Neveah staggered down the hallway, heading to her quarters whilst clutching a vial in her hand.
She was not surprised to see she did not encounter anyone on the way, most of the Eclipse Alphas had already left the palace for Mount Vernon and the Eclipse Fang warriors had been dismissed.
Neveah groaned quietly, every ounce of her body throbbed with pain and she could feel her torn skin grazing against the clothing she wore but she bit her lip harshly to keep in any sounds.
She continued down the hall till she emerged from the main palace and then headed to her quarters.
Neveah stumbled into her room, breathing heavily as she shut the door and headed to her mirror, stripping out of her clothing and wincing at the sight.
Whip marks and ripped skin crossed the entire expanse of her chest and Neveah did not even want to guess how her back looked like.
Prince Alessio had been ruthless, not an inch of her skin was left intact save for her face... the one part of her Alpha King Lothaire cared the most about.
Neveah was only glad the whip had not been silver or her cover would have been blown immediately when her skin sizzled and burned in reaction to it
"By the creator!" A voice exclaimed from Neveah's bathroom and Neveah turned sharply to see Laila, her new attendant.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Neveah snapped furiously as the bucket of water Laila had been holding dropped out of her grip in her shock, spilling all over the ground.
Neveah frowned in distaste at the messy sight and the trembling attendant.
"Who did this to you princess?! I will inform the Alpha King immediately!" Laila exclaimed in panic,
Neveah quirked a brow at Laila, fixing her with a deadpan gaze and Laila's eyes widened in understanding.
"The Alpha... Alpha King...did this?!" Laila exclaimed in shock and Neveah was growing annoyed by Laila's innocent pretenses.
Laila was sent from the Alpha Queen, excluding the fact that everyone in Eclipse Fang already knew Neveah was not the noble princess she acted to be but was infact a scorned bastard,
Anyone from Alpha Queen Vilma had obviously been sent out to torture her, how could she act surprised to see Neveah in such a condition when she should have rightly been elated?
"Leave." Neveah ordered, turning her gaze back to the mirror.
"But Princess, let me tend to your wounds..." Laila began to protest.
"Leave!" Neveah snapped fiercely, her gaze blazing with furry.
Laila quickly grabbed the bucket and hurried out of Neveah's room, shutting the door behind her.
Finally alone, Neveah's strong act crumbled as she dropped to her knees, trembling in pain.
Neveah glanced down at the vial, it was a rare magic potion her father had requested from a witch that would heal all surface injuries in the blink of an eye.
It was a precious item, one only the Alpha King could be granted and the generous amount she had been given was to rub all over herself so come morning, there would be no evidence left of what had happened.
Neveah scoffed, touched by her father's concern that she would have a scar left behind and she desperately wished she could keep all these whip marks as scars just to spite him.
Neveah lifted a hand, tempted to toss the vial across the room but at the very last moment, she changed her mind and placed it in her drawer.
Neveah then reached into her mind and dropped the block between herself and her wolf, letting her wolf's consciousness return to her mind.
"What? You need my help now?" Neveah's wolf asked in an annoyed tone and Neveah winced guiltily.
"I'm sorry." Neveah apologized,
Her wolf huffed in response before Neveah felt her pain deplete greatly and watched in awe as the wounds across her skin began healing up at a rapid pace.
"You come to me only when you need mending...we are one, I am willing to mend you. But for how long do you plan on living such a life Veah?" Neveah's wolf asked in a defeated tone.
Neveah sighed, her wolf had been the most understanding and supportive, accepting to be locked away rather than run free like she was born to.
It had been years, Neveah knew she had been too inconsiderate of her wolf's feelings and denying herself of the precious bond between wolf and man was cruelty to her ownself.
Neveah had realized today that her father would never let her find out anything about her mother, at least not from him,
And if he would not tell her, then there was nothing keeping her here anymore.
There was no reason why she had to endure such pain and heartache, leaving with the disdain and scorn of all the wolves from Eclipse Fang,
There was no reason why she had to live such a pitiful existence, it was about time she thought for herself alone.
So what if she could never find her mother? Her mother had abandoned her as a baby and left her to such a cruel fate,
Her mother had never come looking for her all these years, not even caring if her own child was dead or alive.
Even a heartless and evil person like Alpha Queen Vilma loved her son more than her own life, where was there a mother that abandoned their child in the wolf's den?
All these years, Neveah had got by with the believe that she could one day leave in search of her mother but it was only now Neveah considered it clearly,
What if her mother did not even want to be found? To have abandoned Neveah at the Eclipse Palace, didn't that already make it clear that her mother did not want her?
Neither her father nor her mother wanted her, Neveah understood this now.
"In that case, I will find my own path in life and cut all ties with my past. I will leave Eclipse Fang." Neveah decided.
Be a rogue, living on the run... whatever it was, as long as it was freedom... Neveah would take it.
"Neveah?... Veah?" A voice called from Neveah's door,
Neveah frowned wondering who it was so late in the night as she got off her bed and headed to her door.
Neveah pulled the door opened and was surprised to see Luna Colleen standing there with a bright smile on her lips and Alpha Dane stood behind her.
"Aunt Colleen, Uncle Dane...hi..." Neveah greeted, recalling she had not gotten around to visiting the Luna of Eclipse Hunt Pack.
That was probably why Alpha Dane had such a broody mood and Neveah winced in guilt.
"Veah darling, I waited and waited but it was a no show...did something happen?" Luna Colleen asked as Neveah stepped aside to let the couple in.
"No... no, I'm fine. My father needed my attention and I was by his side all the while." Neveah replied in an apologetic tone, lying through her teeth.
"Ow... that's such a pity, my mate and I will be heading out to Mount Vernon for the Alphas Summit at dawn and I just wanted to see you before leaving." Luna Colleen said with a disappointed sigh.
"Please sit, let me examine you." Neveah said, gesturing for Luna Colleen to sit on her bed.
Luna Colleen complied and Neveah lowered herself to a knee and placed a hand over Luna Colleen's stomach.
This time, Neveah let her wolf hover just beneath the surface of her mind, for some reason, they had always had much more alert senses than anyone else.
Neveah studied the heart beat of the pups and frowned slightly.
"Luna Colleen... have you come in contact with the Moon Whisper recently?" Neveah asked in concern.
The Moon Whisper was an extremely poisonous flower and deadly to even wolf shifters.
Luna Colleen's eyes widened in horror as she exchanged a glance with her husband.
"Moon Whisper?! That's poison! Why would Leen keep that anywhere her?!" Alpha Dane exclaimed.
"The Moon Whisper is not life threatening but causes paralysis when ingested, but when administered in small measured quantities..."
"It has less effect and our body can handle it without sustaining any harm...but the life within..." Neveah trailed off at this point when Alpha Dane was right infront of her in the blink of an eye.
"You are telling me that my mate is being... poisoned?!" Alpha Dane exclaimed and Neveah winced.
It was just an assumption on her path but she was certain there was the presence of the Moon Whisper in Luna Colleen's body.
"It is not that Luna Colleen has not conceived all these years...it is that she loses the child, is this accurate?" Neveah asked,
Luna Colleen nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.
"We have never told anyone..." Luna Colleen sobbed out.
"I understand, but now, you must be honest with me and I shall be straightforward. Do you reckon this to be normal? The body of a wolf shifter is not so weak."
" A She-wolf is naturally made to carry her pups and there should be no mishaps as humans face during pregnancy...unless there is an external interference." Neveah explained seriously.
Luna Colleen's grip tightened on Neveah's hand as she shook her head quickly.
"I cannot loose my pups Veah, you have to help me! Tell me you will save my pups!" Luna Colleen pleaded.
"Neveah, the Eclipse Hunt will owe you a debt of gratitude if you can save my daughters. " Alpha Dane added, his eyes wide with panic.
Neveah was touched by the love this couple showed to their unborn pups, pups they were yet to even set eyes on yet they already loved them unconditionally.
"I...I can neutralize the poison but not as soon as before dawn." Neveah replied,
"We can stay, we will return here after the summit...we will stay as long as you need us to." Luna Colleen replied quickly,
"It's not just about neutralizing the poison Aunt Colleen, you must figure out how you came in contact with it...from your meals, to herbal tonics, everything you have been taking all this while must be monitored."
"Whoever wishes to harm your pups is close by and if they can poison you once, they can surely do it again and who will neutralize the poison then?" Neveah pointed out the most significant problem.
Alpha Dane and Luna Colleen exchanged a look.
"Then you can come with us! Come with us to the summit and afterwards, to Eclipse Hunt! I will trust you alone. Stay by my side till my pups are born, please Veah!" Luna Colleen pleaded.
Neveah's eyes widened slightly as she began shaking her head to decline, her father would not hear of her attending the Alphas Summit but Alpha Dane placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Veah, I will speak to your father. As long as you agree to it, I will make sure he cannot say no. Do this for the future of Eclipse Hunt... I swear on my honor that I will return this favor at any costs."' Alpha Dane vowed.
Neveah was quiet for a moment, thinking over Alpha Dane's words.
"Veah... please... please say yes..." Luna Colleen pleaded.
"Alright... I will go with you." Neveah agreed.
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