Fated | The Heir of the She-Wolf

PROLOGUE "Eleanor, you can do this.", I told myself and looked in the mirror. My hands were shaking and my fingers turning blue as I was gripping the edges of the basin. I felt like a ghost, like a shadow. But it was a familiar feeling, one that had haunted me for so many years now that I had learnt to accept its warm, itching embrace. Revenge. The one word on my mind that managed to bring comfort to my soul. "I will not let you down.", I whispered and drank the Glamour potion. I watched in the mirror as the potion started its work and my face changed, getting chubbier and smaller. My hair disappeared and was replaced by a ginger ponytail. My green eyes went darker, a warm brown colour. "No turning back now, Pebble.", I turned to my cat who was staring at me intently. "I will be back soon.", I promised him and left. It was time. Time to kill Valerio Aberra.   Chapter 1 |ELEANOR| The autumn sun was kissing the air, creating a warm embrace which hugged my body tightly and took away some of the chills passing through me. The sunset was slowly approaching, painting colors of beautiful darkness over the rose sky. A gust of wind swirled in the air, shaking the golden leaves of the trees behind me. I made my way through the garden spreading behind the Tower – a tall modern building in a dusty sand color which was home to the King of Clans. I looked to my left where the side entrance with its massive glass doors was opening to a spacious courtyard which was mainly used for physical trainings. Tonight, however, a large table was set up close to the wall of the building as a celebration was about to start. Waiters and staff were working restlessly to decorate, coming in and out of the building. I was not interested in any of them and they were not interested in me, either. Turning my eyes to my front, I could see him. Valerio Aberra, standing tall in the large courtyard of the Tower. I was slowly walking towards the table with a tray in my hands, carrying heavy gold utensils I was supposed to sort on the dinner table. Under the sleeve of my uniform, I could feel the tiny bottle of Nerium Oleander poison pressing cold against my wrist.   I walked past Valerio Aberra and made my way towards the table and I felt an unfamiliar itch at the back of my mind. Suddenly, I dropped the tray with a loud bang and all of the golden forks and knives splattered on the tiled ground. “Sorry, boss, I’ll clean this up straight away.” “Boss?”, Valerio asked with confusion in his voice. “Turn around, let me see your face.”, he commanded. I froze in my place with panic. What the hell did I say wrong?! Just about fifty meters from me was the tall metal fence separating the Tower and its land from the ordinary human world. What was across the street, was it a park? Think! There was a door leading directly to the street pavement, was it locked? Think! All these thoughts were rushing through my head in a split moment. Valerio was still behind me, waiting for a response. In that moment, I ran. “Catch her!”, Valerio shouted and on my right security guards turned in my direction. They quickly leaped towards me, but they were in the far side of the courtyard. I could make it to the door in time, I knew I could. I was halfway there when the door opened wide open with loud screeching sounds. A catering delivery truck had parked on the street, ready to make deliveries for the celebration tonight. With faith definitely on my side, I pushed the Triad guarding the outside of the door, and ran through the street into the park across. Taking a quick look around, I saw Valerio running behind me. Being chased by the most powerful creature on earth was the scariest thing I had ever felt. Panic was rushing through my body, making me lose sense in my arms and legs. All I knew how was to run. I looked frantically around and saw an autmn shopping bazaar was taking place in the park across the Tower and it was now packed with people. The effect of the glamour potion had vanished and I was back in my old body and my own clothes. “Move, move!”, I was shouting and pushing people aside to make my way through the crowd. It was now getting darker and I was hoping Valerio would get confused and lose my tracks now that I looked like myself. “Get the f**k out of the way!” I shouted as I was stopped at my tracks by a large group of people I could not get through. At this moment, a hand took my wrist and turned me around. I could feel the little bottle still under my sleeve breaking and cutting sharp into my skin Valerio’s eyes met mine and I could see the rage radiating through his face. With a strong push, I freed myself and despite my shaky legs, I ran again towards the edge of the park where I saw an office building. I entered the lobby with a loud thud and started researching the surroundings while everyone stared at me, their eyes wide open and exchanging looks of confusion. In a few seconds I noticed the emergency door and headed towards it. Just before closing it behind me, Valerio’s hand reached in and grabbed me again. I tried to pull myself away with all the strength I had left but his claws were penetrating my skin. I pulled again and shut the door closed, quickly locking it with trembling fingers. I turned around and took the staircase leading to the underground parking. He will lose my tracks in this labyrinth, I thought to myself, and ran through the parking grounds, searching for an exit. Making my way outside, I briefly noticed the sun was almost down. With the shopping bazaar and the Tower far behind me, I took the sidewalk of a bridge crossing the downtown. My vision was getting blurry and a sharp pain was crawling under the skin of my right arm. But I kept running, all I could is run, feeling the breaths I took hurting the sides of my chest and the wind cutting my skin. Passing the bridge, I headed for my condo. I knew my arm needed attention and my body was screaming for rest. Oh, God, what had I done…   |VALERIO|   The girl was smart but not smart enough. I had sensed her blood and could paint every step she took after. I took a walk around the building she entered and caught her scent. Following the trail down a bridge and into an industrial zone, I caught up to her rather quickly. When I finally saw her, she was leaning on a chain fence with a wide rocky field stretching behind it and she was trying to unlock the gate door. The ground was washed with the salty water as the tide was at its peak and the waves were high. There was no sandy beach - just the wide rock and the dangerous, dark water beneath it. This was the poorest side of the Carlton city with only industrial buildings around. Where the hell was she going? I followed her through the wet slippery path stretching in parallel with the ocean. She reached a small elevation which was spared from the tide and tucked away, hidden from the road by a large factory. It seemed to be home to a village made of tiny condos. I caught up with the girl and turned her around. The first thing I noticed were her green eyes which were closing as she was struggling to stay up on her shaking legs. “If you want to kill me, kill me. But first, I have to see Pebble.”, she said with a whisper so small I could barely hear. What the f**k was Pebble? She pulled away from my arms and turned around, falling on the ground. With keys still in her hands, she pointed a small condo in the back of the village. “Please. Pebble.” She could barely speak let alone stand up. Having no idea why, I picked her up in my arms and dragged her to the condo. I took the keys from her shaking hand and noticed blood dripping from beneath her jacket sleeve. Being so close to her, the scent of her blood hit me hard and intoxicated me unlike any alcohol I had tasted in my life. My senses were clouded and a sweet rose and jasmine scent filled me up and stretched every fiber of my body. I shook my head and focused back to reality. The tiny wooden home was built a meter above the soil on solid supportive pillars. I unlocked the small door and with the girl still in my arms, I walked in. As soon as I did, a small furry cat jumped from the bed and came up to us. “Pebble!”, the girl exclaimed and pulled away from me. She hugged the cat and started crying. “What will you do without me, oh, Pebble!” Her uncontrollable sobs were filling the room and her voice was full of desperation. While I was ready to cut her throat an hour ago when she was attempting an attack on me, now my legs were glued to the floor. Still confused, I pulled the girl off the ground and on her feet, carrying her to the bed. I took her jacket off to have a look at the wound. Glass pieces had cut through her skin and it was bleeding profusely. Where the hell did this glass come from? Taking back her jacket and turning the sleeve around, I saw more pieces and noticed that the sleeve was wet. Pulling the fabric to my nose, I inhaled and recognized the smell of Nerium oleander poison – the strongest poison known to our kind. In that second I realized I could not let her die, not straight away at least. First, I had to find out why she was in the Tower with poison stuck up in her sleeve, glamoured like one of our staff. And most importantly, I had to find out why her blood smelled like she was fated to be mine.