Liz POV
I stare at my sister in shock. She is in a wedding dress that is almost identical to my own. She must have run the whole way here because she is out of breath. She braces herself on her knees and pants heavily.
I scoot past her to the door and quickly flip the lock. “What are you doing in here?” I hiss at her, trying to keep my voice down.
“I have come to rescue you,” Belle whispers. “I will take your place. It's my job to begin with!”
“No,” I say sternly. “I am doing this, and that is final.”
Belle runs her fingers through her hair and grunts in frustration. “Liz, you don’t have a wolf. It could be dangerous for you here.”
I pull Belle into my arms and hold her close to my body. She has only just turned eighteen. She still has so much to experience in life.
I blink away the tears that threaten to fall and ruin my makeup. “It is time I protect you,” I whisper into her ear. “You don’t always have to be the strong one.”
Belle pulls away from me and whimpers. “But I am the strong one. You aren’t meant to be a spy. Please let me take your place.”
“Just this once, let me protect you,” I beg of her. “I love you more than anything. I cannot let you ruin your whole life because some evil man wants a show of power.”
“What if he finds out that you took my place? He would kill you!” Belle cries as she leans into my hug, resting her head on my shoulder.
He would be upset for sure, but he can’t back out when we are on the altar.
I look into my sister’s eyes, and Belle is staring at me, hoping to change my mind. She is waiting for me to let her take my place. If a bad marriage won’t ruin her whole life, being a spy on the devil would certainly end it for her. I can’t let that happen.
A knock on my door pulls me from my sister, and I gesture for Belle to hide under the bed. “Please,” I mouth to her silently.
She shakes her head angrily from side to side and holds her ground.
“Just a moment,” I yell out. “I am still getting dressed.”
I pull Belle into the dressing room and shut the door behind us. “If they find you here, there is no telling what they will do to you or me. Just please. Let me do this for you. Let me do this for the family.”
“You have spent the past nine years trying to prove yourself worthy to be part of this family when it isn’t necessary,” Belle has tears streaming down her face. “No one cares that you are adopted. No one cares that you don’t have a wolf. You are part of the Wilks family. Blood or not.”
“How can I feel like part of the family when I don’t have a wolf? I don’t belong.” I say as I sniff back the tears forming in my eyes.
“We love you,” Belle cries. “Please. Don’t do this for me. It should not be you.”
I quietly step toward the door of the dressing room and slip out. Locking my sister inside. I can hear her silent sobs as she realizes that I have locked her in.
“For the sake of the both of us, please be quiet,” I whisper through the door. “I love you.”
Someone bangs on the door loudly once again.
“Who is it?” I call out.
I hear the lock on the door click open, and I brace myself for who might come through the door. Nico, the patriarch of the Phalen family, waltzes into the room without answering me. “My, my, my,” Nico says as his eyes graze over my body. “You certainly do clean up nicely. Are you ready to marry my son?”
A blush travels across my cheeks, and I have to look away from Nico’s heated gaze. I don’t trust myself to speak. I swallow hard and nod my head.
“That is good,” Nico smirks. “And you remember our deal?”
“I am supposed to report back to you about your son, Deimos,” I whisper.
“Your family would be safe so long as you behave, little girl,” Nico says as he runs his hands over my shoulders. “Now, let’s get you married.”
Nico looks me up and down with a smile on his face. Grabbing me by the elbow, he steers me out of the bedroom and down the hall.
As we enter the gardens, I pause. Waiting for my father. I had assumed my father would be giving me away, but I was wrong. He is sitting with my mother in the front row. Tears are streaming down my mother’s face, but my father glares at Nico with a grim look on his face.
Nico continues to hold onto my elbow painfully as he leads me to the archway. I try to keep my eyes straight ahead, but the whispers of those in attendance pull my attention.
“I heard she begged her father for the marriage,” one woman says. “Deimos really wanted to marry her younger sister.”
“She is adopted, after all,” another woman replies. “She isn’t even a true member of the Wilks royal bloodline.”
Another woman leans forward in her seat. “She must be desperate for a mate. Can you imagine stealing your own sister’s fiance? She is twenty-five and has no wolf. There is no chance of her finding her mate.”
Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I ignore the painful comments of those in attendance.
Once we reach the archway, I notice an elderly man standing before me. He gives me a sympathetic look, and I try to remove my elbow from Nico's grasp, but he holds tight.
I grit my teeth and plaster a fake smile on my face. I don’t want to give anyone a reason to believe I don’t want to be part of the marriage.
Nico finally lets go of my arm and takes his seat among his family. I look to my right, wanting to lay eyes on my groom finally, but there is no one standing there. I am standing at the altar alone. Where is my groom?
Murmurs start spreading, and though no one bothered to explain to me I understand after a moment: Deimos refused to show up to the wedding because he is embarrassed to be married to the replacement daughter.
My face flushes with embarrassment. I want to crawl into a hole and die. Deimos thinks so little of me that he refuses to attend the wedding. I can hear my father growling with protest behind me, which only adds to my shame. I have failed.
The elderly man clears his throat and offers me a weak smile. “We are gathered here today to join together Deimos Phalen and Elizabeth Wilks,” his voice echoes over the crowd.
Oh, Goddess, I try to remain standing. We are having the wedding without the groom.
Liz POV At the altar, the elder of the Dark Moon Pack begins a long speech about how blessed everyone is here to witness the union between two royal families: the Phalens and the Wilks. It should feel like a blessed day, but it isn’t. I swallow hard and try to pay attention to what the Elder of the Dark Moon Pack is saying, but my mind drifts away. Suddenly, the elder gestures wildly to the crowd during his speech, and I am brought out of my thoughts. He kindly makes an excuse for why Deimos has decided not to show up today before continuing his speech. Another wave of embarrassment washes over me. I knew Deimos might be mad over the last-minute change in the bride. He was expecting my sister, after all. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined that he would stand me up. Not to mention them keeping the wedding going on even without him. The pack Elder clears his throat, and I am again pulled from my thoughts. The Elder raises his eyebrows at me, and I realize I have missed
Liz POV “What?” My voice trembles. All my imaginary plans formed from the few TV shows I watched break into pieces at his first words to me. How did he even?! What do I do now? Is he going to kill me? Where do I go from here? “You are Nico’s spying whore,” Deimos says through gritted teeth. “Get. Out.” “There must be a misunderstanding–” “You are a cute one,” Deimos snorts coldly, “Cutely stupid. You are not the first spy he tried to plant on me, and you won’t be the last. A wedding is a new way, though. I’ll give him that.” I stand with my jaw on the ground. I came here to play chess with him. Sure, I might lose in the end, but not without a fight. Yet this man threw the chessboard at me before I could make my first move. “Get out, or I throw you out–” “You throw me out. He will know you are onto him,” I blurt. Never have I thought so fast in my life, “If you are so sure I’m a spy, the worst one no less, then won’t it be better for you if you keep me instead of someone bet
Liz POV I rush out of Nico’s office with a newfound sense of purpose. I have done what was asked of me, and now my family will be safe. I head down the hall with a bounce in my step until Tracy turns the corner and glares at me. "There you are, finally," she says with a sneer on her lips. "You don’t start working late like today ever again, understand?" Tracy thrusts a worn Omega’s uniform into my hands. “You will need this.” I open my mouth, but she is clearly not waiting for an answer. She looks me up and down with an air of disgust, and I fidget uncomfortably in the too-small uniform. She shoves a bucket and rag into my hands. "Start with the windows," she says before she begins to walk away. "Wait!" I call after her, having an awkward panic attack. Tracy turns and gives me an annoyed look. "What?" "I am not an Omega," I say quickly, “I think there has been some sort of misunderstanding...” "You are the new Luna of this pack," Tracy snaps back at me. I le
Liz POV My eyes feel heavy as I try to open them, and a subtle beeping noise is in the background. I squint against the harsh light of the bright white room, trying to make my eyes come into focus. I open my mouth to yawn, and a pain shoots through my jaw. I raise my hand to touch my face, and I realize it is swollen and painful to the touch. The blurriness in my eyes subsides, and the world comes into view. I am in a bright white room with wires and tubes connected to my arms, chest, and legs. Gingerly, I try to sit up in the bed, but a strong hand lays me back down. “It is nice to see you awake, Luna,” a soft voice says to me. I look to my right and see a doctor standing beside the machine, watching my vitals. “Where am I?” I ask stupidly. “You are in the hospital,” the doctor says with a kind smile. “Alpha Deimos got you here just in time.” I try to shake the fuzziness from my brain. I thought I just heard the doctor say Deimos brought me to the hospital.
Liz POV I sit in the hospital bed and shake fearfully. I don’t know what to say. Deimos is right; I did betray him, and there is no sense in trying to deny it. I open my mouth several times to speak, but nothing comes out. “Get dressed,” Deimos’s growl fills the silence between us. “You are being discharged.” Deimos tosses me a bag of clothes, and I am touched that he remembered I would need clean clothes to go home in. I patiently wait for Deimos to leave the hospital room so I can change. Instead, he draws the curtain and waits with his arms crossed over his chest. “Change,” he commands me. I can feel his Alpha Aura wash over me, but it doesn’t have the desired effect. “I would like some privacy,” I try to sound confident. “I have already seen you naked,” Deimos laughs. “Or have you already forgotten?” Memories of the shower flash through my mind, and my face heats. “I have not forgotten. But I would still like some privacy.” “And if I don’t?” Deimos gro
Liz POV My eyes widen with fear. “You want me to be a double agent?” Deimos chuckles. “For lack of a better word, yes. You will feed my father just enough information to make him think you are still on his side, and in return, you will tell me everything he wants to know.” “Won’t it be dangerous?” My voice is dry and raspy. “If you prove yourself,” Deimos pauses. “I will keep you safe.” I look at Deimos. He is stripping off his clothes and getting ready for bed. I try to avert my eyes from his partially naked form, but my eyes are drawn to him. He is easily the most attractive man that I have ever seen, but I would never let him know that. This is officially a strictly business agreement. “You should get ready for bed,” Deimos growls. “You have had a stressful day.” Deimos crawls into his bed, settling himself right in the middle, and I know that I will be sleeping on the floor again. It is probably best that we keep our distance from each other anyway. There is
Deimos POV From the moment that little wolf-less girl walked into this pack house, my life has been turned upside down. My father has been demanding I mark and mate her. I know what he wants. A mate like her is only going to make me weaker. Nico has always been obvious and stupid. It was obvious that she was a spy from the beginning. That is why I refused to offer her any type of solace. I vowed not to make her stay her comfortable. That's why I insisted she sleep on the floor. I watch as my father drags her down the stairs to his office, and my wolf, Duko, is running wild in my mind. From the moment he laid eyes on Elizabeth, he insisted that she was his. He has never found himself concerned with the other females in my life. He is sure this wolf-less spy is my mate, but I refuse to believe the Moon Goddess would be so cruel to pair me with someone like her. I slam the door so I don't have to watch Elizabeth fight against my father's grip. I lean my forehead against the
Liz POV The paper crinkles underneath me as I scoot around on the hospital bed. I pinch the gown together behind me, trying to hide my bare bottom as Deimos paces the floor in front of me. I don't know why I am bothering. It isn't like he is paying attention to me anyway. He is playing a game on his phone. "Would you please sit down," I say, trying to sound commanding. Deimos looks up at me with a shocked look on his face. "Did you just try and command me to sit down?" I immediately look down at my hands. "Your pacing is just making me nervous." "What the fuck do you have to be nervous about?" Deimos stops in his tracks. "I'm sitting in a hospital gown at four in the morning for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. I have every reason to be nervous," I spit at him. "Elizabeth," Deimos breathes out. "I don't think I have ever heard you sound so assertive." I cannot stop the slight grin that tugs at the corners of my lips. "You have known me for less than a day,"