The afternoon sun peeked down at us like silver asters, glinting and shimmering. It's been hours since we departed from our empire. I was aware that the journey would be longer. For our empire and the Caliphate were two worlds apart, riddled by the great distance that separated them.
We walked through an umber-brown, ancient forest. It reeked of age. Its woody incense was from centuries of snapping branches crashing to the forest's floor and rotting silently. The composting, organic smell rose up in waves like a miasma. Every sprawling tree we passed under reminded me of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves. We decided to venture deeper into the tangled heart of this primeval forest as we journeyed far west.
It was my first time experiencing such serenity despite our tedious journey. I guess I fell in love with nature.
"Your family loves you very much," the man across from me said.
I scoffed. "Don't pretend you know anything about my life. And we don't have to play nice, either."
He straightened. "You are going to be the new bride to the prince. The least I can do is make your acquaintance, Milady."
"The prince," I repeated, playing with the name on the end of my tongue. "So tell me…"
"Dimitrius."
"Tell me, Dimitrius, are the rumors true? Will I be dying today?"
He paused. "Don't believe everything you hear, Milady. The Royal Family is very complicated. Your prince in particular. I think you'll find much of what you've heard about the Werewolves to be just that. Rumors."
I considered his words.
"How did you come to work for them?" I asked Dimitrius. "How did you enter the wolf's lands?"
A wicked smile crossed his face. "You believe me to be human, Milady?"
My heart pounded in my chest. It was impossible. He looked exactly like a human. There was nothing strange about him. Nothing peculiar. Nothing was 'werewolf' about him.
"You're a werewolf?" I asked, not able to keep the shock out of my voice.
Dimitrius nodded.
"But you look…"
"Glamour," he replied. "His Majesty did not want to frighten you on your wedding day. He suggested we use glamour to keep our appearances…human-like."
"He doesn't want to scare me, huh?" I continued. "Very hypocritical coming from a man who is rumored to kill all of his human wives."
"You'll be safe, Eve," Dimitrius said, losing his calm and collected composure. "Your husband…well, let's just say that he doesn't like it when people touch his things. You will be safe. Please do not worry yourself with believing anything other than that."
A certain edge to his voice caused me to reconsider any argument I might have had. I had no idea what I was walking into, and the things Dimitrius said were not helping that situation.
My husband, one of the cruel and ruthless princes of the Caliphate, was going to protect me?
I nearly laughed out loud.
"I hate to do this, Milady, but His Majesty insists that you are asleep for the trip to the Caliphate. Would you mind?" he asked politely, handing me a small vile of liquid.
"Is this going to kill me?" I asked skeptically.
Dimitrius laughed. "I sure hope not. A lot of people are looking forward to this wedding of yours."
I closed my eyes and dumped the vile of liquid into my mouth, swallowing it all. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if it did though, would it?" I asked him, passing the empty vile back. "If it killed me?" I didn't care if I sounded weak or pitiful. I was dreading whatever came next. To die in my sleep would be merciful compared to what was going to happen next.
It might have been the sudden sluggishness I felt in my senses, but I could have sworn I saw his brows furrowed in concern as my own eyes drifted shut, the sound of the horse's hooves pounding repeatedly on the ground lulling me back to sleep.
************
I was in bed when I woke up. Correction, I was in the biggest damn bed I had ever seen in my entire life.
"Oh good!" A woman, not much older than me, sat in a chair opposite the bed. "You're awake! Good thing, because we have a lot of work to do. No offense, of course."
"Where are we?" I asked, rubbing my pounding temple. "How long was I out?"
"Just a couple of hours. The wedding starts soon, though, so up up!" she chirped, clapping her hands and pulling the blanket away from my body. "I'm Amanda, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I shook the small hand she held out for me. Amanda was beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had bright red hair that cascaded in perfect curls to her waist, contrasting against her porcelain white skin.
"You're…"
"werewolf, yes," she said, already knowing my question. "I'm also your soon-to-be sister-in-law. I insisted on helping you get ready today, mostly because these maids have no sense of style. But also because you and I are going to be best friends!"
I smiled as best I could to be polite, but this was all too much. Amanda was a werewolf, too? So far, none of the Werewolves I had met were monstrous, evil creatures. Dimitrius and Amanda were both kind to me. Unless of course, this was all a facade.
"I'm marrying your brother?" I asked as she pulled me into the bathroom. "Please tell me everything I've heard about the Werewolf princes isn't true."
Amanda didn't even try to hide the pity she felt for me. "Sweetie, there's a lot to learn about my brothers. If I told you everything, we would be here for weeks on end. But I'll tell you this much," she said, guiding me to a chair and sitting me in front of a large mirror. "My brother isn't everything he seems on the surface. Give him a chance. He really might surprise you."
"Great," I mumbled. "I can't wait."