Chapter 1 Chapter 1

“This is not what you should be doing, Anaya. Your father will not be happy about this.” My mother frowned as she looked around the bakery her mother had left me. “It is just way too simplistic.”

I sighed as I continued wiping the tables. “I think that is the whole point, Mother.”

“You are a princess, not a baker. I miss my mother, but she managed to fill your head with rubbish.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“I have made up my mind, Mother. Besides, I can still do my princess duties and run my grandmother’s bakery.” I told her.

My mother was acting like this was the end of the world or something. She wasn’t born a queen or royalty. She married into it, and while my grandmother had stayed humble and continued running her bakery, my mother had embraced every part of being Queen Vera as if she had been born wearing a crown.

She was beautiful, though. I could never deny that.

Queen Vera had long silver-blonde hair that reached almost to her waist, usually braided with tiny blue flowers that only grew inside the royal gardens. Her skin was pale and smooth, and her wings were larger than mine, covered in delicate blue patterns that shimmered whenever she moved. She always looked perfect, from the jewels around her neck to the elegant gowns she wore even when she was only coming to argue with me.

She wiped one delicate finger across the table I had just finished cleaning and looked at the tiny trace of flour on it.

“Just make sure your father does not find out about this.”

“Of course, Mother,” I said sarcastically.

She gave me the look she had perfected over the years, the one that reminded me she was Queen Vera and I was supposed to be intimidated. Then she turned toward the door with Clara following closely behind her.

Clara was my mother’s most trusted warrior and her closest friend. She was one of the strongest fairies in our kingdom, and unlike my mother, she had no problem telling me exactly what she thought of my rebellious behavior.

I waited until they stepped outside before quietly moving toward the window.

They spread their wings and flew into the air, my mother’s silver-blue wings catching the afternoon light as they disappeared beyond the trees.

I waited another five minutes.

Then I smiled.

I knew exactly where I was going.

I pulled out my grandmother’s old recipe book and placed it on the counter. The pages were worn from years of use, and some of the corners were stained with ingredients that had probably been spilled on them decades ago.

“Ginger roots, apples, blueberries…” I murmured as I ran my finger down the list. “And moonmint.”

I already knew where to find all of them.

The problem was that three of those ingredients grew beyond the fairy border.

My mother would have a heart attack if she knew.

The forest beyond our territory was forbidden to fairies. It belonged to the wolves.

Werewolves.

Our sworn enemies.

We had been taught from childhood that wolves were dangerous creatures who had killed thousands of fairies during the old wars. Their kind believed the same about us. According to every story I had heard growing up, neither side could ever be trusted.

But I had never been good at following rules.

I closed the bakery, slipped my recipe book into my bag and walked behind the building where the trees grew thick enough to hide me from anyone watching.

I removed my shoes, tucked my dress closer to my body and spread my wings.

My wings were smaller than my mother’s, but they were fast.

The moment I pushed myself into the air, the familiar feeling of freedom washed over me. I flew low between the trees, keeping my magic concealed as I crossed the border.

The moment I passed it, the air changed.

The forest was darker here.

Older.

The trees were enormous, their roots twisting through the ground, and strange blue mushrooms grew around the trunks. I landed near a patch of ginger roots and pulled out my little knife.

I worked quickly.

The longer I stayed, the greater the chance that someone would see me.

I had just placed the last ginger root into my bag when I heard something.

I froze.

At first, it sounded like the wind moving through the branches.

Then I heard it again.

A faint whine.

My head turned toward the sound.

Fairies had sharper senses than humans, but mine had always been unusually strong. My father called it one of my greatest gifts. My mother called it another reason I should stop wandering outside the palace.

I closed my eyes and listened.

There.

Another whine came from deeper inside the forest.

Someone was hurt.

I should have left.

Instead, I followed the sound.

I moved carefully through the trees until I reached a small clearing. My heart immediately dropped when I saw what was lying in the middle of it.

A wolf.

Not an ordinary wolf.

A werewolf.

She was young, much younger than I expected. Her grey fur was dirty and matted with blood, and one of her back legs was caught inside an iron trap.

I stared at her in horror.

I knew that trap.

My people made them.

They were designed to catch wolves that crossed into fairy territory.

The wolf tried to pull herself free, but the movement only made the metal sink deeper into her leg. She let out another painful whine.

“Don’t,” I whispered, stepping closer. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

The wolf looked at me.

Her eyes were terrified.

I stopped.

She was only a pup.

I could see it now. She couldn’t have been more than a few years old in wolf age. Her body was smaller than that of a grown wolf, and there was something almost childlike about the way she stared at me.

I looked around the clearing.

No one was there.

I should have walked away.

If anyone discovered that I had crossed the border and helped a wolf, I would be punished. If my parents found out, they would probably lock me inside the palace until I turned a hundred.

But leaving her there felt worse.

“I know what you are,” I whispered as I crouched beside her. “And I know what my people say about you.”

The wolf growled weakly.

“I also know you probably think the same horrible things about us.”

I reached toward the trap, and she immediately pulled back.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

I placed my hand over the iron.

A soft blue glow spread from my palm.

Magic rushed through my fingers and wrapped around the trap. I lifted my hand slowly, and the heavy iron jaws rose from the ground as if they weighed nothing.

The wolf yelped when her leg came free.

I immediately moved closer and placed my hand over the wound. My healing magic wasn’t strong enough to completely repair the injury, but I could stop the bleeding.

“It’s going to hurt for a second,” I warned her.

Blue light surrounded my fingers.

The wolf trembled but stayed still.

When the bleeding finally stopped, I pulled a clean piece of cloth from my bag and wrapped it around her leg.

“There. You should be able to walk.”

The wolf stared at me for several seconds.

Then she slowly stood.

She limped toward me, lowered her head and licked my hand.

I smiled despite myself.

“You’re welcome.”

She turned toward the trees, then looked back at me one last time before disappearing into the forest.I watched until she was gone.

For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling.I turned toward my bag, ready to collect the last few ingredients and return to the bakery.Then I stopped.Something was wrong.

The forest had gone completely quiet.I slowly looked over my shoulder.I couldn’t see anyone.But I could feel it.Someone was watching me.

My heart began beating faster as I searched between the trees. Nothing moved, yet the feeling only became stronger.

Someone had seen me.

My hand immediately reached for the blue hood attached to my cloak.I pulled it over my head, hiding my hair and most of my face.

Then I whispered the spell my grandmother had taught me.

Blue light flashed around my body.The trees blurred.My wings disappeared.My footsteps vanished.And within seconds, I was gone.