Beta Xavier Costa.

Eleanor Amato - POV

A tense silence filled the car as we drove back home. Both the newly founded mates looked like they were going to battle, and even though I was all brave back at the diner, my insides started filling up with fear.

Will Xavier hear me out?

“We are here.” Ivan’s voice broke me out of my self-doubt, and I looked out of the window to see the pack coming into view. Ivan drove us straight to the pack House, and to my utter surprise, the three leaders of the pack were waiting for us on the doorsteps.

“News travels faster than light for sure,” I said as I got out of the car.

“Eleanor? What the hell are you doing with them?” Xavier asked me, sounding shocked.

“Xavier, I can explain,” I said and made my way towards him. “Can we all head inside to talk?” I asked him, but his eyes were fixed on Rebecca.

“Why did you bring a rogue into this pack, Mr. Tanner?” Samuel questioned, and this made Rebecca step behind Ivan while she lowered her head to the ground.

“Samuel, I will explain everything. Please let her come inside. I assure you that she is harmless.” I begged, and even though he looked unsure, he nodded his head as he walked inside, followed by Xavier and Marquez. “Let's go inside,” I told them both, and they nodded their heads and followed me inside the pack house.

Everyone who passed us by looked at Rebecca suspiciously and some even openly showed their hatred. I slowed down till I was walking beside Rebecca and I held her hand in mine. “Relax, everything will be fine,” I mumbled. We soon came to a stop in front of Samuel’s office.

“Should we go in?” Ivan asked me, sounding hesitant, but I glared at him and walked inside the room with the two of them right behind me.

“Who is this woman, Eleanor?” Samuel asked me.

“This is Ivan’s mate, Rebecca.” I introduced her to the room full of people, but no one had a warm or welcoming smile on their faces.

“A rogue, isn't that fascinating?” Marquez mocked while I saw Ivan getting angry.

“You cannot choose who is going to be your life partner, right, Marquez?”

“How are we going to trust her, Eleanor?” Xavier questioned me. “You know with all the rogue issues in the pack, her arrival into this pack is a little suspicious.”

“I understand, Xavier. But she is harmless.” I promised, but I know that is not enough.

“How did you become a rogue?” Samuel directed his question toward Rebecca. The room descended into an eerie silence while everyone waited for her to speak.

“I…I…” Ivan pulled her closer to his body as her eyes began to water, and her lips trembled.

“You don't have to tell your story now if you don't want to, Becca.” he consoled her, but she shook her head.

“No, Ivan, I want to feel the sense of belonging and acceptance again, and I want Alpha Derek to trust me for that,” she said and turned around to face him. “I will be fine, I promise,” she mumbled, and Ivan nodded his head.

Rebecca turned around to face the three powerful men in the room. She took a deep breath before she began her story. “I was only ten when the rogues launched a massive attack on my pack, killing a vast number of pack members along with my parents. And they took me with them.” A pained smile formed on her face.

“It was not easy living with the rogues as their prisoner. In the beginning, they would only make me work as their maid doing all the chores in the camp, but as years passed by, they started to abuse me physically.” Her voice broke, and her entire body began to tremble. “I couldn't take the pain anymore. I wanted freedom and safety, so one day, I decided to escape. It was not easy to leave that camp, but by some miracle, I managed to slip away.”

“So you escaped from them recently?” Samuel asked her, But she shook her head.

“No, I was on the run for three years. No pack wanted to take me in since I was a rogue, but some were willing to take me in,” she said.

“Then why didn't you join a pack?” Marquez asked her.

“They didn't want me in as a pack member. They wanted me to work for them as a prostitute. I didn't want that life, I would rather die than go back into that hell hole again.”

“While she was passing by our pack, that was when I saw her and I instantly knew that she was my mate.” Ivan finished the story. Everyone was silent now, waiting for a response.

“You know I can not take you inside the pack without doing a background check, right?” Samuel spoke after a while, and Rebecca nodded her head. “It will take a few hours.”

“That is all right, Alpha Derek. I can wait.”

“Okay, but you will be waiting in a room in the pack house, and a few warriors will be watching over you.”

“That's all right,” Rebecca answered, so it was settled. A few minutes later, two warriors came into the office and took both Ivan and Rebecca away. I was about to walk out of there as well when Xavier called my name.

“You know what happened last time when you stepped out of the pack, Right?”

“Xavier, I am standing in front of you in one piece, right?” I asked him with an arched eyebrow, but he didn't answer. I walked out of the office and made my way to Xavier’s house.

As I walked inside, I saw a lot of cardboard boxes neatly arranged near the front door. “Ah, you are back.” Mom said as she placed one more cardboard box in front of housewarmings all this, Mom?”

“Oh, you do remember the housewarming ceremony is tomorrow, right?”