Breaking free

After the incident with Eleanor, Livi had been unable to fall asleep after getting back to her room. Eleanor’s words had taken root in her brain, creating doubt about Jonathan. Also, she was very worried about Eleanor. She had gotten wind of a rumour that she had pissed Jonathan off and had been locked in her room. She wanted to check up on her and ensure she was okay. She waited until Jonathan left the house before making her move. Fortunately, she was familiar with the guards Jonathan had ordered to stay outside Eleanor’s room, and she easily bribed them to allow her to get into the room. After closing the door behind her, she noticed Eleanor lying on the bed on top of the covers. Her eyes were open, but something looked wrong. Quickly, Livi rushed to the bed and took a seat. “Eleanor, are you okay? You look weak.” “The candles,” Eleanor murmured, her voice weak. Livi frowned and leaned further down, getting closer to her. “What?” “Jonathan is using the candles to weaken the she-wolves,” Eleanor explained, her voice a little bit stronger. “They are infused with champignon. Are they in every room?” Livi’s eyes moved to the dresser, where the candles would be. Sure enough, there they were, but they were no longer burning. “Yes,” she replied. “Every room has candles like these. There are also others around the house.” “He is using them to make your wolves weak and keep you from fighting off the effects of his poison,” Eleanor told her. “I put mine off a while ago and I’m already feeling better, but my wolf has not regained her strength fully. As long as these candles are burning, you and the others will not be able to break free of Jonathan’s control.” After Eleanor saved her from Jonathan earlier, Livi had decided to trust her entirely. She wanted to be free, get out of here, and find her true mate. She was ready to do whatever it took to get her life back. “What should I do?” she asked. “Can you put out all the candles in the house?” Eleanor asked her. “I know it will be very dangerous and you might get in huge trouble if you are caught. But it’s the only way to get everyone out of here.” Livi nodded. “I will do it. Alpha Jonathan has already left, and the guards may not notice anything amiss. I’m willing to take the risk to get my freedom back.” “That’s so brave of you,” Eleanor commended. She reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Once we get out of here, you don’t have to go back to your father’s pack. You are welcome to mine, and I promise no one will take away your freedom again. There, you will have opportunities to build a new life and start afresh.” Tears of gratitude welled up in Livi’s eyes. Of course she would go with her. If she returned to her home, her father would only sell her off elsewhere. That was if he did not punish her and then return her to Jonathan. “Thank you, I’d love to come with you.” *** About an hour after Livi left Eleanor’s room to take care of the candles, a howl split through the house, startling the guards. Livi knew it was Eleanor’s wolf right away. She had finally got all her strength back, which allowed her to shift successfully. Outside Eleanor’s door, guards approached, alert. They waited for a while, but no other sound emerged from inside. One of them walked up to the door and knocked. “What the hell is going on in there?” he yelled. He did not get an answer or a chance to walk away as the door suddenly burst off its hinges, crashing into him and slamming him into the opposite wall. A huge red wolf appeared in the hallway, and the guards stumbled backwards in fear. The first one rushed towards her and she easily knocked him to the side. He flew into the air and slammed into the wall before dropping to the floor with a loud thud. She attacked the others before they had a chance to escape, strewing the hallway with their bodies. “Eleanor!” a familiar voice yelled, and she turned towards the direction it came from. A group of the she-wolves she had seen earlier in the courtyard was huddled together. Nessa was right at the head of the group. She rushed forward just as Eleanor shifted back to her human form. “How are you feeling?” Eleanor asked as soon as the girl got to her. “It was all a lie,” Nessa said. “After Livi put out the candles, my wolf got her strength back. Now I know he was not really my mate.” The other girls made their way down the hallway, some looking relieved, others confused, while others looked horrified. It was clear that some of them were still coming to terms with the truth. But fortunately, all of them had realised that Jonathan had been using a fake mate scent to control them. “Why are you doing this?” one of the girls asked. “He said you were his Luna.” “He forced me to come here,” Eleanor said. “I’m an Alpha with my own pack, which he wants for himself. He captured me and wanted to control me and force me to be his Luna.” “He forced me to come here too,” one of the girls who seemed confused said. “I don’t know how I could have stayed here and thought he was my mate. He hurt me and kidnapped me from my pack. How could I think he was my mate?” Eleanor walked to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. When the girl looked up at her, she said, “There was nothing you could have done. He was using poison and the champignon to control you. The two not only weakened and misled your wolf but also made it hard to discern his true intention. If I’d not discovered the secret with the candles, I too would have succumbed to his control.” “What should we do?” Nessa asked, looking at the guards lying lifeless on the floor. “We all want to get out of here.” The other girls claimed as much, saying they were ready to fight their way out of the compound if they had to. In another part of the house, a guard made a phone call to Jonathan and let him know about what was happening with the she-wolves. Jonathan cursed and gritted his teeth. He should have known Eleanor would cause him trouble one way or another. Just when he thought he had her all figured out, she pulled a fast one on him. He was well on his way to the marshland, so he could not just turn back and go to take care of the problem. Instead, he decided to go ahead and take care of Henry first. “Do not let any of them leave,” he ordered the guard, “or you’ll pay for it.” Eleanor’s wolf was strong, but most of the other she-wolves were either weak Omegas or without any training. His guards would easily subdue them, and he would teach them a lesson when he got back.