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 let out a sigh of relief and set the bucket and rag on the floor. Maybe she will listen to what I have to say.
“...and the love of our Alpha, the apple of his eye, huh?”
Her unnecessary sour tone freezes me, and I stare at her blunt attack in shock, not sure how to respond. No one has ever talked to me like that in my life! Anger and humiliation turn my ears red.
Tracy lets out a sarcastic snort. "Until there is a mark on your neck, you are nothing more than another servant in this house. Just because you sleep in the Alpha's bed does not make you his mate."
Embarrassment washes over me. "I am not sleeping in his bed," I whisper.
"Keep telling yourself that," Tracy laughs. "He will toss you to the side just like all the others. Until then, you will earn your keep. Alpha’s orders."
I understand the uniform now. It’s not just his humiliation, but his attitude – he is declaring that I don’t belong here. He wants me gone. I would have left if I had any other choice!
Looking at Tracy, I see what a dark life awaits me. I can’t give in. I am backed against the wall, and I am unable to move.
“I am not an Omega,” I hiss through my teeth.
Tracy grabs a handful of my hair and pulls me in close to her face. “You are what Alpha Deimos says you are. You were given an Omega uniform for a reason.”
Tracy lets go of my hair and pushes me up against the wall. The back of my head hits the wall, and a headache pulsates through my skull. But I refuse to show this bitch any sort of weakness.
“As you said, he hasn’t tossed me aside, so until then, I’m still his lawfully married wife.” I try to give a gust to my voice, but it sounds less intimidating than I planned.
“You dare disobey me again, Omega?!” Tracy hisses at me. Now HER voice sounds intimidating, like how I wanted mine to be.
"I am the daughter of Osiris Wilks," I snap at her. "I am not an Omega, and I won’t be treated like one–"
Tracy raises her hand and lands a slap on my face with her claw! Her move is so fast I didn’t even have time to dodge. It’s the first time anyone ever slapped me. The humiliation burns more than the pain, and I lost it!
I push her as hard as I can before I wipe my face, only to realize it wasn’t tears dripping down but blood! Then, before I can make another move, she swipes her claws across my chest. I look down at the Omega uniform that is still in my hand, and blood is soaking onto it as I hold it to my chest.
"Are you ready to do as you are told?" Tracy hisses at me as I cover my head and squat to dodge any more attacks.
Tracy grabs me around the neck and pushes me up against the wall. She is much stronger than I expected her to be. Her claws dig into the skin of my throat, and I whimper in pain.
An evil smile spreads across her face as she relishes in my pain. "You are useless without a wolf," she snarls at me. "Alpha Deimos will never mark you."
I try to turn my neck out of her hold, but Tracy only digs her claws tighter. I claw at her hand, trying to break free, but she refuses to let me go.
"Are you going to listen?" She asks me again.
The thought of submission burns me, but I can’t do anything else. She is right. Without a wolf, I am useless. It is no wonder my parents never trained me to fight.
I strain to nod my head. Tracy releases me from her grip, and I crumple to the ground. I expect her to leave me alone, but I am sorely mistaken. She kicks me in the ribs, and I feel them crack. I curl up into a ball on the ground, trying to protect myself from her oncoming attacks. Tracy kicks me several more times. The last blow hits me on my cheek, and I cry out in pain.
Grabbing me by the hair, she pulls me to my feet and shoves the bucket and rag in my direction. "Start with the windows downstairs," she hisses at me.
I gingerly reach down and try to pick up the bucket, but the pain in my ribs is too much. The bucket drops to the ground, and the water splashes all over the floor. Tracy growls loudly and slaps me across the face.
"You stupid girl," she growls. "Clean this up!"
Tears well up in my eyes as I drop to my knees and try to mop up the water with the small rag. I don't dare to look up at Tracy, who is looming over me. I am defeated.
I look at the mess of water still on the floor and begin to cry. I sit back on the floor and draw my knees to my chest. Only this morning, an indifferent husband was my biggest problem, but I don’t even know how I can get through this day without taking another beating.
I am sobbing so loudly I do not hear the footsteps approaching me, but I see a pair of shiny black boots standing in front of me.
“Get off the ground,” Deimos’s cold voice commands me.
I look up at him, and his dark eyes are glaring down at me. I attempt to get to my feet, but when I do, I sway from side to side. The pain in my ribs is excruciating, and dark spots fill my vision. Bracing myself against the wall, I try to stop myself from falling to the ground.
As I sink to the ground, Deimos wraps his arms around me just before I hit the ground. I peer into his eyes before I am consumed by darkness.
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,"
Liz POV After too many stitches to count and another barrage of tests, the doctor hands me a bottle of pain medication and tells me to take it easy. The doctor quickly leaves the room and I slide off of the hospital bed. Gingerly, I slip off the hospital gown and slide the bloodied oversized t-shirt back over my head. I peek out of the hospital room and see the hospital is in full swing. The hallways are busy with nurses and doctors running from one room to the next. Looking down at my clothes, embarrassment washes over me. Between the blood on the shirt and the bruises on my face, I know people will be watching me as I leave the room. I step back into the room and wait for several minutes but it is clear that no one is coming to get me. I will have to find my way back to the pack house on my own. "You are the Luna of this pack," I whisper to myself. “You can do this.” I hold my head high, pull the t-shirt down around my hips, and walk out of the room. I weave my way in and ou
Liz POV Nico opens the hospital room door, and Deimos stands on the other side with a bag in his hands. I look between the two men and step back into the darkness of the room. If there is going to be a fight, I don’t want to be in the middle of it. Deimos ignores Nico’s presence and tosses the bag into my hands. “I brought you some clothes,” he grumbles. "I didn't know what to bring, so I brought a variety.” "This was very kind of you," I say as I dig through the bag, looking for a top and bottom that would fit. Deimos only grunts in response. A sly smile is on Nico’s face as he slips from the room. “I will leave you two alone. I trust you can take your wife back to the pack house.” Deimos growls at Nico, causing Nico to hurry from the room. Once Nico has left the room and shut the door behind him, Deimos lowers his voice and inches his way closer to me. “Would you like to explain what that was about?” “When we get back to the pack house,” I whisper. “No,” Deimo
Deimos POV Elizabeth hops out of the car and dashes across the driveway at the pack house before I can even get out. I know she feared I would carry her from the vehicle into the pack house. When I carried her across the hospital parking lot, I could see her pale skin flush with embarrassment. While I carried her, I could not help but feel angry. With each limp of my leg, she kept insisting she could walk herself. I don't know which irritated me more—her concern over my leg or how comfortable she felt in my arms. I had to keep reminding myself that I don't need or want a Luna. Having Elizabeth around is only proving to make my life harder. Slamming my car door shut, I hobble into the pack house. Hobble. I hate that word. It implies I am incapable in some way, but there is no other word for how I walk these days. Irritation is still bubbling under the surface of my skin as I make my way into my office. My father tries to stop me as I head to my office. "Where have you