Chapter 1

Athena used her pursed lips to look through the thick layer of snow at the edge of the woods. She squinted to see better through the white snow that looked like ghosts.

She said, "I know you're hiding somewhere in there, Dal." She looked at the snow again, but the big, fluffy snow leopard that was also her second shadow was nowhere to be found.

"Dal, come on. We're getting late. Tomorrow, I'll play with you "She was sad because she couldn't find that leopard anywhere. Behind the thick grey clouds, the sun had already set, taking the light with it.

They had had enough fun and it was time to go home, but the snow leopard didn't seem to want to go.

When Dal didn't come out of hiding, she got angry.

"Fine!" She lost her temper and went deeper into the forest to find the snow leopard. She muttered, "I wonder where you're hiding" as she followed the small path through the woods.

As she moved further into the trees, it began to snow. Slowly, night had begun to fall, making the area darker and colder. She wanted to leave that place as soon as possible. Athena looked for paw prints in the snow, but she couldn't find any. This made her look unhappy.

"Dal, where are you?" She called out very sweetly for her leopard, but he didn't answer. This made her frown even worse.

"It's getting late, Dal," she said loudly into the woods so he could hear, but he didn't answer. She was now pretty far into the woods. The palace was hidden by the sight of bare, frozen trees.

Those trees were very still and quiet, and the only sound there was the quiet songs of the night gale. It ruffled her hair gently, but it didn't make her as happy as the summer breeze would have.

Instead, it made her angry.

Her wolf also woke up inside of her. They both had the same feeling in their guts that set off alarm bells. There was something wrong.

She stopped talking and just listened to the quiet sounds of the cold air. She really wanted to ask the wind where her favorite leopard was, but she didn't. She could only use these skills when her life was in danger.

Suddenly, a sound cut through the hissing wind, giving her a chill. Her eyes got bigger, her heart beat faster, and her senses got sharper.

She knew what was making that sound. She had heard the sound of the hunters' arrows leaving their bows. But the last scream of the animal it had hit was something she didn't like about it.

Someone was hunting out there.

This made her feel scared. What if someone hit Dal? The thought made her even more scared.

"Dal!" She yelled right away in the woods, but no one answered her, not even the hunter. She didn't waste a second and phased into her grey wolf and darted in the direction of the sound.

The thick snow was the only thing that slowed her down but she was determined to find her beloved snow leopard. She wouldn't let anyone take him away from her.

Another sound of blow pierced through the woods as she ran. This made her pump her legs faster. Her heart was thundering in her chest and adrenaline rushed through her veins.

The rest of the world faded away for her while she ran towards the source of the sound. The wind whooshed by her and the trees parted to make way for her. She heard noises as the snow started to thin out.

She was near one of the main roads, lined with naked and frosty trees on both sides, which lead to the heart of Zeifa.

The coaster of hooves and the grunts of the horses declared that a visitor was walking on the road, headed deeper into the kingdom.

She was afraid to think that the visitor had stained her snow leopard's beautiful white coat with his majestic red blood. The thought terrified her.

Dal was a beautiful creature, and it wasn't the first time that hunters, especially those who came from outside, had done something bad to him.

Although she wondered who was visiting Zeifa at that odd hour? There wasn't any celebration going on either. She'd have known if there ought to be any visitors beforehand.

As the trees thinned out, she was finally able to spot her snow leopard. It relieved her for a moment but the fact that Dal was standing in the middle of the road, shivering with a carriage pulled in front of him made her hurry even more.

Her eyes widened when she saw the driver of the carrier with an arrow pointed at Dal. She didn't waste a moment and instantly jumped between the leopard and the arrow.

Although the arrow had already left the bow. It pierced the wind and headed straight at the she-wolf but she didn't move. She stood tall and proudly between the arrow and her beloved.

She didn't flinch as the arrow slightly cut through her cheek before being deflected away. She heard Dal squeal behind her while she growled at the coach driver aggressively, flashing her scissor sharp canines.

The coach driver still had the bow pointed at her, his other hand reaching behind him to retrieve another arrow from his quiver.

The she-wolf prepared to prance at him. She didn't care about the arrow. The coach driver was about to fire another shot when the coach door flew open very unexpectedly.

Athena still kept her aggressive stance but it was for the first time when she noticed the huge golden symbol pressed in the coach, just over the coach master's head.

The light from the lantern fell adequately on the symbol, defining every single detail in it. In the middle of the symbol was the side profile of a Lycan's face. Olive leaves circled the symbol and there were several runes carved above the Lycan's head.

She instantly knew that it was a carriage from Thestonia but she was aghast when a very tall figure stepped out of the coach. The door of the carriage shut with a loud thud, echoing in the woods.

Now that the door was out of the way, her grey eyes locked with a pair of black ones whose owner stood tall and regal. Her heartbeats quickened all of a sudden and something strange stirred inside her.

He was the Lycan King.

She hesitated for a moment but didn't take a step back. She still stood between the arrow and her leopard. His black eyes lingered grimly over her before they looked past her, at the leopard.

"Give the leopard to me," He commanded, using all his powers but Athena didn't bow down or even budged like normal would have.

A strange silver light rose from her followed by the crashing of bones.

The silver light transformed into a thick black cloak that fell over the now phased she-wolf standing in front of the Lycan king with her chin lifted up with determination. He'd never seen anything like that before, something like her.

"You can have him after you kill me," she told the King grimly, looking him straight into the eyes, challenging him.

The King cocked an eyebrow and extended his hand towards the coachman who handed him the bow and the arrow.

The whole frozen forest stood still and silent, watching everything unfold. Even the air had stopped blowing, it seemed like everyone was holding their breaths.

The King glared at her for a second longer to warn her she still didn't budge.

It ticked him off and the arrow left the bow again. She stood tall and still like a statue as the arrow missed her by a few inches. The King clenched his jaw, the strong determination of the she-wolf in front of him was feeding his anger and stirring his Lycan inside him.

"Pathetic," she commented and turned to her leopard. "Let's go home, Dal," she told her leopard. It jumped towards her and followed her very closely into the woods.

Meanwhile, the King stood there watching the duo, feeling utterly humiliated. No one had ever insulted him like this she-wolf did.

"Coward," Athena spoke over her shoulder when the King pointed the arrow at her back.

She heard something break, presumably the bow and the arrow while she disappeared into the shadows of the trees. She didn't realize that she was shaking with fear until she was deep enough into the woods with her leopard.

She let out a shaky breath, dropping down to hug her leopard. The leopard gave her a rough lick while she squeezed her eyes shut and thought about the Lycan King.

"It can't be," she whispered, her voice quivered.

Being paired with the Lycan King was the last thing she'd ever imagined.