Beta Xavier Costa.

Eleanor Amato - POV

Knock knock.

“Come in, Eleanor.” I heard Sameul’s voice, which made me open his door and walk in. “Please come and take a seat,” he said, so I closed the door behind me, walked towards his desk, and took a seat in front of him.

“Do you need me to do anything, Samuel?” I asked him, and he shook his head as he pushed away the pacers he was reading and looked up at me.

“You are still not part of the pack, Eleanor,” he stated the facts, and I remained silent. What can I say to that? “And you didn't bother to come and ask me to include you in this pack either.”

“I think I will just stay like this, Samuel. I am only going to stay here for six months, so I don't think I need to join this pack when I clearly know I will be leaving this pack.” I told him, but he shook his head.

“You have six months, and anything can change,” he said, but I shook my head.

“That is not possible. And Xavier has made that very clear.”

“I know what you are going through, Eleanor. But I don't think you can remain in this pack without joining it. You know you are practically a rogue right now, right?” he asked me, and I nodded my head. Well, the moment I left my father's pack when I found my mate, I did turn into a rogue.

“Can't I stay this way?” I asked him, but he shook his head.

“It would only pose a threat to you,” Samuel explained, and this made me let out an exhausted sigh. “I can initiate you into the pack right now if you want,” he said, and this made me look up at him.

“Doesn't that require a ceremony or something?” I asked him with a puzzled look on my face, and he shook his head.

“If you want a ceremony, then that can be arranged,” he suggested, but I shook my head.

“No, that's all right. Can we start the process now?” I asked him, and he nodded his head, got up from his place, walked towards a cupboard, took out a wooden box, and placed it in front of me.

“You do know how this takes place, right?” he asked me, and I nodded my head. He opened the wooden box, and inside, I saw the ceremonial dagger wrapped in a blue velvet cloth. Samuel took the dagger out and stepped away from me, and I also got up from my place.

“Are we doing this without any witness?” I asked him, but he shook his head, and right then, the office door opened, and Marquez walked in with another man in tow.

“Now that we have our witnesses. Shall we begin?” Samuel asked me, and I nodded my head while nervousness set in. Samuel began speaking in Latin before he walked towards me, and using the dagger, he sliced his palm and handed the dagger to me.

I looked at the blood dripping from his palm, and this made my hand start to tremble. “What are you waiting for, Eleanor?” Samuel asked me with a frown. I turned around to face Marquez.

“Marquez, ca…can you do this for me?” I asked him, and he nodded his head without hesitation. He walked towards me and took the dagger from me, and he extended his head so I placed my right hand on top of his hand and turned away.

“Relax, Ellie. The pain will only last for a couple of minutes.” Marquez told me, but I didn't respond. I am not a person with a high pain tolerance level, and I know how my first initiation process happened. The thought of this made me cringe.

“You are fucking weak. Just like your mother.” my father spat out when I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks. I still felt the wound on my palm burn and irritate. Alpha James quickly finished the process, but my father wasn't satisfied. He looked pissed.

“Ellie, Eleanor?” I was brought back from my thoughts when I heard Marquez’s voice. “Are you ready?” he asked me, and I nodded my head. I felt the cold metal on my palm before the blade dug deeper into my skin, which made me bite my lips to stop myself from crying out in pain. “Done,” Marquez said and let my hand go.

“Shall we begin?” Samuel asked me, I nodded my head, and we joined our bloodied palms together. Samuel started speaking in Latin again while I felt a rush of energy within me, and then something clicked into place.

“We are done,” Samuel said as he let my hand go, and Marquez gave me some cotton buds to wipe my blood.

“Thank you,” I mumbled as I pressed the cotton to stop the blood. “Now that it is over, can I go back to work?” I asked, and Samuel nodded his head. I walked out of his office and made my way to mine.

I threw the cotton in the rubbish bin and sat back on my chair, and just then my phone rang. It was the bakery. “Hello, Eleanor speaking.”

“Miss. Amato, is it a good time to speak?” the woman asked me.

“Of course, what is it, Mrs. Tanner?”

“We have a problem, dear. My chef, who prepares all the desserts, has gone into labor, and now I don't have anyone to make the cake,” she explained, and this made me rub my forehead.

“Did she at least make the cakes?”

“No, she was supposed to make them today since the mating ceremony is tomorrow.”

“Okay, I will stop by the bakery later, Mrs. Tanner. I will see what I can do.”

Sure, I am so sorry, dear.”

“That’s all right,” I reassured her before I hung up.

What am I going to do now?

“You know we can bake a cake for the couple,” Erica suggested, but I looked at the time. I have to go to the hospital today, but I guess I will be free after that.

“Maybe you are right,” I told Erica and I got up from my chair and walked out of there. On my way to the pack hospital.