Chapter 2: Hidden Foe, Revealed Ally
1416 Words
Eduarda leaves the room as quickly as possible, but to her surprise, it's her uncle at the door.
“Hi dear, how are you?”
“Uncle, I've missed you,” Eduarda says, “when did you arrive?”
“It was early morning, I didn't want to wake you. Eduarda, are you okay? You seem even thinner?”
“It's all in your head, uncle, I'm the same,” Eduarda says, quickly changing the subject, “How long are you staying this time?”
“Sorry dear, I'd like to spend more time with you, but I'm heading to the royal wolf pack tomorrow. Today is the first, remember? I came to collect those chosen for the royal academy.”
“Oh wow, I totally forgot,” which meant she would have to go to the square and face the jokes and insults from the other young people, because although it wasn't mandatory to enter the draw, everyone had to be present.
“Then hurry up, dear, it seems your cousin is going to enter her name this year.”
“Alright, just give me a moment, and I'll be down.”
Her uncle pats her on the head and goes down to the living room.
Eduarda didn't have many clothes, as Susan and Betany confiscated all the money her uncle and even her brother sent.
She returned to her room and put on the best outfit she found, a dress that could fit two of her.
And half an hour later, she arrived at the square, avoiding eye contact with most people.
Discreetly, Eduarda watched the young people heading to enter their names in the draw.
Eduarda wished she were different, that she could ignore the promise she made to her mother and take off the necklace, so she could have her wolf, and then maybe she would be there, entering her name in the draw.
The ceremony begins, and her uncle steps onto the stage along with the pack's Alpha, who says the same words every year about achieving strength and glory at the royal academy.
Then a child of about three years old is chosen to draw the names.
The child draws the first name and hands it to the Alpha, who reads it aloud:
“Betany Fox”
Eduarda quickly looks to her cousin's side and notices that she has turned pale and looks in panic at her mother, who is equally pale. Eduarda then realizes that she entered her name just to get attention, but didn't really expect to be chosen. Eduarda tries to suppress a smile because her life without Betany will be easier, as even if she doesn't want to go, the rule is clear: once chosen, you can't back out.
The child picks another name, and the Alpha announces:
“Trevan Deravux,” he says proudly because he was his son and the future alpha of the pack. Eduarda now felt like dancing with joy; without her worst tormentors, school would be bearable.
The Alpha reads another name:
“Gabriel Hux,” this time Eduarda feels sad because Gaby is the only one who is kind to her. He always seems to be defending her or helping her pick up her things when they bump into her, and deep down, Eduarda had a crush on him, not that she dreamed he would ever like her too. He was handsome, tall, strong, with a delicate face framed by golden curls. She would miss him.
However, the next name the Alpha reads makes Eduarda's world crumble.
“This can't be happening,” she thinks.
And silence takes over the entire square, his uncle takes the paper from Alfa's hand without the slightest ceremony and reads it again:
"Eduarda Trevilhian," he looks at his niece, who appears to be in shock, "Boy," he says, approaching the little boy who was pulling out the paper, "did someone give you this paper? In the name of the king, I demand to know who it was."
The little boy is frightened and begins to cry, the Alpha, red with anger, says to Pedro:
"You know the rules, once chosen, you can't back out."
"For the love of the Goddess, Fred, do you really think she put her name there?"
"And are you suggesting that our process is rigged? Or that I put your human niece's name there?"
"For your own sake, you'd better not have, or consider yourself a dead wolf."
"I am the Alpha of this pack."
"And I am a knight of the king, and he'll be interested to know that someone who never signed up was chosen," saying this, he steps down from the stage towards Eduarda.
"Duda," a voice whispers in her ear.
"Listen, I'll be there with you, so try to stay close, alright?"
Eduarda turns and comes face to face with Gaby, he smiles at her, and that's when it happens.
It's as if they've known each other their entire lives, she would trust him with her life, and he would give his life for her.
"What was that?" Eduarda wonders, "was it a soul bond? But I'm not a Luna leader of a pack to have a beta, or is he my mate and I just didn't have the full bond because of the necklace?" Her mind is spinning with so many unanswered questions, until her uncle holds her and asks:
"Did you put your name there?"
"No"
"Did you ask someone to put it in for you?"
"No"
"Let's go home," says Pedro, practically dragging Eduarda away.
The uncle doesn't say a word the entire way, and when they arrive home, he looks out the windows, as if to make sure they weren't followed.
Susan is the first to speak:
"Pedro, please, you can't let them take Betany..."
"Shut up, Susan. If she didn't want to go, she shouldn't have put her name in."
"The same applies to Eduarda," says Betany
Pedro moves swiftly, grabbing Betany by the neck and pinning her against the wall:
"Did you put her name there?"
"No... I didn't," Susan tries to free her daughter from Pedro's grip, but he doesn't move.
"If I find out you had anything to do with this..." he says and releases Betany, who falls sitting.
"Susan, take Betany to sleep with your parents, so she can say goodbye."
Susan helps her daughter to her feet and leaves the house as quickly as possible.
"Eduarda, listen to me, people die at the royal academy, whoever put your name is definitely trying to harm you. I've been trying to protect you, I married Susan to prevent them from trying anything against you, but now that your brother isn't coming back, they have certainly turned against you."
"Uncle, what are you talking about?"
"By rights, you are the heir to the pack, since your brother won't take over, the next in line is you."
"But I don't have a wolf."
"I know, my dear, but apparently they don't want to risk you finding your mate because then he would be the alpha."
"What should I do, uncle?"
"You will have to go, we don't have any choice. I will talk to your brother, and he and I will do our best to protect you there, and, Eduarda, stay away from the crown prince."
"And why would I go near the Monster Prince?" Eduarda asks, not understanding her uncle's words.
"Don't refer to him like that, he's a good man, dear. It's just that with each passing day he's becoming more unstable, but even though he's powerful, he used to be a good kid."
"And what happened then?"
"Being the most powerful, his abilities are much sharper than ours, and in the last year, he's been struggling with the mate bond."
"She didn't want him?"
"No, actually he hasn't found her yet, but it seems that in the last year she has been suffering a lot, and he feels part of that suffering through the bond, but he can't do anything to help her because he doesn't know who she is or even where she is, and that makes him increasingly unstable, to the point of hating the mate who, according to him, does nothing to help herself."
"Wow, poor thing, but I still don't see why I would get close to him."
"He lives with your brother, and you will study at the royal academy together, or did you forget they're just a year older than you?"
- Writer
