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Deimos POV It killed me to walk away from the car, leaving Elizabeth behind. I shouldn’t have done it. I should have walked into the house with her hand in hand to prove to my father that we are a united front. But I worry about what that would mean for Elizabeth. My father has to believe she is still his little spy. Until Dainn comes back to take his rightful place as Alpha, I have to pretend like she means nothing to me. Only then can I claim her as my mate. If I were to claim her now, my father would have one more weakness to exploit. So, I did the only thing I could, and I walked away from the car. Leaning heavily on my cane, I put on an act for my father and Damon. As I pass them on the porch I expected them to stop me, but they don’t. My eyes meet my father’s, and he glares in my direction, but he doesn’t say a word to me. Damon raises his eyebrows and smirks in my direction. They aren’t waiting for me. They are waiting for Elizabeth. A challenging growl rumbl
Liz POV Deimos begins to pace the floor. He is running his fingers through his hair in frustration. His eyes are glazed over. I can tell he is debating with himself and probably his wolf. We both know the solution to our problems is for him to mark me, but there is something holding him back. Maybe he is truly concerned that I will make him weak. I try to stand in his way to stop him from pacing, but he steps around me like I am not even there. “Deimos,” I whisper his name. “We don’t have to make a decision tonight.” “But we do,” he says. “My father is expecting you to follow his rules.” “I want you to mark me because you want to mark me. Not because your father is demanding it,” I tell Deimos. Deimos stops in front of me and grabs me by the shoulders. “What do I need to do to prove to you that I want you?” “I don’t know,” I quietly respond. Pulls me in closely and presses his lips to mine. Electricity pulsates through my body, causing heat to pool in my core.
Liz POV I have been tossing and turning in Deimos’s bed for hours. His scent is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It is driving me insane. It is the first night in weeks that I haven’t fallen asleep in his arms, and I am beginning to realize that I won’t be able to live happily without him. Sitting up in the bed, I punch my pillow, trying to make it more comfortable. I flop back down on the bed and am quickly engulfed by Deimos’s scent. A growl rumbles in my chest, and I decide that maybe I should be sleeping on the floor to get away from it. As I am gathering my pillow and a blanket, the door to the bedroom is roughly kicked open. I jump in fear and shield myself with the pillow. I fear it is Nico coming in the door to punish yet again. I wait in deadly silence for someone to come inside. My eyes are slowly adjusting to the darkness of the room. I hear the uneven footsteps of Deimos and I let out a sigh of relief. Deimos stumbles into the room and almost fa
Nico POV That little bitch thinks she can play both sides. She must think I am an idiot. I have known that she was betraying me from the moment I picked her up from the gym. Deimos’s scent was all over her, and her arousal was overpowering. Now I have to find a way to dispose of her and Deimos, but I will need to make it look like an accident. I can’t kill her outright. It would cause a war I am not prepared for. I don’t know how many of my son’s warriors are still under my control. I should have killed Dainn and Deimos when they were children. That witch warned me they would be a threat to my rule, but she also warned me about killing them. The witch’s words still echo in my mind every day. “Your mate will give you three sons. Two will be strong and capable. They will end your tyrannical rule. Peace will fall between the packs. The third son will be cold and evil. His father’s true son. A danger to the royal family he will be. In order to keep your rule, you can
Liz POV ‘Wake up,’ a voice screams in my head. My eyes pop open, and I sit up in the bed, looking for who said it. The room is empty except for Deimos snoring loudly beside me. He is lying diagonally on the bed, with his head covered by his hand. He didn’t seem to hear the same thing I did, or else he is still too drunk to wake up. ‘There is no time to waste,’ the voice yells at me again. ‘If you want to find the brother, now is the time.’ ‘Majesty?’ I ask the voice, but it doesn’t confirm. ‘This is your only chance to find the brother,’ the voice tells me again. ‘Dainn?’ I ask in confusion. ‘How do you know about Dainn?’ ‘I know everything,’ the voice hisses at me. ‘Now move.’ I get up from the bed and quietly make my way across the room. I flick the lock on the door and look over my shoulder to make sure that Deimos stays asleep. He rolls over on the bed but doesn’t wake. Closing the door behind me, I pad across the hallway to the stairs. Peeking down over
Liz POV Holding my head in place by my hair, Nico rears his hand back and hits me across the face again. I hiss loudly in pain. Blood begins to dribble down my cheeks. “You have seen this place. Now you have to die,” Nico says through gritted teeth. Nico doesn’t let go of my hair as he drags me through the dark corridors. I can feel my hair pulling from my scalp in large chunks. I scream and fight against Nico, but I am no match for his strength. “You can scream as much as you want,” Nico growls. “No one will hear you down here.” Nico’s words don’t stop me from screaming. “Please,” I beg him. “It’s not what you think.” Nico pulls against my hair, and I try to pry his fingers from my hair. “Stop fighting me,” Nico hisses at me. “No,” I kick my feet as I fight. “I am not your enemy.” Nico throws me up against the back of a cell and slams the door shut. “I am done hearing your lies.” I hit the back of the cell and fall to the ground. The smell of blood fills m
Deimos POV The sun is shining right in my eyes, and my head is pounding. I roll over in the bed, hoping to hide my eyes from the sun, but I am closer to the edge than I thought, and I flip off the side. I hit the ground with a hard thud, and I moan loudly. “Fuck,” I groan as I open my eyes fully. Everything is too fucking bright, and the room is spinning. How much did I have to drink last night? I vaguely remember coming back to my room, but everything after that is a blur. I hope I didn’t say anything to piss off Elizabeth. I can be an asshole when I am drunk. “Elizabeth,” I call out her name from the floor, but there is no response. Shit, she must be mad. I wonder what I did. I make a ridiculous attempt to get to my feet, but I stumble back, landing on the bed. Falling onto the bed, I expect to land on Elizabeth, but the bed is empty. Instantly, I feel sober. Something is wrong; I can feel it. Darting out of the bed I run into the bathroom. “Elizabeth,” I cal
Deimos POV “War?” I stare at my father in disbelief. “Do you have a problem with that?” My father hisses through his teeth. I throw my head back in laughter. “You can’t be serious. You know Lycan City will jump in to help the Moonstone Pack. We aren’t strong enough. It is suicide.” “We have been betrayed,” my father reminds me. “We must let others know that we are not to be trifled with.” “What betrayal?” I demand to know. “Your wife has fled in the night,” Father scoffs. “Osiris and I had a deal. She was to remain here as your wife to secure the alliance between our two packs.” “How are you so sure that she fled? What if she was kidnapped?” I ask. Now it is my father’s turn to laugh. “What would anyone want with a wolf-less bitch?” I can’t stop the growl rumbling in my chest. “Watch what you say about Elizabeth.” Father cocks his head to the side and stares at me humorously. “You care for her.” “My feelings for her are none of your concern,” I snap at my
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