Prologue

Lydia's Pov

I LET OUT AN excited whoop as I ran through the hallways of the palace.

"Lydia! Careful! Don't fall!" Aunty Mardris called out behind me.

"I won't!" I yelled back in reply as I dodged several servants and slipped into my passageway behind the door.

Well, it's technically not my passageway because this is not my palace. My mum is just a lady's maid to Luna Cathy.

That's okay though, once I grow up and marry Wilson then I'll be the Luna and everything will belong to me anyway.

My name is Lydia Shapiro and I love the hidden palace passageways. Not everyone knows about them, but I figured them out when I was four and I've loved transporting through them ever since!

They're convenient and if you look past the cobwebs that trail the tunnels and the constant dust mites, then you'll find it a really efficient method of transportation. Especially when you are fast like me and everyone keeps yelling at you to slow down.

Slow down indeed.

I have a perfect plan in place for Prince Wilson to fall in love with me. He's sixteen now. Quite bigger than me, but that's okay too. It's perfect.

Today is his sixteenth birthday and in two years, he'll be awakened. He loves me so he'll wait the extra six years until I'm awakened too and we can live happily ever after as mates.

"Mamma!" I yelled in excitement as I pushed open the passage door behind the mirror in the Luna's chambers and climbed out.

Mamma was brushing the Luna's hair and jumped in shock at my voice.

"By the moon, this girl! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" She hissed angrily as she placed a palm on her chest, probably to calm her beating heart.

I pouted and came down halfway from the passage.

Why are people so jumpy and scared anyway? 

I love being fast and I love running! I might be ten but I'm all grown up already and I know, I'll be the fastest werewolf alive once I'm awakened at eighteen.

"Get down from there this instant! Are you trying to break your neck?" Mamma hissed in irritation as she brandished the hairbrush in her hands like a weapon.

"Leave our Lydia alone, Grace. One day she'll be the luna just like me and have to be all prim and proper. She should be allowed to enjoy herself now. Isn't that right Lydia?" Luna Cathy asked me with a playful wink as she gently scolded Mamma.

My chest puffed up with pride and I came down from the passage to bow.

"Yes, that's right Luna. I'll be just like you, all beautiful and grown and a wonderful mate to Prince Wilson!" I announced happily.

Mamma clicked her tongue at me and went back to brushing the Luna's hair.

"You shouldn't encourage her, your majesty. She's just the daughter of a maid. The moon goddess would certainly not pick her to be the mate of the next Alpha," Mamma grumbled.

And I frowned as tears began to prick my eyes.

Why would she say that? Wilson and I are meant to be together forever!

Everyone knows that. So why is M M Ma- 

My lips wobbled as hot tears stung my eyeballs.

"Why would you say that? You're not just a maid to me and Lydia is like my very own daughter," The Luna chastised Mamma as she turned to stare at her, stopping Mamma from brushing her hair.

"We have no idea of knowing who the goddess will pick for Wilson but I'm certain she would see the love in our Lydia and pick her. In any case, you shouldn't spoil a child's fun," Luna Cathy finished as she opened her arms to me.

"Come here, child,"

With a brighter smile on my face, I raced into her arms while Mamma looked on with a mix of disapproval and amusement.

"You are a very beautiful girl and regardless of who the moon goddess picks for you, I'm sure you'll be very happy," Luna Cathy said to me softly as she looked in my tear-filled eyes and wiped my cheeks with her palm gently.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered.

I nodded my head in excitement as a deep seated wonder and curiosity took root in me.

I'm important enough for the Luna to tell her secrets! She trusts me. 

I don't care what Mamma says, Wilson and I are a match ordained by the moon goddess herself, and we'll be very happy!

Luna Cathy bent her head until her mouth was close to my ear and whispered.

"The moon goddess showed me that you'll be a very beautiful and powerful Luna," 

She winked conspiratorially as pleasure bloomed through me.

A hot blush spread across my cheeks, and I turned to Mamma.

"Wilson has gone riding, but he'll soon be back, and I have a birthday surprise for him. Can you please mind link me when he's close? So I can race to his room?" I asked her pleadingly as I bit my lips and waited for her response.

"That's Prince Wilson to you, young lady!" Mamma said as she put her hands on her waist and tried her best to stifle her laughter.

Oh, come on, like you call me Luna anyway. Leave Lydia alone," Luna Cathy said to Mamma as her laughter tinkled out of her like chiming bells.

"Stop enabling her, Cathy!" Mamma said to the Luna as she playfully whacked her with the hairbrush she still clutched in her palm.

"Come on, go on then, girl. Your Mamma will mindlink you when Wilson gets back, and if she doesn't, then I'll mindlink you myself," Luna Cathy said to me with a smile.

I smiled so brightly that it felt like my heart would explode.

He would love my surprise! I'M CERTAIN OF IT!

"Thank you, Luna! Thank you, Mamma!" I yelled happily as I spun around and dashed behind the mirror into my secret passage.

"YOU NEED TO START USING ACTUAL DOORS AND PASSAGES, LYDIA!" Mamma screamed after me as Luna Cathy's laughter tinkled through the air.

I crawled steadily through my passage and paused at the base of the tunnel that leads to and opens up under Wilson's bed. Oops, Prince Wilson's bed

The surprise I made for him made me smile, and I pressed my cool palms against my flaming cheeks to calm my blush.

It wasn't like anyone would see me here, but it still made me happy. I HAD MADE HIM A NECKLACE!

And before you start wondering, it's not JUST a regular necklace but a symbol of our love.

It's a necklace made entirely of earthworms! Of course, I made the necklace heart-shaped.

You don't get it, do you? Well, when I was four, a very big, scary earthworm came for me, and Prince Wilson saved me from it. That was the beginning of our love story, so every year on his birthday, I make heart-shaped earthworm necklaces and surprise him with them!

Well, he acts like he doesn't like them, but I know he's secretly pleased and happy that I do something so wonderful.

So like every year, I stayed waiting in my passage for Mamma to mindlink me, and I drifted off to sleep.

***

"Lydia! Go!" Mamma's loud voice broke through my mind, jolting me out of sleep.

Prince Wilson is here!

I'm so happy Mamma is enthusiastic about telling me to give him his present.

With a happy smile on my face, I reached into my pocket and clutched my gift, just to be sure, and then I started scampering down the passage towards his room.

"Thank you, Mamma!" I yelled back to her through the mind link as I climbed up and opened the trap door beneath Prince Wilson's bed.

He's going to be sooo happy!

"NO! LYDIA RUN!" Mamma screamed in fear at me, then went silent.

I froze in shock, and my heart began to beat faster in my chest.

Why had Mamma screamed at me like that? Run where? Did I do something? Did something happen?

My train of thought was interrupted as I clearly heard a man's voice come from Prince Wilson's room.

"WHERE'S THE YOUNG ALPHA? FIND HIM AND GET THE ELIXIR NOW!" 

His voice sent chills down my spine, and for some reason, I wished at that moment that my Prince Wilson was far away and safe from this bad bad man.

"Mamma? What's happening?" I called out tentatively through the link between Mamma and me that felt like it was getting weaker.

She didn't reply to me, and a sharp pain lanced through my chest as the link gave out.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I struggled to breathe as I pushed my head through the open tunnel door to crawl my way under Wilson's bed.

I froze in shock as I stared at the trail of blood that led to Alpha Mike, who lay on the floor bleeding out.

I couldn't understand it. Werewolves heal! Why was he bleeding so much?

I wanted to cry out in alarm. Maybe if I shouted loud enough, Luna Cathy would show up and help me make sense of everything.

But as I tried to move my shaking body through my tunnel, Alpha Mike stared straight at me and blinked twice.

DANGER.

It was our code for RUN!