Beta Xavier Costa.

Eleanor Amato - POV

“Of course,” I said in a high-pitched tone with a nervous smile on my face. I completely forgot about all that with everything that was going on around me.

“Eleanor?” Mom said in a doubtful tone and looking at her sweet face, I didn't have the heart to lie to her.

“Okay, I might have forgotten but…”

“Don't worry, dear, I am not going to hold it against you about that. Anyway, would you like to have some tea with me?” she asked me, and I nodded my head and walked towards the kitchen with her in front of me.

“Where is dad, mom?” I asked her as she placed a cup of peach tea in front of me and took a seat as well.

“He is overseeing the finishing touches to the house since Xavier couldn't do that.”

“Hmm,” I said before the kitchen became silent again, I took a sip of the peach tea, and this made my eyes momentarily flutter close. This taste transported me back to a time when my mom would make this tea for me every month. Even though my father was rich, my mom never went to ask for a penny from him. But that doesn't mean we were begging on the streets, but it was kind of tight for us from a financial perspective.

Mom worked as a waitress at a local diner in the human town, and she never let me help her out financially because all she wanted was for me to study well. There were times when she had gone hungry for me, but she would never show it on her face.

One of the luxuries that she would buy was peach tea. I have always loved the taste of peaches, and after having a taste of this tea at a friend's house, I would keep talking about it. So Mom would make sure that she gets me this at least once a month.

I was pulled back from that blissful memory when I felt a hand placed on top of mine. I looked at Xavier’s mother to see her eyes were soft. “Why are you crying dear?”

“It's nothing, mom. I…I just had a memory of how my mom and I used to have tea time together.” I told her.

“How was your mother like?”

“She was one of the most kindest soul I have ever met. She practically lived her life for me, making sure to provide everything that I need.”

“Didn't your father help you guys out financially?” Mom asked me with a frown, but I shook my head a sardonic smile appeared on my face.

“He didn't want anything to do with us. And he wanted us far away from him. But we were doing just okay without his help until…” words stuck in my throat as that dreadful day played back in my mind. “Rogues never bothered meddling with humans or any lone wolf living in the human town before, but that day it was different,” I mumbled as my eyes glossed with tears, and my mind was transported back to that day again.

It has been raining continuously for the past two days, and people were forced to stay indoors. “I don't think we can survive for another day, honey bun.” Mom said as she walked out of the kitchen with another bucket and placed it in front of the sofa I was sitting on.

This rain has made our lives harder, and more expensive since there were a lot of places leaking in the house, forcing Mom and I to sleep in my room. “Don't lose hope, Mom, we can always manage,” I told her with a bright smile on my face, and she nodded her head.

“Shall I get some popcorn, let's watch some TV tonight?” Mom asked me, and I eagerly nodded my head. While I was busy looking through which program we were going to watch, Mom had already come back with a bowl of popcorn. “Haven't decided on anything yet?”

“No, everything seemed boring to me,” I mumbled, getting frustrated while changing the channels.

Ding dong.

My finger stopped pressing the button while both Mom and I looked at one another. “Who can It be at this hour?” Mom mumbled as she got up to go and see, and I followed her. We were only a few steps away from the front door when the person began to bang, and this made my heart jump. “Eleanor, get out of the house now,” Mom whispered, but I held her hand.

“I am not leaving you,” I said with finality. She turned around with a panicked look on her face, but she knew how adamant I could get. She moved towards the door and looked out through the peephole.

“What are they doing here?” she mumbled to herself as she stepped away from the door. Her face was as pale as a ghost, and this only increased my worry. She quickly stepped back, got a strong grip on my hand, and pulled me to the back entrance.

“Mom, who are they?” I asked her as we ran out of the house and into the forest. It was still pouring outside, and my clothes were soaked wet. “Those two men had been following me all through last week. And I don't know the reason, but something doesn't feel right with them,” she mumbled as we ran.

“Mom, I don't think we can run like like this for long,” I said, out of breath, she nodded her head and shifted into her wolf mid-air, and I did the same. We only had to run for a few miles when a huge wolf tackled Mom to the ground.

It was a brutal fight as the rogue tore away Mom’s flesh, but she didn't stop fighting. I tried to go and help her when the rogue picked me up and slammed me on the nearby tree, making the tree fall to the floor upon my impact while I fell to the floor. My head was pounding with pain, and I couldn't hold on anymore when I shifted back to my human form.

“Mom!” I groaned, but she was already battered. Her wolf looked at me with an apologetic look on its face as the rogue tore her throat out. “No!” I screamed, but I knew that she was long gone. A huge smile was plastered on the rogue’s face, and it turned around and started walking towards me, but right then, we heard a lot of gunshots.

The rogue looked at me one more time before they both ran away from there.