His Lost Queen by Annie Whipple

BELLE

THREE MONTHS LATER

My feet were killing me. The heels my boss forced me to wear definitely did not provide enough support for a shift at a busy diner. It probably didn’t help that I had worked every day this week without a break.

I was exhausted.

I sighed, brushing my hair out of my face as I carried a tray of food to a table of drunk men who hadn’t stopped staring at my as s since they’d walked in.

They all gave me grimy looks as I set down their food. I asked if they needed anything else before shuffling away quickly.

Thanks to my uniform, I was used to this sort of behavior from men. It only took me one week to learn how to fight off wandering hands.

my

When boss handed me the short red dress, white apron, and black high heels, I almost thought he was joking—that is, until I saw that the other waitresses were wearing the same thing.

But I had taken it without any complaints, just happy for the work.

Pom Pom’s, the place Laila had recommended I get a job, was a diner right outside of Evergreen. They hired me right away, barely even taking the time to interview me.

They’d obviously needed the help. Although, I wasn’t sure if I considered myself lucky to be working here. It was run down and understaffed and had paint peeling off the stained walls.

It served hamburgers made of questionable meat and attracted customers of even more questionable

character.

The only good thing about working here was that my boss was happy-eager, even-to give me as many hours as I wanted, which was good because I needed to make a living somehow.

Emergency calls only M

My mark throbbed on my neck as I walked behind the front counter. I quickly set down the tray had just been carrying. I breathed through the pain, leaning on the wall behind me for support.

It was really bad today for some reason. Wave after wave of agonizing heat passed through me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

I

I couldn’t hold back the whimper that escaped my throat or the unwanted tears that started to pool in

my eyes.

It was only getting worse. Every day I spent away from Grayson was becoming more torturous than

the last.

The mark that Grayson had left on my neck all those months ago used to be just two small dots where his canines had pierced me.

The dots were a little raised and healed over with scar tissue-hardly even noticeable unless you were looking for it. Now, however, it looked absolutely horrific.

It was red and irritated, surrounded by a rash that spread up my neck and down my shoulder and

chest.

The two puncture wounds from Grayson’s teeth had opened up and constantly bled, staining anything I wore even though I tried to keep it covered up with a bandage.

The mark itself was slightly swollen, looking like I had a small tumor under my skin. It pulsed with pain like it had a life of its own. I could practically feel it draining the energy out of me every day.

Part of me had just accepted this as my new life. Just like how I had to deal with my period every month, I would have to deal with the agonizing pain that came from being rejected by my soulmate.

Just normal stuff, right?

At least the constant headache I had been suffering through for the last three months-the one I knew was caused by Grayson trying to get into my mind so he could know where I was and keep tabs on me-was starting to fade a bit.

This meant my former mate was slowly worrying less about me, forgetting about me, and moving on with his life.

Although I knew it was for the best, my heart still clenched at the thought. Soon, he wouldn’t think about me at all-I would just be a distant memory.

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Grayson would never be that for me.

*101086% 15:49

I would always cherish our time spent together in Paris, sitting under the glowing lights of the Eiffel Tower as we talked for hours, holding hands while we walked around the Louvre, and waking in each other’s arms every morning.

Even though we had a bumpy start to our relationship, he’d won me over quickly and made me realize that all I wanted in life…was him. He was my home.

And now…he was forgetting about me.

S hit, why was I even thinking about this?

You don’t want him, Belle, I told myself. You can’t want him.

“Belle!” someone shouted.

My head snapped up. My boss, Jerry, had just walked into the diner. He was wearing his usual— stained white T-shirt and jeans with flip-flops on his feet.

His balding head was glistening with sweat, and his yellow teeth were exposed with the constant sneer on his face.

“What the f uck are you doing just standing around?” he demanded. “Get back to work!”

I had to hold myself back from arguing with him and demanding that he not talk to me that way. The diner was dead right now. I had just given food to my only customers.

It was a surprise that they were even here as it was nearly eleven at night, and the diner was usually empty by now.

“Sorry,” I replied, trying to ignore my pain, and searched for something to do.

I grabbed a white washcloth and started wiping down the counter even though I had scrubbed it clean ten minutes ago. I winced when my mark throbbed again due to the movement.

I had no idea what Jerry was doing here. I knew he was the owner of Pom Pom’s, but he spent so much time here that I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had a cot set up in the back.

And yet, he didn’t act like a boss, except for when he was yelling at us to get back to work. Usually, he just sat around, counting his money or hanging out in his office in the back.

I had no idea what he did all day because it definitely wasn’t managing his restaurant. I didn’t even

as I hadn’t spoken to

oft

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think of him as my boss as I hadn’t spoken to him more than a handful of times since he’d hired me.

Whenever I had any sort of problem, I went to my manager, another waitress named Brenda. She was in charge of schedules, salaries, and keeping everyone in check.

She was also a huge sweetheart and knew what it meant to struggle in life since she was a single mom trying to raise two kids on a waitress’s salary.

I felt like I could talk to her about anything, and she wouldn’t judge me.

It was too bad I wasn’t working with her tonight. I was the only waitress here. The cook was in the back, but he hardly ever came out.

It would have been nice to have someone to hide behind to avoid Jer ry’s wandering gaze. He had always been a little too comfortable around me.

He proved my point when his eyes traveled up and down my body appreciatively, licking his lips.

I unconsciously tugged on the bottom of my skirt, wishing for the millionth time that it was about three inches longer.

Thankfully, Jer ry didn’t say anything else. He moved behind the counter, going straight to the cash register and opening it up. I frowned, wondering why he needed cash so late into the night.

My attention was pulled from my boss’s shifty behavior when a figure walked through the door. Liam’s angry gaze found me right away. I swallowed a groan. I was definitely in trouble.

Liam approached me immediately. “What the hell, Belle?” he asked. “I just went to your apartment to check on you, and you weren’t there. You told me you weren’t working today.”

I glanced over at Jer ry to see if he was listening, but he was too busy sna tching cash out of the register and stuffing it into his pockets. Then he turned away and walked to his office.

“I didn’t think I was,” I said as I grabbed a bunch of ketchup bottles from beneath the counter, getting ready to refill them. “Brenda’s son got the flu. She asked if I could take her shift tonight.”

Liam liked to give me rides to and from work, even though my apartment was only half an hour’s walk from here. He always got upset when I didn’t let him drive me,

Ever since I had met him, he had been overprotective to the max, and I had no idea why.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for Liam and all he had done for me. If he hadn’t let me stay with him three months ago, I would be sleeping on the street.

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But I had left his place over a month ago, moving into a cheap one-room apartment near the diner, so I didn’t need his help anymore.

I thought my relationship with Liam would slowly dissolve into nothing after I moved out, but he still hung around me like he thought he was somehow responsible for me.

I considered Liam a good friend of mine. I enjoyed being around him and grew really close to him while I was staying at his place.

But there were times when he didn’t act like my friend-he acted like my bodyguard. I didn’t get it. I still remembered how pis sed off he was when he found out I was moving out of his place.

He just didn’t seem to understand that I wanted to be independent. I didn’t need another possessive alpha male coming into my life, trying to control me and tell me what he thought was best for me.

“Why didn’t you text me?” Liam continued angrily. “You know I don’t like you walking out on the streets alone, especially at night.”

He’d got me a phone only a few days after I met him. His and Laila’s numbers were programmed into the contacts the moment he’d handed it over to me.

I tried to deny the expensive gift, but he continued to insist, so I eventually begrudgingly accepted it.

And now that he couldn’t keep an eye on me from his apartment, he required that I text him whenever I went anywhere.

I didn’t look at him as I continued to fill the ketchup bottles. “I can handle myself, Liam. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not a child.”

“I don’t think you’re a child. I just prefer you in one piece rather than stabbed or beheaded.

“Or with your body lying in a dumpster somewhere because some de mented as shole thought it might be fun to murder you while you were walking home alone.”

I looked up at him then, my expression shocked and a little disturbed. “I think you might be the dem ented one. That was seriously dark. I can promise you I was perfectly fine walking on my own this morning.

“No murderers in sight.”

“This morning?” Liam demanded. “Just how f ucking long have you been here?”

门

Emergency calls only

Shi t, I should not have said that. I looked away, choosing not to answer.

“Are you telling me you opened this morning, and now you’re closing?” he continued.

I sighed. “I picked up Candice’s shift this morning. She had an emergency. It’s not that big of a

deal.”

I didn’t mention the fact that the emergency was that she was hungover from partying a little too hard last night and had literally begged me to cover for her.

Liam’s eyes seemed to darken. “You’ve got to be sh itting me,” he muttered under his breath. “You’ve been here since five in the morning? Is that even legal?”

I was about to respond when my neck suddenly exploded with pain. I froze, squeezing my eyes shut. It passed a few seconds later, and I sucked in a deep breath, feeling suddenly lightheaded and queasy.

“You okay?” Liam asked, his tone more gentle now. All of the anger was gone from his tone and replaced with genuine concern.

I nodded, licking my lips. “Fine,” I squeezed out.

“I wish you would just let me take you to my doctor. You’ve had that thing for months.” He motioned to my mark. “It’s only getting worse.”

He was right-going to the doctor was probably a good idea, but how did I explain my mark to

them?

Oh, yeah, my werewolf soulmate dude bit me to magically bond me to him forever and then slept with someone else, leaving this thing on my neck that I think might be slowly killing me. Anything you can do to help?

Yeah, I had a funny feeling that wouldn’t go too well.

“I don’t have the time or money to go to the doctor, and you know it,” I replied.

Liam opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off instantly, already knowing what he was going to say.

“I am not letting you pay for a trip to the doctor. You’ve already done enough for me, and I still owe you for the months you let me stay in your apartment.”

I looked down at the ketchup bottles in my hands. “Besides, it’s really not that bad. I’m just being dramatic.”

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*10086% 15:50

Liam’s jaw ticked. I knew he didn’t believe me even one bit. “I already told you, you will not be paying me back for staying with me. Now, how’s your head?”

I rolled my eyes. I wished I had never told him about the stu pid headaches Grayson had caused me. It just became really hard to hide that much pain all the time. I couldn’t keep avoiding his questions.

“I’m fine, Liam,” I said once again. “I’m as healthy as an ox. I officially give you permission to stop worrying about me. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

He obviously didn’t agree because he kept asking me questions. “When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep? Are you still having night terrors?”

Embarrassment tightened my chest, remembering all the times I had woken Liam up in the middle of the night with my screaming. It still happened nearly every night and had been that way ever since I had left Grayson.

“I don’t want to sleep,” I said. “I would rather be here.”

It was true. I hated going back to my apartment, where I only had my thoughts for company.

Sleeping was even worse. If I did somehow manage to fall asleep despite all the pain constantly coursing through my body-nightmares tortured me throughout the night.

They always consisted of Grayson taunting me, chasing me, staring me down with his bright red eyes. I woke up screaming, covered in sweat, and tears pouring from my eyes.

I couldn’t remember where I was or how I had gotten there, only that Grayson-my soul mate and the only person in this entire world who I really cared about-hated me.

Didn’t want me. Would rather be with someone else and found amusement in torturing me.

After every dream, I would spend the rest of the night wide awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling hollow and hopeless and afraid.

So yeah, working at Po m Po m’s may not have been a dream, but it was better than going home.

Liam glowered, about to say something else, when the door to the diner flew open, and a very upset Laila came marching in.

“Liam! Why are you ignoring all of my calls?” she yelled. “Are you seriously thinking of having a party at Dad’s tonight?”

BUY

Liam groaned, his head dropping. He gave me a pleading look, probably asking him to back him up

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D

15:50

*0.086% Lam granicu, mis neau unopping, rit gave me a picauing 100k, probably asking mim to back mim up in one way or another, but I just smiled and shrugged.

I decided then and there that dealing with his sister would be his punishment for badgering me.

He turned on his stool to look at her. “Hey, sis,” he said casually, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”

“Do you have some sort of death wish or something?” Laila babbled on, hands on her hips. “If Dad finds out you’re throwing a party at his house, he’ll kill you!”

I didn’t know a whole lot about Liam’s relationship with his millionaire father, but I did know they loved to push each other’s buttons. Liam would do anything to upset his father.

“Chill,” Liam replied. “He’s not gonna be home until late tomorrow night, and I’ll have the place cleaned way before that. Besides, it’s only a

w people.”

“That’s not what Chelsea Matthews said when I ran :.

class from high school was going to be there!”

her

at the mall. She said our entire senior

Liam grinned, shrugging. “So what? It’ll be fun! Lighten up.’

99

“I wasn’t told about any party,” I interrupted, trying to move their attention away from killing each other.

I had witnessed enough of Liam and Laila’s fights to know that they usually ended with violence, and I didn’t need that in the diner tonight, especially since my boss was here right now.

“That’s because you weren’t invited,” Liam replied without hesitation.

Ouch.

Liam watched my face fall. “Sh it, Belle, I didn’t mean it that way-”

“It’s fine,” I said, cutting him off. I had never met Liam’s or Laila’s friends before-not that I really wanted to.

I just found it a bit odd they were always talking about them, but I had never seen them around. I assumed it was because they didn’t want them to know they hung out with someone weird like me.

My presence in their lives was kind of hard to explain.

I looked down, willing the bottles of ketchup I was holding to fill faster so that I could get out of this conversation and go do something else.

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I didn’t want Liam to see that what he’d said struck a nerve. Even though I probably wouldn’t have gone to the party even if I had been invited, being left out still hurt.

Laila glared at her brother. “You’re such an a sshole.”

Liam ignored her. “Belle, really, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t think it was your sort of scene. My friends are a bunch of jerks. I don’t want you around them.”

“It’s okay. I get it,” I said. I couldn’t look at him.

I hated the fact that I was sad I wasn’t invited to some stu pid party. I had to remind myself that this was what I wanted.

I was going to be independent and work my way from the bottom without anyone’s help. That meant lots of long shifts at the diner and no time for friends.

But even if this was what I wanted and needed to do, it still sucked sometimes. I had absolutely no

life.

Just then, Je rry walked out from the back. “Hey,” he said to Liam and Laila. “Either order

not paying her to talk to people.”

something or get the hell out. I’m

I looked back at my friends. Liam was

shootin

at Je rry with his eyes.

“Okay,” Laila replied quickly, always the calmer one. “We’ll both get some coffee, please,” she said.

I nodded and turned to the coffee maker, filling a mug of coffee for each of them. I set the cups down on the counter in front of them. Jer ry narrowed his eyes at us before turning and marching out the

front door.

The table of men across the diner waved me over, probably needing refills or something.

“Belle,” Liam groaned as I walked past him. “Please don’t think-”

I turned to him, pinning him with a heated gaze. “Why don’t you just do us both a favor and stop treating me like I’m this fragile idiot who can’t do anything on her own.

“I can make my own decisions. I’m not st upid, Liam. Stop treating me like I am.”

Liam blinked. “I know you’re not stu-”

“I have to get back to work,” I interrupted. I didn’t want to hear whatever stu pid excuse he was thinking up. “Coffee is on me. Have a great rest of your night.”