CHAPTER 001_BETRAYAL(THE BEGINNING)
"Lucas, what did you do to me." I asked, my voice low and shaky.
He smiled that lazy wicked smile I used to love "Relax Leah you'll feel good soon"
My head felt heavy like it wasn't mine anymore. The air was thick. I tried to stand but my legs wobbled. Everything spun. The room stretched and moved like it was alive. I grabbed the wall but the floor shifted under me
"You drugged me" I whispered. "Why would you do that"
He leaned close enough for me to smell the wine on his breath "Because you talk too much when you're sober"
The sound of his voice faded as my heartbeat grew louder. I pushed away from him and stumbled out of the room. My eyes could barely focus. I didn't even know where I was going. Just away
The castle was quiet except for my steps. I walked through a hall I'd never seen before. Being the younger princess of Silverfang didn't mean I knew every corner of this place. The walls twisted like a maze and I was too dizzy to think
I opened the first door I found and stepped inside. The smell hit me first. Whiskey. Leather. Smoke. This wasn't my room
I tried to breathe. Tried to make the world stop spinning. My reflection in the mirror looked strange. My silverfang pendant hung loose around my neck and my hair was a mess. I didn't look like a princess. I looked broken
Then the door opened again.
A tall guy stumbled in, shirt half open, eyes unfocused. He froze when he saw me.
"Who the hell are you" he said, voice rough
"I don't know where I am" I said. "I just needed somewhere to stay till it stops spinning"
He dropped the bottle in his hand and sighed "Perfect. A drunk princess in my room"
"You know me" I asked
He chuckled "Everyone knows you Silverfang. But you don't look very royal right now"
"Don't call me that" I said. My body burned from the inside. "Something is wrong with me I feel hot like fire"
He rubbed his temples. "Same. That drink wasn't normal. Or maybe fate's just messing with us both"
His words sounded careless but his eyes were dark and sharp. He took a step closer and I backed away till I hit the edge of the bed
"I just need water please" I said
He shook his head "Water won't fix it"
"Then what will"
He looked at me like he was fighting something inside. "Help me" he said. "I can't control it"
Our eyes met. Everything stopped moving except the fire crawling through my body. I wanted to run. But I couldn't
"Help me too" I whispered
Then we kissed.
It wasn't gentle. It was desperate and wild. The heat grew stronger. I didn't even know his name. It didn't matter. Everything blurred into sound and breath and skin. Then darkness swallowed us both
---
When I woke up my head hurt so bad I thought it would split open. My body ached. The room was bright. The other side of the bed was empty.
I sat up. The sheets were tangled and smelled like him. My heart dropped when the memories came back in pieces. His voice. His hands. The way I let go.
"What did I do" I whispered
The room was too clean. Too grand. I realized I had wandered into a VVIP chamber. Whoever he was, he wasn't just anyone
Before I could think more a loud boom shook the walls.
I ran to the window. Smoke rose from the east side of the palace. People screamed. Guards ran across the courtyard.
I grabbed my robe and ran into the hallway. The smell of fire and blood hit me hard.
"Princess Leah" someone called. A maid ran toward me, her face streaked with tears. "Stay back it's dangerous"
"What's happening" I asked
"It's Lord Lucas. He betrayed the royal family"
I froze. My chest tightened. "Lucas"
My lover. He is my betrayer.
"Where's my sister"
"She's fighting in the courtyard"
I ran past her. The corridors were chaos. Warriors clashed swords. The walls were burning. When I reached the courtyard, I saw my sister Mia surrounded by traitors. She fought like a storm, but there were too many.
"Mia" I screamed
She looked at me just once "Stay back Leah"
I wanted to help but I couldn't. I hadn't shifted yet. I didn't have powers. I was useless
Lucas stood in the middle of it all. His eyes glowed red. His sword dripped with blood. He looked like a stranger wearing the face I once loved.
"Lucas stop" I shouted
He turned to me and smiled. That same evil smile. "Still alive sweetheart I thought you'd be gone by now"
"You destroyed everything"
"I freed myself" he said. He raised his sword at Mia "Your family's time is over"
I tried to move but two of his men grabbed me from behind. I struggled but they were too strong.
"Mia!" I cried
She swung her sword but Lucas was faster. He kicked her down and raised his blade to strike.
"No!" I screamed
Before the sword could fall, a roar broke the sky.
A giant golden werewolf crashed through the courtyard wall, shaking the ground. His eyes burned like sunlight. Everyone stopped.
He leaped at Lucas with impossible speed. One swipe of his claws threw him across the yard. The others tried to run but the wolf tore through them like wind.
When it was over, only silence remained.
The golden wolf stood over Lucas, growling deep in his chest. His voice echoed in my head like thunder
"Touch her again and I'll end you"
Lucas coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. "Who are you"
The wolf's gaze burned through him "You dare destroy what's mine"
His words made the air heavy. My heart raced. What did he mean by mine
He turned to me. Our eyes met. For a second the world disappeared. His golden glow softened and I saw something familiar in him like I had seen him before somewhere.
"Who are you" I asked
He stepped closer "This is just the beginning Leah June. What's written cannot be undone"
Before I could speak he vanished into thin air like dust in light
The courtyard was a wreck. The palace burned. My sister lay weak beside me. Lucas was still on the ground.
Everything I knew was gone
Then I heard a whisper behind me, weak but sharp enough to freeze my blood
"Leah"
I turned slowly
"You need to run" the voice said "He's coming back"