Tracy's back. Yikes.
Liz POV I quickly shut the shower door and press my hands to my chest. I can see Tracy’s outline through the shower door. She is watching me, undoubtedly planning her next move against me. How did she heal so quickly? “We don’t have all day,” Tracy yells over the water that is beating down on my skin. “You won’t want to keep Nico waiting.” I don’t bother to respond to her. I know keeping Nico waiting would just end up with me being punished. Swallowing down the panic rising in my throat, I continue my shower, pretending like Tracy isn’t staring me down. After I rinse the rest of my soap from my body, I step out of the shower. Tracy’s eyes trail over my naked form, and a wrinkle forms on her brow. “How did you heal so quickly?” She demands to know. “I could ask you the same thing,” I snap at her. “Unlike you, I have a wolf,” Tracy sneers. I know her words are meant to hurt me, but I don’t let them. With Deimos’s
Deimos POV Elizabeth looks at me in shock. “What do you mean you don’t attend parties?” “Exactly what I said,” I snap back at her. “I am not needed at this particular party. It is just a ruse for my sister to find her mate.” “Okay,” Elizabeth whispers as she takes a step back from me. She keeps her eyes glued to the ground as she enters the closet. Even after bearing my heart to her last night, she is still frightened of me. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to calm the anger that is building in my chest. She has to know that I would never intentionally hurt her. “I am sorry for snapping at you,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” “I am not frightened,” she lies. “We need to talk about your plans for the evening,” I say, ignoring her lie. “Plans?” Elizabeth looks over her shoulder at me. “Am I supposed to be doing anything other than attending a party?” “That should be your only plans for the evening. I will not be there
Liz POV Deimos shakes his head. “You would be crazy to do it tonight,” he tells me. “My father has ears everywhere.” “You keep saying that, but I can be discreet,” I plead with my eyes. “Nico can’t keep his eyes on me all the time.” “You don’t understand what my father is capable of…” Knock. Knock. Knock. I jump at the sound of the noise, and Deimos pushes me behind him. The door to Deimos’s room opens as if on cue, and Nico strolls inside. I cannot help but shake in his presence, but I still hold my head high. I have done nothing wrong. Deimos quickly turns to me and gives me a pleading look before placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “Now, now,” Nico chuckles. “We wouldn’t want to ruin the Little Princess’s makeup.” I swallow at his words. Deimos’s dark eyes bore into mine. I know what he is thinking. He is asking me not to go through with my plan to speak to my father. Reaching up, I touch Deimos’s cheek lightly and walk past him to Nico. Nico eyes Deimos su
Deimos POV Shutting myself in my office, I pour myself a large glass of whiskey. I can hear the music in the ballroom playing loudly through the walls of the pack house, and I can’t help but worry about my Elizabeth. Before I was injured, I used to attend these parties. They are full of high-level werewolves and my father would parade us around like we were some prize that he won. He would make sure we only mingled with the most important werewolves in our community. I know he will do the same to Elizabeth. He will make sure that she is too busy to speak with her parents. Duko is howling in my mind because I let her attend the party alone. ‘It is our duty to protect her,’ he scoffs. ‘We should be by her side.’ ‘We cannot risk showing the world our weakness,’ I say, thumping my cane against the floor. ‘The world already thinks we are crippled,’ Duko growls. ‘We are crippled,’ I snap back at my wolf. ‘We will be viewed as weak.’ ‘You misjudge those who are around yo
Liz POV Nico pauses just outside the ballroom and tightens his grip around my arm. “You will play the part of the good Luna.” “I will,” I nod. But I am not playing the part for Nico. I am doing it for Deimos. Nico pushes the doors open to the ballroom, and the music instantly pauses. The couples that were dancing in the middle of the room stop and move to the side. A path has been cleared for Nico and me to walk through. The ballroom is decorated with the same deep red roses that were at my wedding, with black flowers mixed in. What should be a joyous occasion to celebrate Deimos looks nothing but. The light in the ballroom is dim, creating an ominous look over the room. As Nico enters the room, people huddle together in small groups. Only a few are brave enough to gaze in our direction. The others keep their heads to the ground, and their necks bared. Some of the party-goers raise their heads and glance in my direction. Many of them wear looks of pity on their faces
Liz POV Isaiah stiffens behind me, and I realize I am standing between him and his mate. Stella is still growling at me, and it is drawing the attention of the crowd. My eyes dart around the room, and I know how this must look. Everyone is watching me skeptically, waiting to see what I will do next. I push down the feeling of disappointment that is building in my stomach. As much as I wanted Isaiah to be mine, I know now that it was never meant to be. Stepping to the side, I wait for Isaiah to approach Stella. But he doesn’t. He looks at me and then to Stella. I can see the conflict in his eyes. He is worried that I will feel betrayed. I let out a sigh and lay my hand on his back. Stella snarls again as I touch him, but I ignore her outburst. I gently push Isaiah forward. “Go to your mate,” I whisper to him. Isaiah gives me one more fleeting look before he steps in Stella’s direction. Stella is fuming with anger, and I cannot blame her. If I had found my mate in
Liz POV“What do you know about Dainn Phalen?” My father tenses and stops dancing. His eyes widen in shock and he looks around the ballroom before pulling me off the dance floor. We return to the secluded corner of the room, and a low growl erupts from my father’s chest.I flinch at the anger that is rolling off my father. He has never growled at me before. “Why would you ask me such a question here and now?” He asks in a hushed voice. “Because I need to know the truth,” I whisper. “Tonight might be my only chance to find out the truth.” My father shakes his head. “Now is not the time for this conversation.” “Is he or is he not imprisoned in Lycan City?” I demand to know. My father runs his fingers through his hair. “Now is not the time,” my father growls. I scan the ballroom, and no one is paying attention to us. I feel confident that no one is watching or listening in on our conversation.“Please,” I beg. “Deimos killed his brother,” my father says, but he refuses
Deimos POV Standing outside the ballroom doors, I grind my cane into the floor beside me. I can’t decide if I should leave it outside or not. I don’t want the werewolf community to view me as weak, but without my cane, I can be unsteady on my feet. ‘You are thinking too much,’ Duko growls. ‘Our mate needs us.’ Grumbling at my wolf, I push the doors of the ballroom open. My Alpha Aura fills the room as soon as I step inside. The music stops, and everyone pauses as they turn to the doors to see who has come in. I keep my face stoic and walk through the crowd. Murmurs and whispers follow me as I make my way through the throngs of people. Stella really outdid herself this time. It feels like every pack within the United States is being represented here tonight. She was obviously determined to find her mate. I make my way to the front of the crowd, and my father rushes to my side with a microphone in his hands. He taps on the microphone, causing a loud thumping no
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