*Trigger warning : Contains domestic violence*
▪︎ F L A S H B A C K ▪︎
Eleven years old Valerian was seated next to Eleanor on the bed with his head on her lap while the woman sat staring at the beige walls in front of her with an emptiness in her eyes.
The memories from a few days ago buzzed through her head like a broken record.
'I'm sorry, your highness. The fall was fatal. The baby couldn't be saved. It's a miracle the queen is still alive.' The old white bearded doctor had said with an apologizing look her way.
'Good riddance.' Her husband, King Alker, had retorted before his gaze had shifted to her and he had grimaced, 'She should've died too. Next time I'll have to push her harder down the stairs.'
The doctor had gasped at the king's words, his eyes wide. But that had been his fault since the reaction was the very reason to irk King Alker enough to kill the old man.
Her husband had wasted no time to pull out his sword from his side and slice it across the elderly doctor's neck. The human had bled right in front of her eyes.
'You shouldn't have heard the last sentence.' The king had grinned down at the corpse of the man.
Eleanor was too stunned by the news of her baby to even bother about her psychopath of a husband. Even when the man had turned to her, made a disgusted face and spat on her, she'd remained utterly quite.
Three days later since the incident, she still couldn't get the trauma of losing her child and the harshness of her mate's actions out of her head. Why? Why did her mate hate her so much? Why did he push her down the stairs to kill their own child? Didn't he love her even a bit?
Valerian raised his head from where he'd rested it on Eleanor's lap and looked up at his step-mother. His green eyes grew sad as he noticed how hollow those grey ones of his step-mother still looked. He wasn't used to seeing Eleanor sad. That woman was a ray of sunshine in the dreary darkness of the castle.
She was so happy when she found out about her pregnancy. She'd paraded Valerian about how he's supposed to be a good elder brother and what not. She'd even ranted on about how he'd still remain the favorite to her. The woman was crazy happy.
But now it was all gone. All because of his father.
At that moment, Valerian hated the man more than ever. First he'd taken away his mother and now even the woman who was more close to him than his own mother, had lost her light because of the man.
Young Valerian sat straight on the bed and extended his hand forward to hold his step-mother's face, "You should go away from here." He said, his voice low.
Eleanor's eyes snapped to the young boy, "And leave you alone here?" She asked with a sterness he'd never heard her speak in. Infact, this was the first time she'd spoken in the last three days.
Valerian lowered his head not meeting her eyes, "Yes."
Eleanor just stared at the stupid boy before taking his hands off her face and pulling him into a warm hug.
"You dumb little boy, I'm not leaving you. Ever. We're in this shit together." She affirmed firmly making the boy let out a small chuckle in her embrace.
"You swear a lot." He said with a laugh.
Eleanor's lips pulled into a small smile as she brushed Valerian's head affectionately. The boy was really her little jewel. He was the only thing good she'd gained after meeting her mate. She'd gained a son.
The duo were in their own little bubble when a voice mocked them,
"Look at the love you both got there." King Alker said menacingly from where he leaned against the door.
His angry eyes than flashed to his son, "Why don't you ever show that love to me, you ungrateful bitch's son?"
Valerian remained silent.
"Answer me, you imbecile!" Pulling out the whip he always carried with him, the king took predatory steps towards his son.
Valerian's form went still. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the terror clawing at him at his father's sight. Unknowingly, he scooted closer to Eleanor.
Eleanor clutched the boy closer to her as if to shield him from the beast in front of her, "Leave him alone, Alker."
"Aww. My beautiful wife wants me to leave my son alone." Alker let's out a nasty chuckle, "Sorry, wife, I can't do that. Or should I say, second-wife whom I never asked for?"
Eleanor's heart squeezed in her chest with hurt. She knew he hated her. But she'd thought he'd come to love her eventually. How wrong she was.
"Please, let him be. I beg of you." Eleanor cried as the king brutally pulled Valerian out of her arms.
Alker who was about to lash the whip onto his son, turned to his wife with a maddening rage, "Get away, bitch!" He growled but when Eleanor still tried to pull Valerian back, the man's fury reached no bound.
He threw his son away and marched to his wife with the whip, "You should've died with that sickly child you carried! I think I should do the work myself!"
Eleanor plastered herself against the headboard of the bed in fear of the man but she didn't dare apologize for her behavior.
She knew she wasn't wrong in trying to protect the last thing that had grown close to her heart. She'd lost her parents due to the hunters. Her mate didn't love her. She lost her baby because of his twisted hatred for children. And now she wasn't going to lose the closest thing to a son she had.
"How dare you meddle between the matters of my son and I?!" Alker howled raising his whip.
Eleanor squeezed her eyes in pain as the whip lashed against her chest. She waited for another lash but a whimper caught her sharp hearing making her eyes snap open.
Behind King Alker's beastly form, she noticed Valerian crying. The boy seemed frozen from everything happening. But the big fat tears that rolled down his eyes made Eleanor's motherly heart shrivel in pain.
He didn't deserve to see this. First he'd grown within parents who were both psychopaths trying to discipline a child with twisted methods, than he'd seen his mother being falsely framed by his father as a traitor, than see her be executed in front of his eyes, than endure the cruelty of his father for so long and now he had to see another person he'd grown comfortable around with being hurt. Knowing Valerian the way she did, Eleanor knew that stupid boy would blame himself for it again.
It wasn't his fault to get a father like that. It wasn't his mother's fault either to get a husband like Alker. And it wasn't her fault either to get a mate like him. Any of it wasn't their fault that they got this fate.
It was all the brutal man's fault for being the way he was. And if in all of this, there was some fault they did was let him off with everything he did. Alker was a mere human. They were all powerful supernaturals and yet they'd granted him the full chance to assault them. They could have ended it long ago. She could've ended it long ago. But no, they'd fed the violence and let it hurt them.
Something in Eleanor snapped as she registered her own thoughts. None of them deserved what Alker had done to them. Neither Queen Prudence. Neither Valerian. Neither herself. They could've ended it. She could've ended it if she wasn't blinded by false hope of seeing him as a better man. There was no hope to begin with.
The man was beyond mending now.
As a strong feeling of determination ran through her veins, the next lash of the whip came flying at her. But this time she didn't let it connect with her skin. Instead, she grabbed the black leather, pulled it out of the king's hands with a strong tug and threw it a few meters away from Valerian's feet.
She could see the close to insanity rage burning in Alker's eyes and at that moment, she knew he was never going to change.
She knew he would never stop hurting others as she willed her lycan's strength. She knew he'd never feel remorse for what he did to his first wife and his son as her wolf claws came out.
As she dug her nails into King Alker's chest and the warm morsel inside pulsated as she caged it, Eleanor knew what she was doing might not be the right thing to do but it was the only thing she could do to save them all from more cruelty.
With that, she pulled out her mate's heart while her lycan wept with the loss, although there was a part of it that finally felt releived.
* * *
------------Kaitlyn's POV-------------
Eleanor's eyes held tears in them as she narrated the story. I could see the pain she tried to conceal. She truly seemed to love that man who didn't deserve her love.
"After that happened, I knew if anyone came to know that Eleanor killed King Alker, than she'd be beheaded for slaying the regent monarch." Valerian's words made me turn to him.
"But they didn't behead you for slaying the monarch." I state in confusion.
"That's because I'm the original owner of the monarchy." He said, "The throne of Raveria can only belong to a raven or not belong to anyone at all. After my mother's death, I was the next inline and then my mother's younger brother but he had dissapeared from the face of earth since mother taking up the throne. Even when my father was the king, he was only appointed as a regent since I wasn't of age to take up the throne. He wanted to kill me so bad but he knew if he killed me, either my uncle would get the throne if he returned from his hiding or the throne and the kingdom would be divided among the other four sub-kingdoms. He knew he could either live as a regent king for the time being or as a mere commoner. He chose the wiser option."
That was true. I'd heard how Raveria was only to be ruled by a raven since it was a raven itself who'd hunted the hidden kingdom centuries ago. He'd made his people pledge that the throne be passed to one of his own kind or to none at all.
Bringing my gaze back to Valerian, "So you took the blame on yourself? Just like that?" I asked, bewilderment coating my voice.
I'd known long ago that behind all those facade of a cruel king, Valerian was really soft at heart and that he would do anything for his loved ones. But I'd never expected him to literally become the villian to his very people for a crime he hadn't even committed.
Valerian might be considered cruel and ruthless but him killing his own father is the string that everyone uses to describe him. Victor had used it to get me to his side too.
"If I have to become a monster to keep the ones I care for safe, then so be it. Their opinion didn't matter to me as long as Eleanor was alive." Valerian's eyes shone with certainty, "Besides, if it wasn't about her life, I'd still do the same. To save her reputation."
I gawked at the man like a fool. What was wrong with him? Did he have no value of his life? Was he loose in the brain department?
"He's stubborn. I confessed the truth myself but he compelled everyone in the court to believe his lie instead." Eleanor shook her head with a sigh but her eyes held a certain warmth.
She knew Valerian would do anything for her. And I could say she'd do the same. She'd killed her own mate to keep Valerian away from any more assault, after all.
"Would you do the same if it was me instead?" I don't know why I ask the question to him but I do.
"Yes." Valerian retorts without wasting a single breath.
Something about the quick reply makes my heart flutter in a funny way. Ignoring the dumb organ, "What if you would've died while trying to save my 'reputation'?"
"Then I'd die with honor." His searing gaze meets mine with a strong conviction.
This man was insane.
"I'm going to help you find your enemies. I'll hide the truth from them about my telling you." I say determinedly after a moment of gawking at the man's reply.
"No." He says almost instantly, but before he can me give one thousand reasons on why I shouldn't, I stop him,
"So you can die with honor to save my reputation but I cannot lie with honor to save your life?" I throw the man an incredulous look.
Valerian lets out a sigh, "You don't understand-"
"No, Valerian. It's you who doesn't understand. " I take a step forward to him, my hand moves on their own accord to hold his face, "I know you feel like you need to protect everyone and everything around you. That they're all your responsibility. But no, that's not it. Sometimes, even the protector needs protection. Sometimes they're so engrossed in saving others that they forget about themselves. This becomes the reason to their downfall. And I can't let you face your downfall because of me. Protect me all you want but let me be your protector too. Let me tell you about the people who want to kill you. A mate could do atleast that much for their other half, don't you think?" I ask with a smile.
Valerian's own lips tugs at the corners, his eyes grow warm as he leans forward, not saying a word. I don't move an inch as his face inches closer and closer until he places a soft kiss to my forehead.
Pulling back, "Aren't you a pretty protector though?" He passes me a mischievous grin making me let out a chuckle.
"My goodness, this is so romantic. I'm at the verge of tears of happiness here." Eleanor's voice snaps me out of my haze reminding me of the company we had.
Valerian rolls his eyes at his step-mother while my cheeks flush crimson. Geziore, I completely forgot about her presence.
This is so embarrassing.
This chapter took me so long to jot down. Phew. Atleast it's done.
Anyways, thoughts on this chapter👀
Do you think what Eleanor did to King Alker was right?
What do you think will happen now that Valerian will allow Kaitlyn to tell him of the plans among the villian group?