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Liz POV I awkwardly sit down beside Stella and try to keep a smile on my face. It is not an easy task. I am sitting across from Deimos's brother, and he keeps looking at me like I am a snack. Nico and Deimos are sending each other death glares from across the table. The only one who seems to be excited about my presence is Stella. Stella turns in her chair and looks me up and down. She is stunningly beautiful. She has raven hair and striking blue eyes. Her skin is pale white. If Snow White were a person, it would be her. She reaches out to touch my cheek, and I flinch away from her. "What happened to you?" She asks me. Nico clears his throat loudly, and I jerk my head away from Stella. "It was a misunderstanding," I whisper. Deimos scoffs loudly at my response. "Tell the truth," he growls, looking in Nico's direction. I shake my head and look at the plate in front of me. I should have known I would have been humiliated by Deimos's family. "She had a run-in with
Deimos POV I look down at my hands that were wrapped around Elizabeth’s face, and I know I fucked up. I almost kissed her. If she wasn’t so damn irritating all of the time. If she had followed my commands, I would never have forced everyone out of the dining room, and we wouldn’t have ended up alone. My eyes flicker to the handprint I had left on her neck and an unfamiliar feeling bubbles in my chest. Guilt. I have never felt more guilty of one of my actions. The actions of my family; yes. But never something I had done myself. I would have to find a way to make it up to her. Duko, my wolf, is howling loudly in my head. He hates that we hurt Elizabeth. He has never cared for any of the women I invite into my bed. We both saw them for what they were, just things to fill my time until something better or more fun came along. I have seen how the women look at me. Half of them look at me with lust-hazed eyes. Willing to look past my family’s reputation for a chance at
Liz POV I stand rigidly until I am sure Deimos has left the dining room and is not going to return. The Omega he assaulted is moaning loudly on the ground. She is holding onto her neck, trying to stem the bleeding, but she is failing miserably. “Shh,” I whisper to her as I kneel beside her. With a cloth napkin in my hands, I press it to her neck. Bile rises in my throat as my hands become soaked in her blood. “Don’t let me die, Luna,” the Omega whispers. Her breathing is ragged, and I am not sure she is going to make it. With each breath, she takes more blood pours from the wound. “It will be okay,” I whisper. “Just hold this right here while I go get some help.” I move to stand up, but the Omega grabs my hand and forces me to stay with her. “Don’t leave me,” she whimpers. “I have to go for help,” I plead with the woman. “I will be right back. I promise.” “He will kill you if you help me,” the Omega cries. “Then so be it,” I say as I get to my feet. I run th
Deimos POV Elizabeth doesn’t cry as I carry her into my bedroom. Her head is nuzzled into my chest, and she is breathing heavily. It is as if my scent is calming to her. Every inch of her body is covered in Harriet’s blood. Guilt rises in my chest. Not because I killed Harriet, she deserved it, but because I left Elizabeth alone in the dining room to deal with the aftermath of my tantrum. I bypass the bedroom and head straight for the bathroom. I try to set Elizabeth on the small stool by the sink, but she refuses to let go of me. Her hands grip my t-shirt, and she whimpers. “You need to get clean,” I say gently. Elizabeth raises her head from my chest and looks me in the eyes. I expect to see her eyes full of tears but they are dry and void of any emotion. She unclenches her hands from my shirt and lets me sit her on the stool. I start the water in the shower and test it to ensure it isn’t too hot. “You need to take a shower,” I tell Elizabeth. She shakes her hea
Liz POV When I hear the door to the bedroom shut, I look over my shoulder to make sure Deimos is gone. When I don’t see his dark figure looming in the doorway, I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t think I could remain in his presence any longer. I know in some packs when the Luna is insulted, it is a crime punishable by death, but I never expected to see it firsthand for myself. Death is ugly, and unfortunately, I have known it from a very young age. A knock on the door grabs my attention, and I hold my breath, praying to the Moon Goddess that it is not Deimos on the other side. “Come in,” I choke out hoarsely. The door swings open, and Stella stands with her arms crossed, looking furious. “There you are,” she says as she enters the room. “I have been looking for you everywhere.” “Why would you be looking for me?” I ask. “Because that was some traumatic ass shit you went through this morning,” Stella grumbles. “It’s fine,” I say, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I a
Liz POV Stella drags me from Deimos’s bedroom and down the hall. I haven’t been to this side of the mansion before. Nerves bubble in my stomach as Stella leads me to her bedroom. What if she is only pretending to be friendly and she abuses me like the rest of her family? We arrive in front of a bright pink door, and I cock my head to the side and stare at it curiously. The color is totally out of place in the hallway. It doesn’t look like something Nico or Deimos would allow. Stella giggles when she opens the door. “My mother was so excited to finally have a girl after three boys that she insisted my door be painted pink. I know Daddy and Deimos despise the color, but they wouldn’t dare ask me to change it.” “What happened to your mother?” I ask. “She died in childbirth with me,” Stella says quietly. “I don’t have any memories of her. Only what is told to me.” “I have very few memories of my birth parents,” I whisper, trying to find a connection with Stella. Stella
Liz POV I squirm under his touch but don’t stop his hand from moving south. My skin feels like fire wherever his fingertips trace on my skin. It leaves my body and mind craving for more. I have pictured this moment many times in my head. Only it wasn’t Deimos touching me. But now that this dark lord has me in his grasp, I don’t understand how I ever thought another man could touch me. Deimos’s fingers stop just above my pubic bone. His fingers trace from one side of my hips to the next. His darkened eyes bore into mine as his fingers dance along my skin. “Do I need to remind you who you belong to?” Deimos asks huskily. “I don’t…” I begin to protest, but Deimos runs his tongue over my neck, and I lose my train of thought. “What was that, Princess?” Deimos chuckles as he breathes against my neck. Chills run up my spine as he places little kisses on my neck where his handprint resides. “I should have never touched you in such a way,” he whispers. I know this is as clo
Deimos POV I gesture to the bathroom connected to my office. “You should get cleaned up.” Elizabeth looks from my lips to my eyes. I know she expects me to kiss her after everything we have just done. But that is a level of intimacy I am not ready for. Her lips part, and I think about sliding my tongue between them. I want nothing more than to taste her. But now isn’t the time. When I finally taste her, I want to be able to take my time. I want her to scream and beg for my lips on hers. Not during some hurried tryst in my office. She rushes into the bathroom without another word and there is a small knock on my door. I know it is Stella. I open my office door, and Stella wrinkles her nose as she walks in. “It smells like sex in here.” “Shut up,” I groan at her. Stella lowers her voice and walks closer to me. “You need to be careful with her,” she warns me. “What are you talking about?” I say as I sit behind my desk and shuffle the papers around. “She is a vir
Liz POV I am staring out of the window with a checklist in my hands. Each item on the list has been checked several times. There is nothing else that I need to do. The Lunar Ball is already underway. From my window, I can see groups of people slowly making their way into the town hall that has been transformed into a ballroom. It has already been decided that I will be arriving last, even after the royal Lycan family. Stepping away from the window, I check my makeup in the reflection of the mirror. My face is still round from being pregnant, and my belly is still swollen. Thankfully, the dress that Stella picked out for me hides my round figure. I almost look normal. A quiet knock on my bedroom door pulls me from my reflection. “Come in.” The door only opens slightly, and my sister, Belle, squeezes through. I expected to see her in a ballgown, ready to join the party, but she is not dressed for the occasion. She is in her leather fighting gear. Her hair is pulled ba
Liz POVThe sun is warm on my face, and my eyes flutter open. A blue sky spotted with fluffy, white clouds comes into view. I lay my hand on my stomach, and it is flat. No trace of my pregnancy. Quickly, I get to my feet and look around. Once again, I am in the clearing behind the Moonstone Pack house. The place where my parents died. Everything feels warm and inviting. Is this what death feels like?A woman walks in my direction, and I immediately know who she is. “Mom,” I call out as I run toward her. I reach out my arms to embrace her, but my hands move through her body like she is made of mist. Looking between my hands and my birth mother, I am confused. “Why can’t I touch you?” I cry. My birth mother lets out a sharp sigh and wipes the tears falling from her eyes. “Now is not your time.” “I’m not dead?” I whisper. “You are stuck between this life and the next,” my birth mother explains. “You have a choice. You can stay here in the afterlife. Or you can fight to
Liz POV Six Months Later I have been staring at this screen for so long that my eyes are starting to go crossed. Since the battle, there has been so much to do. Each of the rogues that was detained has been questioned and subsequently put to death. As much as I hated to admit it, Faris Jr was right. A precedent had to be set that we were not a pack to be challenged. As if there wasn’t enough on my plate, Faris Jr decided that the next Lunar Ball would be held at our pack. It is only a few weeks away, and almost all of the planning has been done. I slam the screen of my laptop shut and pinch the bridge of my nose painfully. The pup growing inside of me kicks me roughly, and I groan uncomfortably. My stomach has grown to an enormous size over the past six months. Just when I didn’t think it was possible for me to get any bigger, I did. Bracing my hands on the arms of my chair, I struggle to push myself out of the office seat. As I am attempting to stand, someone knocks o
Deimos POVI know I am leaning heavily on Elizabeth as we make our way out of the forest. My arm is flung over her shoulder, and she is struggling to keep me on my feet. But she doesn’t give up, and she doesn’t complain.As soon as we break through the tree line, I see medics running toward us. Elizabeth lets out a sigh of relief, but I am not ready to go to the hospital. As Alpha of the pack, I need to oversee the cleanup of the battle.The medics take me from Elizabeth. They try to make me lie down on a stretcher, but I refuse. “I need to see my men.”“Alpha,” one of the medics tries to reason with me. “You are injured.” “I am not dying,” I groan at the medic, and I struggle to make my way up the hill to the pack house. My hands claw at the ground in front of me as I try to make it to the top of the hill. I can hear Elizabeth groan behind me, and she wraps her arm around my waist to help me to the pack house. “You really need to be seen,” she hisses under her breath. “La
Liz POV I don’t look over my shoulder to see what Faris Jr is doing, but by the look on Nico’s wolf’s face, it is horrific. I can tell that Nico’s wolf wants to run from the Lycan King, but something is keeping him here. He has to know that this is a battle he cannot win, but it appears he is willing to die trying. Something furry brushes up against my leg, and I glance down to see Duko standing at my side. He looks awful. Deep cuts are oozing across his black fur, and chunks of flesh are missing from his body. I don’t know how he is still standing. ‘I’ve got it from here,’ Deimos voice breaks through my mind. But I don’t move from my protective stance. ‘You are injured.’ ‘I have been worse,’ Deimos lies to me. ‘This is my fight, not yours.’ I know I have to back away. Deimos needs to be the one to kill his father. After everything he has been through, he deserves that much. Nico’s wolf is pawing at the ground, growling at Duko. They are getting ready to attack ea
Liz POV “You can run, but you can’t hide,” Nico calls out from behind me. “I know these woods like the back of my hand. I will find you.” Panic and adrenaline are coursing through my veins as I slip between the trees. I duck under low branches and squeeze through narrow tree openings. Trying to find any way to slow Nico down. My feet are slipping on the fallen leaves as I run, but I try not to let it slow me down. I have never done much training, and I am beginning to get winded. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can run,’ I whine to Majesty. ‘You just have to keep going for a little longer,’ she encourages me. ‘Our mate is on his way. I can sense it.’ I don’t dare look over my shoulder as I flee. I don’t want to know how close Nico is to catching me. He is faster and stronger than I am. I may have been able to take down Brittany with just my claws, but I won’t be able to take on Nico alone. I trip over a fallen branch and tumble onto the ground. Glancing over my s
Deimos POV Willow jumps right into the action. Balls of flames burst from her hands and they hit the enemies in the chest. The fire engulfs their bodies and immediately turns them into piles of ash. Once the flames ruin their target they fly through the air, back into Willow’s hands. She is miraculous to watch. Ripping off my shirt, I leap into the air. Before my feet hit the ground, Duko has taken control. His paws hit the ground with a thud and a fearsome growl leaves his lips. Several of Nico’s warriors turn and look in my direction. I have never faced a lycan before, but they are much more terrifying than I expected. They look kind of like a wolf standing on two feet, but their limbs are long and gangly. Terrifying claws extend from the end of their human-like hands. Several of them surround Duko, and I have to push back the fear that is building in my chest. A lycan standing before me looks at me, and an awkward smile spreads across his grotesque face. With
Liz POV I watch Deimos for only a moment before I run toward the door that leads to the cells. I promised that I would hide, and I will keep that promise. I tug on the door, and it swings open easily. Rushing down the stairs, I let Majesty guide me through the dark. The dungeon is silent. All of the cells are empty as I rush past them. I make it to the cell at the very end of the dungeons, and I swing the door open. I press all of the bricks on the wall until the back of the cell opens. The secret door opens loudly, scraping against the floor of the dungeon. It causes me to cringe, and I hope that no one hears it. I slip through the door and push it shut behind me. Bracing my hands against the hidden door, I allow myself to breathe loudly. I don’t think anyone will hear me in here. Resting my hand on my stomach, I remind myself why I am hiding. I have to save the next white wolf. The sound of dripping water echoes in the distance, and memories of being trapped down
Deimos POV I am standing on the front porch of the pack house, staring out at a mass of lycan warriors. King Faris Jr is standing at the front, commanding his forces. Ace is standing at my side with his mouth wide open. Ace nudges me on the shoulder, and I tear my eyes away from the army in front of me. “Did you know that they were coming?” He asks. I can only shake my head. When Willow said that Faris Jr was going to take care of the Nico problem, I had no idea that it was going to be this. I walk down the stairs of the porch and stand at Faris Jr’s side. As I approach him, I bare my neck in submission. “What is all this?” I ask Faris Jr. “I am here to help you,” Faris Jr replies with a smile on his face. “This isn’t your fight,” I remind him. “It became my fight when Nico recruited lycans,” Faris Jr growls. “I have to remind my citizens of their place.” “When is Nico coming?” I ask. “That’s the thing,” Faris Jr says hesitantly. “I am not sure if he is brav