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Liz POV Tracy is struggling against the bars. The smell of her flesh burning against the silver is filling the air around us. I don’t know where I am finding the strength to hang onto her, but I refuse to let her go. I hear Dainn shuffling around in the cell beside me, but I don’t dare take my eyes off Tracy. If I knew how to kill her right now, I would. She has made my life a living hell, and now it is my turn to return the favor. “You can’t kill her like this,” Dainn’s hoarse voice coaches me. “You are wasting precious energy.” Tracy’s arms fall limp at her side and she stops whimpering. I release her from my grasp, and she crumples to the ground. I look down at her still body. Her face is gruesomely disfigured from touching the silver bars. I doubt she will ever heal from it correctly. Bending down, I reach through the bars and press my fingers to her neck. She still has a faint pulse. “She is still alive,” I say disappointedly. The smell of burning flesh is
Deimos POV I look over my speech one last time. This is the first time I have taken a meeting seriously enough to actually write down my thoughts beforehand. Admittedly, I have not been the best Alpha, and I probably should have worked harder at gaining the trust of the pack rather than bending to my father’s will. If Dainn was here, I am sure he would be disappointed in me. Hell, I am disappointed in myself. A knock on my office door causes me to stuff the speech in the pocket of my jacket. Ace knocks one more time before walking in. He looks around my office with his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Ace scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t have a choice,” I sigh. “It is my only hope to stop Nico.” I stand up from behind my desk, and Ace looks me up and down. “Is that what you are wearing?” I look down at the three-piece suit I wear whenever I handle pack business. It never occurred to me to
Deimos POV After the town hall meeting, I stayed in my office all night. It felt wrong to return to my bedroom without Elizabeth present. I don’t know where she is, but I pray to the Moon Goddess that she is okay. I know that Nico is behind her disappearance. I just need the proof. Sitting at my desk, I rub my temples sleepily. I am struggling to stay awake. There is no time for sleep. I have to regain the support of my pack and find my missing mate and brother. Ace barges into my office without knocking. The look on his face is solemn. He has been up all night overseeing the transition of pack members who wished to leave with my father. “How bad is it?” I ask as Ace flops down in the seat across from me. Ace pinches the bridge of his nose. “About half the pack.” I look at Ace in disbelief. I knew many of the pack members would follow my father, but I never expected to lose half of the pack in one night. “What about the warriors?” I groan. “How many of them are
Deimos POV I turn down the dirt road that leads to the rogue camp. It has been several years since I have traveled this road. I can only hope that Victor is still in charge. If he isn’t, it could cause major problems. The rogues don’t appreciate anyone coming into their encampment. The last time I was here, it was to break up a fight between my father and Victor. My father had tried to encroach on the rogue territory and take it over for himself. The rogues refused to back down without a fight. My father had Victor by the throat, and he wasn’t planning on letting go. Somehow, I managed to convince my father to let him live. Victor promised me a favor in return for my mercy. Now I am here to collect. The forest canopy blocks out the sun, and it feels like I am moving farther into the darkness. My window is rolled down, and I can hear wolves running through the trees beside me. They have yet to make a move to stop me from coming into their camp. It makes me wonder if t
Deimos POV The leader of the rogues rips off his shirt and tosses it on the ground beside him. He flexes his muscles, trying to intimidate me. Without his shirt on, the rogue looks frail. He is nothing but skin and bones. It is no wonder that he couldn’t take on Victor himself. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask him as I take my shirt off. The rogue is clearly delusional. He laughs hysterically in my face. “I am going to kill you,” he threatens me. “Okay,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. The rogue leader and I stare at one another. Neither one of us wants to make the first move. I didn’t come here to kill anyone, but it doesn’t look like they are giving me a choice. The rogue leader steps toward me, and someone jumps in front of him. I keep my guard up but watch the exchange curiously. A dirty, naked woman has her hands braced on the rogue's shoulders. She is trying to hold him back. “Bandit,” she cries. “Don’t do this. He is offering us a chance at
Deimos POV I stop at the gate of the Dark Moon Pack. There is a caravan of beat-up old cars following me. I roll down the window and gesture to the guard. “Let them through,” I tell him. His mouth is hanging open like a dead fish. “All of them?” “Yes,” I sigh. Reluctantly the guard moves out of the way and lets me pass. I can feel the eyes of the pack members standing alongside the road as I lead the caravan through the pack. Pack members are huddled together in groups whispering loudly. I can feel their distrust following us. I should have known this was going to be a problem. First, I kick my father out of the pack, and then I bring in rogues. This is bound to end badly, but my father left me no choice. Bandit’s mate is sitting in my passenger seat. She hasn’t said a word to me since she acknowledged that I had to kill her mate. I glance at her out of the corner of my eyes. Her fingers are perched on the edge of the window as she lets the breeze blow throug
Deimos POV Bang. Bang. Bang. I am jerked from my sleep. My head is resting on my desk, and there is a puddle of drool on the papers under my head. A piece of paper sticks to the side of my face as I lift my head from the desk. Bang. Bang. Bang. The abrupt knocking echoes through my office again. I rip the paper off my face and wipe the drool from my face. “Come in,” I call out gruffly. My Gamma, Sam, comes bursting through the door. Frankly, I am surprised to see him. “I thought you left with my father,” I tell him. Sam is panting heavily. “Your father is on the move.” “What?” I growl. “I just left his camp,” Sam tells me. “He is planning on striking the Moonstone Pack today.” I narrow my eyes at him. It feels like a trap. “Why are you telling me this?” “I knew I made a mistake as soon as I left the pack,” Sam explains. “Your father is unhinged. He is expecting women and children to fight against the Moonstone Pack.” “You realize that I will kill you
Deimos POV Ace holds up his arm and stops my warriors and rogues from entering the forest after Sam. The forest is eerily quiet. I keep my eyes on the spot where Sam disappeared and wait for him to reemerge with Nico’s army. “What are we waiting for?” Ace whispers. “Don’t you think it is odd that Sam hasn’t come back out of the trees looking for us?” I snap at Ace. As if on cue, Nico strolls out of the forest, dragging Sam along with him. He has his arm wrapped around Sam’s neck and a silver knife held to his throat. A growl leaves Nico’s chest as he rips the knife across Sam’s throat. Sam’s blood sprays from his neck, coating the ground in front of him. His eyes are plastered open wide as Nico lets go of his body. Sam falls to his knees before landing face-first in a puddle of his own blood. “My son has returned,” Nico laughs as roves of warriors come out of the shadows. Nico spreads his arms open wide and walks toward me. “And you have brought me an army.” “Fuck
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