Eleanor ate her breakfast quietly. She couldn't stay silent anymore when she felt Cecilia's scorching gaze on her.
"What?" she grumbled, dropping the fork and knife on the plate.
"How come Ruby thinks you flirt with Zane? Are you interested in him?" Cecilia threw her a quizzical look.
Eleanor pulled her chin down and resumed eating, her heart trembling with melancholy. She couldn't tell her the truth or lie to her. She preferred not to answer.
"Oh, moon goddess…" Cecilia shouted, her face bright with delight. "Zane is interested in you, isn't he?" She waggled her eyebrows up and down.
Cough-Cough-Cough…
Eleanor choked on food.
"Drink water." Cecilia gave her a glass of water.
Eleanor stopped coughing after some time. She took the glass and drank the water, shooting her a stern glare.
Cecilia didn't bother about her burning gaze. "So, Zane is interested in you," she repeated the sentence, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"I think you have forgotten that I am wolf-less." Eleanor felt a stabbing pain in her heart as soon as she uttered 'wolf-less'. It reminded her of Zane calling her a wimp.
"How could he develop feelings for a weakling like me?" she continued. "He will soon become the alpha. His Luna will be as strong and sophisticated as Ruby. There is no question of him being attracted to a weak woman like me." She stood up and went to wash her hands.
Cecilia looked at Eleanor with suspicion, as if she were trying to figure out what she was hiding.
Eleanor's skin pricked under her suspicious gaze. She glanced at her and picked up her bag. "I am going to the packhouse. Take care."
She kissed her on the forehead and walked out in a hurry. It was as if she was trying to get away from her.
************************************************************************
"Why has Nia not arrived yet?" Ruby grumbled. "I asked her to meet me here in half an hour. Can't she be a little more punctual?"
"She might have gotten caught up in some work," the blonde replied.
"Whatever." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we will execute the plan when Zane is not around. Give her the info."
They headed back to the packhouse.
Ruby noticed Zane on the porch with Lucas. "Go and find Nia," she murmured to the blonde before approaching Zane. She smiled when she saw him turning towards her.
"Zane…" She dashed up to him and threw herself on him.
Lucas flailed his arms in the air and walked away, groaning in frustration.
Zane instinctively hugged her, but his gaze was on Eleanor behind Ruby. He stood there and watched her walk right past him and into the house. He felt a stinging pain in his heart, looking at how she ignored his presence. It was as if she didn't mind if he kissed or hugged Ruby.
He grew irritated.
No one had ever dared to disregard him. But Eleanor did everything to offend him. She didn't give a damn about his words, neither did she hesitate to defy him. And what's more, she even ignored him as if he did not exist.
Zane's nostrils flared in anger. He initially considered apologizing to her. But now he felt the need to chastise her.
"You are finally done with training." Ruby's sweet voice pulled him out of his trance. He mustered a smile.
"Can we get in the shower now?" She asked in her nasal tone and bit her bottom lip, casting him a seductive look.
Zane wanted to dodge her request. After some thought, he decided to take a bath with her. He couldn't possibly let her suspect that he was attracted to Eleanor. Besides, he needed to get his mind off Eleanor.
"Alright." He scooped her up in his arms all of a sudden.
"Ah…" she screamed, coiling her arms around his neck. She giggled as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"You will have to put up with me today," he whispered as he strode to his room.
A couple of hours later…
Eleanor had been cooking by herself since the morning. She didn't get any time to take a break. The heat had turned her face red.
She initially assumed Linde was late. However, she later discovered that Linde was on leave. She hardly managed to serve breakfast on time. She wanted to finish cooking before everyone got here for lunch.
Meanwhile, she heard a group of women laughing and chatting. She peeked into the dining hall, only to see Ruby and her friends coming. It reminded her of the incident that happened early in the morning.
She was angry. At the same time, she became alarmed, fearing that they would cause her more problems. She kept doing her work without paying attention to them.
"You are glowing, Ruby. What is the matter?" The blonde gave her a curious look.
"Me and Zane made out under the shower." Ruby flushed as she remembered their wild moments in the bathroom.
"Only making out?" The blonde scoffed and nudged her on the arm.
"I mean, we made love," Ruby murmured, blushing furiously.
"Oh…" Both of her friends teased her.
"Hey, you…" Nia called out. "Bring us some juice."
"Only juice!" The blonde exclaimed. "I want some snacks as well. What do you say, Ruby?"
"Yes. I want some pancakes," Ruby squealed.
"Bring some pancakes also," the blonde demanded. "Fast."
Eleanor served the juice quickly. She didn't say a word to oppose them. She wanted to do whatever they asked without defying and then let them go. She dashed back to the kitchen to start making pancakes.
"Why are you taking so long?" Nia yelled after some time. "Are you going to spend an eternity making pancakes?"
They burst out laughing.
"Looks like we will get our snacks at lunch," the blonde scoffed.
"What a useless maid," Ruby sneered. "She dropped a plate of food yesterday. I have never seen such a clumsy maid. I would have fired her if it had happened at the Blue Moon Pack."
"Don't worry, Ruby. She can't stay any longer here. We don't want a clumsy, slow maid either." Nia smirked.
Eleanor came out of the kitchen with a plate full of pancakes and put it on the table. She turned around and walked back to the kitchen.
Ruby became frustrated when she didn't get a reaction from her. She did everything, hoping Eleanor would say or do something. But things didn't turn out as expected.
"Wait…" she growled, slamming her fist on the table.
Eleanor halted her steps and glanced back at her over her shoulder.
"Don't you know who I am?" Ruby snapped. "You should bow to me after serving food."
Eleanor let out a sigh secretly. She was running out of time. She feared that she wouldn't be able to finish cooking before everyone came for lunch. So, she docilely bowed to her.
When she turned to go back, she heard Ruby say, "I didn't permit you to leave."
Eleanor looked back at her. "How can I help you, miss?" she asked politely, her head bowed.
Her gentle tone enraged Ruby even more. She assumed Eleanor was making fun of her.
"Kneel," she yelled. "Say sorry to me."
Eleanor looked up at her, the 'V' forming between her eyebrows.
"Eyes down," Nia grumbled. "When she asked you to apologize, you should do so without defying her."
"Why would I say sorry?" Eleanor finally opened her mouth. "I did nothing wrong."
Nia stood up and dashed over to her. She yanked her neck from behind and forced her to kneel. "Say sorry to her, you filthy creature." She kicked her in the back.
"Ah…" Eleanor landed on her face.
"Why are you bullying her?" A male voice from behind caught their attention. They turned around and saw Connor walking into the dining hall.