Chapter 7 Elena The next morning , I made my way downstairs , my body aching from a night spent tossing and turning in a cold bed . Even now , with a warm sweater and pants on , I couldn't help but shiver . A cold fog had rolled in at some point during the night , and the landscape was still blanketed in it - so thick I could hardly see beyond the gardens out front . " The house is freezing , " I said by way of greeting as I entered the dining room to find Killian already sitting there . " You should light a fire for once . " Killian didn't answer , just watched me as I poured a cup of coffee and piled my plate high with buttery toast , crispy bacon , glistening sausages , and even extra pastries and fruit . In my past life , I wouldn't have dared to eat this much food in one sitting , I always watched my figure , fearing that if I gained weight , Killian wouldn't love me . Natalie had always been tall and slender in that perfect , effortless sort of way , and I thought that if I looked more like her , Killian would finally love me as much as he loved her . But now , I didn't care about any of that . I just wanted to be healthy and strong so that when I did finally escape , I wouldn't be easily overpowered . I took a big bite of sausage and looked up to see Killian still staring at me . His eyes were ringed with dark circles and his face looked sunken as if he hadn't slept last night . Good . Maybe it was about time he spent the night sleepless rather than the other way around . " Did you have good dreams last night ? " he suddenly asked . I paused , my cheeks full of sausage and bacon , confused . What an odd question to ask . I took my time chewing and swallowing , in no hurry to answer him , then said , " What sort of a question is that ? My dreams are my private business . " Killian's face shifted , clearly surprised that I hadn't told him right away . Maybe the old version of me would have told him whatever he wanted without hesitation , always willing to serve for the sake of finally being good enough for him . But not now . I was tired of tiptoeing around him , acting like his little thrall just so I could die by his hand in the end . Finally , he just nodded toward the mountain of food on my plate and said , " I take it your stomach doesn't hurt anymore . " I blinked , somewhat surprised that he had remembered me saying that I had a stomachache . It was just something I had said quickly last night as an excuse for the real reason why Lucas was in my room , and Killian never really seemed to care about my health before , so I assumed he would have forgotten by now . I quickly composed myself and shrugged , stuffing a big bite of my beignet into my mouth . The powdered sugar instantly coated my tongue and filled me with a little more vigor . " Much better , " I said with my mouth full , not caring if my lack of manners bothered him . Killian looked at me for a moment then said , " Well , eat up . You should take care of your health . The election is about to begin , and I need you to attend some events with me . " Ah , so there it was . He only seemed to " care " about my health because if his obedient little slave - I mean , wife - wasn't in tip - top shape , then he wouldn't win the election . Selfish as always . In the last life and this one . Suddenly , I almost wished I hadn't eaten at all , if only to spite him . Maybe if I passed out on stage in front of everyone , it would ruin his chances of winning the election and I'd finally get some revenge . But I didn't do that , and just refocused my energy on my goals : I had to break our mate bond and leave the pack . With the election approaching , he wouldn't let me go , but I would find a way eventually . For now , though , I had other things to worry about . If the events of my past life would be similar in this one , then that meant that Natalie would return soon , and would bring all kinds of false accusations against me along with her . Cheers