The abandoned wolfless but true princess

CHAPTER THREE

BRANKO’s POV.

I watched from the sidelines, my hands folded behind my back as the match unfolded and I saw the exact moment it happened.

The shift, the hesitation. The break in Jorge's focus and then she struck, a rake across the face.

It wasn’t powerful but it was a calculated move. I exhaled softly as she landed on the ground. So that was her move? That was what she was planning a few minutes ago. Eleanor wasn’t trying to show strength or dominance, she was trying to adapt to Jorge—but still, it wasn’t how things were done here.

From what I heard, she was the daughter of the legendary queen, Alva- former queen of the Highcrest kingdom and overall Luna of the packs under the kingdom. Her name alone carried so much expectation and weight.

A few days before she was sent here, Madam Amanda had called me. I have come in contact with her, once when she saved me in the forest from a rogue and the second when she had invited us for a feast at the palace.

I was a bit surprised to receive her call that day and I had to leave the academy to go see her.

“King James has brought his supposed daughter back to the kingdom” she had said,”and she is coming to the academy”

I wondered why she called me to tell me that. It wasn’t like it was my direct business but her next words made me understand that.

“You have become like a member of my family Branko and that’s why I have taken it upon myself to tell you this. Even if she is the daughter of the late Queen, she is very different from her mother, Branko. Eleanor is not what she seems like and I am telling you this so you can do the needful. She is unlike anything you have seen before and coupled with the fact that she doesn’t have a wolf, it will be very difficult to handle her”

“Keep her locked away in there,” she said. “she is wolfless and may never have a wolf. Just make sure she never has the opportunity to disgrace the academy.”

I saw no reason in refusing but I didn’t say anything. I owed her my life but then part of me wanted to see Eleanor myself. I wanted to see what she had to offer before I made my decision..

I didn’t know what I was expecting when I heard she was coming to the academy— but she was certainly less than that.

Eleanor only had the physique—sure, but no physical strength or anything to back it up except the speed. No dominance. Nothing at all. At this point, she would be practically useless.

The only thing she could boast about was her facial features. She was beautiful—striking even. That was the only asset she had.

Not like I would do anything at this point. She was already failing well on her own. Not being able to meet up with the criteria, lagging behind the others and using cheap tricks—it was expected of someone who had no wolf but then, she was Alva’s daughter—the best there was out there.

“Clawing his face?” I said from behind her, “You really do know how to use your feminine abilities, Eleanor”

I hated when people cheated and she was doing exactly that. As the daughter of the late Queen, I expected a little more from her—it was expected of her.

“But I—

She tried to talk but I already walked away. There was nothing she could say that would change the situation.

But I stopped walking and turned back to her. Something about her expression made me glance back. Her fists were clenched tightly and her entire body was rigid with anger. I sized her up for a split second before I began to speak.

“You would never be able to achieve anything if you keep using such tricks, Eleanor,” I told her as I tucked the clipboard underneath my arm, “I have seen students pass through this academy and I have not had a case of anyone resulting to cheap tricks like this”

I was not trying to demean her. I was only trying to make her see reasons. Even though my job was to sabotage, I needed to see what I was sabotaging.

“I thought the end point was to win, instructor?” Her voice was sharp and edgy, “I thought the means didn’t matter as long as the end result was good? Why am I now being scolded for doing exactly that?” The more she spoke, the more her tone got heavier and angrier, “why am I the only one being scolded when I am sure other people would use tricks too”

“No one needs to use tricks here, Eleanor” I cut her off. “Everyone here has a wolf. One they fight to the death with.”

“So is it my fault that I do not have one?” She threw her hands in the air helplessly, frustration lingering on her face, “I am sure you won’t mind if Jorge or the others did this”

I raised an eyebrow at her, her audacity ignited something inside of me. Something I could not place a hand on.

“Are you calling me a cheat?”

“I didn’t—

“Twenty laps around the track,” I interrupted and her eyes widened.

“What?”

“stopping means starting over”

“Coach. That is—

“Get to it,” I cut her off again,

Eleanor bit down on her lips as she turned away. I didn’t stop her, I didn’t need to. I wanted her to prove herself more than anything. I would only be able to do what Amanda asked me to do when I have seen her full potential. Like my father would always say, “you can not spoil what you know nothing about”

“Let’s round up,” I called out, my voice echoing through the field, “we take ten and we resume for sparring lessons. If you are injured, take fifteen”

Everyone began to make their way back towards the dorm but Eleanor was getting ready to start her punishment. I saw Kathy run across the field towards her but I was fast to stop her.

“You want to join in on the fun, Kathy?”

She hesitated for a brief moment, turned around and walked off.

Now, the entire place was empty and Eleanor had begun her punishment. I stood from the sidelines and watched as she ran lap after lap.

One lap.

Two laps.

She kept running. Her body physically slowed down after four laps. The field was huge. Someone else without a wolf wouldn’t make it past the third lap but she wanted to prove herself—Her body was giving up but she didn’t stop.

After the seventh lap, I finally gestured to her to stop and she almost crashed to the ground.

“Do you realize what you did was wrong now?” I asked, marking something off the clipboard

For a few seconds, she didn’t utter a word

“I only did what I had to do” she finally responded.

I studied her for a moment. No regrets, no hesitation. Just a firm resolve to prove herself.

“You surely won’t last here, Eleanor” I said calmly and she immediately lifted her head.

“Trust me, Coach,” her voice rang out, “I am here to stay and I am going to do whatever it takes” her eyes locked with mine, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Her entire body was drenched in sweat but here she stood, refusing to break.

“I will prove you and everyone in Blackthorn academy wrong,” she added again.

I didn’t say a word. Her determination was contagious, her resolve was believable but that was not it. Her resolve was not going to get her to graduate.

Without another word, I began to scribble something on the clipboard again. I was already aware of her sealed fate—if only she knew.