Chapter 2 Chapter 2

When I arrived back at the palace, I couldn't stop thinking about who might have seen me in the forest. Had they seen my face? Had they recognized me? Would they tell someone what I had been doing beyond the border?If word reached my father, I was finished.

King Alexander was as strict as they came, especially when it involved me. Sometimes I felt like he had spent my entire life wishing I had been born a son instead. He was always comparing me to my brother, Thomas, as if I had somehow failed him simply by being different.

Thomas was everything my father wanted in a royal heir. He enjoyed training with the warriors, understood politics and never questioned the traditions our family had followed for generations.

Then there was me.I wanted a simple life.

I wanted my grandmother's bakery, fresh bread in the mornings and enough freedom to fly through the forest whenever I wanted. I didn't want to spend my days sitting in meetings listening to powerful fairies argue over borders and ancient grudges.Unfortunately, being the King's daughter meant I didn't get to choose the life I wanted.

I paced around my bedroom, twisting my fingers together as I tried to calm myself. Maybe I was overthinking everything. How could anyone in that forest have recognized me? I had been wearing my blue hood, and even most fairies in the kingdom barely knew what I looked like outside official ceremonies.

My room was filled with the things my mother considered unnecessary. Small glass bottles of dried flowers sat along my shelves, glowing softly with leftover fairy magic. Blue crystals hung beside my window, catching the moonlight and spreading faint patterns across the walls. My people were surrounded by magic everywhere we went, but I had always preferred the simple kind.

The kind that made flowers bloom.The kind that helped bread rise.The kind my grandmother used in her kitchen.A knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Yes, come in," I called quickly.

The door opened, revealing Laura, my personal maiden. I immediately grabbed the blue hooded cloak I had been wearing and pushed it beneath my bed before she could notice.

"Princess, dinner is ready. Everyone is already waiting for you," Laura said, giving me a curious look.

"I'll be there," I replied as I straightened my dress.

She stepped aside and allowed me to follow her into the hallway.

The palace looked completely different at night.

Thousands of tiny fairy lights floated beneath the high ceilings, glowing like little stars without a single flame to keep them alive. Crystal flowers grew from the walls, their petals opening whenever someone walked past them. The floors were made from pale enchanted stone that reflected the soft blue light from the floating lanterns.

It was beautiful.

It was also suffocating.

Everything about the palace reminded me that I was a princess.By the time I entered the dining hall, I immediately knew something was different.My uncle was there.

King George ruled the Western Kingdom, and he had brought his wife and both of their sons with him. They rarely visited us, so seeing the entire family seated around our dining table made my stomach tighten.

I walked toward my usual seat beside Thomas and my mother.

Mother looked me over before I had even sat down.

"You could have at least dressed more elegantly," she said quietly.

I glanced down at my dress. It was simple, pale blue and comfortable, with tiny embroidered flowers along the sleeves.

"I think I look fine."

She sighed as if I had personally offended her.

My mother, Queen Vera, believed a princess should look like royalty every second of the day. She loved elaborate gowns, expensive jewelry and dresses so heavy that I often wondered how women were expected to breathe while wearing them.

I preferred being able to move.

Across the table, my father raised his glass.

"Brother, it is good to have you here. It has certainly been too long," he said to King George.

My uncle smiled. "It has. I'm glad we are finally gathering under good circumstances. It is an honor to see our families preparing to unite our kingdoms."

My hand stopped halfway toward my glass.

Unite our kingdoms?

My father's expression became proud as he leaned back in his chair. "It will make us stronger than ever. Our bloodline will rule for generations to come."

I looked around the table.

Something was wrong.

They weren't talking about a trade agreement or another political alliance.

They were talking about bloodlines.

Our family only had one unmarried princess.

Me.

I forced a smile toward my father, even though my stomach had already begun twisting. "That sounds like something worth celebrating. Did I miss something, Father?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he calmly took another sip of wine.

My uncle laughed.

"Alexander, don't tell me you haven't told our princess yet. She will be united with Arundel, as our tradition demands."

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

I slowly turned toward my cousin.

Arundel was already looking at me.

He gave me a smile.

I wanted to throw my glass at his face.

We had never been close. He had always carried himself like he was better than everyone else, and somehow he had inherited the same arrogant attitude my father had.

John, his younger brother, was completely different. He was kind and still young, which meant he wasn't even being considered for the arrangement.

Of course.

They had chosen Arundel.

"Mother." I turned toward Vera, my voice shaking with disbelief. "You agreed to this? You expect me to marry my own cousin? He is my blood. In our tradition, we call that incest."

"Enough," my father said.

His voice wasn't loud, but the magic behind it made the crystal glasses on the table tremble.

"You will respect your mother, and you will respect our traditions. You are part of this family. You are a princess of this kingdom, not some girl from your mother's village who can do whatever she wants."

I stared at him.

He had insulted my grandmother before, but now he had insulted my mother's people too.

I looked at Mother, waiting for her to say something.

She simply lowered her eyes and took another sip of wine.

"Don't embarrass yourself, child," she said.

That hurt more than my father's words.

I looked at Thomas.

Nothing.

Not even a single word in my defense.My chest tightened.

I pushed my hands against the table and stood.

"I need some air."

"You will sit down," Father ordered.

Something inside me snapped.My magic burst out before I could stop it.

The blue energy rushed through my fingers and slammed into my chair, sending it flying backward. The force shook the table and made several of the floating lights above us flicker.Everyone stared.

I didn't wait for anyone to speak.I disappeared.The next second, I landed inside my grandmother's bakery.My knees buckled beneath me, and I dropped onto the wooden floor.

I covered my face with my hands and finally allowed the tears to fall.How could they decide my entire future without even asking me?My life was not a piece on their political board.I wanted love.Real love.

My grandmother had always told me that one day I would meet the person meant for me, the person who would make me understand why she had waited so long to find happiness.I had believed her.Maybe that was foolish.I wiped my face and took a shaky breath.The bakery was silent.

It smelled like flour, cinnamon and the dried herbs my grandmother used to keep hanging from the ceiling. Moonlight slipped through the windows, touching the wooden tables and the shelves filled with jars.

For the first time all evening, I felt like I could breathe.Then the bell above the front door rang.

I froze.It was almost midnight.Nobody came here this late.I quickly got to my feet and stared toward the entrance.The door opened.A man stepped inside.He was enormous.For a moment, I couldn't move.He looked nothing like a fairy.

My people were known for their delicate features, graceful movements and glowing magic. Even our warriors were usually slender compared to other creatures. We had pale, luminous skin and eyes that seemed to brighten whenever we used our magic.This man was the complete opposite.He looked like he had been carved from something darker.

A black hood covered most of his head, but several strands of dark hair had fallen across his forehead. His shoulders were broad beneath the cloak, and even with the fabric covering him, I could tell he was built like the warriors in the old books describing the gods.

He smelled different too.

Not like flowers, herbs or the clean magical scent that surrounded fairies.

He smelled of the forest after rain, dark earth and something wild.

Wolf.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

He lowered his hood.

Silver-grey eyes met mine.

Beautiful eyes.

Dangerous eyes.

His jaw was sharp, his cheekbones prominent and his expression completely unreadable. Dark ink covered his hands and disappeared beneath his sleeves. When the cloak shifted, I caught a glimpse of a black wolf tattooed across his forearm.

I took a step backward.

"Who are you?"

The stranger didn't even flinch.

"I am Alpha Xavier."

His eyes moved over my face before settling on my wings.

"And you are the King's daughter."

My stomach dropped.

No.

No, no, no.

A werewolf was standing inside my grandmother's bakery.

And he knew exactly who I was.

"Your kind cannot be here," I said, forcing myself not to show fear.

Xavier walked toward me.

I stayed where I was until he was only inches away.

He was so tall that I had to tilt my head back to look at him. Heat radiated from his body, completely different from the cool magical warmth of my kind. His scent surrounded me, making every instinct in my body scream that I was standing far too close to a predator.

His mouth curved into a slow smirk.

"Yet you were in my territory earlier today."

My eyes widened.

He knew.

"It seems you have a soft spot for my kind."

"That was a mistake," I replied quickly.

"A mistake?" His voice was calm, almost amused. "You crossed into wolf territory, found one of my people trapped in a fairy-made snare and used your magic to free her. I would say that is much more than a mistake."

My blood ran cold.

He had seen me.He had seen everything.

"What do you want?"

His expression changed.The amusement disappeared.

"Someone is killing my people."I stared at him.

"One of your kind, or perhaps several of them, are killing wolves one by one. I can recognize fairy magic when I see it, and whoever is doing this wants us to believe your people are responsible."

"I don't know anything about that."

"Then help me find out who is responsible."

I laughed nervously. "You have lost your mind if you think I'm going to help a wolf investigate my own people."

His eyes narrowed.I could feel the tension building between us.

"And if I refuse?"Xavier stepped even closer.

His hand came up and gently caught my chin, forcing me to look directly into his silver-grey eyes.My breath caught.His fingers were warm against my skin, and his hand was large enough to remind me how easily he could hurt me if he wanted to.

He didn't.Instead, he leaned closer.

"If you refuse, Princess, I'll tell your father exactly what you were doing in my territory."

My heart stopped.He smiled.

"And I have a feeling King Alexander won't be nearly as forgiving as I am."