Chapter 3

Phoebe

Curled up in the corner of the library with a book on finance beside me on the desk, I look at the acceptance letter from the University of Ottawa that arrived in my email. I had been accepted into the Honours Bachelor of Commerce: Option in Business Technology Management Program with a full scholarship. Beta Lance pointed me in this direction a year ago when he realized my competence with computers and cybersecurity, stating the royal pack could use someone with my skill set.

I had been reluctant at first, not wanting to leave my post as the king’s hidden guard, but Lance reminded me that one day I would meet my mate, and if he wasn’t part of the royal pack, I had the option to follow my mate to his pack and start my life there as a mated woman. Because of this reminder, I reluctantly applied to different universities, hoping to join a course that specialized in training security specialists and IT.

“What are you looking at?” a deep baritone voice calls out, and I jump, slamming my laptop shut before facing the ebony-skinned beta who grins cheekily at me, his amber-colored eyes bright with amusement.

“No-nothing,” I stammer, hoping he has not seen the acceptance letter.

“Well, it looks to me like a reply from U of O,” he says in a singsong voice.

Cursing, I slide my laptop toward the burly beta and watch as he opens it to read the email. He lets out a low whistle, his eyes wide as he reads over the scholarship offered to me.

“Are you going to take it?” he asks, closing the device and sliding it back toward me.

“I don’t think so,” I admit with a sigh, looking down at the closed laptop.

“I am King Levi’s maid and hidden guard. I am needed here,” I continue, pursing my lips.

“You are an eighteen-year-old woman who needs a life,” Lance retorts, making me roll my eyes.

“Levi doesn’t need you here. He believes all those rumors just because you were in his room at the wrong time when he went into another rut. He thought you were trying to take the place of his true mate,” Lance scoffs.

“You and I both know I would gladly find his luna for him so that I can end these stupid rumors,” I counter, letting out an annoyed sigh. Those stupid rumors will be the death of me if the king doesn’t find his mate soon.

“Honestly, you should really start beating those wolves to a pulp for constantly spreading rumors about you,” Lance teases, nudging his shoulder against mine.

“You and I both know I can’t do that,” I point out, rolling my eyes before flipping my laptop open to check the stock market. Now that I am eighteen, I have access to the stocks left to me by my parents, and it is about time I sign into that account.

“The deal I made with the late king and queen was that I would pretend to be a weak omega so that I could watch King Levi from his side. If I suddenly attack every wolf who spreads rumors about me, the next rumor will be that I am a spy pretending to be weak in front of the king,” I add, smirking as I notice the numbers in my account. It seems my parents really set me up with a good nest egg in case something happens.

“The worst part about you saying this is Levi might use that new rumor as a way to kick you out of the royal pack,” Lance says with a deep rumble in his chest. I chuckle, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with this statement. King Levi hates me; that much is true. But at least I have Lance by my side as my ally and friend.

Lance, King Levi, and I grew up together. My parents were the royal guards disguised as a butler and a maid; Lance’s parents were the beta couple of the royal pack, helping to coordinate the safety of our pack and the royal family. King Levi was the prince and our dear friend at the time, but people change when faced with death.

When the rumors first started, King Levi stood up for me, stating I would never step over my station. But as they became more frequent, he soon stopped voicing his support for me. The only one who kept defending me was Lance.

“Don’t you have an envoy to greet in an hour?” I ask, glancing at the time on my laptop.

Lance lets out a curse and quickly stands from his seat. I chuckle at this, telling him to have fun with the Nightstone pack tonight. He flips me the finger, and I burst out laughing, feeling my friend’s annoyance. He hates playing diplomat, preferring to be in his office planning training formations and hunting parties to fill the freezers.

Shaking my head helplessly at my friend, I return my gaze to my laptop, only for something shiny to catch my eye. Curious, I pick up a small silver-colored box and sigh. A small note is taped to it in Lance’s messy handwriting: Happy Birthday, Phoebe.

With slight hesitation, I open the box to find a set of car keys nestled inside.

'You got me a freaking car?!' I nearly scream into the link between Lance and me.

'Yes. It’s in the garage waiting for you to take it for a test drive. Happy birthday, Phoebe', Lance replies with a smug tone. Before I can yell at him for wasting money, the link is shut down, and I growl. That idiot bought me a car and is blocking me from demanding he return it.

I know he will avoid me for the rest of the day, not wanting to face my lectures about wasting money. In the end, I can only accept my fate and take the gift. Tucking my laptop into its bag, I slip the finance book in with it and leave the library. Since I am the proud owner of a new car, I might as well see what Lance got me.

“Wonder where that gold-digging slut is heading now?” I hear as soon as I exit the library doors.

Suppressing a sigh, I ignore the glares thrown my way and lower my gaze. The rumors are still going strong, even on my birthday. My throat tightens with sadness. Everyone used to be so kind to me growing up. I was praised for being diligent and intelligent. Yet now I have to endure these rumors just to keep my status a secret to protect King Levi and lay down my life if it comes to that.