Charm Of The Blind

~Eleanor Black~

My husband sat in his study, head down and confiding with his best friend, “I can't wait to give Deborah the reign that belongs to her rightfully. She's carrying my child. She should be the Alpha of the pack, not Eleanor.”

He spoke with such glee that it churned the insides of my gut. I was speechless. The Alpha of Rivermoon, my mate and husband, was out there impregnating not just anyone but my own sister's daughter.

“She deserves her rights back.” He added proudly.

“What about Eleanor? She's been recovering from the war for four years. Wouldn't she be upset?” His best friend, our beta James said.

“Eleanor knows she isn't worthy of her title. She's disabled, after all. No one wants a blind amputee to lead their pack.” The words flew out of Nate's mouth like venom.

***

The day they'd declared surgery was successful for my eyes, I planned to surprise my older mate with the news. He was a divorcee when we married, aged 35 and I was 18.

Two years before my marriage, I was kidnapped and brutally tortured by my culprits. They found joy in putting substances in my eyes. My absolute endurance was tested. Five days and nights of torture ended when I escaped with a little girl who was with me.

The little girl was no one but my late elder sister's only daughter, Deborah.

Being royalty always comes with a cost.

Nate belonged to a prestigious pack, but not as prestigious as ours. We were the BlackMoon pack, a royal bloodline of the King of Alphas.

My legs were infested, so they had to amputate. My eyes were blinded by substances, so they had to take them out. I lost so much but only gained so little from my so-called family.

For a decade, I relied on my other working senses to survive.

But who could've told me that blindness came with a curse of not knowing what was really going on around me?

Nate was 44, and Deborah had yet to turn 23. Deborah was married to a mysterious man of a mysterious descent. He was a werewolf but with an interesting lineage.

Nate was a devoted husband, and I foolishly believed in all his lies.

I wasn't prepared to learn the girl I saved from misery a decade ago would steal my fated mate. I would have saved myself from all the years of torture from my family, my parents.

"This doesn't feel right. And I'm speaking to you as the beta and the father of two girls. Alpha Nate...do reconsider." Beta James held his hand over his knee. Nate retracted.

"I know what to do, James. Not everything has to feel right. Love wins over everything." There was this innocent smile as he spoke. My lips wobbled. I didn't know if it was anger or disgust or both.

Did he love Deborah more than me?

Was she better than me?

I looked at the cane I brought home to abandon. I wanted to tell Nate that I didn't need it anymore.

Guess I will be needing it for a little longer.

I was at the door. Thanks to my sharp hearing as a Gamma rank, I could hear their conversation crystal clear. Sighing silently, I shut the door normally to announce I was back at the packhouse.

"She's here," Nate whispered softly. I heard footsteps, and I was looking down.

'Leo, you know what to do.'

'On it,'

Leo, my female Gamma wolf retracted the eyes back into the sockets. Iwatched Nate rush towards me with a huge grin to welcome me back home before losing vision painfully. I held my grunts in. It hurt like hell…

"Hey. You're back home," Nate hugged me dearly, I could feel his chest thumping. With a wide fake smile, I held his chest and said,

"It's very loud." I muttered with a palm on his chest.

"Because my heart is happy to see you, Eleanor. Come. Let's get you showered and ready for dinner. I cooked your favorite." Said Nate.

I resisted raising my eyebrows. I felt his movements under my highly dexterous hands. He bent down to take my sandals off, letting me slip into house slippers. I thought I was imagining it, but he lingered holding my prosthetic feet for a second too long. He was staring at my swollen, red knees to where my prosthetics attached.

"Beta James is here to discuss scope of our project. Our warriors are growing stronger by the day." Nate said with a grand chuckle. Beta James, though knowing I'm blind, bowed to me. I walked into the kitchen.

"Amazing. But I smell a lot of food." I said, gliding my hands across bigger containers of food.

"My parents are coming to visit, my love. Their business trip—" his words were cut short,

"They're coming to celebrate Deborah's birthday tomorrow. And her gender reveal." I said, sparing him an evergreen explanation.

"That's right." He kissed my forehead adoringly and started setting up the table. I sat down by the table with my cane, my hideous eyes covered with sunglasses.

Few moments passed. The commotion of his mother walking in, full of complaints was heard right by the door.

"...such weird flight seats! I told you to book the entire flight home, didn't I!?" His mother yelled.

"Uh-huh. And who was going to pay for the costly affair?" My father in replied,

"Our rich, useless daughter in law right here." His mother pointed to me and mouthed to her family. They burst out laughing, not knowing I could read their lip movements.

My lower lip wobbled. But I held it all in.

“What are you doing standing there? Serve us food.” My mother in law barked. Everyone settled and I got to my duty. Serve them before serving myself. Although, I always ate scrapes from their plates and whatever was leftover.

"I'm gifting her shares of the biggest construction company. She will grow with it's success." Father in law gleamed after taking a bite, discussing Deborah's gifts for tomorrow.

"And I'm gifting her a private jet I worked hard to get my hands on!" Nate's sensible younger brother said.

"And I'll be giving her all my jewelery! My daughter in law looks...questionable in them. She doesn't even go out. So it's onky fair the prettiest woman gets to value my jewelery." That was my mother in law's words.

A tear accidentally slipped from my eye. I was quick to wipe it off.

I wish I could wipe off the pain in my heart too.