An Unwavering Promise--Completed

Chapter Two

Eleanor’s POV

There was a brief window of silence as I started for the door with Hailey working to get off of the couch.

“Actually, this is where I step in to plead with you, Alpha,” Xavier began. “As you can see, my girl is about ready to pop with our pup. Is there any way to convince you or her to make her stay?”

I pursued my lips as I stopped and turned back towards the two. “That is a very solid point.”

Hailey’s smile fell, and she looked crestfallen. “But–but! This was my lead. My people! I did all this work to help, and now you’re going to tell me that I can’t go? How is that fair?”

“It isn’t about being fair, Hailey. It’s about you being safe and your child. I can’t even imagine being the reason for you or your pup getting injured,” I countered.

She continued to pout at me as Xavier smiled smugly at her. I sighed, feeling conflicted.

“I guess there’s only one way to solve this,” I started. “Xavier comes with us. This way, if anything happens, he’ll be there, and if nothing happens, we have back-up.”

Hailey opened her mouth to protest, but Xavier clamped a hand over her lips and graciously bowed his head.

“That is a brilliant idea, Alpha, as per usual. Thank you so much,” he said with a wink. “I’ll go pack my bag.”

I watched as he helped Hailey up out of the couch. She gave me a glare as I smiled innocently back at her. I waited until they left the room before I turned to Alexander, who came over to my side. I playfully punched his shoulder.

“I could’ve used some help,” I said.

“You didn’t need it. Also, I think that’s a smart plan. I know I’m going to be obnoxious whenever we decide to start our family, so I can only dream of how Xavier’s feeling,” he grinned. I’d had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I may not have this happiness forever, so I was determined to enjoy all my time with him.

I shook my head, unable to concentrate on a reply. Instead, I buried my face in his chest and relaxed into his embrace. His scent consumed me, and I felt at peace until he broke my revelry by stating that we needed to pack. Reluctantly nodding, I pulled away from him, and we made our way upstairs to our master suite.

The room opened up into a smaller living space, which consisted of a few chairs in front of a fireplace. Going off to one side was the huge bathroom, complete with a double vanity and fancy shower. To the other side were his and hers walk-in closets, and, of course, the king-sized bed was centered in the back of the room. There was even a door leading to an attached balcony outside, which is where we spent most nights because of the hot tub. I had never realized just how wealthy Alexander’s pack was. I mean, my pack hadn’t been suffering before, but I’d never had such luxuries before.

There were a lot of things my mate was teaching me, and I was grateful for it. I had learned about trusting the right people and knowing that my close friends would always have my back. I had also begun to understand what unconditional love was. Alexander was a steadfast foundation that I had truly come to rely on in my life. He was my rock, and my everything. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine my life without him anymore.

Walking into my closet, I pulled out a duffle bag and began stuffing clothes into it. I didn’t really care much what I wore on this trip. I was still jaded from the time Charles and his father, Evan, had messed with my brain and made me care about designer fashion and short skirts and heels. Even thinking about it made me shudder. Now, more than ever, it seemed, I stuck to comfy t-shirts and sneakers. Occasionally, I wore dresses and heels, but it was only to major events. I swore off wearing anything Angel might wear unless absolutely necessary.

“El-ly!” Angel sang into the room. “Where are you?”

I chuckled to myself and exited the closet. “We have a lock on our door for a reason, you know.”

She just shrugged at me and smiled. “Heard you guys were headed to Seattle? Is that, uh…” she paused and pointed at my duffle bag, which was overflowing with basic shirts and jeans. “You can’t seriously be taking that stuff with you, are you?”

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Oh come on! Girl! You have a figure, and a man! Show off a little! You’re too attractive to hide!”

“You know,” I began, setting my bag down next to the door. “I was just thinking about how I never wanted to dress up like I did at Golden Sunrise. It was embarrassing. And pink!” I made a gagging gesture.

Angel flopped onto the bed. “But I’m sure you looked hot. Besides, do you really think Alex wants you dressing in baggy clothes still? I’m not trying to be superficial! Really, I’m not. I just want to see my best friend take full advantage of everything the Moon Goddess gave her. You’re a catch!”

The door to the bathroom creaked open, and Alexander stood there in just a towel that hugged his hips.

“I like her best in whatever she chooses to wear, but especially what she chooses not to wear,” he said with a wink.

Angel let out a scoff and shook her head. “You’re not helping! Also, put on a shirt!”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” I teased. “I think he looks good just as he is.”

“You two are impossible! But come on, Alex, you have to admit that your mate looked stunning in the gown she wore a few months ago. Like, drop dead gorgeous, stunning,” Angel retorted, choosing to ignore my comment.

Alexander nodded. “She did. But she looks good with whatever she wears. I’m just happy to be by her side in order to take it off.”

Covering her ears and closing her eyes, Angel started humming to herself. “You guys are gross!”

“Says the woman who told me everything about her own s*x life with Max,” I laughed.

“Let’s just say that I get it now. Please spare me the details and accept my apology,” she begged.

Alexander only laughed as he walked back into the bathroom and shut the door. I nodded and sat on the bed next to Angel.

“Okay, I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. A lot of this is up in the air,” I said.

“Which is pretty normal for you these days,” Angel interjected.

I smiled and continued, “But I trust you to keep everything running. Beta James has the same instructions from Alex, so you guys can use one another as resources. We both have complete faith in you both, and we know you won’t let us down.”

“I don’t like how serious this conversation just got. Promise me you’ll come back,” Angel said suddenly, worry crossing over her features.

I let my grin fade and looked at Angel intensely. “You know I can’t promise that. After Ryan,” I stopped, feeling the tears rise to my eyes.

Angel gripped me in a fierce hug. “He’d forgive you,” she whispered into my ear. “You can’t keep blaming yourself. We’d all happily give our lives for you. As a leader, you have to accept that you can’t keep us all safe.”

“I’d rather sacrifice myself than lose anyone else. If given the choice, I’d rather have died than him,” I replied.

Angel was quiet for a few moments before letting me go and saying, “But it wasn’t your turn, so keep living for the rest of us. If you ever get the chance to take someone else’s spot in the afterlife, then I’ll let you go, but until then, you need to stay here in the present with me, Alex, and the rest of our pack.”

I turned over her words before nodding slowly. “Okay, but I’ll be turning you into an Alpha before the end so that you can take over.”

She smiled back at me. “Then I guess I’ll never be able to learn everything. I’ll always need you to teach me one more thing.”

The click of the bathroom door jolted us both back to reality, and I quickly stood. Angel exchanged a few more words with Alexander as she walked to the door.

“Oh!” Angel exclaimed. “I came up here to discuss your own ceremony. You two have been marked and mated and even chose to stay alphas, but we need to celebrate and have an official ceremony!”

I groaned. “Do we have to talk about it now?”

“No,” she replied. “But when you get back, we have to plan it. People have been asking about their invitations. Whether you guys like it or not, you’re the hottest thing in the werewolf community. So much notoriety, and all the secrecy? I don’t know. It’s making people gossip.”

“Eh, let them,” Alexander shrugged. “Who cares?”

Angel rolled her eyes. “We do. Our reputation matters, unfortunately, for both of you. There’s a lot of changes going around, and you guys are at the center of it. You’re practically celebrities now. So, act like the world is watching because they are.”

Alexander and I looked at each other and sighed. But we knew where she was coming from, and she was right. After word spread about the dragons, our involvement, and general tales of our adventure, people were coming out of the woodwork to see us. It was annoying, but it was also doing a lot of good for my pack, especially.

After we finished packing, we made our way down to where the car was waiting to take us to the airport. Flying would be much faster even though it was not even a day’s drive. We didn’t want to waste any time. However, Xavier and Hailey would be driving due to her pregnancy. So, our job would be to check into the house we were staying at and scoping out the location of where our mystery orc was supposedly living.

I frowned as I watched another car pull into the driveway. It was a sleek, new jaguar. Two heads popped out of the vehicle, one covered in a hat, and the other head with a shawl. Both were wearing sunglasses and were as pale as snow. My jaw practically fell to the floor. I was not expecting to see the two vampires I had met during our last stint of excitement. I had so many questions for them after they had disappeared.

“Heard we found ourselves an orc,” Candy said with a smile. “Won’t you invite us to go hunting? We've come all this way to help, after all.”