Chapter 1

Liz POV

A wedding is so much work. I check the list in my hands and count on my fingers the things that still need to be done while an Omega stands in the corner waiting for more instructions, but there isn’t anything left for me to do but to get ready.  

I glance out the window of the bedroom of the hotel. Even the gardens look aggressive here in Dark Moon Pack, unlike home. Hundreds of chairs have been set up, and deep red roses and velvety white roses line the aisle.  A vast arch stands at the end of the aisle, and it is also covered in roses.  It looks like something out of a dream.  It is everything I imagined my wedding should be.  

Except for the choice of the groom.

The alien view is giving me a hard time breathing. Roughly, I shut the curtains around the window, enshrouding the room in darkness.  

Turning to the Omega, still waiting in the corner, I try to keep my voice steady while I speak.  “The preparations are done.  I need a few moments before I begin to get ready.”  

“Yes, Ma’am,” Even with a light bow, the Omega somehow managed to sound rude.

I don’t miss how she doesn’t bare her neck to me in submission even though I am hours from becoming her Luna.  This lack of action on her part only causes my nerves to bubble more in my stomach.  

My stomach is turning while wild thoughts run through my mind.  Bile rises in my throat, and my mouth begins to water.  I am going to be sick.  I rush to the bathroom and empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet.             

Sitting back on the cool tile floor, I rest my hand on my head.  I don’t feel feverish.  “It is just nerves,” I say aloud to myself.  “...you can do this, Liz.”  

Even though I say the words aloud, I don’t believe them.  Most people have at least had the opportunity to meet their bride or groom before the wedding.  But not me.  I am walking into this wedding blind.

I have never seen Deimos Phalen, and I know him only by reputation. The Alpha who overthrew his own father, killed his own brother, and destroyed his own pack for the title. The crippled Alpha that’s the worst choice for a mate. The wedding is less than two hours away, and then I will be Mrs. Phalen.  Or, Mrs. Devil.

More panic rushes through my mind as I think about the wedding night.  Will Deimos expect me to mate with him tonight?  Will he claim the virginity that I have held on so tightly to?  I shudder to think about his hands on my body.

Another wave of nausea washes over me, and I hover over the toilet once again, waiting for it to pass.

A light rapping on the bathroom door catches my attention, and I see an Omega staring at me with a worried look.  “Are you okay?” She asks me shortly.  

“Yes,” I reply, wiping my mouth.  “I think it was just something I ate.”  It is a bold lie, considering they are the ones that fed me this morning.

The Omega cocks her head to the side and studies me carefully.  “I have your dress,” she finally says.  “It is time for you to get ready.”  

Slowly, I get to my feet and feel a little lightheaded.  I brace myself against the sink and grab my toothbrush.  While I brush my teeth, the Omega doesn’t give me a moment of privacy.  She hovers over me, making my situation clear:

She is not here to serve but to make sure I don’t make a run for it.

The Omega doesn’t move to the side as I try to exit the bathroom, so I slide by her.  She gives me an uneasy feeling.  

“My name is Liz,” I say as sweetly as possible.  “I don’t believe we have been introduced.”  

“Tracy,” she grunts.  “Head Omega of this household.”  

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” I respond as I make my way over to the vanity in the corner of the room.  

Tracy places her hands on my shoulders and pushes me down onto the stool before she opens up the curtains and lets the light of midday enter the room.  I wince slightly at the bright light, but Tracy doesn’t notice.                   

Harshly, Tracy pulls my blonde hair out of its usual high ponytail and lets it fall around my shoulders.  I reach for the brush, but she swats my hand away before grabbing it herself.  She runs the brush through my hair, pulling at the knots.  

“I can get ready myself,” I tell her.  

“I have my orders,” Tracy says coldly as she continues to style my hair.  

Guess there won’t be a friendly small talk between this Omega and her Luna-to-be. I close my eyes and let her apply my makeup in awkward silence.

This is a marriage of convenience.  A way to form an alliance between my pack, the Moonstone Pack, and the Dark Moon Pack. It was my little sister’s hand which Deimos asked for – well, forced his hands on. I am not here to be a doting mate for Alpha Deimos’s mate. I’m no one. I don’t have a wolf, and that’s why I can’t let this political marriage ruin it for my perfect little sister. But that’s not all. There is a reason no one can know. My biggest secret.

I am here to be a spy for his father, Nico.  I am to report back to Nico on Deimos’s every move.  It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, but it was the least I could do for my family.  

“I am finished,” Tracy says, pulling me from my thoughts.  

I look in the mirror, and I barely recognize myself.  I have never worn so much makeup in my life.  My hair is pulled up into an intricate updo with curly tendrils framing my face.  I definitely look the part of a Luna now.  

“I will step out and let you get dressed,” Tracy says as she exits the room.  “Do not mess up your hair.”  

A frown sets on my face as the door slams shut.  I look at the dress lying on the bed.  It isn’t something I would have picked out for myself.  I carefully take my shirt and bra off, ensuring I do not ruin my hair or makeup.  

I slip off my pants before I step into the satin dress.  I pull the thin straps over my shoulders and struggle to reach behind me to pull up the zipper.  

Before I could even turn around, the door creaks open. I turn quickly, expecting to see Tracy in the doorway, but it isn’t her.  It is my sister, Belle, breathing heavily in a white dress.