Choices have consequences

The room grew tense as the two Alphas glared at each other, animosity swirling around them. Thomas tore his eyes from Henry and looked at Eleanor, his eyes full of confusion and questions. “What’s the meaning of this?” he demanded, gritting his teeth. “Henry is my fated mate,” Eleanor told him. Thomas blinked and scoffed. “Wow.” He released her hand, and she stepped over to Henry. As the crowd watched on, he let out a bitter laugh. “Wow, so this is what all of this is about.” “What are you talking about?” Eleanor questioned. “You,” he said, pointing a finger at Henry. “This was all your idea, wasn’t it? You used my wife just so you could expand your pack’s territory and weaken my power.” At his accusation, the room burst in discussion. “That’s not true,” Eleanor countered. “I planned to divorce you long before I met Henry. This is all your fault, don’t bother trying to shift the blame. I just happened to be lucky to meet my mate after everything you’ve done to me. There’s nothing you can do to change what has happened, so just let it go.” “Yeah?” Thomas asked, his voice full of challenge. “Is he really your mate, or is all of this just an act? I know you two did not recognise each other as mates when you met before. So how did it turn out that you are fated to each other? Everybody here knows fated mates recognise each other the moment they meet.” “That’s true,” someone in the crowd noted. “But why would they lie about it?” someone asked. “Could this really be a setup for Darkfall to acquire some of Blackstorm’s territory?” another wondered. “If this is true, then we are all in trouble,” another Alpha stated. “There are going to be many territory disputes among packs!” “The only reason I did not claim Henry as my mate before is out of respect for my marriage,” Eleanor said to Thomas. “Unlike you, I was not going to do whatever I wanted just because I found my mate. I’ve waited until our divorce to make it public, shouldn’t you be grateful? You paraded your mate everywhere while I was still your wife and brought her to our house without a second thought about my feelings. Should I have done that too?” “At least I had the decency to tell you when I found my mate,” Thomas said. She scoffed. “Decency? You did not tell me anything. You notified me. You found your mate, brought her to our house, and said she’d stay no matter what I thought about it. That sure is a load of decency on your part.” “So what? Are you going to take my property and run off with him?” “Let’s make one thing clear,” she said, “Henry has no intention of taking other people’s land. He has his own territory and if he wanted more, he’d earn it the way all of us do.” “That’s what you think,” Thomas said. “He is using you and you cannot even see it. I thought you were smarter than this, Eleanor.” “You were the one using her,” Henry told him. “You wanted to keep her imprisoned in your pack so she wouldn’t leave despite everything you’ve done. You’re only interested in having a powerful Luna. You never cared about her. You are kicking up a fuss right now because you can’t bear to lose the best Luna this community has ever seen.” “Just so you know, the mate mark you gave me started to fade after I met Henry,” Eleanor told Thomas. “That’s impossible,” Thomas claimed. “It is, because Henry is my true mate. That’s the truth, whether you accept it or not.” “No, I don’t agree to divorce!” “We are over, Thomas. I've had enough of seeing your disgusting face. I, Eleanor Louise Lim, reject you, Thomas Connor Walker, as my mate.” Henry wrapped his hand around Eleanor’s. “Let’s go.” People parted as the two walked out of the hall, holding hands. Thomas was still frozen with shock from hearing that his mark on Eleanor had disappeared. That was one sure sign that their bond as mates had been compromised. How had he not known? If he had done something when he first noticed Henry’s special attention towards Eleanor, this would never have happened. Henry and Eleanor made their way out of the room and down a short hallway. When they turned a corner, he turned abruptly and pushed her against the wall. He did not give her time to react as he swooped down and claimed her lips in an intense kiss. Eleanor wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately. Their bodies pressed close together, igniting a strong yearning for each other. “We should stop,” Eleanor said breathlessly when Henry separated their lips and kissed down her neck. “No,” he growled, nipping her neck and licking the spot gently. “If anyone sees us…let’s not give him an opportunity to paint himself as the victim…” If people saw them like this right now, it would reinforce Thomas’s claims that the two had teamed up against him. It was best to not shove their new relationship in his or anyone else’s face for now. Henry groaned and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. “They can all go to hell, I just want to be alone with you right now.” “Me too,” she confessed, shifting his hair through her fingers. “I’ve missed you so much. But we’ll have to wait until the summit is over.” He released a heavy breath and pulled back. “You are right.” He gave her one last kiss and stepped away, separating their bodies. “It’s just a little while longer and then I can have you all to myself.” Eleanor’s breath hitched at the look in his eyes. They were dark with lust, promising things that made her core tighten. She really, really wanted to say to hell with everything too and go somewhere private with him. But they couldn’t just ditch the summit. After straightening their clothes, they made their way back to the hall. But before they could go back inside, Henry took hold of her hand and brought her to a stop. “Should I bring Sophia over so you can tell her the good news? She is going to be so happy.” “Yes,” Eleanor agreed, eager to share the new development with her best friend. “Please get her.” Sophia, Ethan, and other werewolves who were not Alphas or Lunas were waiting in another hall since they could not participate in the summit. Only after the summit was over would everyone gather together for a party. “We’ll be back soon,” Henry told her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Eleanor followed him with her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Just as he disappeared from her sight, Thomas walked out of the hall. He stood in the open doorway and looked at her, anger swirling in his eyes. “Are you happy now?” he asked. She turned to him. “What did you think would happen when you chose to bring Mia back? These are the consequences, and it’s all your doing. This is what you deserve.” Thomas took a step towards her, but before he could say anything, there was a deafening explosion.