Darkest Wolf by Rebecca Royce

approval but my own. It doesn’t matter what they think of me. Someday it will be better again .
    Except she wasn’t even particularly fooling herself anymore. It did matter what she looked like. There would never be a time she could get out of her present circumstances if she couldn’t even get others to look her in the eye when she spoke. She would be forever dependant on someone else to take care of things. Elizabeth hated living in the shadows.
    That was why she had to make her plan work. She had the means to free herself and her family. It was time to take back control of her life. So, why did the thought of fulfilling her idea make a pit of worry form in her stomach? Why did she feel like she might never be okay if she followed through?
    She pulled open the door to the lobby and stepped inside. It was dimly lit although it shouldn’t have been. Half of the lighting in the room seemed to be malfunctioning. If all the fluorescents had been working, the room would have been as bright as midday. This would be easier since they wouldn’t be able to see her clearly.
    “Can I help you?”
    The smoke-altered voice of the man behind the desk caught her attention. She looked over at him, not surprised to see the exterior of the man matched the sound of his words.
    Dark liver spots marred his skin.
    She swallowed, steeling herself for his reaction to her. Why was this bothering her so much? She’d been shrieked at before. “Hello.” She stepped forward, making her feet move beneath her. “I need a room, please.” Maybe she should get two. The way she reacted to Rex in the car did not inspire confidence in her ability to withstand whatever wolfish charms he sent out to her.
    “What is wrong with your face?” The man rose to his feet as he spoke, his hands coming down in front of him as if to block her from getting any closer to him. As if the way she appeared might reach out and assault him from afar.
    “That is not a very polite thing to say.” She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Why was she bothering to respond at all? Still, she couldn’t seem to stop her mouth from letting her words out. “Is that how you were raised? To say rude things to women?”
    “Look, lady.” He stood up. “I don’t want any trouble. I’ve lived in the world a long time now and I’ve never seen anything like you before.”
    “Anything like me?” She fisted her hands at her side. “Listen, sir. I want a room not a lot of hassle. Think you can handle it?”
    He cleared his throat before he reached down to pick up a key. Without another word, he slammed it down in front of him. “Please take it. I can’t look at you anymore.” Liz said a silent prayer to the goddess for patience. Maybe she would listen this time.
    She picked up the key, letting her hand slide slowly over the counter as she grasped it in her fingers. What had she been thinking? Laughing, she realized she wanted to blame Rex. It was his fault. He’d spent the last day looking her in the eyes and making her feel almost normal again.
    She liked it so much she had decided to insist on the behavior from others. Big mistake and one she wouldn’t let herself make again. She swallowed away the sinking sensation telling her life would never be any better than just getting by.
    Turning away from the counter, she stared down at the key in her hand. The man hadn’t told her what room they were in. Wishing she was the type of person who kicked or shouted, she turned back around before leaning over the table. “Excuse me,” she called out into the hallway in which the man had retreated. “Which room is this?”
    “Twenty-two,” the voice called back before hacking for a moment. “Where the hell is my lighter?”
    Elizabeth rolled her eyes, prepared to leave the lobby this time. He hadn’t taken her credit information or discussed payment at all, which gave her a great deal of relief since she had no idea how they’d do that. Perhaps he would prefer