. But the most impressive part of the room was the three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dark forest outside.
âEleanor, stop embarrassing us, and get to our table,â my father mind-linked me.
I fixed my gaze at my family, who were throwing daggers at me. I quickly made my way to our table and took a seat between Avery and Jacob.
âTry to fit in today,â my fatherâs voice rang in my head, and I nodded.
âYes, Father,â I replied before I leaned in my chair, grabbed the glass of champagne, and downed the entire drink in one go.
My insides burned in anger at my fatherâs harshness toward me, but I made sure to keep my mouth shut. I mean, it wasnât like Iâd always lived in a bed of luxury, unlike him.
I couldnât shake the feeling that someone was watching me. When I turned around, I spotted a group of men near the buffet tableâbut their eyes were on Avery. Still, the nagging sensation lingered, like someoneâs gaze was fixed on me.
