Brotherhood-A Little Red Riding Hood Story (Loosely Based)

by sydneyjohnson268

Wolves are the most feared creatures in all of Colmar, but it wasn't always this way. Geric could well remember a time when things had been different. After a threat against the royal family, Geric goes into the palace in disguise and meets the beautiful Princess Ameline, and the two begin to fall in love. There's just one problem—he's a wolf and she's a human.

Brotherhood

Geric-Chapter 1

In this part of the city, the darkness was absolute. But the darkness was Geric's ally. It not only prevented him from being seen, but it also masked his identity, which he felt grateful for. Even though he had been living in this village just outside the King's Seat of Colmar for the last ten years, his neighbors still feared him, as they feared all of his kind.

He could remember a time when it hadn't been this way. It was long ago, before the current line of kings had been established, before anyone currently living was born. The wolves and the humans had lived side by side in peace and harmony for centuries, the wolves acting as guardians and protectors. But all that had changed when Warrick the Wrathful had arrived. He had been one of the king's most trusted advisors and had rarely been seen without him, but it was all a plot. Warrick used his position of trust to start a civil war, pitting the wolves against the humans in hopes that he could depose the king and take the crown for himself.

It had been a bloodbath for both sides, Geric remembered it vividly. So vividly that it haunted his dreams to this day. Warrick had also tried to turn the king's only son against him, turning him into one of the wolves during the civil war in hopes that the prince would side with him. It hadn't worked, and Warrick in his rage, had killed the king and any surviving members of the royal family before finally being pierced with a silver arrow himself.

The wolves, once they had been turned, were essentially immortal. The aging process ceased once they turned and they could not be killed in their human form. They were both at their most powerful and their most vulnerable when in wolf form, the only known way to kill them was with silver through the heart. Since the Great War, as it had come to be known, the new royal family's guards were all outfitted with silver weapons. Silver blades, silver spears, even silver armor, although Geric wasn't quite sure what the point of that was. Silver armor would not protect the guards and soldiers, as they had found out all too often.

Drawing the folds of his cloak closer to his body, Geric took a deep breath and stepped into the tavern, careful to keep his eyes on the floor. Most of the townsfolk knew him well enough to regard him with no more than guarded suspicion when he encountered them, but he never missed that little bit of fear in their eyes each time they met his.

Geric couldn't blame them. He had wolf's eyes, the same startling shade of amber as all the others who had been turned. Most of the villagers lived in fear of the wolves, and he understood why. Small bands of rebels still roamed the kingdom, killing humans and pillaging their belongings. Geric had taken the only work he could as the blacksmith's assistant. Which meant that while the blacksmith caroused with the local women in the tavern, he was the one in the forge, sweating over the fire making horseshoes and sometimes even silver weapons.

He sometimes wondered while making these weapons if one of them would be used someday to end his life. He had done his best to blend in, but he didn't fit in either the human world or the world of the wolves. Most of the wolves regarded him with disgust at his attempts to fit into the human world and most of the humans regarded him with distrust because of what he was.

Still, it was better than nothing and it paid for his room and board at the only inn that would house him. This one to be exact. Berta was the only person in the kingdom who didn't fear him, which was part of the reason he continued to stay here even though he could afford a small cottage far away from here. It was comforting to have a friend, even if it was only one.

"You look like you've been through the mill," Berta commented, sliding a grog across the counter toward him. "What happened?"

Geric just shook his head, the news of another attack on a small village just south of here made him sick to his stomach. The worst part was that it intensified the fear all over the kingdom. Mothers would pull their small children to the other side of the road when they saw him approaching, shop keepers would mysteriously melt away if he entered their establishment, soldiers would grip their swords nervously when they saw him coming. When he chose to think about what his life had been like before he had been turned, and he rarely did because it was depressing, he wondered how it had come to this.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said, taking a swig of the grog. "Just tired."

Berta eyed him curiously but said nothing. She was not a woman of many words, which was part of the reason Geric enjoyed her company. He wasn't one for talking either. She began wiping out a tankard, turning away and walking to the other end of the bar. Geric took another swig of his grog, surveying the room carefully. Sure enough, a group of soldiers in the corner had their hands on the hilts of their swords and were muttering tersely to each other. He looked away, his stomach clenching. He was lucky he hadn't been killed yet, he had heard rumors that soldiers would attack any wolves they saw after another killing. He hadn't seen it yet, but that didn't mean anything.

He drained the last of his grog and stood up, trying to ignore the stares that followed him as he left. He wasn't tired, not yet. Instead, he made his way to the outskirts of the village where the forest loomed, dark and foreboding. It didn't frighten him the way it did many of the villagers. He was probably the most dangerous thing in there most nights anyway unless a rogue pack decided to put in an appearance.

His senses heightened as he stepped into the trees, his gaze sharpening, and his sense of smell growing more powerful. The transition to his wolf form had been difficult and painful at first, but now he enjoyed it. The muscles in his back lengthened and stretched, his fingers and toes curling into paws. It felt as though he was being released, moving away from the suspicions of the humans and scorn of the other wolves. Here he was free.

Amy-Chapter 2

This should have felt like a wonderful, spectacular day. But it wasn't. The rain fell in thick sheets outside. The castle felt dark and dreary. The sun hid away just like how Amy wanted to hide away. More than anything, she wanted to slip into her riding gear and escape the castle grounds, get as far away from here as she possibly could, especially on a day like today.

"Hold still," the seamstress demanded, holding a pin in her mouth as she glared up at Amy, but one look from Amy shut the woman right up and she got right back to work on tailoring the dress. The dress was almost done. Actually, it had been a slow project coming, mostly because Amy kept unraveling the thread when she thought no one was watching. That way, she could put off this inevitable day for just a little bit longer. However, she couldn't deny that this gown was absolutely beautiful. A deep royal blue with a lacy bodice and a full skirt. Though, she could definitely do without the earrings and the tiara. Oh, and especially these wretched elbow-length gloves. She could do without those too.

"Aren't you excited?" another seamstress just a couple years older than Amy asked dreamily as she spun around in a circle, almost as if envisioning herself in a full-length ball gown. "I can't tell you how excited I am just thinking about it. Oh, you will be the most beautiful woman there. And you're bound to get at least a hundred suitors vying for your hand."

Amy shook her head sadly, staring back at herself in the mirror as her dressed received its final touches. "There is no reason to have such an extravagant occasion. We all know that the king and queen have already chosen a suitor for me. Prince Charles Minnings. This is just for show to make it look like I actually had a choice in the matter."

But it didn't seem as if anyone listened or cared because they were already off in their own worlds, chattering about how wonderful the ball would be, all while Amy died more and more inside. Tonight would be one of the last nights she had of freedom. After tonight, she would be under lock and key.

"There!" the seamstress breathed as she looked up at her handiwork. "You look absolutely stunning.

"Just in time too," Amy muttered as she looked out the window to see lines of horses and coaches approaching the castle, waiting to be admitted through the gates. There was definitely a lot of security tonight, but she knew exactly why. With so much royalty and nobles all in one castle, there were bound to be rebel werewolves on the loose looking to get in.

Amy shuddered at the thought. How could such beings wield so much raw power? It was unfathomable.

Down below, Amy heard horns being blown to welcome the royal family of Elmire and her heart accelerated uncomfortably in her chest. As soon as she left this room, it would all be over.

"Thank you," Amy said as she nodded her head graciously toward the two seamstresses before turning toward the ornate door to her bedroom. Taking a deep breath, she opened the doors and was immediately greeted by two guards who followed closely behind but not too close. All too often, she had dismissed them, but all too often, they refused to leave her side. It made it much too difficult to escape when she needed to be alone.

"There you are!" Amy's mother said as she rushed toward her, taking a hold of both her hands. "You look beautiful. Just like how a princess ought to. You ready?"

Amy gave her a halfhearted smile before nodding. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Both her parents went first down the ornate staircase arm in arm as they were announced, looking as regal as ever. Amy had never felt much like she belonged. She loved archery and swordplay and riding. She loved doing things a princess never should do.

When Amy's name was announced, Amy debated for a single moment whether or not she could dart in the other direction, away from this freak show of colorful swooshing skirts and intricate tiaras. But even she knew she had a duty to her family, to her people. This wasn't about her.

With as much grace as she could muster, Amy floated into the ballroom at the top of the stairs and took each step one by one, watching the audience below with a careful expression. Unfortunately, Charles waited for her at the bottom of the staircase and held a hand out to her which she took.

"Would you like a dance?" he asked her, his face showing his dimple as he smiled.

Amy bowed her head gracefully, remembering her manners that she really wanted to throw out the window and stomp on until they came up dirtied and forgotten. "Gladly."

Charles led her to the middle of the ballroom amidst other couples who started to dance, and then she became trapped in a sea of tulle and silk with no way out. If only she could fly. If only she could shrink and shrink so no one would find her. What she wouldn't give for a day just to herself without the books or the embroidery or the music.

"You're the most beautiful woman in this room," Charles said, his dimple popping out again as he smiled. Charles was by no means homely. He had very nice curly blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a body that any princess might kill for. However, the two of them had absolutely nothing in common.

"Thank you," Amy smiled, putting up a front around all these people, including Charles. "I hope your travels were pleasant?"

"Most definitely. I look forward to my stay this week and I hope that I'll be able to get to know you better."

Thankfully the song ended and Amy felt the desire to hide now more than ever. "Thank you for the dance."

Charles bent over slightly to kiss her hand before letting it drop. "It was my pleasure."

Amy bowed before making her way across the dance floor and quickly slipping out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her. More than anything, she hoped someone wouldn't follow her outside, especially not her guards.

She let out a long sigh as she rested her arms on the ledge of the balcony, looking up to stare at the moon and the stars. It was beautiful out tonight.

So suddenly that she didn't realize what was happening, Amy was slammed up against the brick wall, an arm pinned against her throat, but just as quickly, she reached for her silver dagger and pointed it threateningly at the man's heart. Sure enough, she found herself staring back into the amber colored eyes of a redheaded man. Beautiful amber colored eyes. She felt completely mesmerized. She had never been this close to a werewolf before.

"I would be careful if I were you," Amy spat, pressing the dagger harder against him until she felt positive it drew blood. "I'm sure another inch just might kill you."

The human werewolf loosened his grip slightly, but he never looked away. "I didn't come here to hurt you. I came here to warn you."

Amy surveyed the man before her with intrigue. Even though she knew this was incredibly dangerous to be this close to a werewolf, it still gave her a sense of a thrill. Much more interesting than the dreary life waiting for her just inside. But she'd make sure this werewolf didn't get further than this balcony.

"How did you get in the gates?"

He grinned, releasing her neck entirely. "That's need to know. I'm here to deliver a message. A threat, if you will. The time for human reign is coming to an end. You're in danger, Princess."

"And why do you care?" Amy hissed, holding the dagger threateningly between the two of them. "I know what you are. I know what your kind does to our kind. Why should I believe you?"

The man shook his head as he took another step away from her, his amber eyes glinting underneath the moonlight before he pulled a hood over his face to shroud those eyes in darkness. "Because, we're more similar than you think." And with that, he jumped over the side of the balcony.

Amy rushed forward and peered down below, but the werewolf had already disappeared into the darkness, nowhere in sight. She huffed before straightening her crown and starting back toward the doors, but then she paused in her tracks as she thought about his words. That werewolf could have killed her so easily, especially being so close to her. So why had he warned her instead?

She tried to shake off her uneasy feeling as she made her way back inside. Whether or not the warning rang true, she'd need to keep her eyes peeled. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Geric-Chapter 3

Standing in the shadows of the palace, Geric watched the princess closely. She seemed shaken but otherwise unharmed. It had been pure chance that he had been here when Tonraq had accosted the princess, he had been making a delivery of a sword to the guard house when he had seen the two of them on the balcony just overhead. The princess was usually surrounded by guards and he wondered how Tonraq had managed to slip inside when security was so tight around the royal family. Pushing back from his position, he waited until he could see his quarry, but Tonraq hadn't seen Geric before he lunged out of the shadows, pinning the other wolf to the ground.

"What are you doing here, Tonraq?" he snarled, holding the blade of his dagger to Tonraq's throat. It wouldn't kill him, not in this form, but it would hurt a lot which Geric hoped would be enough of a deterrent to keep him from attacking.

"Delivering a message," Tonraq replied, giving Geric a sly smile. "A warning if you will. But the little princess didn't seem to take me too seriously now, did she?"

Geric didn't respond right away, his mind churning with possibilities. He wanted to prevent the attack before it could happen. The princess had nothing to do with her father's stance against the wolves or the wolves' hatred of the royal family. She was as innocent a bystander as there could be. "Who is after her?"

"Now why would I tell you that?" Tonraq replied with a malevolent grin. Geric pressed the blade a little harder into Tonraq's throat until drops of blood appeared.

"Because last time we fought, I nearly killed you," he hissed, a deadly undercurrent in his voice. "You don't want to go through all that again, do you?"

A flicker of fear whipped through Tonraq's eyes as he stared at Geric, hostility evident in every line of his face. "I don't know. I was paid twenty gold pieces to threaten her. Someone left a note and told me that if I delivered the message, the payment would be doubled."

Geric raised his eyebrows, sensing that Tonraq was telling the truth. He had no reason to lie. The question was, if Tonraq himself had no interest in harming the princess, then who did?

"Go," Geric snarled, letting Tonraq up. "If you ever set foot near the palace again, you'll have me to answer to."

Tonraq didn't need telling twice, the hem of his cloak whipping out of sight as he beat a hasty retreat toward the forest. Geric watched him go, his mouth pulling in a thin line. Was whoever had sent Tonraq just trying to frighten the princess or was there something more sinister going on here?

He watched the guests who were still filtering into the palace, unsure why he felt so protective of the princess. He didn't know her, not really. All he knew of her was what the rest of the kingdom knew—she was the crown princess, heir to the throne, a princess who no one seemed to know much about except for the polished exterior she presented in public. Maybe that was it. He knew how it felt to have to be who everyone expected him to be.

He glanced around the courtyard at the nobles entering the Colmar palace—this particular ball was a masquerade. Maybe, just maybe...

Without giving himself much time to consider what he was doing, he quickly scooped up a plain black mask that had been dropped in the middle of the courtyard, tying it over his face. Luckily it was dark enough out here that he knew no one would be able to see his eyes which would make getting into the palace a lot easier. He bumped into a woman in an overly frilly dress, muttering a hasty apology as he pocketed the invitation he had managed to steal right out of her hand. The guards at the door barely gave him a second glance as he presented the gilded invitation and hastily stepped inside. It wasn't hard to locate the princess, she was in the middle of the dance floor, her hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate twist, a tiara set with precious stones set back in her dark curls. She wore a blue gown with a matching blue mask held in her right hand and, judging from the exasperated look on her face, she wasn't enjoying the dance she shared with her extremely ungainly partner.

"Mind if I cut in?" Geric asked, placing himself firmly between the princess and her partner as the song ended and another began. The princess looked a little startled, but relieved as she took his hand and let him lead her into the steps of the next dance without so much as a backward glance at her scowling former partner.

"Your timing is impeccable, thank you," she whispered, a small smile playing across her lips. "How did you know I was in need of a rescue from that awful Count Marbury?"

Geric chuckled. "You looked more than a little frustrated. I hope you don't mind me swooping in like that."

"Not at all," the princess said coquettishly. "I haven't seen you at one of these balls before. Who are you?"

Who indeed? The truth wouldn't work, she'd be scared to death if she knew who he was and the ballroom was just dim enough that she hadn't noticed his eyes yet. "Nobody too important. My name is Geric, Your Majesty."

"You can call me Amy," the princess whispered conspiratorially. "I get so sick of people calling me Crown Princess or Your Majesty all the time."

A smile tugged on one side of Geric's mouth as he studied her thoughtfully. She wasn't anything like the spoiled brat he had imagined her to be. Her gaze was intense and earnest as she looked up at him, almost as though she craved something real, something more substantial than she could get from the rest of these people who only saw her as the princess and nothing more.

They spun across the dance floor, and Geric allowed himself to forget who he was for a moment, who she was. Right now they were just two people sharing a dance and enjoying each other's company.

"So tell me, Geric," Amy said slyly. "You have a lot more calluses on your hands than any of the nobles I've ever danced with. You're not a noble, are you?"
Geric shook his head quickly, a small smile playing over his mouth. "You caught me. I'm definitely not a noble."

"Then what do you do, exactly?" she asked him inquisitively, her eyes sparkling with interest. Geric liked those eyes. Amy was already a beautiful woman with her delicate features and expressive mouth, but in her eyes he felt as though her personality showed through and he saw a soul subtly akin to his own.

"I was a warrior," he said, settling on a partial truth. He had been one before he was turned and banished from the ranks of the king's army. "Now I'm just a lowly blacksmith."

She smiled, her finger tracing over the line of calluses and burns on his palm as she held it for the steps of the dance. "Well, so far that makes you the most interesting person I've talked to all night. How did you manage to get in?"

Geric felt heat creeping up his neck in his embarrassment as he realized just how far he had fallen, being reduced to stealing invitations to parties he hadn't been invited to only because he was worried about the safety of a princess who seemed just fine.

"Now where would the fun be if I told you?" he teased, winking at her. "Sometimes it's better to have a little mystery."

She giggled and blushed a little at his words as they spun past a candelabra. That was when she froze, the color draining out of her face as she caught sight of his eyes in the candlelight. She dropped his hands, her own flying to her throat as she took a step away from him.

"What do you want from me?" she whispered fearfully. "Why are you and your friend following me?"

Geric shook his head, mentally kicking himself. He should never have come. "He's not my friend. I saw him threatening you and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"But you're one of them," she snapped, her voice trembling slightly. "Don't bother denying it, I saw your eyes."

Shaking his head again, he said, "I don't deny it, Your Majesty. But I'm not here to hurt you. I just…"

He trailed off, unsure how that sentence was supposed to end. He still wasn't sure what made him want to protect her, only that he did.

"Get out," the princess hissed, her eyes twin pools of rage. "Get out before I call the guards."

Geric bowed hastily and half ran half walked toward the towering wooden doors inlaid with silver that marked the entrance to the palace. Once outside, he untied the mask, letting it slip through his fingers to the ground. The whole thing struck him as sinister—Tonraq being paid to threaten the princess, the latest attack in the outskirts of the kingdom. Something was brewing just below the surface, the question was what?

Glancing back at the palace one last time, Geric made his way toward the outer palace wall before scaling it easily and disappearing into the darkness beyond.

Amy-Chapter 4

As she watched the werewolf disappear, her blood wouldn't stop pulsing through her veins. Amy had never been so close to a werewolf in her life, and then all of a sudden in the same night, she had been face to face with two of them. Something was going on, and quite frankly, it scared her.

Even so, she followed Geric's same path that he disappeared and stooped down to pick up his mask that he had dropped. Who was the man behind the mask and why had he come to see her in her own home? There was something different about him than the first werewolf who had threatened her. Could Geric be telling the truth?

She shook her head at the thought and returned to the ballroom, noting all the exits and all the guards in the area. Every guard was required to have a sword made of silver with them at all times which helped her feel at least a little bit safer. However, if two werewolves managed to get past security so easily, she wasn't sure how safe she had been after all.

Amy squeezed the mask tighter as she looked up at all the billowing figures dancing and talking and laughing around her, and it almost seemed as if Geric hadn't been there at all.

There had been something so vulnerable, so honest in Geric's eyes. And she knew she shouldn't, but she desired to run into him again. The encounter could either result in her death or give her a sense of a thrill that the palace life could never offer her. She wouldn't go looking for trouble, but if trouble accidentally found her… Well, no one could fault her for that.

As she once again joined the throng of people, she couldn't shake off the memory of Geric's beautiful amber eyes, the way he made her laugh, and especially the way he made her feel. If anything, meeting him only made her want more, as dangerous as it was.

A grin pulled up on her face as she adjusted her mask to help hide her blush. Tonight, she had to be Ameline Auclaire the princess. Tomorrow, she could just be Amy.

. . . .

The Hunt.

Two words that fueled Amy with giddy excitement as she hopped up on the saddle of a very enlivened horse with her bow and arrows at the ready, stationed on her back. If her mother ever found out she did this with her father, the queen would have her head.

Amy sighed as she caught sight of her father trotting toward her with three others in tow. It was usually only her, her father, and sometimes a couple of his friends on the hunt, but this time he brought along Princes Charles and two other counts. The day just got worse and worse.

"Whoa there," Charles said as he took in Amy with interest. "This is no woman's sport. I'll escort you back to the castle if you'd like."

She just held her head high and stared at him with a stony expression. "Is this your way of telling me you're scared to be outmatched by a woman?"

The other men chortled, making Amy feel even more satisfied at Charles' faltering expression.

"Not at all, Princess. Carry on."

King Merek and Amy walked their horses side by side, leading the group toward the forest. Many people were afraid of the forest, but not her. She loved it. If her parents ever knew how often she had snuck away to be enveloped in its boughs…

The sounds of the forest greeted them as they made their way inside the shadowy abyss, and every single fiber of Amy's being became alert. She listened to the birds and the wind and the trickling stream. It was here in the forest that made her feel the most alive.

After another fifteen or so minutes of following the tracks of an elk, her father held up his hand for everyone to stop and listen. Sure enough, a majestic elk walked out of the cover of the trees, calmly taking a drink of water from the stream. The beast was magnificent from his strong hind legs to its elegantly curved neck. What a beautiful creature. So beautiful that Amy felt sorrowful for them taking its life, but this beast would be remembered.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Charles reaching for his bow, but Amy was much quicker. Within seconds, she strung her own bow and let the arrow fly. The arrow whizzed through the air and embedded itself in the elk's shoulder, causing the creature to rear up on its hind legs and dart into the underbrush.

"Incredible aim!" the king praised with a grin, but then he kicked his horse's flanks and yelled, "Yah!" Amy let out a whoop of laughter as they all galloped after him, steering with the reins in one hand and their weapon in the other.

Charles ran beside her and they glanced at each other, both their expressions etched with raw determination. Charles seemed to want to get to that elk before she did, but no way would she let them.

They galloped even faster. Faster and faster until the two of them were ahead of the group by a good distance. Amy kicked her horse even faster and grinned when she just about had the advantage, but then her horse stumbled, putting her back a few yards.

"Drat," Amy whispered to herself before leading her horse in another direction in an attempt to cut the elk off before it could escape. She brought the horse to a trot and then to a gallop, and in no time, they were flying across the forest floor, trees and rocks and bushes flying past in a blur of brown and green. She was about to turn her horse to make the cut off when something large came barreling out of the bushes and hit the horse with great impact. Amy shrieked as she went flying off the saddle, hitting the ground with a thud before rolling down and down and down, forcefully coming to a stop at the bottom of the ravine.

She reached for her weapons, but they were no longer on her person. But then her heart stopped completely as she watched a massive werewolf slink toward her, eyeing her cautiously, but just from its eyes alone, she could see the ravenous hunger shining through.

Amy whimpered as she attempted to crawl away, but something was wrong with her ankle. She couldn't move her ankle!

Instead, she reached for the biggest rock that she could pick up with one hand, using it as a barrier between her and the wolf.

The werewolf growled nastily at her, spittle dripping down from its mouth. It crouched, continuing to eye her like it would prey and she knew that she only had moments to do something before she was killed. Right as the wolf lunged at her, she lifted the rock to smash into its face, but the rock never made contact. Instead, another werewolf jumped out in front of her and tackled the other to the ground, giving it a good nasty bite to its neck before it retreated back a few feet. Amy expected the new werewolf to round on her instead, but it didn't. It paced back and forth between the two of them, and if she wasn't mistaken, it looked as if it were trying to protect her.

The second werewolf growled menacingly at the other until it shrank back into the shadows and ran off, retreating with its tail between its legs, and not until it disappeared completely did her savior turn its head to look at her.

Amy's breath caught in her throat. She recognized those amber colored eyes. She recognized that expression.

"Geric?" Amy asked in a breathy whisper, her eyes wide with unbelief. "But… But you're a werewolf. Why did you save me?"

Geric's wolf form tensed as shouts echoed down into the ravine and for a moment, he looked unsure whether or not to leave her. In the end, he gave her one last look before slinking into the cover of the shadows, disappearing completely.

"Amy!" her father shouted as he slid off his horse and ran toward her. "What happened? Are you okay? Why is your horse dead?"

Tears sprouted in her eyes. "Valor is dead? You must be mistaken. He can't be dead." She attempted to stand up, but her badly twisted ankle collapsed beneath her and her father just barely managed to catch her before she took a nosedive.

"Charles got the elk, but it's not a feat worth celebrating until I know that you're alright. Let me take you back to the castle and get that foot of yours taken care of, okay?"

Amy nodded, but her heart ached. Valor had been her prized steed for years and years. Losing him took a little piece of her heart with him.

Her father helped her up into his saddle and led the horse by the reins. "I'll get you a new horse, one that's better than Valor, okay?"

As kind as the offer was, Amy didn't want a new horse. Valor had been her best friend in a place where friends were scarce. But as they moved back through the forest the way they came, Amy's thoughts drifted back to Geric. Why had he saved her? Wasn't he supposed to be the bad guy?

She hid her eyes in her hands and cried silently. Nothing made sense anymore, especially not Geric.

Geric-Chapter 5

There were two things that bothered Geric about earlier—the fact that Tonraq had all but told Amy that this would happen and the fact that he hadn't recognized the wolf that attacked her at all. That was something new, no one had been turned, as far as he knew, in more than five years. So who had attacked the princess?

Prowling in the shadows of the castle wall, Geric paused to listen to the noises of the night, his ears swiveling this way and that, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary. But there was nothing. Still, he had instinctively positioned himself outside the castle where he would have a good view of the princess's chambers just in case.

He was still a little shocked that she had even recognized him—to most humans one wolf looked much the same as the next. But she had known him, and the shock on her face that he had saved her life troubled him. No matter how long he had been one of them, he never stopped disliking the fear he saw in others' eyes when they saw him. He had been able to smell the fear on the princess, although it seemed now as though it had been directed at the unknown wolf rather than at him.

Still unsure what it was that drew him to her, he stared up at the warm glow of her window, watching as a lithe, slim silhouette passed in front of the glass. Sighing, he settled back on his haunches, preparing himself for a night of guard duty that he hoped the princess would never find out about. She likely thought the worst of him as it was, no point in making it worse.

After a few minutes, the light inside the chamber was extinguished. But to his surprise, a moment later the window creaked open and the princess slithered down the vines next to the balcony before dropping to the earth with silent feet. In his human form, her unexpected appearance would've put a smile on his lips, but in this form all he could do was watch her with interest as she crept forward before disappearing from his view. His surprise was compounded by the fact that she wore mens' trousers and a tunic that couldn't quite disguise her feminine curves. And, unless he was very much mistaken, she would be climbing over the wall almost exactly at the spot where he sat.

Quickly slipping into the forest, he watched her climb over the embattlements before dropping down to the other side and rolling onto one shoulder before standing up. It appeared to be a well-practiced maneuver and he wondered briefly how often she snuck out of the castle. His curiosity made him want to follow her as she disappeared into the trees a few yards away from where he stood.

His big paws made barely a whisper as he moved across the forest floor, every sense on high alert for anyone who would want to attack her. The princess stopped and checked behind her, pausing for a moment to listen before continuing on her way. Geric relaxed slightly as he followed her again. He didn't think that she knew he was there, rather he thought that she was looking for palace guards.

"Are you going to follow me all night or are you going to come out?" she finally said in exasperation, pausing on the bank of a large, perfectly round pond.

Geric grimaced. So she had known he was there.

He trotted reluctantly forward, wondering if the princess was afraid to be out here in the open with him with no one around to protect her. Her eyes found his in the darkness and she stared at him for a moment with raised eyebrows.

"Well? I'd like to talk to you in human form," she said, her tone not exactly demanding, but he could tell she was used to her commands being obeyed.

He looked away for a moment, embarrassed. It wasn't as though the clothes he wore went with him when he transformed. If he changed back to his human form now, the princess would get a lot more than she had bargained for.

Finally, he made his way into the dense bushes, trying to hold back a laugh as he heard her call, "Where are you going?"

She stepped toward his hiding place, but when he spoke again, she stopped short. "I wouldn't do that, Princess. Not unless you want to get a view of all of me—and I do mean all of me."

Amy looked confused for a moment, taking another step before his words sank in and she covered her face in embarrassment. Even in the moonlight he could see a blush heating her entire face, right down to the roots of her hair.

"You...uh… You don't have any clothes on?" she squeaked after a moment, causing the laugh Geric had been fighting to hold in to explode out of him. It was fun making her feel awkward, he was rather enjoying himself.

"No," he grinned. "What did you think happened when we transformed?"

The princess blushed again, looking anywhere but at the bushes where he had concealed himself. "I never gave it much thought, actually."

They were silent for a moment or two before Geric asked, "So was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about? These bushes aren't exactly comfortable."

"Yes," Amy said slowly. "I wanted to thank you for earlier, you saved my life."

Geric shrugged although she couldn't see him. "Think nothing of it, I was happy to help."

The princess took another hesitating step closer to him and said, "Can I ask why you did it? I thought the wolves hated the humans."

"Most do," Geric replied as a branch jabbed him in the back. "But I've never been one of them."

The princess nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. Geric watched her intently through the leaves, studying her graceful outline silhouetted against the moonlit pond. "Can I ask you something, m'lady?"

"I told you, you can call me Amy," she said quietly. "But yes, I suppose you can."

Geric adjusted his position so that he could see her a little better and asked, "Why did you run away from the palace tonight?"

"I just got tired," she replied, scuffing one of her well-worn boots in the dirt. "Tired of being the princess, tired of the expectations that I marry nobility, tired of being me."

There was a brief pause as she looked in his general direction. "I'm sure you have some idea what that's like."

"I do," he replied, thinking of their dance and the moment where he had allowed himself to imagine that he could be one of her suitors. If things had been different, if he wasn't what he was... "More than you know."

"Will I see you again?" she asked with interest, her eyes scanning the dense undergrowth before she turned and looked out at the water. "Tomorrow night?"

"If you want to," Geric replied. He had been planning on standing watch tomorrow night anyway, and every night until the danger had passed. "Although I thought you were afraid of me."

He saw her bite her lip as she looked down again, confirming his words. She was afraid of him, but she also seemed a little intrigued by him.

"I'll be in the same place tomorrow night," he promised before he had thought it all the way through. "But promise me you'll be careful, someone out there wants you dead."

Amy shivered, rubbing her arms as though that could chase away the chill of his words.

"Alright," she whispered. She didn't say if she would be there again and he didn't ask. If she came, she came. If she didn't—well he was used to it.

Shifting back into his wolf form, he padded out of the bushes and came to stand next to her in the darkness. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand toward him but just as quickly withdrew it, uncertainty reflecting in her bright eyes. The bells in the castle tower tolled the hour, making them both jump.

"I should probably go," she murmured, taking a step toward the castle before stopping and turning back. "Oh, and Geric? Bring clothes tomorrow."

He didn't miss the note of humor in her voice, the way her eyes twinkled with amusement in the darkness. His heart lifted slightly at her words as he watched her walk back to the castle. Stretching his legs, he took off over the fields toward home where he collapsed on his bed. Even if she didn't come tomorrow, he'd always be glad he saved her life.

Amy-Chapter 6

After meeting with Geric the night before, Amy found it harder and harder to pay attention to her duties for the day. She often found herself gazing out the window and willing the sun to descend so she could escape into the night. Just another couple of hours and she would be golden…

Amy pushed her food around on her plate, only half engaged in the conversation happening around her. Their guests talked animatedly about something that happened in town, but all she could think about was Geric.

"What are your thoughts on the issue, Amy?" Charles asked, gazing back at her with intrigue. "Surely a woman like you would have formed her own opinion on the matter."

Her heart beat fast as she looked around the table to see everyone staring at her. What was she supposed to say? She'd look like a fool no matter what she said.

Deciding to go with the truth, Amy said, "Please forgive me, I was not listening. I actually feel as if I have come down with something. Will you please excuse me?" She set her napkin down on the table and stood up, all the men at the table standing up with her.

"Of course, Dear," her father said with concern. "After yesterday, none of us would blame you for feeling ill. Let us know if we can do anything for you."

She nodded her head graciously toward her father before turning around and gracefully striding out of the room. But as soon as she was out of sight, she dropped airs and clambered up the stairs to her room, collecting her clothes together to get ready to sneak outside, but she quickly kicked them beneath her bed when she heard a knock sounding on the door. Her lady in waiting opened the door, carrying a tray of tea.

"My Lady, I thought you might like some chamomile tea? I was told you are feeling ill."

It took all of Amy's patience to sit down and take the offered tea, plopping a couple sugar cubes inside before stirring the golden liquid around in the porcelain cup. "Thank you, Shayna. I appreciate your kindness." She forced herself to drink slowly instead of gulp it all down just to get rid of Shayna.

"I heard about your nasty tumble the other day," Shayna whispered with wide eyes. "What happened? Did the horse lose its footing?"

"Something like that," Amy replied, not sure what made her want to protect this secret and keep it to herself. "I don't mean to be a bother, but I'm really tired."

Shayna nodded and bowed, backing up toward the door. "I can take a hint, Your Highness. I hope you recover from your ailments."

As soon as the door closed behind her lady in waiting, Amy held her breath as she waited several minutes, and then several more minutes just to be sure. It was already getting dark outside. The guards would have a hard time spotting her even if they tried.

Quickly, Amy threw on a pair of men's trousers and tucked in her shirt before pulling her hair back into a bun, but as she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she decided to forgo the bun. She thought she looked prettier with her hair framing her face anyways.

With stealthy movements, Amy snuffed out her candle and carefully climbed out the window and down the trail of ivy that led up to her window. Her heart hammered in her chest and it wasn't just because of the physical effort it took to climb down. She felt incredibly excited to see Geric again. A little scared, but also excited.

After climbing over the wall, Amy willed herself to be invisible as she made her way toward the cover of the forest. So far so good…

And finally, she let out the breath that she had been holding when she successfully made it to the forest without getting caught. She just hoped that all of this was actually worth it. Would Geric even come? Would he even show up?

The night fell into complete darkness by the time she made it to the pond, scanning the area for any sight of Geric. Still nothing.

"I thought you wouldn't come," Geric's voice sounded behind her, causing her to yelp in surprise and spin around. Sure enough, he was dressed, fully dressed, and he looked as handsome as ever with his beautiful brown hair, his tall figure, and his well-defined muscles. It was too dark outside to see the amber of his eyes, but she knew it was there.

"If we're going to meet up like this," Amy hissed, glaring at him accusingly, "then you need to find a way to not startle me."

But he just grinned. "Why did you want to see me again anyways?"

Now it was Amy's turn to give him a smug smile as she threw his words from earlier right back at him. "Sometimes it's better to have a little mystery."

"Fair enough."

The two of them began walking side by side around the pond, neither seeming to know what to say. Amy kept casting curious glances over at Geric, her mind forming more and more questions about him.

"Why don't you hate humans?" Amy asked, one of the many questions she had been dying to ask since yesterday.

Geric frowned. "Next question."

Amy huffed in annoyance, but she respected his wishes nonetheless. "Alright… Werewolves are supposed to be immortal, right? How old are you?"

Again, he irritated her by saying, "Skip this question. Next one."

She balled her hands into fists, wondering why he was being so evasive about himself. "Why do the other werewolves seem afraid of you?"

"Not answering that one, either. What else do you got?"

Crossing her arms, she sighed exasperatedly. "If you don't want me to know anything about you, why did you come here at all? Do you think I'm going to be okay just walking with and talking with a complete stranger? If you're not going to talk, maybe I'll just go back home."

Turning on her heel, she started back the way she came, but lightning fast, Geric moved in front of her, blocking her path.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his hand grazing her arm, making her cheeks turn a nice shade of rosy. "You're asking questions that all lead back to the same origin and I'm not inclined to sharing."

Amy shrugged, pursing her lips together. "Then what can I know about you? I already know that you're a blacksmith and that you don't mind humans. You also saved my life. You're different than the rest of them and I want to know why. I want to know the werewolf behind the mask. Quite frankly, you're the most interesting person that I know even with how little I know about you. Won't you let me bask in this for a short while?"

After several moments of silence, Geric finally nodded. "Alright, as you wish, Princess."

"Please don't call me that. I'm not ordering you to tell me. I'm asking. We'll play give one get one. You tell me something about you, and I'll tell you something about me that you wouldn't already know."

Geric chuckled as they sat down on a large boulder at the edge of the pond. "Alright, Amy. But you better be true to your word. I'm a good shot with the bow."

"Really?" Amy asked with intrigue. "I'd like to test this out. We can have a shoot-out. Maybe if I found a way to sneak you onto the castle grounds—"

"I'm not going in there," Geric interrupted. "If you want to shoot with me, you have to do it on my turf."

"Fair enough, but I don't think it will be that easy for me to sneak away in broad daylight. My guards would be on me faster than a pack of bloodhounds."

Surprisingly, Geric burst into laughter, a burst of golden sunlight to her ears. The musical sound felt intoxicating and she wanted to hear it again and again. But when the laughter faded away, his smile still lingered on his face for long moments after. "You poor cooped up princess! It sounds like you're just dying to get out!"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" she exclaimed. "I'm dying in there! But I only have a couple more weeks of restricted freedom before I'll have nothing at all, so I'm just trying to make the best of it."

The conversation paused for a moment as Geric turned his head to look at her quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

Amy hated the way he looked at her like she was some caged animal, so instead she turned her attention to her reflection in the water below. "My parents are marrying me off to Princes Charles Minnings. They claim they're allowing me to choose my husband, but we all know that's a lie. The masquerade was staged just to make it look like it wasn't a fixed marriage." She paused for a moment to toss a rock into the water, watching as it made a 'plop' before sinking into the mud. "So I'm enjoying my last days of freedom before I'm shackled to another man for life."

Silence fell between them, and Amy could still feel Geric's gaze on her, but she refused to look. She already said too much, but she couldn't stand keeping her feelings to herself anymore.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Geric said finally. "I really am. It doesn't sound like you want this at all."

She forced a smile to her face, but even she could tell that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, that's the life of a princess. I get everything handed to me, yet I have nothing that I truly want." The conversation suddenly became deep even though she had never meant to turn in this direction, but for some reason, she felt comfortable opening up to him.

"And what does Princess Ameline want?"

"That's a great question, indeed! I want to ride as fast as I can on wide open pastures. I want carefree laughter and the chance to make my own choices. I don't want all the lavish parties and the crowns and the jewels. I want a nice, quiet life. Or at least one where I'm not completely ruled out of my own life. That's what Ameline wants."

"Believe it or not," Geric said as he skipped a rock across the pond water from where he sat, "but I understand you a lot better than you think I do. You could do a lot as queen. You could help your people. You might even be able to end the conflicts between werewolves and humans."

She opened her mouth to retort that notion, but Geric cut across her. "Before you say anything, let me give you my side of it all. I believe that there are good werewolves and bad werewolves just like there are good humans and those who look only after their own interests. You just have to show your people that we're not all bad. If you give us a chance, I know a lot of hearts would change."

Amy wasn't sure, exactly, what to make of that. Here she was talking to a living, breathing werewolf when she probably should have been running for her life. Call her crazy, but she actually very much enjoyed his company.

"You make a valid point, Geric. And I'll keep that in mind." She took off her boots and skimmed her feet across the water, relishing the feel of the cold washing over her toes. Out here, she felt so free. It was wonderful.

Glancing over at Geric, she met his intense gaze, goosebumps crawling up her arms when his amber eyes shone beneath the light of the moon. They were beautiful. So transfixing…

Before she asked her next question, she turned her attention back to the pond. "Do you personally think that I'd be better off helping my people than pursuing my own happiness?" After a moment, she grimaced. "I'm sorry. And here I was trying to get to know you better and I ended up spilling my guts instead."

Geric chuckled as he splashed a little water into her face, causing her to giggle and splash back. Before she even know what happened, Geric's foot became large and furry and he sent a torrential wave of water at her with that foot, soaking her all the way down her front.

"That's cheating!" Amy cried as she spit out water. She shoved him hard and burst into laughter as he lost his balance and fell over into the pond, getting completely soaked from head to toe. He just rolled his eyes at her as he held out his hand.

"Help me out?"

"Sure," Amy giggled as she took his hand, but surprisingly, Geric pulled her right in the pond with him and thus commenced the splashing war. He got in a few rounds of good splashes before Amy jumped up on him and dunked him beneath the water. But then she shrieked as he wrapped his arms around her and kicked up to the surface, both of them laughing and laughing until their laughter ran out.

"See?" Geric asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. "Carefree laughter isn't too far out of reach."

Amy's heart leapt to her throat as she gazed back into Geric's eyes, feeling both excited and fearful at the exact same time. Geric could tear her limb from limb in an instant if he wanted to. But being inches away from an actual werewolf felt exciting. It was out of the ordinary of her ordinary, mundane royal life.

"Can I ask you a question?" Amy whispered as she held Geric's steady gaze, very aware at just how close they were with his arms wrapped around her and her arms wrapped around him. "What color did your eyes used to be? Before you turned."

He visibly swallowed in uncertainty, but he never broke her gaze. "Blue. They used to be blue."

She smiled as her fingers grazed his skin right beside his eye. "Well, I like them just the way they are." Very suddenly as she realized what she was doing, she dropped her hand and broke free of his grip.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she swam back to shore and started putting her boots back on. "I need to get back before anyone realizes I'm missing."

Geric followed after her as she started making her way back toward the castle, easily falling into step beside her. "Amy, wait. Am I going to see you again?"

Amy paused for a moment as a smile crept up on her lips. She liked this exciting secret that she and Geric kept and she didn't want to say goodbye to it quite just yet. "We still need to have a shooting tournament, don't we? Let's try for early morning in two days. What do you say?"

He mouth split into a wide grin. "Two days it is."

Smiling briefly, she started on the path back toward the castle, vaguely aware of Geric's wolf presence following her. But she didn't mind, so she didn't let on that she knew. It actually made her feel safer having his watchful eyes on her back. He had already proven to her several times over that he wasn't there to hurt her. She could trust him. She knew she could.

Geric-Chapter 7

As he forged horseshoes the next day, Geric's thoughts revolved around Amy so much that he had to remind himself more than once that she was betrothed to someone else. And more than likely the king and queen wouldn't approve of him, even if they knew the truth. Wrong. He shook his head wryly at the thought, especially if they knew the truth. He paused for a moment to wipe an arm across his brow, wondering who in their right mind would order two hundred horseshoes at once.

"Enough stalling, boy," the blacksmith grumbled from the corner where he had passed out in a drunken stupor the night before. "I pay you too much to have you standing around all day."

Geric rolled his eyes as the lazy clod went back to sleep, wondering how the old man could sleep through all the noise Geric was making hammering out horseshoes. He didn't even try to be quiet, disturbing his boss's ale induced stupor was all the fun he'd be having until tomorrow. Suddenly realizing that his thoughts had turned to Amy again, he pounded the shoe he was working on just a little bit harder. She was betrothed to that idiot prince from the neighboring kingdom and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

The clip clop of hooves on the stones outside barely registered in his consciousness until he heard someone call excitedly, "Look, it's the princess!"

Wiping his forehead again on his grimy arm, Geric made his way to the front of the shop, carefully sticking to the shadows of the doorway as he looked out. The last thing he needed was an overeager member of the princess's guard feeling threatened by his mere presence. Folding his arms over his leather apron, he watched Amy pass on a black horse that certainly wasn't the one she had been riding the other day. He followed her progress with his eyes, realizing that even though this was an undoubtedly fine animal, Amy didn't love it the way she had loved her previous horse. There was no connection between horse and rider like he had seen on the day she had been attacked.

Her eyes turned toward him and she slowed her horse ever so slightly as she passed, throwing him a small, secretive smile. He acknowledged it with a nod, the ghost of a grin flickering across his face before he disappeared into the shop again. Part of him wondered if she had taken her ride that way on purpose, but he shrugged the idea off as nonsense and busied himself with his work once more.

When he arrived back at the inn that night, he immediately went to his room and practically fell on the bed. He didn't tire at the same rate as humans did, but even so, two nights spent with the princess had taken their toll. Besides, he had to sleep if he wanted to win their little contest tomorrow morning.

Pulling his bow out from under his bed, he fingered the string, remembering the last time he had shot it. It had been a long time but he still remembered Warrick's maddened expression, the release of the bow string as the silver arrow plunged straight into his heart. He supposed that was why many of the other wolves feared him and it was one of the secrets he kept from everyone else. Even if they knew the truth about who he really was, it wouldn't make a difference. It hadn't before.

Propping his bow and quiver of arrows against the end of the bed, Geric rolled onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head, staring up at the moon through the open window. He wondered sleepily if Amy was looking at the same moon he was right now but promptly tried to put the thought out of his mind. She was the crown princess and he was not who he had once been anymore.

Still, his last thought was of her bright smile and the joyous laughter that had bubbled up from somewhere inside of her as he had teased her at the pond. He liked that smile and wanted to see it more often.

. . . .

Geric was up before the dawn, walking through the empty streets toward the forest with his bow and quiver of arrows at his back. He liked the city at this time of day, mostly because he could enjoy it without anyone staring nervously at him as though he were about to attack at any moment.

Mist curled softly off the surface of the pond as he approached and he caught sight of Amy, her hair pulled back in a long braid down her back. She was dressed in a simple brown dress that he might have seen one of the shopkeepers' daughters wear, unornamented and unadorned. She was more approachable somehow in this simple gown, even though he could tell just from her bearing that she had been born to be a queen. She had an elegance about her even when she thought she was alone that no one could ever mistake for a commoner.

"Good morning, Princess," he said, making her jump again. The first time he had startled her had been an accident, every time since then had been because he enjoyed teasing her. "Are you ready for our little archery tournament?"

"I'm ready to win our little tournament if that's what you're asking," she grinned, tossing her hair over her shoulder and testing the string on her bow. "Are you ready?"

Geric nodded, nocking an arrow and drawing back his bow. "Choose the target, my lady. I guarantee I can hit it."

Amy brought a finger thoughtfully to her lips, surveying the surrounding area before pointing to a tree a good twenty yards away. "How about that?"

Sizing up his target, Geric brought his bow up, carefully aiming at the tree before letting the arrow fly. It sailed through the air and struck the tree with a satisfying thwack.

"Alright, let's see you hit it," he grinned over his shoulder at her, leaning against the rough bark of an ancient tree and watching as she took her stance. Amy sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly as she released the arrow. It flew through the air, striking the bark just above his. Geric let out an impressed whistle, wondering if the prince she was betrothed to could appreciate her skill with the bow. Somehow he doubted it.

"Too easy," Amy giggled, pulling another arrow out of her quiver. "Pick something more challenging."

Geric laughed softly, enjoying the friendly competition. He looked around thoughtfully before picking a tree fifty yards away. He knew he could hit it easily, could she?

"Watch and learn," Amy's voice sounded determined as she planted her feet firmly in her stance again, drawing back her bowstring. The arrow sailed through the air, finding its mark in the center of the bark. Impressed against his will, Geric stepped up and pulled another arrow out of his quiver, pulling it back and releasing it with ease. The arrow struck Amy's, splitting the shaft down the middle and embedding itself in the tree trunk a hair's width above Amy's.

Her jaw dropped as she spun to face him, her face alive with excitement. "That was amazing! I've never met anyone who can shoot as well as I can, not even my father, although he's quite good."

Geric grinned, picking up one of the apples he had brought with him and giving it an artful toss before catching it with his other hand. "How are you with moving targets?"

They spent the next hour throwing apples for each other to shoot, neither one missing a single shot. Geric watched Amy wrenching her arrows out of the apples so that she could shoot them all again, rolling an arrow lazily between his fingers. She was impressive, he loved spending time with her. If there was any way he could… He stopped himself right there, not even allowing the thought to form completely.

Amy looked up at him curiously, catching him staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Geric grinned, taking a knife out of his belt and cutting apart the last apple and handing her a slice. "This is the most fun I've had in a while, that's all."

Smiling, Amy took the apple slice from him and bit into it, her cheeks bulging in a way that reminded him of a squirrel. The thought made his smile widen as he went back to rolling the arrow between his fingers.

"Does that arrow have a silver tip?" she asked curiously, raising her eyebrows at him as she snatched the arrow out of his grasp. Geric cursed himself for being that careless. He didn't have very many of these arrows anymore and the few that he did have were carefully hidden in his room at the inn.

"It does," Amy said in wonder, touching the tip lightly with her finger. "Why do you have one of these? I thought they were used to kill werewolves."

Geric grimaced, trying to take the arrow back but she held it out of his reach. "Fine," he said in exasperation. "If I tell you, will you let me have it back?"

"I'll consider it," Amy smiled, waiting for him to continue. Geric didn't speak for several long moments, wondering how much to tell her.

"I wasn't always a wolf you know," he said quietly. "And I already told you I was a soldier."

Amy stared at him as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You were in the Great War, weren't you?"

He nodded, deliberately avoiding her gaze. "I was turned toward the end of the war, just after my twenty-sixth birthday, actually."

Frowning, Amy sat down on a rock, gazing thoughtfully at the arrow in her hand. "That was a hundred years ago."

Geric nodded again, a grim smile forming on his face. "Technically that makes me one hundred and twenty-six years old, but the aging process stops after someone turns so I'll be this age forever."

Amy sat in silence for a moment before handing him the arrow. "I believe that's a fair trade, wolf."

Geric chuckled, his eyes meeting hers. "Now you know something about me, happy?"

"I think so," Amy laughed, spearing an apple chunk out of his hand with another arrow and taking a bite. "I definitely think so."

Amy-Chapter 8

Part of her wondered that if she snuck away again that night if Geric would be waiting for her. But he had better things to do than spend his time with a betrothed woman, right?

She sighed loudly as she brushed down her new horse named Fox, getting it ready for an afternoon ride with Charles. After all, she had to spend at least a little time with him, otherwise her mother would certainly have a fit. Perhaps even her father too.

"Good afternoon, Princess," Charles said as he took off his hat and bowed low to her. "You look beautiful today."

Amy glanced over at the entrance of the stables and sighed in relief when she saw two guards standing just outside. It was one of the few times that she actually appreciated having her guards around.

"Good afternoon, Charles. You ready to go?"

"Which horse will I be riding?"

Gesturing to the tan horse across the stables that was already saddled, she replied, "Sable is one of the strongest. I picked her out for you myself."

Charles clucked his tongue in distaste as he stared the horse down, and the way that he looked at the horse irked Amy to no end.

"I'd actually rather ride a horse fit for a king. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Amy replied through grit teeth. She couldn't believe she had to marry this man. He was so distasteful that it made her tongue burn.

"Guards," Charles said as he snapped his fingers at them. "I need you to saddle a different horse."

"Of course," the guards murmured in unison and bowing hastily before they quickly got to work on saddling the tallest horse which also happened to be a warhorse. Charles would be towering over her by at least a foot. Why she might ask?

This told her two things about Charles. First, he would always have the final say in their marriage and would never take her advice. And second, he was an ungrateful toad.

Before the horse was finished getting saddled, Amy hopped on Fox and trotted out of there, refusing to give Charles the satisfaction of winning. She hated him. She hated him so much. And the thought of spending the rest of her life as his wife made her feel really sick.

After another minute, Charles finally caught up easily, but he had to since he rode the most humongous horse in the stables and he did indeed tower above her. Charles opened his mouth, most likely to tell her that he would not tolerate a rebellious wife, but she cut across him.

"Charles, what are your plans for the kingdom once you are king? What do you hope to accomplish in your reign?"

"I hope for a lot of things," he replied as he leaned forward in his saddle. "First item on my list is that I want to give you a beautiful summer home that you deserve."

Amy rose her eyebrows at him. That did not sound like a good idea at all. That sounded like a tax rebellion waiting to happen. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"I'll hire only the most skilled and fastest workers, that we can enjoy the summer home in as little time as next year."

"And where would you get the money to do that?"

Charles snorted and waved away the notion with his hand. "Finances are a trivial thing to women. Don't concern your pretty little self with such matters. That's my job, Princess."

She found herself clutching the reins tighter and tighter because everything that came out of her betrothed's mouth only angered her further. But still she forced a smile to her face. "And what matters will I be concerned with?" Amy took a left much too soon because she wanted this little excursion to be over and done with as soon as possible.

"Simple," he answered. "You will be my adviser when I need you and you'll be the one to interact with guests as they come and go from the castle. I'm not asking a lot of you."

Fox snorted loudly in discomfort as Amy pulled a little too hard on the reins. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. Being his wife sounded horrible enough as it was, now she learned that she would hardly have a role as a queen.

"Tell me about yourself, Charles. What do you you enjoy doing in your spare time?"

He grinned over at her and that's when she realized why he thought he could have anything he wanted. He was definitely handsome and he knew it, but the more she saw of his personality, the uglier he became.

"I like studying Latin, Astronomy, and going on hunts."

Amy almost sighed inwardly in relief finding out they at least had one thing in common. Almost. "So you must have enjoyed the hunt just a few days ago? I definitely enjoyed it."

Charles laughed out loud as if she just made a funny joke. "Not at all that kind of hunt. That's child's play. I hunt werewolves."

An achy knot formed in Amy's stomach and she suddenly felt sick. She suddenly felt very very sick. She could not be the wife of a werewolf killer, especially after meeting Geric. There had to be some other way!

"I apologize," Amy said as she held down her breakfast. "I am suddenly not feeling so great. I'm afraid that we'll have to cut this ride short." Charles didn't look all too happy about it, but he agreed nonetheless, and the rest of the ride back was filled with him chattering about his recent accomplishments as well as his recent kills. And the more Amy listened, the more she realized why werewolves must hate humans. Just listening to Charles made her start to hate humans. How cruel and vicious could men like Charles be?

Waiting for the moment until Charles ducked into the stables, Amy kicked Fox's flanks and flew across the castle grounds as fast as the horse's feet could carry her. She rode and rode and rode with the wind whipping through her hair and tears streaking down her face. And she didn't stop riding until she reached the gardens, flew off her horse and ran into the shelter of the flowers, uncaring that one of the guards roaming the castle ground saw her run by, sobbing into her hands.

Amy ran past rows and rows of flowers and beautiful stone walls, but she didn't stop running until she knew she was completely alone. Only then did she collapse to the ground and allow herself to cry. This wasn't fair. This just wasn't fair. How could she ever be expected to marry someone like that? She'd be useless as queen.

She wiped her tears again and again, but they just kept flowing no matter how hard she tried to stop them. This just wasn't fair.

"Princess," a voice behind her said softly, making her jump. She turned and to her horror, Geric stood several feet away, hidden carefully in the shadows.

Jumping to her feet, she rushed toward him with her eyes wide, trying to push him away and out of the gardens. "You can't be seen with me. They'll kill you. They'll kill you, Geric!"

"Then no one will see us," he murmured softly as he pulled her even further into the shadows, holding her in his arms as he stroked her hair while she cried.

"I can't marry him," she blubbered quite ungracefully. "I can't marry Charles. I'd rather slit my own throat."

Geric's arms suddenly went rigid around her and he pushed her away slightly to look into her eyes. "Don't you ever say that again."

"You don't understand," Amy whispered as she gazed up at him with wide eyes. "He's a werewolf killer. He hunts them for sport. When he told me that, I envisioned your face and… and…" Tears sprung in her eyes once again and she couldn't stop the sobs from escaping for a second time. "I don't want to see you get killed, Geric. I… I…"

His grip around her tightened and for a moment, she felt so safe in his arms. "Everything will be okay."

Shaking her head, she looked up to meet his gentle amber gaze. "No it won't. I'm worth more to my kingdom dead than alive if I marry that awful man. Please tell me there's a way out, Geric. Please." She didn't allow him to answer as she clutched his shirt with her fingers. "Take me away from here, Geric. We could run away. Just me and you. And we can leave this place behind."

Geric looked at her with a surprised expression, but then her hopes were dashed immediately as he shook his head. "You know as well as I do that's not smart. Just tell your parents how you feel. I'm sure they wouldn't want to make you feel unhappy."

As Amy gazed back into Geric's eyes, puzzle pieces started to fit together. She didn't think it was possible seeing that he was a werewolf and she was a human, but… But she had already started developing feelings for Geric. What would he think if he found out? He would probably think she was crazy. Even she thought she was a little crazy.

Geric's eyes were so beautiful, made with what looked like liquid gold with tiny brown specs here and there. She could stare into them all day lo—

"Princess Ameline?" a guard called out among the array of rose bushes. If Geric didn't leave soon, he would be discovered. "Princess, where are you?"

"You need to go," Amy whispered urgently, pushing him in the opposite direction that they heard the voice. "Don't come back here again. They will kill you. Please, they will kill you!"

Geric reached out for her hand, trapping it in his. "I'll go under one condition. You have to let me see you again."

Hot tears trailed down her cheeks at the thought of having to resort to sneaking out and disobeying orders just to see him. It just wasn't fair.

"I'll try," Amy whispered, glancing behind her nervously as the guard's voice came closer. "I promise you that I'll try." Her heart nearly exploded as Geric stooped down to kiss her hand before letting go and disappearing into the trees. But then her heart fell. What started out as fun enjoyment and great company suddenly turned into a dangerous game.

Geric-Chapter 9

He wondered whether she would come again. Geric spent much longer than usual waiting for Amy by the pond the next night and was about to give up and return to the inn when she emerged from the trees. A wave of relief washed over him followed by a wave of guilt. He knew that they were treading on dangerous ground, but a part of him didn't care about his own safety. But he did care about Amy's. What would happen to her if they got caught?

"Sorry that I'm late," she whispered, stepping immediately into his arms as soon as he opened them to her. "Charles wouldn't leave, he stayed and played chess with my father well past midnight."

Geric frowned, pulling back to look at her. "Does he suspect that you're leaving the castle at night?"

"I don't think so," Amy said slowly, her brow puckering with worry. "I've been careful. Besides, he's so self-centered that it would be a wonder if he noticed anything I did."

In spite of himself, Geric felt his lips twitch and curve into a small smile. He took her hand and led her toward the trees on the other side of the pond. "Come on, there's something I want to show you."

Allowing him to lead her to an old tree stump concealed in the dense undergrowth of the forest, Amy gasped as she saw what he had brought. A lantern sat in the center of a spread of food and two goblets of wine that he had poured hours ago in hopes that she would come.

"I can't believe you did all this for me," she said softly and Geric heard rather than saw the smile in her voice. "Thank you."

Grinning, Geric took one of the apples he had placed to the side of the lantern and took a bite. "Don't thank me, thank Berta. She did all the cooking."

"Berta?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrows at Geric who chuckled. Was is his imagination or did he detect a note of jealousy in her voice?

"My landlady," he replied, giving her a wicked grin. "Don't worry, Princess. She's not my type."

Amy blushed furiously to the roots of her hair, making Geric's grin widen. "I didn't... I mean... I wasn't…"

A laugh rumbled out of Geric's chest and he sat down on the ground next to the stump and patted the dirt beside him. "Come on, Princess. I was just teasing you. Berta prepared a feast fit for a king, or at least a princess. Come join me."

Amy's cheeks were still warm with the last traces of her blush, but she sat down next to him and took one of the rolls he had brought. Picking the bread apart absently, Amy studied him thoughtfully in the lantern light. "Can I ask you again why you don't hate humans?"

Geric's smile faltered as he considered the answer to her question. "It's not something I like talking about," he said, taking another bite of his apple to give himself time to think. "I can understand the fear from both sides, there's a lot of bad blood between humans and wolves that should never have existed. Which is why the only person I think I've ever truly hated was Warrick."

Taking a sip of her wine, Amy looked at him over the rim of her goblet with raised eyebrows. "And why is that?"

"Because he destroyed everything that was important to me," Geric muttered grimly, fingering a piece of the chicken Berta had fried for him before setting it back down in disgust. "He destroyed my family, my home, and he was the one that turned me."

Amy sat in stunned silence for a long time as though unsure what to do or say. Geric looked down at his food, his appetite suddenly vanishing. He had been too late to save his family. Killing Warrick had been cold comfort when in the end it couldn't bring them back.

He felt something soft brush his forearm and jumped as he looked down to see Amy's wide eyes staring back at him, her fingers on his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Geric," she whispered. "I can't even imagine what that must be like."

Covering her fingers with his own, he gave them a brief squeeze. "It's alright, there's nothing you can do to change the past."

Amy nodded thoughtfully, her next words spoken more to herself than to him. "True, but it can help shape the future."

"Spoken like a true queen," Geric murmured, watching her face in the flickering light. It was clear to him that Amy would make a wonderful queen, and he didn't want to be the one who got in the way of that. Even though his heart had leapt at the prospect of running away with her, he knew that being another anonymous face in the crowd would never make her happy. She had been born to lead, whether she knew it or not.

"What are you thinking about?" Amy asked after a moment's hesitation. Geric paused for a moment, considering his answer before throwing caution to the wind.

"You," he said finally, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm always thinking of you."

Slowly, cautiously as she had the first night she had encountered him in his wolf form, Amy reached out to touch him, her fingers grazing the side of his jaw, tangling briefly in the ends of his hair before she let them drop again.

Some of the animal instinct inside him awakened at her touch and suddenly he found himself craving more. Gently cradling the back of her head in his hand, he lowered his mouth to hers, brushing their lips together gently at first and then more insistently. She tasted sweet and tart, like the apple he had just been eating and he felt her fingers tangling in his hair again as she kissed him back. Every inch of him came alive with their kiss and he allowed himself to forget who they both were. He wanted to be with her so badly it hurt.

"Geric," she whispered finally, and in her voice he detected a note of sorrow that brought him crashing back to earth. He drew back reluctantly, every fiber of his being wishing that he had agreed to run away with her yesterday when she had asked.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, unable to look her in the eye. He had let himself forget for a moment who she was. Who he was.

"I should go," Amy said finally, picking herself up off the ground. "Thank you for the food. Tell Berta she's a wonderful cook."

She seemed to be retreating into her well-practiced and careful shell, and Geric wondered if he had lost her forever. Stupid idea, he realized. She had never been his to lose.

"I will," he replied, watching her disappear into the trees again. He didn't ask whether he would see her again, whether she would come the next night. Some things were better left a mystery.

Once she was gone, he did the only thing he could think to do. Transforming into his wolf form, he began to run.

Amy-Chapter 10

Amy stirred her tea absentmindedly, her mind drifting back to Geric's kiss over and over again. She had loved the feeling of his lips against hers, of his fingers caressing her skin, of the sweet taste of his mouth. Her sense of duty for her kingdom and for herself warred against each other, and there were some moments that she found herself winning and other moments where she found her kingdom winning.

"You've been very silent this morning," her mother commented as she stared across the table at her. This was something they tried to do at least once a week, afternoon tea in the gardens, especially after her father started having heart problems. The physician told them that he would be okay as long as he didn't strain himself too much, he got enough exercise, and ate right. But they all still held their breath.

"Mother, Father," Amy said slowly as she set her spoon down and held her head high. "There's something I need to speak to you about."

Hearing Amy's seriousness in her voice, her father set down the reports he was reading and gave her his full attention. "Go on."

Taking a deep breath, she plunged in. "Keep in mind that this has nothing to do with my distaste of Charles. I do not believe he is fit to rule Colmar. If you don't believe me, I've constructed a document that goes into great detail of why Charles will be our downfall. I honestly believe that if he rules in the King's Seat, we will be facing a second Great War." She handed over her carefully pressed parchment to her father who studied it closely.

"What is all of this?" he murmured thoughtfully.

"As agreed, I have spent many afternoons with Prince Charles, gleaming every word that comes out of his mouth. He is not fit for any throne, especially not Colmar's."

"But, Darling," her mother gasped, a hand held to her heart. "It is a great match. Charles is most beloved of his people. He protects them. He fights for them. He is conscientious of their needs. You two must wed. I will not have it any other way."

Her father peered over the document at her, a very serious look in his eyes. "You do realize what a broken engagement with Minnings could do to our country, right? They could declare war. They could destroy us. We need Minnings and they need us. Without them, we won't have the protection of their military forces."

Amy frowned. She knew all of this. But she had another plan, one that might take years, one that was farfetched, but if done right, they wouldn't need anyone's protection ever again.

This was the moment that she had been fearing because she knew exactly what her parents would say, and none of it would be good. "I have another proposal for you," Amy said with her head held high. "One that might seem outlandish, but I want you to hear me out."

Both her parents stared at her, but finally her father nodded. "Go on."

"For far too long, werewolves and humans have fought and there have been far too much bloodshed, far too many families disrupted, and both humans and werewolves always live in fear. I want harmony in our kingdom. I want peace. I want to marry a werewolf."

Her mother gasped and started fanning her face with her retractable fan, her face as red as a beet. "Look what you've done," she moaned to the king. "You've put ideas into her head. You've created a monster."

The king laced his fingers together and leaned forward, studying Amy carefully. "You have my attention."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She never thought she'd get this far. Perhaps all those years of playing the obedient little princess actually paid off. "Just think about it, Father. If we could unify humans and werewolves, we'd never need protection again. We'd have that right inside our very own kingdom. Colmar could be a safe haven for werewolves where they never need to fear being hunted. I've constructed a plan, some of which I've included in the document I just gave you. Both humans and werewolves will be accountable for their own actions. If a human hurts or kills a werewolf, they will be punished. If a werewolf hurts or kills a human, they will also be punished. All palace guards will also be held accountable for their actions. There will be absolutely no killing of werewolves, even if one of them killed a human. Only that werewolf who committed the crime will be punished. There's more, Father. There's so much more. I know this will work. It will take a while to enact, but I know it will work."

After a few long moments of silence, her father let out a long breath, making Amy's stomach tie in unpleasant knots. That didn't sound good.

"You want to know what I think about your proposal?" the king asked. "I think it's impossible. I would immediately write off the idea as crazy. But I haven't been on the throne for thirty-five years for nothing. As slim of a chance this is, I'll consider it. In the meantime, everything will go as planned with Charles. He is still your betrothed and that isn't going to change."

"Father," she begged, knowing that was just his way of putting it in the back of his mind until it was too late to do anything about it at all. "Please. I can't marry that man. He will be our downfall. He is not fit to rule Colmar. There will be civil unrest both among humans and werewolves, and at that point, it won't matter whether or not we have Minnings' protection. Our kingdom will fall. You have to believe me! I can't just stand here and watch that happen. I love my people more than anything. I want what's best for them, whether they're a human or a werewolf."

"And you think the best way to do this is to marry a werewolf?" he asked skeptically.

Amy shook her head, grabbing her father's hand and looking sincerely into his eyes. "Not just any werewolf. I want to marry Geric. I love him, Father. But all feelings aside, I know that this will help unify our kingdom in a way that it never could with marrying Charles. Please."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately knew that she said the wrong thing. Her father's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, but he wasn't able to say anything before her mother fainted right out of her chair.

"Mum!" Amy gasped as she rushed forward and held her mother's head in her lap as she used her fan to fan her face. Her mother mumbled something incoherently, her eyes fluttering open, but she looked completely out of it. "Are you okay? Should I call for a physician?"

"You can't do this to me," she insisted, rolling her head to look up at her. "You can't do this to us. This has never been done!"

"How long have you been seeing this werewolf?" her father asked sternly, his arms crossed over his chest.

Amy's heart quickened in her ribcage, fear erupting through every fiber of her being. Geric courting her while she was betrothed would be counted as treason. He could die for this. She had to lie for him.

"Before the masquerade," she whispered hoarsely. "But not since then. I haven't seen him since then."

Her father's demeanor changed slightly, looking just a little bit more relaxed, but she could tell that he still wasn't happy. He turned to the guard who was stationed just a few yards away from them, standing there as if he hadn't just heard anything that they said.

"I want this werewolf arrested. Bring him in for questioning," he ordered. "Scour the whole town for Geric the werewolf."

"Daddy, no!" Amy shouted, rushing toward her father and latching onto his arm. "You can't do this. This was my idea, not his! He doesn't even know about this proposal, please!"

But he just shook his head, his eyes colder than she had ever remembered seeing them before. "This is how it has to be, Ameline. He's a werewolf. You're a princess. He's using you to get the throne. He must be brought in for questioning."

"Don't hurt him, Daddy. Don't you dare hurt him! Otherwise you will not have my cooperation with marrying Charles."

The king paused for a moment, glaring angrily down at Amy. "You have my word. The werewolf will not be harmed unless proven guilty."

"Daddy, please!"

"Not another word!" the king bellowed. "Not another word."

And then she watched him disappear with the guard, her heart sinking more and more. This could not be happening. This could not be happening...

Geric-Chapter 11

Sleep did little to dull the ache growing inside Geric as he thought about Amy. She hadn't appeared at the pond for two nights now and he was starting to think that he had scared her away with his kiss. His pulse thundered in his ears every time he thought about it and he longed to hold her in his arms again. But there were too many factors conspiring against them. She would never abandon her country, nor would he expect her to. And besides that, there was the obvious fact that she was mortal and he wasn't anymore. What would happen when she began to age and he didn't?

Entering the tavern on the ground floor of the inn, he merely grunted at Berta's greeting before going upstairs to his room. Closing the door quietly behind him, he fingered the thin leather cord around his neck thoughtfully before taking it out from beneath his shirt. The small golden ring that he had always worn on the little finger of his right hand caught the light, winking coldly in the dying afternoon sun. Turning it over and over in his palm, he studied the familiar insignia—two swords crossed over a shield with the crown inscribed on it. And over it all, a watchful wolf's head, meant as a symbol of protection.

Geric's lips twitched at the irony of it all. There had been a time when he would've been considered fit to marry Amy, but the war had taken that away too. Dropping the signet ring back into its place beneath his shirt, he wondered what Amy would say if she knew the truth about him.

Returning downstairs, he decided he might as well try and drown his sorrows at the bottom of a tankard of ale. He just wondered how much of the stuff it would take before he forgot Amy's face, probably far more than Colmar had available.

When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he immediately sensed a change in the atmosphere. He glanced at Berta who stood with a tankard in one hand, halfway through filling it with grog for a customer. She shook her head, her eyes darting quickly to something near the door that he couldn't see. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he turned to see the captain of the King's Guard standing in the doorway of the tavern, his hand resting nervously on the hilt of a silver sword.

"Geric?" he asked in a voice that belied the nervousness Geric sensed in his stance. When Geric nodded, the captain continued. "By order of His Majesty, King Merek Auclaire, I hereby place you under arrest."

He should've seen this coming a long time ago, Geric thought wryly. He should have known that Amy was no different than the rest of them. The thought brought little comfort, in fact it made the ache in his chest grow a little larger. He had been so stupid...

"On what grounds?" he demanded, trying to keep the venom out of his voice. "The king can't arrest anyone without cause."

"Trying to usurp the crown from His Majesty and his family," the captain of the guard said, glaring at Geric coldly. "Seize him."

Geric lunged out of the way as two soldiers approached him, daggers drawn. He knew fighting would only make it worse, but he had seen enough to know that none of them would hesitate to run him through with their silver knives, in fact they would probably enjoy it.

"I'll go," he growled, the threat evident in his voice, "if you tell them to leave their daggers in the scabbards."

"And why would I ever do that?" the captain demanded.

Geric smiled mirthlessly at him and the captain took an unconscious step backward as he spoke, his voice carrying a low and dangerous undercurrent. "Because if they don't, they're going to regret it. I'll come quietly if I have your word that none of them will attack me."

They glared at each other for a few seconds longer before the captain motioned for his men to put their weapons away. Once he was satisfied that none of the guards had a blade, Geric held his hands wearily out to be shackled.

"If you try anything, wolf," the captain snarled, securing the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. "I promise you that you will meet your end at my hand."

Trying very hard not to roll his eyes at the paunchy captain, who Geric was certain hadn't been in a real fight in at least twenty years, he allowed himself to be escorted to the waiting wagon. The doors banged shut behind him and he heard the captain putting a lock on the door, silver of course. Didn't they realize it only worked if a wolf was actually being stabbed with the silver?

The wagon rumbled through the streets and Geric didn't bother looking out the barred window. He suddenly felt too exhausted to care what happened to him, he just wanted this to be over so he could disappear forever.

When they arrived at the palace, the guards dragged Geric out into the bright sunlight where a small crowd had already gathered to watch the spectacle. He kept his eyes on his feet, not wanting to see any of the faces in the crowd but mostly because he didn't want to see Amy's face. He didn't want her to see how badly her betrayal hurt him.

The palace doors opened and the captain pushed him in front of the guards into the great hall of the palace. Running footsteps caught his attention and he knew just from their sound who it was. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed when he heard Amy's voice echoing off the high ceilinged chamber.

"Geric! Geric I'm sorry—I didn't mean for this to happen. I—"

Another voice cut across Amy's and Geric watched warily as the king approached him, his face almost purple with rage. "Do you have any idea what this is?" the king asked, thrusting a piece of parchment in Geric's face while Amy watched helplessly from the sidelines.

"No," Geric replied with furrowed eyebrows as he scanned the page quickly. The handwriting was feminine and beautiful, he assumed it was Amy's. His brows furrowed together as he read the page in front of him. Amy wanted to do away with the engagement with Prince Charles in favor of an alliance with the werewolves? Of a marriage with Geric? Was this really what Amy thought?

"It's my daughter's magnificent plans for the future of her kingdom. She expressed how much she didn't want to marry Prince Charles and that she was in love with someone else. This is her proposal she wrote to me to marry a werewolf instead."

Geric glanced up at Amy in surprise. He could see a blush creeping into her face as she stared down at her feet.

Her father growled impatiently as he snatched the paper back from him. "Now do you know what this is?"

Shaking his head, Geric replied in a husky voice, "No, sir. On my honor, I swear that Amy never mentioned these plans to me."

"Geric, I'm so—" Amy began but the king's voice cut across hers again.

"Silence! Guards, please escort the prisoner to the dungeon. And please escort my daughter to her chambers. I'll deal with her later."

"No!" Amy cried. Out of the corner of his eye, Geric saw her struggling against the restraining hands of the guards. "Father listen to me, please!"

The king ignored his daughter's pleas, following behind Geric and the guards to the dungeon. The torch light seemed as though it was being absorbed by the slimy, moss covered walls as they entered, their footsteps sending rats scurrying for cover. Once they were inside, the king had the guards chain Geric to the wall, his arms strained above his head until his toes almost didn't touch the floor.

"What do you want with my daughter?" King Merek asked coldly, pacing in front of Geric. Geric followed his every move but said nothing, his jaw set and his eyes glinting eerily in the darkness. "Are you a spy for your kind?"

This earned a derisive snort from Geric. Him a spy for the other wolves? Not likely. They'd probably enjoy watching him in this predicament.

"Are you going to answer my questions or will I be forced to use other means to get what I want from you?"

Geric shrugged, or as much as he could shrug with his arms in this position. "I'm not a spy if that helps. As for your daughter, I don't want anything from her."

The captain of the guard's fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Geric's head, making him see stars. Apparently he could fight well after all. His body swung forward slightly before he could stop it, making the captain laugh.

"You'll treat your sovereign with respect or there will be more where that came from," he snarled just as the king said, "Wait a moment."

Geric rolled his head back up to look at the king who was staring at Geric as though he had seen a ghost. Geric frowned, following the king's gaze to the glimmer of gold on his chest. Cursing softly under his breath, he raised his eyes to the king's again. Rage and fear warred in Amy's father's eyes as he said, "Everyone out. Now."

The guards all melted back the way they had come as King Merek approached Geric cautiously, his hand snaking under the leather cord and pulling it off Geric's neck with a jerk.

"Where did you get this?" the king demanded, shaking his closed fist. Geric said nothing, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. Everything he had told Amy about his past had been the truth, or at least part of it. But she didn't know that he was the last surviving member of the Dunbroch line, the family that had reigned during the Great War. If he had it his way, she would never know. She would think that he had been manipulating her to claim the throne, which couldn't be further from the truth. The king would certainly kill him if the truth came out. He would see him as a threat to his reign. In fact, Geric wondered why he wasn't already dead.

"Tell me!"

At last Geric met the king's eyes again and muttered, "I think you already know."

Amy's father stumbled backward, dropping the ring as though it had burned him. "It can't be."

Geric remained silent, wondering if he was as good as a dead man now. To his surprise, King Merek turned back to stare at him, his expression filled with fury.

"Does my daughter know?" the king demanded acidly. Geric shook his head slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on the king's.

"No," he replied evenly. "She doesn't know who I am."

King Merek surveyed Geric fearfully, his face becoming a stony mask. "If I release you, you have to agree to never show your face in Colmar again."

Surprised, Geric stared at the king in disbelief. "Why would you do that?"

The king shook his head. "Because even if you tried to claim the throne, the humans would never accept you."

"I know," Geric muttered grimly, his gaze steady. "I've always known that."

The king pocketed Geric's signet ring, making his way back to the stairs. "Oh, and stay away from my daughter, wolf. Otherwise I can ensure that you'll meet your end at my hand."

Geric sighed, he had already heard that threat once today.

King Merek disappeared up the stairs leaving Geric alone in the darkness.

Amy-Chapter 12

Amy paced back and forth across the great hall, never feeling more worried in her life. This was all her fault. Everything would have been decently fine with the werewolf proposal until she gave her father a name. If she never gave her father Geric's name, this never would have happened. This was all her fault.

After what felt like an eternity, Amy watched as her father stormed out of the dungeon with a troubled look on his face before ordering the guards to escort Geric from the palace.

"Father!" Amy gasped, her eyes wide as she crossed the room. "Father, you're letting him go?"

"Banishing him is more like it. I never want to see his face in Colmar again." Part of her felt relieved that Geric wasn't going to get killed, another part felt devastated. If she hadn't made that mistake, this never would have happened. This was all her fault…

A few minutes later, the guards came back out with Geric in tow, dragging him along between them. "Geric!" Amy gasped as she rushed toward him, cradling his face in her hands. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear I didn't mean it."

He gave her a brief, sad smile before one of the guards pulled her away and continued pushing Geric forward. Geric glanced back at her one last time before he disappeared completely.

"Father, you can't do this! I love him! Please!"

He clutched his fist tighter as if he were holding something in his palm, either that or he was very cross with her. "Marriage is not about love," he growled. "It's about forming bonds between countries. He can offer you nothing. Now leave it be because I'm not going to change my mind."

Amy's hand flew to her mouth before she darted outside into the sunlight, craning her neck over the crowd that had gathered to try and find Geric. She spotted his head over the crowd but it was already too late. The guards pushed him inside the wagon they had come here with and bolted away, much too fast for her to run after him.

Tears streamed down her face, and she didn't care that she had an audience. But before she could break out in full blown sobs, she turned on her heel and ran up to her room, closing the door tight behind her. She'd let no one in, not even her lady in waiting. Not even any of the maids or her mother or her father. Especially not her father. As much as she loved her father, she really hated him right now.

Amy wiped away her tears with a firm resolve. She was going to go find Geric no matter how long it took. She needed to see him at least one last time.

. . . .

After waiting about two hours, Amy started to think he wasn't going to show up. But why would he? He didn't even know she was here. On top of that, she could only imagine what he felt right now. He probably felt hurt and alone, and Amy felt so rotten for making him feel that. She didn't mean it to happen. She didn't.

Amy hugged her knees to her chest and stared out over the pond, her heart aching more and more with each passing minute. Maybe she would never see Geric ever again. This was her fault…

Suddenly, she heard a rustle in the bushes and Amy spun around in fear as she stared back into the eyes of a grey and black wolf. But after a moment, the fear passed and she leapt to her feet.

"Geric," she gasped, kneeling in front of his wolf form and putting a hand on either side of his furry face. "I am so sorry! You have to believe me. I never meant for any of this to happen. I was only trying to do something good, and then it accidentally slipped out to my father that I'd rather marry you than Charles and he got so angry. Oh, I've never seen him that angry at me in my life. And I'm so sorry that I didn't ask you first if I could propose an idea like that. I didn't even know if he would consider it in the first place. But I thought that maybe I could kill two birds with one stone by helping my people by being a good queen and have a man that I actually loved by my side."

She paused for a moment as her hands roved over Geric's ears and she let out an "oh" of surprise. "Wow, your ears are so soft." Her hands continued to pet his ears, the soft fur running through her fingers. But then she forced herself to bring it back in to focus on Geric again.

"Sorry, anyways, what I'm saying is that I didn't mean for that to happen. And I know I should have asked you first before I went and did something like that. I mean, I don't even know if you return my love, and—"

Geric stopped her words short by affectionately resting his giant furry face against her cheek. Amy threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur. The fur muffled her next words, "Oh my goodness, you're so soft! I wish you would've told me earlier. I would have gladly taken several nice naps in this coat of yours."

As an afterthought, Amy reached for the blanket she brought with her. "I brought this in case you didn't have clothes. Would you like to use it?" But Geric only shook his head which resulted in a full on shake out of his fur coat. He bowed to her, motioning with his head toward his back.

"Don't tell me that you want me to ride on your back…" Amy asked hesitantly, but of course Geric just grinned, or at least she thought it was a grin. She could hardly tell when he was in wolf form.

"Oh, save me," Amy whispered, mostly to herself, as she threw her leg over Geric's back and squealed as he stood up on all fours. "If I fall, so help me, Geric."

Amy shrieked again as he started walking, but then he quickened his pace, and before she knew it, they were flying through the forest, taking weaves and turns through the trees and jumping across streams. In no time, Amy burst into carefree laughter, lifting her head to the skies to bask in the moonlight overheard. She had never felt this free in her entire life, not even when she rode her horse.

Her smile never disappeared, not even when Geric brought her up a cliff side ledge that had a beautiful view of the moon and the forest below. When she slid down from his back, she wrapped her arms around his neck once again, holding him tight. She never wanted to let him go. She'd find a way to get out of her marriage to Charles somehow. She'd make her father see. Geric was the man she loved and she wouldn't have it any other way. If there was a way that she could be with him, she would find a way.

When Geric laid down, Amy let out a giggle as he squished her with his head, making her grunt as she pushed him off her. But then he soaked her whole cheek with wet dog drool as he kissed the side of her face.

"Geric!" Amy giggled, using the blanket she brought with her to wipe it off her face. "Just you wait. I'll very much in an unladylike fashion return the favor when you're human again. Then you'll know how it feels."

He let out a whine, making Amy laugh again before she rested her head on his giant paw as he rested his giant head gently on her stomach. She didn't know why Geric didn't revert to his human form, even when she brought coverage for him, but she didn't mind one bit. She always spent time with Geric the human and hardly spent much time with Geric the wolf. Surely it was all one of the same.

"You know, I've never had so much fun in my life than the times I've spent with you," Amy said softly as she stroked the top of Geric's head. "I'm glad you snuck into the masquerade. You have no idea."

Geric whined softly again, and Amy only wished she knew what that meant. Hopefully with time she'd figure it out.

The two of them laid like that, gazing up at the stars for what felt like hours before Amy began drifting off to sleep with Geric's fur nuzzled comfortingly against her. But before she knew it, a hand covered her eyes, startling her awake. A human hand.

"Relax," Geric said soothingly. "It's just me. I'm warning you not to look before I wrap myself up in that blanket, okay?"

Amy nodded and kept her eyes squeezed shut after he let go, but she couldn't lie that she felt very tempted to take a quick peek. She ended up opening her eyes a smidge, but by then he had already covered his lower half in the blanket and came to sit beside her once again.

"I'm glad you showed up at the pond," Geric said as he ran his fingers gently through her hair. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Why didn't you revert to a human earlier?" Amy asked as she sat up, placing a hand on the side of his face and looking into his amber eyes.

Geric shrugged, his expression sheepish. "I was a little bit upset. When I'm upset, it's harder to revert into my other form. But I'm feeling a lot better now. Thank you for coming to see me."

"Please forgive me," Amy breathed, her eyes sorrowful. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear."

"So you've told me at least a thousand times," Geric chuckled as he kissed her fingers. "I read that parchment. Did you really mean everything in there?"

Amy smiled bashfully as she looked down in her lap. "Yeah. It was meant to be a sheet of all the facts because my father responds well to facts rather than emotions. I thought I got my point across pretty clearly, but perhaps I'm wrong. He wouldn't even consider it. And by the time he might be open to considering it, it will be too late."

Silence fell between them, all the things that needed to be talked about that they didn't want to talk about hanging in the air between them.

"Are you really going to marry Charles?" Geric asked.

"Are you really going to be banished?" Amy shot back, but then she shook her head sadly. "I can't marry Charles. My dad might not see why Charles is a bad match, but I can, and that's not just because I hate the guy's guts."

Geric laughed, causing her heart to start beating faster. She loved his laugh, and she didn't get to hear it that often.

"What are you going to do then?" he asked, playing with her fingers, and as she looked up, a blush formed in her cheeks. Geric was still half naked. And he looked really nice. Strong, sturdy shoulders. A defined chest. And she especially loved his arms. She could see every one of his muscles that she had never been able to see before.

Shaking herself out of it, Amy shrugged. "Do you think my father will disown me if I eloped? Then there would be nothing he could do about it."

"Eloped with who?" Geric grinned knowingly, a teasing smile on his face.

Again, Amy blushed to the roots of her hair, and she couldn't train her gaze on him, so instead she gazed out over the cliff side, transfixed by the moon that stared back at her. "To be determined," she laughed, giving him a playful shove with her elbow even though she felt incredibly flustered.

Geric wrapped his arm around her, his wide grin evident on his face underneath the moonlight. "Well, let me know when you figure it out," he teased.

Even after what felt like an eternity, her heart wouldn't stop pounding in her chest. She turned her head to look up at him shyly as she genuinely considered it. "Would that be such a bad idea? It would be effective in getting me off the market and I'll get to be with you too. Or is this just a terrible idea and I've become too hopeful about things?"

"Amy," he whispered as he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "I'm positive that your father would kill me himself if I did any such thing."

She shook her head insistently. "He can't kill you. You'd be protected by marriage. And by me. I would never let him lay a hand on you. Geric, do you love me?"

"Yes," he whispered, gently grazing his lips against hers. "Yes I do, Amy."

"Then know that I'm serious about this. I want to be with you more than anything in the world. Tell me that you'll meet me tomorrow night at midnight. And then we can run off together. Nothing in the world can stop us."

He kissed her again, and this time they were both smiling against the kiss. "Midnight it is. Don't be late."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Geric-Chapter 13

Pacing through the dense undergrowth of the forest, Geric kept his eyes on the tree line. Berta hadn't said a word when he had come back to her inn in the dead of night to collect his belongings, she had only handed him a basket of food and watched him leave with a grimly set mouth.

Now he hid out in a cave not far from the pond, his bow, clothes, and the basket of food stacked neatly in the corner. It felt odd being a fugitive in the land he had called home for more than one hundred years, he had spent most of the day in his wolf form hunting and had only returned to the cave just after the sun went down.

A part of him felt guilty for not telling Amy the whole truth about who he was, but in the end, the king had been right. The humans would never accept him—not if he married Amy, not ever. Amy deserved more than he could give her, all he had to offer was himself. She was willing to give up everything for him—her family, her crown, her kingdom.

The moon rose over the tops of the pine trees as Geric shifted back into his human form, pulling his pants on before throwing his loose fitting cotton shirt over his shoulders. His ears were attuned to the noises of the night, listening for anything out of the ordinary. He heard footfalls approaching and turned at the snapping of a twig, but it wasn't Amy. It was Tonraq.

"What are you doing here?" Geric snarled, his gaze hardening. "I thought I made it clear that you should stay away."

"Actually, I think that your exact instructions were to stay away from the palace," Tonraq snapped. "This isn't the palace."

"Again, what are you doing here?" Geric's mouth pulled into a grim line as Tonraq moved forward warily, his eyes never leaving Geric's.

"I heard that the king banished you," Tonraq snarled. "Imagine that, the human-loving wolf being banished from his home. They have no idea who you are, do they?"

Geric said nothing, careful to keep his face blank. Tonraq chuckled darkly, guessing the answer. "It wouldn't matter if they did, would it?"

"Get to the point, Tonraq," Geric growled, his patience wearing thin. Amy would be here any second now and he didn't want her to encounter Tonraq again.

"There have been rumblings among the packs of something big about to happen," Tonraq muttered, taking another step toward Geric. "There's an uprising coming."

Swallowing hard, Geric pushed Tonraq up against the trunk of a tree, pressing the blade of his knife into Tonraq's throat.

"What do you know?" he snarled, his heart hammering wildly. If the uprising took place, Amy and her family would be the first ones targeted.

"All I know is that there are plans to take a member of the royal family hostage tonight," Tonraq said. "This is your chance to seize power, Geric. To lead us out of the shadows."

Geric's mind began working rapidly as he studied Tonraq carefully. He knew he had to ask his next question even though he feared he already knew the answer.

"Which member of the royal family?"

Tonraq shrugged carelessly. "The princess is the easiest target. The king and queen are always surrounded by guards, but the princess has much less security around her."

Geric's stomach turned as he struggled to keep his expression neutral. He knew he had to act quickly. If he could convince the other wolves that he was part of the plot for long enough, he could make certain that Amy was out of harm's way.

"I'll do it," Geric muttered grimly. "The humans have been in power far too long. When it's time, I want your word that you'll help me seize power."

"You have it," Tonraq replied, giving Geric a slight bow. He and Tonraq had their differences, but all the same he had always been more or less loyal to Geric.

Geric crossed back into the darkness of the cave, shouldering his bow and quiver of arrows before slinging the rest of his belongings over his back. Fingering one of the silver tipped arrows, he slid it gently back into the quiver. Tonraq wasn't the one behind this, he had always been more of a follower. But in order to protect Amy, he had to find out who was behind the uprising. And the only way he could think to do that was to become one of them, at least until he could protect her.

"Let's go," Geric growled, following Tonraq into the steadily darkening forest. His pulse pounded in his ears as he fought to regain control of his emotions. All he could think about was Amy. Even if she thought the worst of him for doing this, there was no other way.

Amy-Chapter 14

Amy could not believe she was doing this. Every fiber in her being screamed at her to turn around and do this the right way. But then she just thought about Charles and what marrying him would do to her kingdom and her resolve became firm once again. This was the better alternative for her kingdom. It was just a shame that she had to do it this way behind everyone's backs.

As silently as she could, she crept over to the stables, and thankfully, no one was there at this time of night, not even any of the guards. The horses nickered softly as she slipped inside and she was just about to open the door to Fox's stall when the stable doors slammed shut behind her. She spun around and her heart faltered as adrenaline shot through her fingertips. At the other end of the stables stood a slender man with wavy red hair, and from the sliver of moonlight that filtered in from one of the slats of the stable, she could tell that his eyes were amber. But even more so, she recognized him. The last time she saw him was at the masquerade, delivering a threat.

"Who are you?" Amy asked, trying to keep her voice steady but not entirely successful.

The man approached slowly, a sly grin on his face. "Well well well," he chuckled, his mouth pulling up into a sneer. "We had expected to do this the hard way, but you made this a hundred times easier for us."

He continued toward her until he had her trapped against the stable walls. He lifted his hand and if she hadn't been so downright terrified, she would have been fascinated as his fingers slowly melted into claws, his hand into a paw, and his arm into a furry mass. But it stopped there as the man stroked her cheek with his claws as if to scare her.

"Who are you?" Amy whimpered again, knowing that just a small movement from him could slash her skin right open. Was she going to die here? Did Geric know where she was?

"Tonraq," he replied, his teeth growing longer and longer for a moment before shrinking back. "Now you can either come with me quietly, or I can find an alternative way to speed your untimely death."

Amy swallowed hard and nodded, fear filling every vessel in her body. She only wished that Geric would know that she was no longer coming tonight, that way he wouldn't be waiting all night for her to show up.

Tonraq herded her out the stable doors and Amy got one last glimpse of the castle before he led her into the forest. She kept looking for opportunities to escape, but she knew that any attempts to run would be futile. In no way was she any match for the power and strength of a werewolf.

He led her down a little-used dirt path, across a makeshift bridge of fallen trees, and through dense foliage before they began traveling closer and closer to a dim light. That dim light got brighter and brighter until it folded out into a campsite, a well-used campsite. Full. Of. Werewolves.

Amy gasped and stumbled backwards, but she ran right into Tonraq who let out a menacing growl, so she forced herself to stay where she was. Whatever they planned to do with her, it couldn't be good.

One of the werewolves stepped forward, a menacing grin spread across his face. "Glad to see that you got here unharmed. Wouldn't want you lying in a puddle of your own blood before the fun even got started now, would we?"

Even though she felt terrified, she still held her head high, her eyes blazing with fury. "What are you planning to do?"

"Something that Warrick the Wrathful failed to do years ago. You can kiss your precious throne goodbye."

She clenched her fists, not because the wolves planned to take over the kingdom, but because she knew exactly how much bloodshed that would incite. A union with the werewolves by marrying a werewolf herself had been the perfect solution after all, but right now, she wasn't sure how much effect that would have anymore.

"What are you, their king?" Amy demanded, taking a step closer to the werewolf as if that would help her case in the slightest.

"No, I'm not. He is our king." He motioned toward the other side of the camp where a figure stepped out of the shadows, and then the light from the fire illuminated his face, sending a wave of dread throughout her heart.

"Geric!" Amy gasped, her eyes wide. Her heart panged when she realized that this must have been a setup. Geric just wanted to get her alone before swooping in for the kill. Her father had been right all along. "I thought… I thought…"

"Well, you thought wrong, Princess." His eyes looked so cold, so much that she didn't even recognize him anymore.

After successfully reining in her emotions since Tonraq found her, she suddenly broke in half as tears trailed down her cheeks. "But it was my idea to elope, not yours. How could you possibly have staged all of this? I thought you loved me."

A murmur of surprise drifted around the camp, and the atmosphere suddenly felt different, lighter, less foreboding.

"Is this true?" one of the wolves with a burly build and short blonde hair asked. "We don't have to kill her. We can turn her. It will have the same effect."

"No," the werewolf who spoke before growled. "When we return to take what is ours, her head will be on a silver pike for all to see."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Geric growled as he grabbed the man's wrist and twisted hard. The man seemed to shrink under Geric's gaze, and finally he wasn't even able to look him in the eye as he bowed his head and backed away slowly. The other wolves were afraid of Geric. But that didn't change the fact that he had betrayed her. Her death would be on his hands.

"Hastiness leads to clumsiness," Geric continued as he glared at the wolves around him, and Amy noted that he didn't look her in the eye.

Rage filled her heart. How could Geric do this to her? How could he let her kingdom fall? So many people were going to die. How could he let this happen?

Another wolf stepped forward behind her, its growl lodged deep in its throat and half its body already turned into a black wolf. "If you're not going to do it, I'll do it myself."

The wolf lunged forward and Amy let out a shriek as she braced herself for the pain, but Geric immediately sprung into action, his body ripping apart into his wolf form as he smashed the attacker to the ground as if he were made of feathers. Geric growled loudly as he circled Amy, almost as if daring anyone else to give that a try. When no one did, Geric bowed to her just like he did last time when telling her to get on. But she didn't want to go anywhere with this man. With this filthy betrayer.

He let out another growl and Amy indignantly climbed on. Before she even had a chance to get a good grip on his fur, he had already taken off into the trees, leaving all the rest of the werewolves behind.

Geric-Chapter 15

Geric slowed to a walk as they approached his tent on the edge of the clearing. He had purposely made certain that he was far away from the others so that he and Amy could speak without being overheard. If she didn't kill him first.

He stopped just outside the tent and crouched so that she could slide easily off his back. Amy slid down gracefully, looking at him with such hurt and betrayal in her expression, Geric wondered if she would ever believe that he hadn't been trying to manipulate her this whole time. When Amy didn't make a move to go inside the tent, he nudged her through the flap with his muzzle, feeling the rage rolling off her in waves. He knew he had hurt her horribly, but he had only done what he needed to do to keep her safe.

Shifting back into his human form was difficult, the emotions swirling around inside him made the transition painful. He let out a little involuntary noise of pain, fighting for control as he wondered if he would even be able to attempt to explain himself or if he would remain in this form for the rest of the night. A small part of him almost preferred it that way, then he wouldn't have to face the hurt and betrayal in her gaze, knowing full well that he had been the one to put it there.

Finally after several attempts, Geric managed it, hastily pulling on a pair of pants that he had left just outside the tent as a precaution and going inside. Amy rounded on him the moment she sensed him behind her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You!" she accused, balling her fists in rage. "How could you? I trusted you, I actually allowed myself to care about you."

She flew at him from across the tent, her fists striking every inch of him that she could reach in her fury. "How could you betray me like that? How could you?"

Geric didn't move, he knew he deserved all this and more. He just let her pummel his chest with her fists as she screamed, "I trusted you!"

Finally, Amy's fire seemed spent and she collapsed on his bed, sobs wracking through her body. Geric sat down next to her and touched her shoulder gently, but she flinched away from him, making him pull back.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't know any other way."

Amy sat up, her eyes twin embers of fury. "To what? Steal my crown?"

"No," Geric said wearily, running both hands over his face. "To protect you."

Her sobs hitched in her chest as she stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I thought this was your plan all along."

Geric shook his head, his eyes meeting hers. "I told them what they needed to hear. The plan was already in motion to kidnap you. I was out of options, so I went along with it hoping that with me here, they wouldn't harm you."

Amy swallowed a sob, eyeing him warily through her watery, red-rimmed eyes. "How do I know that you're not just telling me what I need to hear?"

"You don't," Geric shrugged. "I can only offer you my word that I'm not lying to you."

Amy studied him in thoughtful silence and he returned her gaze steadily.

"I know I've made it really hard for you to believe me, Amy," he said. "But I'm offering you the truth now. Please believe me, I have never wished harm on you or your family."

Biting her lip, Amy continued to study him in silence. Geric backed away to the other side of the tent, sitting down on the ground a short distance away so she wouldn't feel threatened.

"What did Tonraq mean when he said you were their king?" Amy asked hesitatingly after several long moments of silence. Geric closed his eyes, wishing that she had asked him anything else, especially because he no longer had his signet ring to back up his story.

"The Great War started when I was twenty," he said softly, his gaze faltering under her scrutiny. "My father tried to send me and my two brothers away to live with my mother's parents in Corona, but we refused to go. We were all of age to fight and we did. In fact, since I was the oldest, as the war progressed my father slowly started putting me in command of the army."

Amy stared at him, confusion evident in her eyes. Geric paused for a beat, hesitating before he let go of the secret he had kept hidden for more than a hundred years. Many of the wolves would have known who he was on sight, but it hadn't mattered until now.

"I told you before," Geric muttered, looking down at his hands so he wouldn't have to look at her. "Warrick took everything from me. He was my father's most trusted friend and advisor and he betrayed us all and turned me into a wolf. If he hadn't, I might actually have been king."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amy's hand fly to her mouth as she gave a little gasp.

"You're him," she breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "You're the prince who was turned by Warrick the Wrathful, aren't you?"

Geric's eyes found hers in the semi-darkness of the tent. He didn't speak, but he knew she could read the truth in his eyes. The silence stretched between them, lengthening and billowing until he reluctantly confirmed her words.

"I am," he replied, his voice taking on a hard edge. After all this time, his final secret would either end up destroying him or saving him, he wasn't sure which. "My full name is Gericault Dunbroch."

Amy stared at him, stunned speechless. Geric's fingers automatically went to his neck where the ring should have been, but he dropped his hand when he remembered it wasn't there anymore.

"So you really do have a claim to my family's throne," Amy said after several more moments of tense silence. "It all makes sense now. You used me so you could seize power."

"No I didn't," Geric said defensively, blowing out an indignant breath. "I had no plans to ever try and take power. I still don't. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to love me for who I am, not always be afraid that I was trying to steal what's rightfully yours."

Amy's brow furrowed at his words as though she wondered if she had heard him correctly. "It's rightfully yours too," she pointed out, but Geric just shook his head.

"No it isn't."

"Why didn't you come back?" she whispered. "You were the rightful heir to the throne, the kingdom needed you."

Geric shook his head, a wry smile forming on his lips. "You know that's not true," he muttered, shifting his hand to claws and back again absently. "The people wouldn't have wanted a monster on the throne."

"But you're not a monster!" she cried indignantly. "I know you're not."

Geric shook his head sadly. "Maybe now you know that, but you were afraid of me when we first met, remember?"

Amy looked as though he had slapped her. He continued, hardly able to look at her. "I didn't come back because of what I am. You've seen the mistrust of werewolves yourself, you know the last thing the kingdom needed was a king who was one of them."

"You sound just like my father," Amy snapped. A small smile played around the corners of Geric's mouth at her words. It was a relief that Amy was defending him, even from himself. He hoped this meant she could forgive him.

"So what happens now?" Amy asked, moving to sit next to him in the grass. She laced her fingers through his, giving his rough, calloused palm a squeeze.

"That's an excellent question," Geric chuckled. "I...uh...didn't have a lot of time to come up with a plan other than rescuing you and whisking you off to safety."

Amy giggled, humor sparkling in her eyes. "You know for someone who was commanding armies, you're not very prepared."

"I'm making it up as I go," Geric grinned, bumping her elbow with his. "It's not easy trying to keep you safe."

Laughing, Amy said, "No, I suppose not."

They laughed together for a moment before Amy sobered, looking up into Geric's eyes wistfully. "What do we do now?"

"We'll figure it all out in the morning," Geric promised, nudging his forehead into the side of her face like he did when he was in his wolf form. "For now, get some rest."

Amy glanced fearfully at the tent flap, shivering slightly as a howl cut through the darkness. Geric brushed her arm gently with his fingers, trailing them over her skin before giving her a brief kiss.

"Don't worry," he said, gently moving her hair back behind her ear. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Amy nodded, crawling under the blankets on the cot and pulling them up to her chin, her eyes peeking out at him in the darkness. Geric smiled at her once before transforming back into his wolf form and curling up on the ground in front of her, eyes on the tent flap.

"Geric?" Amy whispered in the darkness and he raised his head to look at her. She rested on one elbow, her eyes finding his in the darkness. "I love you."

He nudged her hand with his head, letting out a little whine from the back of his throat. She curled her fingers into his fur, clinging to him as she drifted off to sleep. Geric settled back again to watch the tent flap, wondering if she knew that noise meant he loved her too.

Amy-Chapter 16

Opening her eyes to a glaring light shining down on her, Amy squinted, reaching out for the warmth of Geric's fur. But her fingers didn't brush against fur. It brushed against skin.

Her eyes widened in shock, fully expecting to find a naked man lying next to her, but Geric had pants on, just no shirt. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, the worry lines that sometimes folded into his forehead completely wiped away. For a moment, she wished that they could lie there forever, not having to worry about the stresses of life. Not having to worry about the uprising the wolves were planning. Not having to worry about getting killed the second she stepped out of the tent. So she'd stay here just a bit longer nestled up against Geric's warmth.

His eyes fluttered open as if sensing her gaze on him. He sat up quickly, glancing wildly around the tent that sheltered them. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I was supposed to be keeping watch. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay," Amy whispered as she placed a hand on the side of his face. "We're both alive. Nothing happened to us."

He nodded, letting out a sigh of relief before trapping her hand against his face. "We'll have to find a way to escape soon. The other wolves still think that you're my prisoner, but I don't dare leave you alone for a second. One of the other wolves down there, Favian, has been battling for Alpha status but he got overruled this time. He's probably the only one who will defy me right now."

"Which one is Favian?"

"He's the one who tried to attack you last night."

Amy shuddered as she remembered Favian's cold-hearted eyes and the way he looked at her as if she were his prey. "If they'll obey you, then why don't you call off the attack? Surely they'd listen."

But Geric just shook his head. "They've all been riled up for years with talk of staging an uprising. Favian just came along and made the idea become a possibility. It will happen whether or not I want it to."

She bit her lip as her thoughts that she had been contemplating last night churned over and over in her mind. "Geric, I've been thinking…" Amy turned her head to gaze up at him, her stomach tying in a knot as she looked back into his beautiful, soulful eyes. "The throne is rightfully mine, but it is also rightfully yours. We could unify ourselves with the wolves. Perhaps prevent this uprising from happening. If they want you as their king, then they will have you as their king with me ruling by your side."

Geric shook his head, his eyes wide. "I can't. Your father has made it quite clear that no such thing will happen. I wouldn't even get past the front gates without getting shot down."

"If he doesn't accept you to be the next king, then my father will be killed. My whole family will be killed. The wolves will kill everyone. Please. If you love me then you will try. If you want to preserve Colmar and myself, then you must try." She grasped both of his hands and kissed each one of them. "I love you, Geric. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how short it might be. I only hope that you want the same."

"Of course I do," he whispered as he tangled his fingers through her hair. "I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. But the wolves won't let us get very far. Just leave that part to me."

He made a move as to stand up, but Amy held him down before drawing him into a kiss. Her heart erupted with a million emotions as they kissed, each moment feeling like their last. As soon as they would step outside this tent, their futures would become uncertain. They may not have a future at all, but they may have a long and prosperous one too. But she had to try. They had to try. Together.

When they broke the kiss, Amy's heart shuddered in fearful anticipation.

"When we get back to the pack, stay behind me, okay? Don't let them sense your fear."

Amy let out an exasperated breath. "That's real? I thought that was only a myth."

Shaking his head, he replied, "Not a myth, and you were rolling in your fear last night. Some of them do respect you, you know. But they're just following orders. So give them more of a reason to respect you and I think we could pull this off."

"Okay," she nodded, turning around to give him privacy as he transformed, and then they were off. They made their way past several wolves who looked as if they had been watching over them all night to make sure they didn't try to escape, ran down the slopes, weaved in and out through trees, and slowed to a walk as soon as the camp was in sight. As soon as they walked into the camp, all eyes turned to them. Curious eyes. Suspicious eyes. Cautious eyes.

Geric transformed back right then and there as if it were no big deal and Amy had to look up at the sky above them as he pulled on his pants and shrugged on a shirt, and by this time, they had already gathered a crowd with just their presence alone. The wolves knew something was up.

"Have you made a decision about the girl yet?" Tonraq asked, speaking the words that everyone seemed to be wondering themselves.

"Yes," Geric said as he stood up on the table for everyone to see him. He waited several more moments for the other wolves to join the throng in their wolf form. "I understand why all of you are angry. I myself have been angry about the way that we've been treated as werewolves. No one trusts us. We're outcasts in society."

He glanced toward Amy and she forced herself to take a deep breath, pushing her fear away even though it felt as if a few of the werewolves were breathing down her neck.

Continuing, Geric said, "Being a werewolf used to be an honor. It gave us the privilege to serve and protect. Have we forgotten all of that? A couple of you used to serve my family a hundred years ago and you were revered and you were honored. Have you forgotten that? Society has forgotten and it's our duty to make them remember again. It's our duty to serve and protect. Let's not forget this any longer."

Geric hopped down from the table and began walking around the camp, looking each man—and a couple women—in the eye as he spoke. "I do not want to take the throne by force because this will make humans fear us even more. This will not solve our problems. It will only escalate them."

"Are you saying that we should just lie down and give up?" Favian growled, his limbs flickering in and out of his werewolf form as his anger threatened to spill over.

"Absolutely not. We deserve to live in broad daylight, out of the shadows and revered as the incredible beasts we once were. We are magnificent. We are powerful. And each and every one of us still has that honor, that pride, deep down inside of us. Things could go back the way they used to be. And that's why I want to do this my way. The right way. As your king with Ameline by my side as your queen."

The werewolves began muttering amongst themselves until one shouted out, "And how do you propose we do this?"

"Give me seven days. Seven days to secure my place as next in line for the throne. All without bloodshed. Without staging an attack. With Amy by my side, we can have peace with the humans again. We can be trusted and revered and honored. What say you?!"

All at once, the camp erupted in howl after howl, deep, reverberating sounds coming from each of the werewolves in an inhuman way. And at that moment, Amy saw Geric the king. He was every bit the king that he deserved to be. Geric grinned at getting a nearly unanimous reaction before he transformed again and Amy climbed onto his back. Now it was time to take a stand.

. . . .

Amy held her head high as she rode on Geric's back through town. They received stares; confused, shocked, and terrified stares. But Amy wanted the townspeople to see her. She wanted them to know that if she trusted the wolves, then maybe they could too.

"Mama, look!" a little boy said as he pointed to them as they passed. "It's the princess on a wolf!"

"Come away from there," the mother ushered, but Amy just gave the two of them a small smile and a gracious nod before continuing on their way. Everyone stared but no one approached, not even the guards stationed around town which was a good sign. The townspeople appeared too shocked to do anything either.

Geric let out a small whine when they made it past the town and continued toward the large black wrought iron gates towering above them.

"It's okay," Amy whispered as she leaned forward to pet Geric's head. "I won't let anything happen to you. "Remember, this is to stop an uprising. My father has to listen."

As they approached, the guards looked incredibly confused, not knowing whether to hold out their spears or to let them pass. "Princess, stop right there. We cannot have a werewolf enter inside the city gates without the proper escort."

Holding her head high and with as much authority as she could muster, she stared down at them. "Let us pass or I will make sure you no longer have a job here with the castle."

The guards looked at one another with uncertainty before they bowed their heads and shrunk away from the gates to allow them access. By now, they had gathered a large crowd, but the more people, the better. Her people had to know that they were in the presence of a hero. They were in the presence of the man who made it possible for them to be alive and under her father's reign. They were in the presence of royalty.

"What is the meaning of this?" her father roared as he stormed out of the castle, accompanied by at least a dozen guards.

Amy stared down at her father, making sure to stay as close to Geric as she could while still looking as regal as possible, that way no one would dare even try to shoot Geric down where he stood. None of the soldiers would risk her life doing something like that.

Speaking to the townspeople who had gathered while still addressing her father at the same time, she said, "This werewolf deserves some respect. Gericault Dunbroch is the last surviving heir to the Dunbroch line and he is as much royalty as I am." The townspeople let out surprised gasps and began talking amongst themselves. "And if you won't listen, father, then I sure hope your people will. I renounce my engagement with Prince Charles Minnings and I announce my engagement to Prince Gericault Dunbroch."

Her father's face became purple with rage, but then he glanced around at all the townspeople in the square around him, seeming to realize that he couldn't say anything in front of the hundred witnesses standing before them. This brief pause gave Geric enough time to transform back into a human beneath the blanket they brought with them and change into his clothes before standing beside Amy with his arm around her waist.

More gasps filled the courtyard, most likely due to the fact that many of them had seen Geric before, whether in town or when he was brought in the last time for questioning.

"And now I petition that Geric stay in the castle," Amy continued, "as a guest and not as an enemy. For too long we've had unrest between the werewolves and the humans. We can find that peace again! Starting right here with a prince who is more than worthy to stand by my side as my protector, as my equal, as my future king."

More chatter from all sides of them, but Amy only had eyes for her father. She knew she had her father cornered and there wasn't much he could do about it now that Amy had already announced their engagement. But still she held her breath.

Finally, her father found his composure, gazing back at her with a calm and collected expression. "Gericault may stay in the castle, but he will not be in line for the throne until he has proven himself worthy. Until then, he has my protection as long as he is here and as long as he remains faithful to his king and under control."

It was evident that her father didn't trust Geric one bit, but this was more than she had even hoped for. This might actually work. It might just actually work.

Geric took Amy's hand, obvious relief forming in every square inch of his expression. And then they followed the king inside, and Amy wasn't quite sure she was ready to face her father's wrath just yet.

. . . .

"Ameline Auclaire, what did you bring into my home?!" the king snarled, pacing back and forth in the great hall but never taking his eyes off of Geric. "I told you no. I told you no again and again, but what did you do? You brought an animal, a monster into my home. How dare you do this behind my back! How dare you!"

Amy faced his anger head on, knowing full well that this would be his reaction. "Father, you wouldn't listen to me. I told you that this is the best choice for our kingdom but you hardly even considered it. After all the evidence I placed before you, couldn't you see that Charles was a bad choice?"

"I'm right here," Charles injected in an annoyed tone. "Don't think I can't hear you."

The king glared at Amy, just looking at Geric fueling his anger once again. "You need to publicly revoke what you said. I will not have my only child marrying a werewolf! That is completely out of the question."

"No," Amy defied. "I am standing firm on my decision to marry Geric. He has every right to the throne as much as I do. I want him to be the one to stand beside me."

Her father scowled and his face turned purple with rage, but he turned on his heel and stormed from the room. "This is not the last you've heard of this!"

Amy swallowed. She hated seeing her father like this, so angry with her. But she truly thought this was the best for her country, so she would stand firm on her decision.

"Don't do this," Charles begged as he took her hand. "You know that we're so good together. You know that we can accomplish great things together. With you by my side, we could rule the whole kingdom like no one has ever ruled before. Nations will cower before us. We will be respected all across the world."

Amy tugged her hand out of Charles' grip. "You've quite proven yourself to me that you are not fit to rule Colmar. You will only make matters worse. I will not stand for it." She took Geric's hand and led him outside into the gardens where she could finally feel at peace. They got a lot of astonished looks from the townspeople still gathered outside the gates and they even had five guards on their tail, but someday when the guards eventually came to trust Geric, hopefully that would no longer be the case.

As soon as they were out of sight of everyone but those five guards watching them very closely, Amy let out a breath of relief, holding Geric tight around the waist. "That was further than I had expected to get to be honest. We got you in. That's all that counts."

Geric pulled back to look into her eyes. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I could sense his pure hatred for me. I am definitely not welcome here."

"No, most people probably do not want you here. But the question is, are you brave enough to stay?"

"Amy—"

"Geric," Amy whispered as she placed a hand on the side of his face. "I love you, and I want to be with you. I know this is not easy for you. Not easy at all. But are you brave enough to stay?"

He smiled at her, softly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you too, Amy. And if this means being able to be with you, then yes, I am brave enough." He leaned forward and kissed Amy, her heart setting ablaze from all the adrenaline and all she wanted to do was melt in his arms—

"Step away from the princess," one of the guards growled as he stepped forward, his silver sword halfway drawn from its scabbard. But this only managed to make Amy furious. She stood at her full height, staring them down in a way that made one of them flinch.

"Geric is royalty!" she huffed. "And you will treat him as such. He is Prince Gericault Dunbroch, the last of the Dunbroch line. He deserves your respect. I better hope you spread that around to the other soldiers because anything other than respect will not be tolerated. Am I understood?"

"Understood, m'lady," they murmured before shrinking back several yards, still in their line of sight but far enough away to give them a little more privacy.

Amy turned back to Geric and smiled. "When I look into your eyes, I see a king. Now it's time to let everybody else see it too. Remind everyone who you really are. You are Prince Gericault Dunbroch, and don't let anybody forget it."

Geric-Chapter 17

Tugging on the hem of the silver embroidered doublet he wore, Geric couldn't remember the last time he had worn anything this fancy. During the war years he had always worn the dark brown garb of a soldier and then afterward he had dressed as a peasant in order to blend in. He rubbed his right hand where his signet ring should have been, wondering if he and Amy could really pull this off.

As though answering his question, a soft knock sounded on the door behind him and Geric turned around to see Amy peering into the room. She wore a gown that accentuated her slender figure perfectly, the fabric such a light blue it was almost silver. A simple tiara was set back against the dark curls piled on top of her head, making her look even more regal than usual.

"I can't get used to this outfit," Geric grimaced teasingly, tugging on his doublet again. "I had forgotten how uncomfortable finery can be."

Amy giggled, smoothing her hands over his chest. "Well, you look very kingly."

Catching her hands with his own, Geric dipped his head to Amy's, kissing her tenderly until the palace seemed to melt away around them.

"What was that for?" Amy asked when they broke the kiss, putting a hand on his chest to steady herself. Geric grinned, giving her another quick kiss.

"Because you're my betrothed now, or you will be soon. Besides, I really enjoy kissing you."

Amy laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "So do I. We better enjoy it while we can because I doubt my father will like us being alone very much."

"I don't blame him," Geric teased, lowering his voice menacingly. "He doesn't want his daughter consorting with a dangerous werewolf."

Amy gave him a playful shove, her smile turning flirtatious. "I don't mind a little danger."

Geric gazed into her eyes for a moment, feeling incredibly lucky to be here with Amy. Tracing his fingers around her jaw line, he tilted her chin up so that their lips met again. At that moment, the door opened again and a red faced page, who was so small he looked as though he couldn't be more than twelve years old, entered the room.

"I—I'm sorry, sir, Crown Princess," he stammered. "But the king requests your presence in the dining hall for this evening's meal."

Geric grinned as Amy thanked the page kindly, offering her his arm. They followed behind the small boy toward the great hall, Amy giving Geric's arm an encouraging squeeze as they walked.

"It's strange how little the palace has changed in the last hundred years," Geric whispered to Amy as they passed a suit of armor that his great grandfather had worn in battle almost three hundred years ago. "I used to scare my little brothers spitless with that suit of armor. I'd hide behind it and make it reach out and touch them as they passed. I had them convinced that it was haunted for a whole summer before my mother found out."

Amy laughed softly, her eyes shining with amusement. "Your mother must have had a good sense of humor raising three boys."

"She did. Even when we hid fish heads in a fruit platter that was served at a state dinner."

"You didn't!" Amy gasped, her eyes widening with horror even as her smile expanded.

"We did," Geric laughed. "The Countess of Breton shrieked so loudly that it broke three crystal goblets. My mother scolded us, but even the guests could tell she was trying not to laugh."

Amy's laughter was cut short as the tall oak doors that led to the dining hall opened and they saw who was assembled around the table—King Merek, Queen Cristiana, and Charles.

"Welcome," the king said coldly. "Please take your seats."

Geric frowned as he realized that he had been placed kitty corner to Amy, who had been seated next to Charles, making Amy's parents' dislike for him very clear.

Amy gave his hand another squeeze as she reluctantly took her place next to Charles. Geric took his place next to Amy's mother, who looked like an older version of her daughter with silver in her dark curls and the same heart shaped face. Servants entered through a side door, filling their goblets with wine. Geric noticed that most of the servants were careful to keep some distance between them as though they were afraid that he might attack them at any moment.

"Father, the dinner looks wonderful this evening," Amy said, sampling the soup that another line of servants brought for them. "Louisa is really outdoing herself."

"That she is," her father replied, tasting his own food before turning his attention on Geric.

"Tell me, Geric," he said acidly. "What kind of man courts a woman behind her father's back?"

Geric set his goblet down, a flash of anger cutting through him like a dagger. He caught Amy's horrified gaze briefly before replying, "Only the ones who are hunted because of what they are, Your Majesty."

"Please," Charles snorted derisively. "You're as savage as the rest of them. Your Majesty, I advise you to lock your doors tonight or he will kill us all in our sleep."

Geric rolled his eyes, trying to keep his temper in check. "Believe me, Charles. If I wanted to kill you—you'd be dead. Locks or no locks."

No one moved or spoke for so long, Geric almost wondered if everyone had suddenly been turned to stone. He cast a glance at Amy who tried to hide her smile behind her hand. Geric smothered a laugh as Charles inched his chair slightly away from him even though he was all the way across the wide, food laden table. The arrogant idiot had it coming.

The rest of the meal was painfully silent except for the occasional remark from Amy about the weather or the latest news from Breton in an attempt to smooth away the tension. Charles kept casting wary glances at him across the table which Geric ignored and King Merek had such a tight grip on his goblet it looked as though he was trying to crush it between his fingers.

After the dessert had been served, the king said, "I'd like to speak to Geric alone if you don't mind."

Everyone stood up to leave and as she passed him, Amy whispered, "Meet me in my chambers when you're done here."

Geric nodded and she caressed his shoulder with her fingers as she left the room.

"I'm warning you now, wolf," the king snarled. "Your attitude is doing nothing to help your case with me."

Geric nodded stonily, his gaze never wavering from the king's. "I understand, Your Majesty."

"So consider this your final warning," King Merek snarled. "If you make a move I don't like, if you say something I don't want you to, it won't be banishment this time. It will be a silver sword through your heart."

Amy-Chapter 18

Amy didn't get very far before Charles took her by the elbow and pulled her outside into the gardens. Never again in her life did she want to spend time with him alone, but it looked as if she had no choice with no one around to save her, no excuse she could possibly make to escape.

"I don't know what lies that werewolf is filling in your head," Charles started as they took a turn around the garden, "but that's all they are. They're lies. You can't be serious about wanting to marry him."

"I'm absolutely serious," Amy responded. She sighed before turning to Charles. Even though she didn't like him, he probably didn't deserve this sort of treatment. "I'm sorry I didn't talk with you about this first before I made my declaration. This is what I think is best for my kingdom. Even though I do not believe that you're a good fit here in Colmar doesn't mean that you won't be a good fit somewhere else. I'm sorry, Charles. But this is just how it's going to be."

Charles' face contorted in rage as he took a step toward her, using his height to intimidate her. "That is not how it's going to be. In my kingdom, I'm captain of the guard. If you don't reinstate our engagement, I will bring war to Colmar. Mark my words. I will bring war."

He huffed and turned on his heel, leaving Amy standing alone in the gardens with fear icing over her heart. She didn't know what to do. No matter which way she turned, there was going to be war, and either way, there was going to be a lot of bloodshed, most likely including her and her parents. There had to be some other way…

Amy slumped down on a stone bench beside a row of roses and put her face in her hands. She so desperately wanted her parents to like Geric. What if they never liked him? It was possible that the wedding would never happen let alone Geric being claimed as next in line to be king. And they only had six more days left. What if they couldn't do it?

So much worry and so much doubt churned in her mind, and no matter which way she turned, she faced even more worry and doubt.

"Look!" a little girl gasped while pointing through the bars of the gate and holding her mother's hand at the same time. "It's the wolf princess!"

Amy chuckled softly as she waved at them before making her way back inside the castle. But then she got a glorious idea. Her father could never say no to a leisurely horseback ride. And if Geric came along…

"Daddy!" Amy called as she ran right past Geric who seemed to be on his way upstairs and into the next room where her father sat at the window of the parlor, watching the sunset. "Do you want to go on a trail ride with me and Geric? I know you've been under a lot of stress lately and I thought that might help you unwind."

His eyes were soft as he glanced up at Amy, but then his gaze moved toward the door where Geric stood and his eyes hardened immediately. "Not if that werewolf is coming. Besides. He can go exercise himself when the moon comes up."

"Come on, father," Amy giggled, not wanting to take him seriously. He had a soft heart, it was sometimes just difficult to dig deep enough to find it. "Geric won't bite." She cringed at what she said but continued as if she didn't say it at all. "I need to practice riding more on Fox, and you're the best riding partner I know."

The king huffed as he stared out the window again. "Fine, I will accompany you on horseback, but the werewolf stays in the back. I don't want to see his face if I don't have to."

"Thank you, father!" Amy clapped before grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet. "I've already sent the guards to saddle the horses, so they should be ready when we arrive. Get your riding gear on and we'll meet you out there."

Amy pulled Geric by the hand up the curving, red-carpeted staircase and they ducked into the shadows. Her parents' bedroom was on the other end of the castle, but it was fun trying to be sneaky anyways.

"Do you realize how long it's been since I've been on a horse?" Geric whispered with wide eyes. "I'll make a fool out of myself in front of your father."

"Honestly? That might be somewhat of a good thing. Father hates riders who are better than him. He once fired the stable master for showing him up."

Geric grimaced. "This is going to be impossible, Amy. Your parents will never like me."

"They will!" Amy insisted as she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Geric's neck, allowing his hair to run through her fingers. "I liked you right off the bat. When they get over the fact that you're a werewolf, they'll warm up to you real fast."

He turned his head to nuzzle against her hand, making her giggle. Sometimes she wondered how much, exactly, of his animal instincts transferred to his human side as well. But she found that positively endearing.

. . . .

When Geric had said he hadn't ridden in a long time, Amy had felt sure he just meant a few years, but it seemed like a hundred years. His form was sloppy at first, but the more they rode, the more he seemed to get the hang of it. As much as it irked her that this little fact seemed to satisfy her father, she just felt glad to see a smile on his face, even if it was a smirk.

"What a lovely evening," the king sighed as he slowed down to a walk, seeming to take pity on Geric who looked as if he were fighting off saddle sores. "It's a shame your mother doesn't like to ride anymore. It would be nice if she would join us every once in a while."

It was indeed a beautiful evening. The sun was just beginning to sink below the mountains, she could hear the river trickle by just a short ways away, and her favorite part, she could hear the birds twittering in the trees.

"When's the next hunt?" Amy asked, trying to get her father to talk by talking about some of his favorite things.

"Unfortunately, you're not invited to the next hunt. Not after what happened last time. Your mother got a whiff of it and that's the end of that. I'll let you come again when she forgets about it."

Amy pursed her lips stubbornly. That was some of the only fun that she ever got to have as a princess. "Well, in that case, I would like you to speak to mum about loosening up a little on the embroidery. You know how much I hate being cooped up in that room all day with gossiping women."

Her father burst into a full, hearty laughter. "You don't need to remind me. You only ask at least once a week. How about this? I'll steal you away during one of those embroidery sessions and we'll tell your mother that we're going out for a walk when we're really shooting arrows. How about that?"

"Thank you!" Amy giggled as she looked back at Geric who had been smiling at her before she even turned her head. He hadn't said much on the ride so far which made her think that either he was concentrating on riding or he was afraid to speak. What had her father spoken to him about after dinner?

"Speaking about archery…" Amy said, trying to bring Geric back into the conversation. "Geric is great with the bow. He even outmatches me by just a tiny smidge."

"A tiny smidge?" Geric laughed. "I can split your arrow right down the shaft."

Her father turned his head and glared, but Amy just ignored it. He could be angry all he wanted to be, but that didn't change the way she felt about Geric.

"And what else can you do, Geric?" her father asked icily. "You're certainly good at disappearing. Or perhaps at tearing humans limb from limb."

"If I may, Sire. I've never killed a human as a werewolf. The last person I ever killed was Warrick."

Amy didn't miss that look of surprise that passed over her father's face, but that look was gone just as quickly as it had come. "No? Alright, then how many innocent lives have you changed for the worse by turning humans into your kind?"

Geric stood a little straighter, looking more like the prince he was. "I've never turned anyone before. I didn't ask for this life. I didn't want this life. But now I have no choice but to live it, and I will do my best to live it as honorably as I can."

The king's lips pressed together, but he said nothing more on the subject. Amy gave Geric a reassuring smile. So far this was going decently well. She knew that a ride would soften his heart up just a little bit.

When they finished their ride and returned to the stables, the king patted his horse and allowed the stable hands to take over. Turning to Amy, he said, "I'll be in work up to my knees these next few days, but any time you want to get away for a moment and go for a ride, come find me. Another break like this sounds nice."

Her stomach dropped. Her poor father always had so much to do as king, and all that stress was worsening his health. If she could take over his duties, she would in an instant. But she had to be married first, and who knew how long that would be?

"May I bring Geric along next time too?"

The king paused at the doorway, considering for a moment before nodding once. "Yes, you may." And then he disappeared, making his way back indoors.

A smile crept up on Amy's lips as she looked over at Geric. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You're telling me," he grunted, waddling toward the door like she had never seen anyone waddle before. "Not riding a horse in a hundred years does things to you."

Amy burst into laughter as she took him by the arm. "Let's get you back to the castle then. I'm sure you'd enjoy a nice warm bath to soothe those achy muscles of yours."

Geric-Chapter 19

Geric pulled on a pair of pants after stepping out of the bath that the servants had drawn for him. As much as he hated to admit it, the bath really had helped soothe away the aches that riding had caused. He hadn't been on a horse since the war and he had forgotten how sore a day of riding could make him.

Stealing down the corridor as quietly as possible, he knocked on Amy's door. She opened it a crack, her face lighting up in a smile as she saw his face. She had clearly not been expecting anyone, she wore only her lacy nightgown, her hair falling in loose waves over her shoulders. His heart thumped hard as he watched the firelight playing over her skin. She had never looked more beautiful.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, closing the door behind him. A blush crept into her cheeks as she crossed the room and picked up the robe that had been draped carelessly over a nearby chair, shrugging it over her shoulders without looking at him.

"If I remember correctly, you said to meet you here," Geric grinned teasingly. "I see you didn't take Charles' advice to lock your door."

Amy smiled slyly, dropping the ties of her robe so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf," she murmured in his ear as he snaked an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. His lips found hers and her fingers left trails of fire on his back wherever they touched his skin. He took the kiss deeper as her fingers flirted with the hem of his pants. The simple motion made him smile, the longing growing ever more insistent inside him. She was everything to him, he would do whatever it took to make her his. Even playing nice with her father.

The thought brought him back to earth with a crash and he pulled gently, reluctantly away from her.

"We can't," he whispered even though every part of him craved her touch. "If your father finds out, I'll be killed for sure."

Amy let out a frustrated sigh. "Soon. We can be together soon. My parents will come around in no time, you'll see."

Geric hoped she was right, he didn't like going behind the king's back. If their plan was ever going to work, he was going to have to start acting like the prince he really was.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Amy said, smiling slightly. "I found something in my father's bed chamber that I think belongs to you."

She handed him a handkerchief wrapped around something small and hard. Geric pulled back the fabric and saw his signet ring, winking softly in the flickering light of the fire.

"I think it's high time you wear it again," Amy whispered, gently taking it from his palm and sliding it onto the little finger of his right hand. "That way no one, especially my father, can forget who you are."

Geric grinned. "I don't think your father can forget, and that's exactly the problem," he joked. "I think he still views me as a threat. If after the seven days are up and he decides against me, it's still possible for me to declare war on him."

"Would you?" Amy asked nervously, touching his hand. "If this doesn't work, would you declare war?"

Brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Geric shook his head slowly. "No I wouldn't. Not just because your life would be in danger if I did. The kingdom needs peace. If this doesn't work, we'll find another way."

The truth was, Geric wasn't sure there was another way. The wolves would attack if their plan failed, even if he ordered them not to. They had spent too long in the shadows, too long feeling the same fear of humans as humans felt for them. They weren't just hungry for revenge, they were ready to wipe the humans out.

At that moment, Geric's ears picked up a slight scuffle just outside the door. It was a human noise for sure, he could always tell the difference. Who had been listening to their conversation and what had they heard?

"We should get some sleep," he said quietly to Amy, trying to mask the nervousness he felt so that she wouldn't worry. "I might have to challenge you on the archery range again tomorrow. What do you say?"

Amy smiled giving him a brief kiss as he backed toward the door. "I accept your challenge, sir. But be warned, I've been practicing since our last competition."

Chuckling, Geric said, "Sweet dreams, Princess," before closing the door softly between them. As soon as he was out in the darkened corridor, his senses heightened as he looked around, trying to discover who had been listening at the door. There was a slight scuff mark on the doorframe and Geric leaned closer to inspect it. His blood ran cold as he saw that the mark was a shallow cut in the wood, and upon closer inspection, there were tiny flakes of silver all around it.

So whoever had been here had a silver weapon out. Had they been planning to attack him? Would they have done so if Amy hadn't been there? He swallowed hard, not because he was afraid of a fight, but because he knew they were treading in dangerous, uncharted territory with this plan.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sensed movement partway down the corridor and turned, his gaze sharpening on the outline of a man. A man who seconds earlier Geric assumed had been watching him from behind the suit of armor he had pointed out to Amy earlier. A man who was staring at him now with unadulterated hatred in his eyes. Charles.

They stared at each other for several moments before Geric shrugged and rolled his eyes, turning back down the corridor.

"Remember what I said, Charles. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead."

He listened to Charles' retreating footsteps before letting out a sigh of relief. He knew that if it came down to a fight between them, Charles would get the worst of it. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Amy-Chapter 20

Amy woke up in her bed the next morning with a smile on her face. She had thought about Geric all night long. About his kiss. About the way his fingers felt against her skin. She never thought that when she attended that much dreaded masquerade that she would have met the man she would fall in love with. Geric was everything to her. Now it was time to show her parents that.

"Excuse me, Princess," her maid said as she stood on the other side of the room, holding an empty silver tray to her chest. "His Majesty, the King has told me that he wishes you to join him for breakfast."

Rolling out of bed, Amy's eyebrows shot up. "What's the occasion? We rarely have breakfast together."

"I don't know, Your Highness. Queen Cristiana and Prince Charles and the werewolf are to attend as well." Amy didn't miss the way that the maid shuddered at the mention of Geric.

"Ann," Amy sighed as she touched the maid's arm. "Would you be afraid if I were a werewolf?"

Ann paused, looking completely taken aback. "Princess, I've known you most of your life. You wouldn't hurt me."

"Exactly. I wish that you would extend Prince Gericault that same courtesy. Really, he's just a man with amber eyes. He's never hurt a human as a werewolf in his life, alright? Plus, his fur is so soft. He's just like a big teddy bear and he's very kind and he has a very soft heart."

Her maid seemed to relax a little bit, but Amy knew it would just take a little time for everyone to get used to him being in the castle. If it had been a month ago, Amy might have been a little nervous too.

"Will you help me get dressed?" Amy asked as she rifled through her wardrobe. Her eyes lit up as she fingered a light green dress with transparent sleeves that hit her wrist. She hadn't wore this dress in a while and it had always reminded her of Spring. Spring was exactly what they needed. A renewal. A fresh start.

After what felt like an eternity of getting into the dress and Ann pinning her hair nicely over her shoulder in loose curls, Amy had to force herself to walk slowly down the stairs and into the dining hall where Charles, Geric, and her father sat waiting. Both princes stood up as she walked into the room and it took all Amy had not to laugh. It looked like a real competition for sure.

Amy nodded graciously before taking a seat and placing a napkin in her lap. "Where's Mother? Still having a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings?"

"In all the time I've known her, that has most certainly been the case," the king chuckled and took a bite of his food when the cooks served him first, and then her, and then Charles, and Geric last. If she had her way, Geric would be the first one served.

"How did you sleep, Ameline?" Charles asked with a sly expression. "I hope you slept well?"

"Fine, thank you," Amy replied as she pursed her lips together. But then ice crawled up her veins as she glanced over at Geric who wore a taut expression. Charles must have found out Geric came to her room last night. But nothing happened! He wouldn't rat them out, would he? That would only disfavor Geric even further with her father.

Amy looked across the table at Charles with a cold expression. "And may I remind you, Charles, that I will not tolerate there being any silver weapons around Geric. I would like you to remove your knife from your belt and lock it away. I don't ever want to see it again."

Charles' face twitched as he fought off anger, but he nodded. "As you wish, m'lady."

"I apologize, Amy," her father said distractedly. "You will not be joining us at the spar that the knights are holding on the sparring grounds. It's not a place for ladies."

Her heart constricted very suddenly in her chest. The knights had silver weapons. Geric would be surrounded by knights on all sides who had silver weapons. If something happened…

"Very well," she whispered, casting Geric a fearful glance. This felt like a threat, as if her father was reminding her of exactly what could happen if Amy and Geric continued with their attempts. "I trust that you are remaining true to your promise that Geric will have your protection?"

Her father grinned. "He has my protection, but there will be a lot of knights there. Accidents happen." And then he stood up from the table, beckoning both princes to follow him.

"Geric," Amy whispered, her eyes wide in fear as she caught his hand.

"I'll be okay," he whispered back, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine." And then she watched him go, and part of her felt deathly afraid that he wouldn't come back alive.

. . . .

The seconds ticked by into minutes and Amy couldn't stop pacing. She knew they'd be gone for at least another couple of hours, but her worry wouldn't stop. She had to occupy herself somehow. As much as she dreaded the thought, perhaps embroidery would take her mind off everything. Or even studying. Actually, studying up on her foreign languages sounded like a much better alternative to embroidery.

She made her way up the grand staircase and toward the library, but then she paused as she found Charles' bedroom door slightly ajar. Amy wanted to know how many silver weapons he had, that way she could make sure they were all banned from the castle.

Sneaking in as quietly as she could, Amy closed the door behind her and her eyebrows furrowed together. There was nothing in this castle that she hated more than Prince Charles. If only he would leave for good, then she'd feel so much more at peace.

Amy began rifling through Charles' belongings, careful to leave them as she found them. One silver sword, two silver daggers, silver-tipped arrows. It was completely obvious to her that this man was a werewolf hunter.

Her frown deepened more and more as she continued looking around. She pulled open a drawer but closed it again when she only found a stack of letters. But then her heart froze, her eyes widening as she pulled open that drawer once again. It was a stack of letters from the apothecary.

She sat down on the edge of the bed as she went through letter after letter, the fear inside of her growing evermore. The letters dated back months ago. Back and forth from Charles to the apothecary and her name had been mentioned several times. On their wedding night, Charles had planned to kill her.

Flipping wildly in her chest, her heart went out of control. This was absolutely terrible. This was treason. This alone could start a war. Did her father know about this? Did he know that Charles planned to kill her on her wedding night and did he support this?

Amy shook her head. Absolutely not. This wedding was absolutely not going to happen. Not when her life was on the line.

Continuing through the letters, she found an envelope and it felt as if a brick dropped in her stomach as she opened it. Dried herbs. But it wasn't just any herb. This was a poisonous herb. If ingested, it would kill her within minutes.

Amy grabbed all of the evidence and stormed out of there, almost afraid to stay there a minute longer. If she had anything to do with it, Charles would be gone within the hour and he'd never be welcomed back ever again.

Geric-Chapter 21

Geric eyed the soldiers surrounding him suspiciously. He knew exactly why King Merek had invited him here. It was a show of power, a reminder that Geric's fate was still very much in his hands. He moved back slightly as the combatants lunged energetically into the ropes surrounding the ring, missing one of the soldiers by inches.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the king watching him warily, his mouth curling into a sneer as the victor of the current match was declared and cheers erupted all around.

"Let us make things interesting, shall we?" the king's voice rose above the crowd. "Who dares challenge the wolf?"

No one moved or made a sound for so long that the king repeated his request more loudly. "Anyone?"

Geric half hoped that no one would challenge him. He was not afraid to fight, he was only afraid of what he might be forced to do.

"I'll do it," a voice said toward the back of the crowd. To Geric's surprise, when the crowd parted one of the soldiers who had arrested him was already taking off his shirt in preparation to battle. "But in hand to hand combat only. No silver weapons."

Nodding once, Geric removed his shirt and stepped easily over the rope and into the ring. The noise around them grew louder, the soldiers all around stomping and shouting, striking their swords against their shields until the din was almost deafening.

"You sure you want to do this?" Geric asked warily, not sure whether the man was brave or stupid. Maybe a little bit of both. They began circling each other cautiously before the other man lowered his head and charged. Geric slipped to the side, pushed the man's elbow down and away, caught his head, and rolled him into the dirt.

A roar went up from the crowd of soldiers and Geric heard more than one person calling for his blood. He glanced up at the king for a moment, but his expression was stony and impossible to read.

The momentary distraction gave his opponent time to lunge for his legs, bringing Geric down on the hard packed earth. Geric rolled quickly onto his back, bringing both knees up and kicking the man in the gut as he lunged again, sending him stumbling backward into the crowd.

They circled each other again and this time when the man lunged, Geric took his arm and twisted it hard backwards, immobilizing the man. He was caught off guard when the man flipped out of his hold, using his momentum to drag Geric back to the earth.

The man smashed an elbow into the side of Geric's skull, causing him to stumble but he still managed to regain his footing. Geric kicked the man's legs out from under him, pinning him down with a hand on his throat. The other man struggled but couldn't rise to his feet again with Geric's full weight on him.

"That's enough," King Merek barked and the crowd fell silent. "I guess I have no choice but to declare Prince Gericault the victor."

There was no applause, nothing but muttering from the surrounding soldiers as Geric offered his hand to the other man, helping him to his feet.

"My brother is one of your kind," the man said quietly, dusting himself off. "Not everyone in this kingdom fears you."

Geric's lips twitched slightly at his words, extending his hand to shake the other man's. "What's your name?"

"Darrow," the soldier grinned, pushing his red hair back from his face. "My brother is Tonraq."

A real smile forced its way onto Geric's face as he slid his shirt back over his shoulders and making his way back up to the castle. The king didn't try to stop him, but Geric could feel his glare on his back all the same as he walked away.

. . . .

"Oh thank goodness!" Amy cried when she caught sight of him entering the library a few minutes later. "I was so worried!"

She buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to his neck as though she never wanted to let go. Geric smiled, kissing the top of her head. He loved the way they fit in each other's arms. She helped dissipate some of the anger that he felt that the king had demanded that he fight. He knew full well that he had been hoping for some bloodshed to give him an excuse to put an end to Geric's relationship with his daughter, and subsequently Geric's life.

"You're hurt," Amy whispered, her fingers brushing lightly over the bruise that was already forming where Darrow had struck him in the head.

"It's nothing," Geric replied, catching her hand against his face and holding it there. "One of the soldiers got lucky. Besides I heal quickly, it will probably be gone by tomorrow."

Amy nodded, a flicker of something Geric couldn't quite define passing over her face, like a dark cloud passing in front of the sun. He could sense fear in her as well, but she was getting better at masking it.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently. "Is everything alright?"

Biting her lip, Amy seemed to waver for a moment as though deciding whether or not she should tell him the truth.

"It's okay," he murmured, skimming his thumb over her knuckles. "You can tell me."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Amy said, "I think Charles has plans to kill me after our marriage."

"What?" Geric's blood turned to ice in his veins. "How did you find out about this?"

Amy flushed a little, looking away in embarrassment. "I was going through his things and I found this," she whispered, holding out a letter to Geric. His eyes roved down the hastily scrawled words, a growl escaping his throat before he could stop it.

"Charles is the youngest son in his family," Amy continued softly. "He would never become a king except through marriage. I can't believe I didn't see this sooner. He plans to marry me so that he can become king of Colmar and then kill me. I'm so stupid, Geric. How could I have not seen it?"

Geric put his arms around her as her eyes welled with tears, stroking her hair gently. "None of this is your fault. You just got caught in the middle of a political fight that has been brewing for years. You had no reason to believe Charles was anything other than what he seemed to be."

"My father needs to know about this," she said, her mouth pulling in a grim line. "We need to tell him."

Hesitating, Geric didn't say anything for a moment. Even though nothing had happened last night, Geric knew that the king would believe Charles' version over his own.

"Geric?" Amy asked, her eyes filled with concern. "What aren't you telling me?"

Heaving a deep sigh, Geric muttered, "Charles knows I was in your room last night."

"What?" Amy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "But nothing happened."

Geric shook his head sadly, his eyes meeting Amy's briefly. "I know that, but it doesn't matter what the truth is. What matters is what your father will believe."

"We can just tell him the truth," Amy said, slamming the book she had been carrying down on the table. "He'll have to listen to me."

"Maybe, but he'll never trust the word of a werewolf, you know that. In his eyes I'll always be the monster who is manipulating you to try and steal the crown."

"You're not the monster," Amy muttered darkly, glaring at the letter in Geric's hand. "Charles is the monster and he needs to be stopped."

Amy-Chapter 22

Amy's nostrils flared with anger as she watched her father and Charles return indoors, sweaty and laughing like they were best pals. Oh, she was so angry. She would make her father believe her if it was the last thing she ever did.

"Father," Amy said quietly, almost deadly, like a viper getting ready to strike. "I need to have a private word with you."

The king stared intently down at her, a little bit of anger and an air of authority shining through his eyes. "If this is about Gericault, I don't want to hear it."

Unfortunately, Amy couldn't hold back her tears and as soon as they cascaded down her cheeks, her father's countenance toward her changed completely. "I'm sorry," he soothed quietly. "Tell me what's wrong."

She stepped away from him, a mixture of hurt and anger dripping profusely down her cheeks. "Did you know about Charles' plan? Did you have anything to do with it? I need you to tell me right now."

"Don't listen to her," Charles jumped in immediately. "She's probably still distraught about her beloved wolf having to fight today."

Amy's nostrils flared again as she glared at Charles. She took all of the evidence she found earlier out of the pouch she carried at her side and threw it down on the table beside them. "See for yourself, Father. These were discovered in Charles' things. He planned to kill me on our wedding night so he could be sovereign over Colmar and not have to deal with a wife he didn't care for all that much. Am I right, Charles? Do you have anything to say for yourself? The evidence is right here. Even the poisonous herb you planned to kill me with."

The king slammed his fist down on the table, causing all three of them to flinch. "Is this true?" he bellowed right in Charles' face. "You have five seconds to defend yourself or I will personally send you home in a casket."

Charles' jaw trembled and Amy had never seen him this terrified in his life. "I would do no such thing!" he replied, putting on a completely appalled front. "Don't you think this is another attempt to get out of marrying me? I mean, she's already brought a werewolf into your home, don't you think she'd take this just a little further and frame me?"

"Daddy, don't believe that lying snake," Amy said as she wiped her eyes. "I wouldn't lie to you about this. As much as I don't want to marry Charles, I would if it was for the good of the kingdom. Read the letters yourself. Check the facts. It's his own penmanship. Here's a letter from him that he wrote me before he came to Colmar so you can compare them side by side." She put it on the table, lying next to the letters to the apothecary. "You can see that I didn't forge these."

"Is this your way of trying to cover up your tracks that Geric was in your room last night?" Charles said with a sly grin on his face. "Both of you knew that I knew, and now you're trying to get me sent home or killed."

Amy covered her mouth with her hand, trying to put up the best front that she could muster. "How dare you attack my honor! First my life is at stake and now you're trying to strip away my honor? How dare you."

The king slammed his fist down on the table, the wood splintering underneath the force. "I want you out of my castle immediately!" he roared in Charles' face. "And never come back! You have disgraced my family. You are not and never will be welcome in Colmar again. Get out!"

Charles growled and snapped his head in Amy's direction. Before Amy even had a chance to process what was going on, Charles rushed toward her with a murderous expression on his face, but then Geric jumped in front of her and tackled Charles to the ground. Surprisingly, Charles recovered quickly, throwing punch after punch until Geric caught the last punch and flipped Charles over, pinning him onto his back. But instead of punching him back, he let out a snarl deep in his throat. A menacing, werewolfy snarl.

His right hand melted into a furry paw with sharp claws for a moment before disappearing completely. Geric gave Charles one last shove before getting to his feet. "Like I said before. If I wanted you dead, you already would be dead. You are not worth my time."

Charles glared as he got to his feet, but then Amy let out a horrified shriek as Charles produced a silver knife from his belt and charged toward Geric.

"Geric!" Amy screeched as she rushed forward, but she knew that she was already too late. Charles raised his arm and brought the knife down with alarming momentum. Geric spun around last second to deflect Charles' arm just a few inches before the knife plunged into Geric's shoulder.

Geric gasped in pain before he kicked Charles with great force in the stomach, sending the treacherous prince flying across the room and slamming into the wall. Charles tried to scramble away, but it was futile as the king's guards apprehended him, forcefully wrenching Charles' arms behind his back.

"You will pay for this!" Charles screamed. "Colmar will see its end if I have anything to do about it!" And then the guards escorted him from the castle, his shrieks still being heard from all the way outside.

"Geric!" Amy gasped as she rushed to his side. He pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it to the ground, the metal clattering dangerously before coming to a standstill. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't know he'd try to hurt you. This isn't your fault." She burst into tearful sobs as she watched blood soak his shirt.

"I'm fine," Geric grimaced as he rolled his shoulder. "I heal fast, remember?"

Her fingers fumbled over him like she wanted to do something but didn't know what. "It didn't get your heart, did it? Please tell me you'll be okay. I can't… I can't lose you." She sobbed again, wiping away tear after tear.

"No," he said as he shook his head. "Just barely missed."

Her father reached over and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair comfortingly. "I promise you I had no idea about Charles' plans. I'm so sorry, Sweetheart. I would never have let him a foot of you if I would have known." He just held her as she cried, and as soon as her sobs died down, he finally let go of her. "Looks like I have a mess to clean up with their kingdom. But before that…"

The king put a hand on Geric's shoulder and started leading him into the next room. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Geric-Chapter 23

Geric grunted in pain as he tried to sit up a little in bed. The wound had been deep but he could already see it healing over, the skin knitting together as though the knife had never entered his body. But silver-inflicted wounds always left a scar, it was part of the magic that made it so silver blades could end a werewolf's life.

The king and Amy were in his chambers, here to ask how he was doing no doubt.

"How are you feeling?" Amy asked. Geric shrugged, a teasing smile playing across his lips.

"I'm fine. Silver wounds sting a little, that's all."

The king stared at him, stony faced and scowling as he stood at the foot of the bed.

"This doesn't change how I feel about you, wolf," the king said coldly. "But all the same, thank you for saving my daughter's life."

Without another word, he stalked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone together. Amy curled up on the bed next to Geric, resting her head on his uninjured shoulder.

"Well that's the most praise I've ever gotten from him," Geric joked tiredly. "We must be making progress."

Amy giggled, sliding a little closer to him. "Thank you for saving me."

"You know, that was originally the wolves' job," Geric replied sadly. "That was one of the reasons Warrick and my father were so close. He wasn't only my father's advisor and friend, he was our protector."

Amy shivered slightly. "It must have been horrible when he betrayed you all."

Geric looked away, out at the purpling sky beyond the windows of his room. Two days had already passed, they only had four more. On the seventh day, the wolves would attack.

"I think that Warrick turning me was his last desperate attempt to have the royal family align with him. When I returned from battle, I went to a tavern for a drink and the next thing I remember was being tied to my father's throne with Warrick standing there watching me."

He could feel Amy holding her breath, her hummingbird heartbeat speeding up against his own. Geric couldn't remember ever talking about the night he had be turned. Amy was the only one he had ever said these words aloud to.

"Warrick always had pointed teeth, even in his human form," Geric continued quietly. "I knew just from the look on his face what his intentions were. He told me that his cause was just and that if I joined him, we would be able to put an end to the war."

Amy's fist clenched and unclenched fearfully on his chest and he reached up and squeezed it, smoothing her fear away with his fingers.

"I told him I'd rather die than join him," Geric muttered, remembering Warrick's rage as he had smashed every royal artifact within reach. "But then he laughed and told me he wasn't going to let me die, he was going to condemn me to a life in the shadows. So he bit me anyway."

He couldn't help the shudder that wracked through his body at the memory. It had been painful beyond belief, as though every inch of his body had been set on fire from the inside out. His own screams echoed around in his head to this day as did Warrick's merciless laughter.

"When someone is turned, it's hard to control when you shift forms at first," Geric continued, shaking off the memories that clung to him like cobwebs. "I stayed in my wolf form for days, alone in the palace."

He swallowed, trying to fight back the tears that threatened at the next memory that surfaced. "That was why I was too late to save my family. By the time I arrived at the fortress where they were being housed, it was too late."

Closing his eyes as though that could block the image of his brothers' cold, staring, lifeless eyes, of his mother on the ground beneath his father who appeared as though he had been trying to protect her with his dying breath. He kept all those things from Amy, he didn't want her to see those images in her dreams as he sometimes still did. Some things were better left a mystery.

"So you let everyone believe you had died too?" Amy asked softly, bringing him back to the present. Geric nodded.

"There was enough of my blood in the throne room that everyone just assumed the worst and I never bothered to correct them. For those first few years, I stuck mainly to the woods, living as a wolf until it had been long enough that it was safe to return to Colmar."

Amy nodded thoughtfully, looking up at him. He could see the amber of his own eyes reflected in hers and for a moment, it almost looked as though she had them too. The thought made him shudder, not because he didn't want to be with her forever, but because he didn't want her to experience the same pain that he had. Every once in a while, the memory would reawaken in his sleep and he'd wake up screaming, drenched in cold sweat.

"Is this why you've never turned anyone?" Amy asked as though she had read his thoughts. Geric nodded, looking away again.

"I didn't choose this life and it wouldn't be fair for me to force it on others," he said quietly. After several long moments, he finally said, "I've never told anyone that story before."

"Does that make me special?" Amy teased him gently. In response, Geric lowered his lips to hers, feeling her heartbeat speeding up against his own.

"That definitely makes you special," he whispered, giving her another gentle kiss. Without a word, Amy reached up and slipped her nightdress off her shoulders so that it pooled around her waist before kissing his chest, his neck, his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, enjoying the way the firelight glowed on her skin as he kissed her. His lips touched her throat, nuzzling her neck the way he did in his wolf form before bringing his mouth to hers again, tasting, seeking, and his hands fumbling at her clothing, her hands fumbling with his.

They lay in the darkness together, warmed by each other and by the heat of the fire. She touched his nose and his mouth, played with his fingers. He held her and kissed her, nibbling her ear gently, not hard enough to turn her, only enough to tease her.

"I'm very happy," she whispered into his neck as they clung to each other in the darkness, their skin the only barrier between them.

"So am I," Geric murmured in her ear. "So am I."

Amy-Chapter 24

If Amy had thought she had distractedly wandered the castle after she had met Geric, that didn't even compare to how she felt now. She felt as if she floated on a pile of clouds, remembering last night vividly. Geric's touch. His kisses. His love. Every part of loving him was absolutely wonderful and she knew that she couldn't give him up for anything. She would fight to be with him, oh, she would fight so hard with everything she had.

"Ameline," the king said from behind her, startling her out of her thoughts. Amy turned around, trying not to allow her father to see what happened last night in her eyes. But her father looked haggard, almost as if he hadn't slept all night himself. "I've been in meeting after meeting all night and all morning. I need to have one more with you before I get a couple hours of sleep or I'm going to collapse where I stand. Come out with me to the gardens with your mother for tea."

A heavy weight dropped in her stomach. This must be bad. Her father rarely had that many meetings back to back like that.

She followed her father outside and kissed her mother's cheek before taking a seat in their normal spot around the round table with the flowers in full bloom all around them. Even her mother didn't look that great and Amy suspected the worst.

"I suppose you know what this meeting is already about, Amy," her father started as he stirred his tea around in his porcelain cup. "We have much to discuss, and as Colmar's future queen, you need to hear all of it."

"What's going on, Daddy?" she asked carefully, trying to disguise her worry.

Her father chuckled humorlessly. "We're walking on a double-edged sword. I suppose we have ever since your mother and I accepted the proposal for Charles to become your husband, so half of this is our fault. You told us from the beginning that Charles was no good for the kingdom. We should have listened."

"What your father is trying to say," her mother cut in, "is that Minnings has declared war. Even though they honestly have no grounds to do such a thing, it cannot be stopped now. Their king has agreed to cease fighting if we submit willingly and give up the crown for Charles to take over, but if we do that, they've also called for all three of our heads."

Amy swallowed hard, her hands trembling beneath the table out of fear. "Why not fight back? Don't you believe we can hold our own?"

The queen shook her head. "Their army is five times larger than ours. They will crush us and that will be more bloodshed than we can afford. Our mistake was allowing Charles into our home in the first place. We cannot allow our people to pay for our mistake."

Shaking her head, Amy replied, "Don't blame yourselves. I have a feeling that Minnings planned this all along. They wanted to take over our country whether through war or through marriage. It wasn't anyone's fault."

Both the king and the queen fell silent, and that's when Amy realized that there was something else going on. "What is it?" she asked fearfully.

"Well, that's the other side of the sword," her father said exhaustedly. "The werewolves want our blood too. One of our soldiers, who shall remain nameless, has tipped us off of the werewolves' plans to attack. I don't suppose you'd know anything about this?"

Amy looked into her lap with a guilty expression. "I need to be completely honest with you, Daddy. I know that it wasn't the most responsible decision ever, but at the time, I thought it better to elope with Geric than to allow my kingdom to fall to shambles by marrying Charles."

Her mother gasped. "Amy! You didn't!"

Shaking her head, Amy said, "No, I didn't. Because Geric and I were caught up in something bigger. Geric had no idea, mind you. But we found out that the werewolves planned to attack a few days ago and take over the throne. They wanted Geric as their king. There was no stopping the werewolves. They wanted our blood so badly, making me realize that a union with them was more important than ever. Geric managed to hold off the attack by placating them with the idea that a marriage with me might be the best option. But the werewolves are growing restless, Father. Geric is losing control of them. But Daddy, understand this. No one is the bad guy here. Werewolves are treated so poorly, they don't deserve that. You can see the world of difference that has been made just by allowing Geric into the castle. The humans are not as afraid anymore."

The king sighed into his hand. "You're much too wise for your age, Ameline. But we really, truly are on a double edge sword. If we don't comply with Minnings' demands, we will be annihilated. If we don't comply with the werewolves' demands, we will also be annihilated. No matter which way we turn, we've got two armies on our hind ends."

Even Amy didn't know what to do. Everything would have worked out fine if it were just Geric and her placating the werewolves, but there was no way she could have foreseen the issues with Minnings.

"Can't we give them something else that they want instead of our kingdom? Make a trade of some sort?"

Again, her father sighed. "We've tried negotiating. They won't listen."

"What do your advisors say about this whole issue?"

"They say to hold our ground," he answered. "To die fighting with honor, and in the slim chance that we survive, to live with pride and honor. I've informed our soldiers, giving them an option to leave or fight for our kingdom. Many have left, but even more have stayed. Our allied countries have heard our plea for help, but none will arrive in time before the attack. We're caught between a rock and a hard place."

This news was a giant weight on her heart, especially because she didn't know what to do about any of it.

"Father," Amy said quietly as she put a gentle hand on his arm. "You need some much needed rest. I'm ordering you back to your bed chambers to get some well-deserved sleep."

He didn't need to be told twice. He stood up and three guards accompanied him back to the castle.

"Mum, you too. I'll take care of anything that happens in the next few hours, okay?"

She nodded and stood up. "I'm too young to die."

That fact was very much true. Her father had married her mother when he was twenty-five and she was seventeen. But she was still much too young to die an early death.

"Go get some sleep, Mum." Amy watched as her mother wept her way toward the castle, and each step she took was another cloud that shrouded Amy in darkness. No matter how she might have changed her actions in the past, it looked as if her and her family's downfall was inevitable. Perhaps all her efforts had led her nowhere.

Geric-Chapter 25

Geric would've recognized the tense undercurrent running through the castle anywhere. He had experienced it before. War was coming.

He paced down the corridors, pausing for a moment to stare out at the palace grounds that were bathed in summer sun. It appeared so peaceful, and yet below him he could see soldiers massing for battle, wagons of supplies bound for the front lines being loaded, boys who looked far too young to fight standing together in anxious knots. The hushed conversations and trembling mood all around the palace chilled Geric's stomach as only a coming war could.

"Is there news?" Geric asked as Amy approached, wrapping his arms around her from behind. He felt her nod, a deep sigh escaping from her lips.

"I have to give Charles credit," she murmured. "He made the usual three days journey to Minnings in half that. And not three hours ago a messenger from the borderlands arrived."

"And?" Geric prompted, dreading the answer. Amy turned toward him so she could look up into his eyes.

"His news was grim," she said sadly. "Our borders are broken, Minnings struck at dawn. It's bad, Geric. This is really bad."

They were both silent for a few moments, staring out at the dangerous new world they found themselves in. Geric had seen war before, but since Amy's family had taken power, Colmar had been at peace. None of them knew what they were in for.

"Come with me," he said, taking Amy's hand and leading her with him down the corridor. He knew exactly where he was going and pushed open the heavy oak doors of the room he needed. Inside the room, King Merek, his Captain of the Guard, and a few other well-chosen advisors huddled around a map spread out on the gleaming wood table. The king's face purpled when he looked up and saw who stood in the doorway.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded furiously, his eyes bulging with indignation. "Why are you in my war room? Get out now."

Geric shook his head, walking purposefully forward with Amy by his side. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, this was my father's war room long before it was yours. I have come to offer my services in this crisis."

"Why would you do that?" the king sneered. "And besides, you were barely a man when the war began, what could you possibly know that my advisors don't?"

"I'm offering because Colmar is my home," Geric said evenly. "And it is true that I was only twenty when the war began, but it lasted six years. By the time it was nearing its end, I was commanding our forces that drove Warrick and his army into the unclaimed lands between us and Breton."

There was an audible gasp from a few of the king's advisors at his words and Geric pressed on. "Colmar has been at peace for over one hundred years now, none of you have lived to see a war. But I have, so let me help you."

"He's right, Daddy," Amy said. "He could be of help to you, both with the problems with Minnings and with the wolves."

The king stroked his chin as though deep in thought, the vein in his forehead pulsing lividly as though nothing pained him more than admitting he needed Geric's help. At that moment, a timid knock sounded on the door and the same page that had escorted them to dinner on Geric's first night in the palace slipped in.

"P-pardon me, Your Majesty," he squeaked. "There is someone named Tonraq here. He says he needs to speak to Prince Geric urgently."

"Go," the king waved him away. Amy started to follow, but Geric held out an arm to stop her.

"Stay here," he said, keeping his voice low. "I'll be back in a minute. If Tonraq's here, it can't be anything good."

Amy nodded, giving him a kiss on the cheek that made the vein in King Merek's temple pulse harder. Geric smothered a smile as he left the room, wondering if the king knew what he and Amy had already done if that vein would explode.

Making his way down the polished marble staircase to the foyer, Geric spotted Tonraq's lanky form at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well well," he said, jogging the last three stairs. "What are you doing here?"

Tonraq eyed Geric warily, carefully keeping his distance. "I came because I have news."

Geric nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for him to continue.

"Favian is stirring up the wolves, declaring himself Alpha," Tonraq muttered. "You don't have too much longer to convince the king. Otherwise they'll be at the palace gates by tomorrow."

"Understood," Geric muttered. "Thank you for telling me."

Tonraq nodded, turning to leave. As he neared the doors, Geric called, "Why did you do it?"

Tonraq hesitated, turning around slowly. "Because I didn't sign up for all the bloodshed Favian's plan will cause. And because you are still my king."

Geric's lips twitched as he watched Tonraq disappear from view out into the courtyard. Turning back up the stairs, he made his way to the war room, easing open the door.

"Again," the captain said petulantly. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save as many people as I can," Geric snapped. "Your Majesty, the wolves are preparing for an attack on the palace tomorrow. If I stay, we can formulate a plan."

"Fine," the king relented at last. "You can stay. But that doesn't mean I've agreed to your alliance plan. What guarantee do I have that once the war is over the wolves won't turn right around and attack the humans?"

"Sire, the wolves only want an equal place in your kingdom. We don't need division right now," Geric said. "There are no guarantees, but the best course is to unify the humans and the wolves against Minnings."

King Merek scowled. "I don't like it."

"Might I remind you what happened to your father when he trusted a werewolf?" the captain said, his malice toward Geric evident in his voice. "It's the reason that your family was destroyed and our kingdom nearly annihilated."

"No," Geric said stubbornly. "That was the work of one man. Without Warrick, there wouldn't have been a war."

"Enough!" the king bellowed, slamming his fist into the table. "I will set out with part of the army tonight to defend our lands from the approaching Minnings army. Amy, you and Geric stay with a few battalions to deal with the wolf problem. If all goes well, if they join us, we'll be able to drive the Minnings' army back."

"Understood," Amy and Geric said at the same time. If they didn't stop this, Geric didn't even want to think about what would happen to the kingdom he loved. He had seen enough of what war could do, and if they weren't careful, they could destroy each other entirely.

Amy-Chapter 26

Nothing terrified Amy more than failing. With Favian doing all he could to enrage the other wolves against the humans, there was no telling what would happen. It would take a miracle to make this work. But if it didn't, their kingdom didn't stand a chance.

"Geric," Amy whispered fearfully, touching his arm gently to get his attention as the early morning brewed the first sight of the wolves. She had to peer hard to see through the dense fog, but there was no mistaking Favian's giant mass of black fur against his bright, amber eyes. One by one, the wolves lined up beside him, their stances aggressive, prepared for the fight that they had been waiting on for years.

"I can smell your fear," Geric said quietly, almost as if trying to lighten the situation, but it didn't help. Not at all.

Amy stared out over the field of gathering wolves and shuddered. This could be the end of her people. This could be the end of it all. Unless she did something. Unless she…

"Geric," Amy gasped as she grabbed his hand. "Come with me. But not as a human. Come with me as a wolf."

He shook his head. "You can't go out there. You'll get killed."

"And if I don't, everyone else will be killed. I have to stop this. I need to put an end to it."

After a few moments of hesitation, Geric inclined his head in submission. "As you wish, my princess." His body shuddered, and suddenly a big, hairy mass ripped out from his body, shredding his clothes and replacing him with a wolf three times her size. He crouched down on all fours, allowing her to climb up on his back, and then they were off at breakneck speed, the wind whipping wildly through her hair and disheveling it from her neat and pristine bun.

The trepidation inside of her grew and grew as they got closer and closer to the werewolves. She felt afraid. She felt deathly afraid. But she also felt three parts brave and one part stupid. Either this would be the stupidest thing she had ever done, or best thing if everything turned out right.

Geric slowed down to a cautious saunter, and by this point, all eyes were on them. All hundred eyes were on them.

Even though she felt small and insignificant in this throng of fur, she knew that her voice would carry enough for the wolves' good ears to pick up. But she might only have seconds before they attacked. She had to do it now.

"Hear me!" Amy shouted, looking each werewolf in their amber colored eyes. "I do not want us to fight anymore. I want peace. I was acceptance." She paused for a moment, ignoring several growls she received. "In my reign, I want peace between humans and werewolves. In my reign, there will be no more living in fear. Werewolves will be accepted among the humans, accepted as our own. There have been too many deaths, too much heartache and it needs to stop. In my reign, Colmar will be a safe haven for werewolves."

She hopped down off of Geric, and she didn't miss his protective stance as she started walking forward but stopped just a few feet in front of him. "I want things to go back the way they were over a hundred years ago. And I know that many of you remember those times, some of you may not. But what a beautiful thing we could be a part of! I know it won't be easy to get there. I know it will take time. But if you believe in what I envision for our future, then fight for me! If you believe we can move past our differences toward a brighter future, then fight for me against the threat of Minnings! I would be honored to fight alongside you."

Geric began growling menacingly as a red and black wolf started to approach slowly, its amber gaze staring straight into her soul. Amy only saw him in wolf form once, but she immediately recognized it as Tonraq. Geric took one step forward, but Amy held up a hand for him to halt, her heart beating erratically in her throat at Tonraq stopped right in front of her and blew a hot, sticky breath right in her face. But still, Amy held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.

After what felt like an eternity, the most unexpected thing happened. Tonraq dipped his head to her in a low bow before moving to stand beside Geric. After that, one by one the wolves approached her, nudging her palm with their noses before standing beside her. And then there were ten of them left, including Favian, who stubbornly refused to move. After a moment, only one of them approached, a light grey wolf with its ears laid back against its head and its tail between its legs. Submission.

Amy's breath hitched in her throat. "You're the wolf who attacked me in the woods. You killed my favorite horse."

The wolf whined, averting its gaze as it looked to the ground. It was clear that this was its way of saying sorry.

Very slowly, Amy reached out her hand and placed it on top of the wolf's head. "If you fight for me, all is forgiven." Raising her voice to the others, she shouted out, "To all who fight for me, you are granted amnesty. All of your past misdeeds will be forgotten and you will be praised as heroes. I am honored to fight alongside you."

Favian growled loudly as two more wolves broke away from his pack, leaving him with only six followers. They must have realized that they were no longer strong in numbers so they turned and fled back into the forest. Amy had a feeling that she'd see them again and not on the best terms, but she had an army of wolves at her disposal. Now they could go up against Minnings and have a fair fight.

Amy hopped onto Geric's back once again and within seconds, they were off. She and Geric took the lead with eighty-two werewolves running fast, keeping pace just behind them. Everything about this felt so empowering. It felt so thrilling. And it felt even more so as her soldiers and her people watched them fly by. She doubted that anyone had seen that many werewolves all at the same time in their whole lives and she was proud to be able to run alongside them. She was proud to call them her subjects.

As the minutes stretched on, Amy felt completely amazed at how much power and endurance each of the werewolves had, never once slowing down to catch their breath. Her grin widened even further as Tonraq pulled up to the front to run alongside them. If they all got out of this alive and she married Geric, one of the first items on her list would be to give Tonraq and honorary title. He deserved it.

Soon enough, they all slowed to a walk as the camp appeared within view and soldiers sprung into action when they saw the wolves approaching. Shouts rang around the camp and hundreds of weapons were unsheathed, arrows were cocked, and even Amy could sense the petrifying fear the soldiers had at seeing all eighty-three werewolves at once.

"Stop!" the king commanded his soldiers. "My daughter is within firing range, I order you to put down your weapons!" The soldiers hesitantly did as they were told and the king approached slowly, cautiously, eyeing each werewolf with wide eyes.

Amy hopped down onto her feet, standing protectively in front of Geric in case some numskull let an arrow fly. "Father, I have eighty-three brave wolves willing to fight for our cause. I think they deserve a few words of thanks."

She could tell that he was overcome by emotion because he didn't say anything at first. He ran a hand over his stubbled jaw before bowing his head graciously, something that Amy never thought she'd see her father do.

"Thank you," the king finally said. "We could use every able-bodied man that we have available." One of the wolves growled, her long white fur billowing against the breeze. "And women," he added which seemed to appease the wolf. "You are welcome in my camp and I thank you for your bravery."

When the king turned back around and the soldiers got back to what they had been doing before, even though they cast fearful and perhaps even suspicious glances their way, Amy allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief before turning to Geric and tangling her fingers in his fur.

Amy kissed Geric's furry cheek and whispered, "Thank you. This means more to me than you could possibly imagine."

Geric rubbed his face against hers before following her further into the camp. Hopefully someone had a hundred spare sets of clothes, otherwise this camp was just about to get a little more crowded.

Geric-Chapter 27

The tension in the air was so thick, Geric doubted even a silver sword could have pierced it. The wolves stayed well away from the soldiers and the soldiers stayed in their own groups, eyeing the wolves suspiciously.

"Well, at least they're all here," he muttered teasingly under his breath to Amy who smiled wanly.

"True, but I was hoping for a little more unity than this," she whispered back. Geric nodded, watching the camp closely. This was never going to work if they couldn't put aside their differences.

A beating of hooves made them both turn to see Darrow riding toward them through the trees. He stopped short of Geric and Amy and bowed as he slid off his horse.

"Sorry I'm late, Your Majesties," he said, picking up a large package that had been attached to the horse's back and handing it to Amy. "This wasn't ready by the time we needed to leave, so I stayed behind for it."

Amy smiled and thanked him just as Tonraq bellowed excitedly. "Darrow!"

Darrow looked up and started running at his brother, meeting him halfway and giving him such a tight hug that they toppled to the ground in a laughing, wrestling heap.

"It's been far too long, brother," Darrow exclaimed, a broad grin spreading across his face. I've missed you so much!"

Pulling Geric to the side, Amy asked quietly, "Why has it been so long since they've seen each other? They live close by."

"You know why," Geric muttered softly, glancing at the two brothers who were trying to start up a game of sticks. A few wolves and soldiers reluctantly joined, still casting each other wary glances. "Once a man begins training to be a palace guard, he's not allowed to have dealings with the wolves as an extra security measure."

"Even his own brother?" Amy asked indignantly, putting a fist on her hip. "It's no wonder many of them hate humans."

"Both Tonraq and Darrow wanted to be in the royal guard," Geric said quietly, watching the scene unfold behind them. There was still caution in every move that both sides made, but there were also a few smiles now, which Geric took as a good sign. "When Tonraq was turned as a child, he told Darrow not to let go of his dream just because of him."

Amy looked down at her well-worn riding boots, her eyes glistening. "We have so far to go, Geric. There's so much we need to change."

Geric shrugged, taking her fist in his hand and rubbing it in slow circles with his thumb to ease the tension there. A roar of laughter from the group surrounding Tonraq and Darrow made him look up briefly again, but the group was merely passing around tankards of ale and congratulating Darrow on a fine victory.

"True," Geric acknowledged, turning her around so she could see what he saw. "But look what we've accomplished already."

Amy smiled as she watched the soldiers drinking and laughing together, finally striking up a tavern song.

But now let's roll the dice again, and win some drinking money! Who thinks about November's rain, while it's still warm and sunny?

Geric grinned, remembering the first time he had heard that song. He and his brothers had snuck out in the middle of the night and joined the commoners for a drink. It had been Tonno, his youngest brother's first time drinking and he had insisted on getting mead. He had been so drunk by the end of the night that he and Armand had to carry him home and get him inside without their mother knowing.

"I almost forgot," Amy said, patting the package that rested by her feet. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

He followed her to her tent, it was as plain as the rest, unadorned and bare. Just the way he knew Amy preferred it.

"I started having this made before Charles was even gone," she giggled, handing him the package. It was heavier than Geric had expected and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What is it?"

Amy grinned teasingly, her eyes lighting with amusement. "You'll just have to open it to find out."

Geric began pulling the paper away, revealing a breastplate that was much too large for a man but not for him in his wolf form. He flipped it over, staring at the Dunbroch family crest standing raised in the center, inlaid with—what else— silver.

"It's beautiful," he said, swallowing against the lump that had formed in his throat. Amy's smile broadened even more as she wound her fingers around his.

"I wanted something to protect your heart when you're in wolf form," she said softly, pulling him a little closer. "And to remind all who see you who you are."

Geric kissed her gently, the simple gesture filled with a world of meaning. He loved Amy's thoughtfulness, her kindness, and he thought for the thousandth time that she was going to make an amazing queen.

"Try it on," Amy grinned. "I want to see how it looks. I even added a place for my hands so it's easier to hold on when I'm riding and I don't have to pull your fur."

"I never minded," Geric grinned flirtatiously, taking off his clothes. She knew his body as well as he did now. There was no longer any need for shyness between them. He closed his eyes and felt the familiar sensation of the muscles in his back and chest lengthening and broadening, hands and feet becoming paws...

When he opened his eyes again, he stood before Amy in his wolf form and she quickly moved forward and buried her face in the fur of his chest.

"I could just curl up here and sleep until this is over," she whispered. He nudged her playfully with his nose, a low rumble that in human form would have been a laugh escaping him. "I know, I know. We have work to do. Come over here so I can try this on you."

Geric followed her over to the bed, which he proceeded to jump on, sitting on the breastplate teasingly and wouldn't get off no matter how hard she pulled.

"You're impossible," she laughed. "Come on. Please?"

Grinning, he got up, winding himself around her once and giving the side of her face a slobbery wolf kiss. Amy didn't say anything, but he could tell she was happy. He could sense it in the way she moved, in the quickening of her heartbeat when he was near.

Finally she got the breastplate in place, leading him over to a full length mirror in the corner of the tent so he could see the full effect. Geric had to admit, it was a masterpiece. Even the wolf just above the crown had a small, yellow jewel in its eye, making it seem alive.

"It's perfect, thank you," he said, returning to his human form. Quickly dressing himself in his plain brown soldier's garb again, he took her hand and led her out of the tent and back toward the fires of the camp.

"Speech!" a voice he was pretty sure was Darrow's called. Geric turned and raised his eyebrows at Amy who nodded encouragingly. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Thank you all for answering the call of the king so speedily. I honor you for that. I am aware that many of you question your place in the kingdom of Colmar. I understand this, I myself was unsure of my place for over one hundred years. But the time has come to put the past behind us. Colmar needs all of us, including the wolves, and we have a desire to count you among our own."

The air crackled with excitement as he continued, the energy emboldening him. "I'll not command you, wolves. I understand if you do not wish to fight with us in the name of Colmar. But I will ask you because I am one of you, to offer yourselves to stop the assault of the Minnian armies. Will you join us? Will you rise and fight with us to protect our home?"

Slowly at first, but then with more energy, the soldiers began banging their swords on their shields, raising their fists into the air, shouting their affirmation and swearing to fight to the death.

"Well done," Amy smiled. "Spoken like a true king."

She took his hand as the soldiers and the wolves struck up another song, this one a song of war.

Tear down the borders, tear down the shores, tear down the walls, tear down the doors, the king to victory, we cry, the king to victory!

Squeezing Geric's hand, she said, "They're not singing that for my father you know, at least most of them. Even the soldiers aren't. They're singing it for you."

Geric smiled, taking her hand as a few musicians struck up a lively jig. They danced together, wolves and humans under the stars, united for the first time since long before any of them could remember. Spinning Amy laughingly through the crowd as her skirt kicked up fallen leaves, Geric couldn't remember feeling this happy in a long time. The happiness was short lived however as he heard a deep and menacing voice calling him from the edge of the clearing.

"Geric Dunbroch!" Favian bellowed, his amber eyes so dark they almost looked bloody. "By the laws of the wolves, I challenge you for the position of Alpha in a battle to the death."

The music died away, and Amy's happy expression faltered into one of fear. Geric straightened, drawing himself up to his full height.

"I accept your challenge, Favian," he snarled. "But be warned, I will kill you if I win, have you considered that possibility carefully?"

"I have," Favian snarled. "And I am ready."

Amy clung to Geric's arm, her eyes wide with fear. "Are you really going to fight to the death?"

Geric nodded. "Favian has given me no other choice. The wolves need a leader right now more than ever. Favian will continue to divide us if I allow him to live."

Amy shuddered, taking a step toward her tent. "Let me get your armor."

"No," Geric said softly, taking her face between his hands. "I need to finish this without it. It will just be me and Favian."

"But you could…" Amy trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, her eyes filling with tears. Geric leaned down and kissed her slowly, trying to calm her nerves as much as his own.

"Don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes to be with you, remember?" he said with a small smile. Then turning to Favian and taking a step away from Amy, he snarled, "Alright. I'm ready. Let's end this once and for all."

Amy-Chapter 28

Amy watched in fear as Favian and Geric began circling one another in their wolf forms, snouts pulled back, teeth bared, and menacing growls ripping from each of their throats. The terrifying part was that one of them would be dying today, only one of them spared, and Amy hoped with all her heart that Geric would be the one to survive.

The whole entire camp had gathered to watch, even the humans who stood back just a little bit further than the wolves. If this was a customary thing, fighting to the death, she didn't like it one bit.

Her breath caught fearfully in her throat as Favian made the first lunge, sinking his jaws into Geric's shoulder before Geric twisted out of the hold and began circling once again. Amy held her hands tight to her chest, hoping with all her might that Geric would be the one to come out on top.

When Geric pounced and began ripping at Favian's throat, Amy jumped a foot at the black wolf's yelps, not able to look away in fear that if she missed a single moment, then all would be lost in an instant.

Favian retaliated by slashing Geric hard across the chest, hard enough for blood to gush out of the wound, instantly matting Geric's beautiful black and white fur. Amy pressed a fist to her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Both wolves were bloodied as they began circling each other once more, never breaking eye contact. Again and again in her head, she prayed that this would be over soon. She couldn't handle this for much longer.

As the battle intensified and both wolves were a bit more bloodied and slow with fatigue, many of the onlooking werewolves had changed into their wolf form and began pacing back and forth anxiously, letting out growls or long winded howls into the night air.

The two began attacking again in a mass of black and white fur, moving so swiftly that Amy almost had a hard time following their movements. Her heart beat fast in her chest, each beat filled with even more fear and dread than the last. She hadn't expected the fight to last this long. Both wolves were very evenly matched.

Amy let out a shriek as Favian pounced on Geric, pinning him to the ground. Her eyes widened in fear as Favian bore his sharp, gleaming white teeth and was about to chomp down on Geric's neck to end it once and for all, but out of nowhere, Geric reached his leg up and gauged his claws into Favian's chest. Favian yelped in pain and stumbled backward. He didn't even have time to find his bearings before Geric lunged again and sunk his sharp teeth into the black wolf's neck.

As Geric threw Favian's limp form onto the ground, Favian whimpered and whined, his ears flat against his head as Geric slowly approached, limping gait after limping gait until he stood right above Favian with his head held high. Even then, Amy held her breath. She felt joyful that Geric was the apparent winner, but she knew that the fight wasn't over yet until one of them was killed.

Geric picked up a spear with a silver point between his teeth and seemed to hardly give it any thought as he plunged the spear straight into Favian's heart. The black wolf writhed and clawed and howled and then he became still, the only part of him moving was short strands of fur as the wind blew through it.

All the wolves surrounding them began howling in triumph, bowing to Geric as he passed, his limp starting to fade with each step that he took. Through the excited, submissive howls, he glanced over at Amy and her heart immediately soared. But when she started toward him, he shook his head, stopping her in his tracks.

One by one, the wolves circled around Geric, recognizing him as their Alpha, as their leader. They bowed to him and he bowed back, and even though his face looked pained and his breathing labored, he stood his ground. All Amy wanted to do was rush toward him and engulf him in a hug, but still, he shook his head at her before he started running with all eighty-two wolves running behind him.

Amy watched them go with a heavy but relieved heart, knowing full well that they'd be back. She didn't know what they were doing, but he'd be back. He'd always be back.

"Wolves are strange creatures, aren't they?" her father asked as he stood beside her. "I don't think I'll ever understand them, but I assume this means that we have their full support."

She nodded, her tears pricking in her eyes. "I would sure hope so, Daddy. This kingdom means more to Geric than anything. I know he would dedicate his very last breath fighting for Colmar. He would do anything to see the kingdom prosper."

The king chuckled and led her toward his large tent with a hand to her back. "That's quite the man you've got on your hands. He's a king through and through. Perhaps I judged him wrongly."

Amy's heart soared as she sat across from him at his war table that had a map and figures to represent them, the wolves, and their enemies from Minnings. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

Shrugging, he said, "Perhaps, perhaps not. Only time will tell."

Several moments passed by in silence as they both were caught in their own thoughts. Finally, the king was the one to break the silence.

"You know what they say about you, right?" her father asked her quietly as he thoughtfully moved some of the pieces on the board in front of him, indicating that the enemy has made another advancement. Continuing without glancing up at her, he replied, "They're calling you the Werewolf Princess. Your people adore you, Ameline. If anyone can be a role model for them, it would most certainly be you."

Amy stared at her father as if he just said something outlandish. "But father, I thought you said that I was crazy."

He chuckled and finally raised his gaze to meet hers. "You certainly are crazy, but without the wolves, I don't think we'd even have a remote chance at defeating Minnings."

"If we win this," Amy said animatedly with wide eyes as she leaned toward her father, hope blossoming in her chest. "If we win this war, what will happen to the wolves?"

"I still don't like them," the king growled. "A hundred years of tradition are not forgotten so easily."

Shaking her head, she grasped her father's hand, her eyes pleading, trying to make him see it how she saw it. "I hope your mind can be changed about the wolves. But keep in mind that I did promise all of them amnesty. They will be protected from their past misdeeds."

Letting out a sigh, her father smiled softly. "As it should be. When you're on the throne someday, you shall be a force to be reckoned with."

Amy let out a laugh that seemed to turn more into a relieving laugh than anything. "I sure hope so, father. I sure hope so."

Geric-Chapter 29

The stars winked into existence as Geric and the pack of wolves ran toward the place deep in his heart he had known he would end up someday. It was the place where the first wolf had been given the gift, or curse, of shape shifting by the witches that had once inhabited a palace of stone. All that remained of it were a few upright stones and in the center, the mark of the witches.

"Geric, step forward," one of the eldest wolves, who lived to see nearly five centuries, called to him from the center of the stones. Geric obeyed, treading carefully on the stone emblem. There was magic here, he could feel it in his bones. Magic deeper and more ancient than any living memory.

He bowed low to the ground before regaining his human form. The elder wrapped him in a pelt so dark it was almost black, rumored to be the pelt of the ancient first wolf that was only brought out for this ceremony.

Another elder, this time a woman, came forward with a bowl of dark red liquid that Geric recognized as blood—Favian's blood. For this ritual, the blood of the vanquished challenger was mixed with herbs so that it would permanently stain the skin, marking any who wore it as the Alpha. She lifted Favian's dead paw and dipped it carefully in the mixture before placing the bloody paw mark over his heart, the symbol of his victory.

"Allow me to present our new Alpha," the eldest wolf called to the assembled crowd of wolves. "Let all who see that he bears this mark know that he is our leader and our king."

The wolves lifted their noses to the sky and howled their approval at the moon before one by one bowing low to the ground in respect. Geric smiled, looking down at the mark on his chest. This could be exactly what they needed to unite the wolves and the humans in Colmar once again. He was ready to lead them now.

"My fellow wolves," he said, his voice ringing clearly in the chill night time air. "I am honored to be your leader. And now I must ask you to follow me to battle against Minnings. They are threatening our country, a country that is as much your home as it is mine. I know that there is still much distrust between us and the humans, but change starts here. We must fight to defend our lands, we must fight for our home. United we cannot fail."

The wolves lifted their noses again, howling their agreement to the moon. Geric shifted quietly back into his wolf form and led the pack away from the stones again. Back the way they had come, toward the borderlands where the army waited.

. . . .

Geric pushed open the flap of Amy's tent to find her still asleep. It was nearing dawn and most of the camp was already preparing for battle. He smiled, she looked so beautiful in sleep, one fist tucked tightly up to her chin, the blankets twisted around her ankles.

Shaking her shoulder gently, Geric planted a kiss on her forehead, breathing in the scent of her. She was intoxicating, he wished he could freeze time right here and keep her like this forever.

"Amy," he whispered her name, kissing the side of her neck just below her ear. She rolled over, her eyes opening sleepily to stare into his.

"You're back," she whispered, smiling sleepily up at him and leaning in for a kiss. "Where did you go last night?"

Geric smiled, sitting down next to her so she could rest her head in his lap. "The ruins."

When she looked confused, he said, "Those stones that stand up straight in the middle of the forest. According to legend, they used to be an ancient palace for witches. Now it's where the ceremony takes place to designate the next Alpha."

"So you're Alpha of the wolves now?" Amy asked, sitting up in bed, her hair matted to one side of her head. Geric nodded, pulling aside the neck of his tunic so she could see the dark red paw print on his chest, just over his heart. She reached out and touched it, looking wonderingly up at him when her fingers came away clean.

"How is it done?"

Wrapping his arm around her, Geric pulled the neck of his tunic back into place before explaining. "The elders use the paw of the dead challenger and dip it in his own blood. It's mixed with something else that stains the skin so that the mark is permanent."

Amy shuddered, drawing closer to him nervously. "That sounds horrible."

"I thought so too at first," Geric said, remembering the first time he had witnessed the ceremony himself. "But there's ancient magic there that I don't think even the eldest wolf fully understands. It's a magic that binds us all together as wolves. I can't explain it, but something awakens inside you when you turn, something that was always there but deep and dormant."

Geric smiled at the wonder in Amy's eyes as she listened to him speak. "I may not have wanted this life, but there is a brotherhood amongst the wolves unlike anything I've ever seen."

"You know," Amy said slyly. "The king of wolves and the princess of humans. That might be an alliance my father can't turn down."

"I hope not," Geric chuckled. "Because even if he did, I plan on marrying you anyway. I love you, Princess."

Amy's smile widened as she stretched and got out of bed, dropping her nightgown and reaching for a plain brown dress that hung over the end of the bed. Geric couldn't help but stare, admiring the supple curves of her figure as she changed into her day gown. She moved with such unconscious grace, it made him desire her all the more. Lacing up the front of her gown, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I love you too, Wolf King."

As they kissed, Geric heard a low thumping sound. It was faint at first but grew ever louder as each drummer began to beat their drum and the horns began to blow. They broke apart and looked at each other, worry and fear etched in both their faces. The battle was about to begin.

Amy-Chapter 30

Never in her life had Amy ever seen a war, but she had definitely read about them. She had read about dozens and dozens of wars, but never in her life had she considered the possibility of becoming face to face with one. All around her stood brave soldiers and brave werewolves, and she suddenly felt so insignificant. Here she was in the midst of something that was so much larger than herself, but she still needed to do all she could to protect her people. These soldiers needed to go home to their families once this was over.

"Ameline!" the king barked. "Take my horse and ride back home. I will not see you on the battlefield. You will not die here if I have anything to do with it. I want to see you live past twenty."

Amy grimaced. Her name day was tomorrow, and usually her family would celebrate it by doing something small, but war felt like no celebration to her. Her name day would be one of mourning.

"I'm not leaving," Amy replied stubbornly. "You know that I'm good with a bow. I'll keep my distance, only jumping in when I have to. Please, Father."

The drums sounded again and the king pulled his helmet over his face to protect his head. "Very well, Ameline. But you stay in the back. If they break through our borders, you take my horse and make a run for it. As long as you are still alive, there will always be an heir."

He didn't wait any longer before marching out to battle with his soldiers, Amy taking the rear. Even though she couldn't be near the front with Geric and the other wolves, she watched as he looked back every now and again almost as if to make sure that she was still there.

After twenty long minutes of marching, Minnings' army finally came into view across the large field, and even from this distance, Amy could see the shock and the fear on their soldiers' faces at seeing the wolves at the front of the line. They hadn't expected to be fighting against wolves, that much was clear.

A scowl formed on Amy's face as she watched an all too familiar figure on a grey horse riding back and forth in front of his line of soldiers, making a show of commanding his army. Charles looked much more formidable in his armor and with his weapons than he had at their castle just a couple weeks ago. But Charles brought this war on himself, and hopefully today, they'd finish it.

Surprisingly, some of Minnings' soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in fear, but the others looked enraged. In a rush of anticipated adrenaline, both armies rushed forward in a series of shouts and war cries, and before she knew it, the roar of metal clashing against metal deafened her ears.

Blood pulsed in Amy's ears as she jumped back, fear filling every inch of her as the reality set in. This was a war. People we're going to die here.

"Geric," Amy whispered fearfully as she frantically looked around her, trying to find the furry heap she called her beloved. Her heart leapt into her throat as she spotted him amidst the throng of warring soldiers. Three of Minnings' soldiers surrounded him, trying to push him into a dangerous corner. He easily took two of them out but would be too slow to get the third.

Without even thinking, Amy cocked her bow and let her arrow fly, the arrow striking the enemy's neck. Geric glanced over at her and gave her a grateful nod before rushing to the aid of another wolf.

Amy watched in fearful fascination as the wolves took down soldier after soldier with ease, almost as if batting a fly, but that opened up a path for the Colmar soldiers to break through the enemy lines.

Realizing that she hardly had a good vantage point from where she stood, Amy glanced around her before she spotted a tree, and without hesitation, she began to climb.

With her bow and arrows in tow, it took a lot longer to climb than she had anticipated, but when she was high enough, Amy sat on branch large enough to support her weight. And then she waited. She waited for the perfect opportunity before drawing back the string of her bow and letting her arrows fly. Either she was able to go for a kill shot or wound the soldier enough for one of her own to finish the job for her.

All the while, she kept a careful eye on both her father and Geric. She often lost Geric in the frenzy, but never once could she miss the king with his jewel-encrusted armor and the seal of royalty emblazoned on his chest. Her father fought nobly alongside his soldiers, a king that any kingdom would be proud of.

After what felt like hours, Amy grew bone weary from her station in the tree, but still she continued to watch and wait until she got down to one last arrow in her quiver. Her last shot had to count.

Her eyes carefully followed the fight until she found exactly who she was looking for. Prince Charles. He stood near the middle of the fight, bloodthirsty and vengeful but relatively unscathed. She would have to change that.

Amy cocked her last arrow and drew back her bow, the arrow trained on the Charles' heart. Watching. Waiting. And then Charles paused for a moment to catch his breath, the perfect opportunity.

She loosed her arrow, but Charles must have seen her shoot because he dodged at the last second, the arrow narrowly missing his heart and embedding itself in his shoulder. He let out a roar of pain before slinking to the back of the fight and hastily calling for a retreat. Amy couldn't believe it. They were retreating! What exactly did that mean for Colmar?

Colmar soldiers let out shouts of triumph as they watched the Minnings soldiers retreat and only then did Amy drop down from the tree, ignoring the way her muscles protested against the drop.

No sooner than when her feet touched the ground did a large white wolf smother her in its tufts of fur, whining joyfully before giving Amy a nice slobbery kiss on the cheek. Amy assumed that meant 'thank you', but she wasn't able to reply before another wolf charged at the white wolf and playfully tackled it to the ground. Amy couldn't help but laugh as she watched the two of them bite each other and tackle each other before they wound their necks around each other. It warmed her heart to its very core.

Her attention was torn away from the display as her own furry fiend rubbed his body along Amy's before wrapping his neck around her and pulling her in for a hug. She hugged Geric back with all the love, and what was left of her energy, that she could muster.

Hopefully it was finally time to go back to camp.

. . . .

The soldiers and the wolves sat around the campfire singing boisterously loud but they did it together, unified as humans and werewolves. For the moment, it seemed as if the rift between them was gone and replaced by something that more resembled trust and friendship. Fighting together side by side had definitely proved a lot for both humans and werewolves.

Amy burst into laughter as two of the werewolves got up from where they sat and danced with each other around the fire, all onlookers laughing and clapping along to the music. If Amy had enough energy, she would join them, but she just felt content watching. The werewolves moved with such grace that she admired. It was so beautiful…

Her thoughts were interrupted as a young girl with blonde hair came to sit beside her, and for a moment, Amy wondered why she was there. That was until she caught sight of the amber glow of her eyes. Those were the same eyes of the white wolf who had rejoiced with her earlier.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," she said quietly. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. I thought I was going to be killed for sure."

Did Amy save her? She hadn't been paying attention to details other than the Minnings' crests emblazoned on each of the enemy's uniforms. This girl looked to have a few minor wounds, but nothing too serious.

"You're welcome," Amy said, giving the girl a smile. "Though I'm surprised to see a girl as young as you fighting amongst the werewolves. How did you get turned?"

The girl smiled and shook her head. "That's a story for another day. But I want you to know that since you saved my life, I am indebted to you. Whatever you need from me, it's yours."

Amy nodded her head politely. "Thank you…"

"The name is Kalia."

"Thank you, Kalia. May you have a long, fulfilling life."

When Kalia left her side, Amy craned her neck over the fire, trying to catch sight of Geric, but she didn't see him anywhere. Where had he run off to?

Almost in answer to her question, she felt a tap on her shoulder and giggled as Geric pulled her to her feet, spinning around to the beat of the music. One after the other, humans and werewolves both got to their feet and began dancing along, but Amy only had eyes for Geric. She gazed back into his beautiful amber eyes and she felt so lucky. Geric was the most amazing, incredible, and selfless man—and werewolf—that she had ever known, and more than anything, she felt lucky to call herself his. Completely and utterly his.

Geric-Chapter 31

The celebrations lasted well into the night, but Geric and Amy stole quietly away after a while to be by themselves. He led her up a rocky path, the forest ground spongy and hollowed by deep tree roots, to a waterfall that fell straight for the height of three men, then continued to churn around rocks and smaller falls until it smoothed into a rippling, lazy current further downstream.

"We lost no men in that battle," Geric said gratefully. There were many injuries, but it could have been worse. So much worse. "And we've driven the Minnings army back to their borders."

"Do you think they'll stay there?" Amy asked, cooling her palm under the jet of the waterfall. "They lost so many men at our hands."

Geric shrugged, he could still recall the taste of the blood of one of Minnings soldiers, the sickening crack when he had broken another's neck. The memory made him shudder. "I hope so. If they agree to surrender, they will be allowed to return home in peace."

Leaning her head against Geric's shoulder, Amy said, "I hope you're right. But I fear Charles won't give up so easily."

Geric's stomach churned at the thought as well but he pushed it away, instead focusing on Amy's beautiful eyes and her inviting pink lips. He leaned over and kissed her, letting the warmth of her kiss seep into his bones, chasing away all the images of battle.

"I didn't bring you up here to talk about war," he whispered. "I came up here to be alone with you, away from everyone else."

"I like the way you think, wolf," Amy smiled slyly, pressing her lips against his, her fingers fumbling with his shirt before pulling it over his head. She traced the Alpha mark on his chest lightly before kissing him again.

Standing up, she moved toward the water, letting her dress pool around her ankles as she led him under the icy spray of the waterfall. Geric smiled, covering her body in kisses, drinking in every inch of her. The army and the battle faded away into a distant memory as they got lost in each other's touch. They belonged to each other, nothing could ever change that.

"What happens if my father asks why we're all wet?" Amy giggled, slipping back into her dress and braiding the wet strands of her hair down her back.

"Simple," Geric grinned. "We'll just tell him that we wanted to bathe after the battle. We don't have to tell him we did it together."

Amy giggled as they started back down the path. The celebrations had died down and many were asleep in their tents, including the king. Geric walked with Amy back to her own tent and was about to bid her goodnight when she caught his hand, her lip quivering slightly.

"What's the matter?" he asked, pulling her into his chest protectively. Amy brushed away her tears, looking up at him with worry in her voice.

"I'm afraid of Charles," she admitted. "He wants all of us dead, but me in particular."

Geric nodded, resting his forehead against hers. "I won't ever let him hurt you, I promise."

"I know," Amy whispered, a small smile on her lips. "But will you stay in my tent tonight anyway?"

Geric nodded, following her inside. He placed his clothes carefully on her trunk before shifting into his wolf form, curling up on the ground protectively in front of the woman he loved.

Sometime later, Geric wasn't certain how long, he was awakened with a start. He raised his head to check on Amy, but she still slept soundly in her bed, her breathing soft and slow. He raised his head, cocking his ears to determine where the noise that had woken him had come from. The horses outside were prancing uneasily and testing the ropes that held them. There was a whisper, not of wind, but of footsteps drawing nearer to the camp.

"They're here!" Geric bellowed, changing into his human form and throwing on his clothes. "Minnings' army is coming, sound the alarm!"

The commotion woke the camp, soldiers and wolves scrambling to get into their positions to defend the army. Amy sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes fearful.

"Stay here," Geric barked, slinging his bow and arrows over his shoulder. Blood curdling shouts from the Minnings army could be heard and Geric saw enemy soldiers flooding the darkened camp, swords drawn.

Something moved in the shadows just to Geric's left and he drew back his bow. In the glow of the torches that had been hastily lit, he picked out eyes and a gleam of teeth before letting an arrow fly. The dark shaft pierced the enemy soldier through the throat and he fell to the earth at Geric's feet. Now Geric could see what he hadn't before, four more men were approaching Amy's tent, the intent evident in their eyes. Geric strung his bow again and two more of the soldiers were similarly downed with the hard, sharp whipping sound of arrows in the dark. Geric rounded on where the other two had been seconds earlier, but he was surprised to see them lying lifeless on the ground. He turned to see Amy standing just outside her tent, another arrow already nocked and ready in her bow.

"I thought I told you to stay out of sight," Geric said, fear lacing his voice. "You need to stay safe."

Amy smiled, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "Now where's the fun in that?"

At that moment Geric heard the snap of a twig a short distance away and whipped around, his bow at the ready. Three more enemy soldiers were charging their way through the trees, weapons raised. Geric and Amy drew back their bows, firing at the same time. They each shot a soldier through the heart before turning on the third and firing, Geric's arrow splitting Amy's down the shaft again.

"Run!" Geric bellowed as he started toward camp where the fighting was the worst. "Run and don't let them catch you."

Amy-Chapter 32

As much as Amy wanted to defy Geric's advice and run, she knew she couldn't. No matter what happened tonight, Colmar would always need an heir, so running was the only thing she could do.

Amy ran as fast as she could, only looking back once as she saw the fighting commence. They were no longer outnumbered, but Minnings had surprise on their side. They should have seen it coming. Of course Charles would never give up. He'd take down his whole entire army before he ever admitted defeat. Even until his very dying breath he wouldn't put down his pride and surrender.

She spotted her father's war horse tied up at the other side of the camp and ran with even more vigor than she had ever run before. Freedom was in sight.

The horse nickered nervously as she untied the reins and hopped on its back without a saddle. There was no time to stop for a saddle. If she did, Minnings' soldiers might cut her down where she stood.

Quickly, Amy turned the horse around and was about to kick its flanks to escape when something shot toward her, slamming into her chest. Her whole body disobeyed her, her hands slipping on the reins, her muscles relaxing, and before she knew what happened, she began to slide precariously to one side. The ground hit her hard, jostling her back to reality as a piercing scream erupted from her mouth. What just happened? Why did everything hurt?

Her breathing came fast and labored as she glanced down at her chest, and to her horror, she found an arrow protruding from her skin.

Amy took a hold of the arrow to try and get it out, but she only shrieked with pain, black dots dancing at the edges of her vision. The arrow was too deep to remove. She was going to die.

"Well well well," a familiar sneering voice said, and even though she couldn't see his face through her blurring vision, she knew it was Charles. Suddenly it all became too clear. He had been watching and waiting. This surprise ambush had been meant for her.

"Charles," Amy gasped, but then grimaced with the pain. Hot, sticky blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, and it felt harder and harder to stay conscious. She fell backwards onto her back and would have screamed with the pain if her voice would come out. Nothing.

"You had a very clever trick up your sleeve, Princess" he sneered, taking a hold of the arrow in her chest and digging it in even further, causing her to let out a gurgling scream. More blood trailed from her mouth. It dripped down her chin and soaked the front of her dress. "I would never have guessed you of all people could round up an army of werewolves to fight for you. I would have won. If it wasn't for you, I would have won. But this isn't over. I will be back with an even bigger army than the one I have today and I...will...crush…Colmar."

Charles' next words were drowned out by the ringing in Amy's ears. Everything was fading so quickly—her voice, the sounds, the stars. Slowly slowly slowly the stars flickered out one by one, leaving nothing but darkness in their wake. The last thing that Amy was aware of was a loud growl and a flicker of white fur before she let out one final breath and everything faded to black.

Geric-Chapter 33

Geric let loose another arrow, sending this one directly into the eye of Charles' Captain of the Guard. The clash of metal on metal resounded loudly in his ears. The Minnings army was not large but they fought with the energy of the defeated, the energy of those thirsty for revenge.

Scanning the crowd for Amy, his heart hammered wildly when he didn't see her anywhere. He hoped that she was safe and well hidden. This felt more personal than the revenge of those who had been defeated. Geric knew that Charles wanted Amy dead.

He could see the king's Captain of the Guard battling two men at once, a broadsword in each hand. His strokes were fierce for such a fat man and Geric knocked another arrow, striking one of the Captain's opponents in the neck and watching as he fell to the forest floor.

"I had him," the captain snarled at Geric as he easily blocked his other opponent's strike.

"I'm sure you did," Geric muttered, catching a glimpse of the king who was also locked in a fierce battle. He and two Minnings soldiers circled each other, the bloody evidence that they had been locked in this battle for a long time covering them from head to toe. King Merek had a long cut down his sword arm and one of his opponents had been slashed across the chest. But still they fought.

Geric watched as though spellbound for a moment, his eyes on the king who he could see was growing weary. One of the soldiers swung again, missing the king by inches, but it was enough to knock him onto his back. The king lay there winded and other knight moved in for a kill stroke.

Geric reacted on instinct, shot the knight down, and started running. He dashed through an opening in the fray and grabbed the sword from the dead knight's scabbard, bringing it up to meet the death blow the other soldier fighting Amy's father had meant for him. The blow reverberated up and down his arm, but he used his opponent's momentary distraction to kick him away.

"You're the wolf king, aren't you?" the soldier sneered derisively. "Tell me something, wolf—can you kill without your powers?"

Geric arched the sword through the air, testing its weight before giving the soldier a cold smile. "Let's find out, shall we?"

For a brief moment, he could see uncertainty in his opponent's eyes before the soldier charged at him, blade raised. Geric foresaw the swing, stepping to the side and sending his opponent charging past him. He met the soldier's second swing with his own sword. The weight of the thing sent his opponent's blade back, back, back…but not far enough to knock the blade free of the soldier's hands.

The soldier pushed him off, aiming a slice at Geric's throat. It missed by a hair's breadth. He ducked, managing to slice the soldier's shoulder. It wasn't enough to drop him, only to make him angrier. The soldier swung again, the first two missed badly, but the third found flesh. Geric grunted as the sword tip entered his side. It would heal quickly, but this weapon was silver, it would definitely leave a scar.

Geric lunged again, striking his opponent hard, but he wasn't ready for the soldier's kick which came out of nowhere and knocked the sword out of Geric's hand.

"Looks like you might be outmatched, wolf," the soldier snarled, raising his blade to strike the final death blow. Geric rolled just in time, grabbing an arrow out of his quiver, nocking it quickly and without thinking, let it fly.

The arrow struck home, lodging itself in the soldier's throat. The other man let out a sickening gurgle, blood filling his throat and spilling out of his mouth before collapsing on the ground.

Geric stood up, turning away from the sight to survey the rest of the battle. The Colmarian army had the clear advantage. As Geric watched, battle seemed to be dying down. Wolves herded prisoners into makeshift prisons, guarding them with their enormous teeth bared, the few remaining fights still taking place would be over shortly, they had won.

Geric! the frantic scream of wolf speech cut across the camp as Kalia, the white wolf, called while carrying a body on her back, blood staining her coat dark, muddy brown. Geric's heart seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time as he recognized the long, dark hair, the graceful figure. Amy.

Dashing across the camp, Geric made his way to Amy's side, his heart filling with horror as he saw the gaping wound in her chest.

Who did this? Geric demanded, scooping Amy up in his arms and holding her close. It looked bad, so so bad…

Charles did it, Kalia explained. But I took care of him myself. Geric, it's not good. She's lost a lot of blood. The arrow just missed her heart but…

Kalia trailed off but Geric could guess the rest. At that moment, the king came running to his side, kneeling down and cradling his daughter's head.

"What happened?" he gasped, silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Charles happened," Geric growled, wishing that he had been the one to finish the prince off. He wouldn't have done it with mercy, although judging by the blood on Kalia's snout, neither had she.

"Is she…?"

Geric shook his head. He could detect life in her body, but only barely. "She's still alive, but only just."

King Merek shuddered, a sob wrenching out of his throat. "Oh my precious girl. This is all my fault. This is all my fault."

Shocked and motionless, Geric touched Amy's cheek gently. He could feel the life draining out of her with every passing moment. He knew what had to be done if he wanted to save her, but part of him held back from even saying it.

The king stared at him, coming to the same realization. "You can save her."

"I can," Geric said softly. "But Your Majesty, you realize what that means, don't you? She will no longer be human. In fact, I'm not even sure she'll survive the transformation."

"Do it," the king barked, red rimmed eyes determined. "You're the only one who can save her now."

Geric nodded and bowed his head, transforming reluctantly into his wolf form. He had never turned anyone before, but he knew how it was done. He only wished that he could give Amy a choice in the matter, a choice that he had never had. With a heavy heart, he lowered his jaws to her neck and bit down.

Power coursed through him, an ancient magic that he didn't understand. He could feel it flowing into Amy, transfiguring her, changing her very nature. Geric couldn't bear to look at her face as he let go, his heart breaking. Instead, he watched her for signs of life. All of the soldiers of Colmar that had gathered to watch waited with baited breath for something to happen.

Geric lowered his muzzle to her cheek and nudged it gently, letting out a low whine. Amy was much too still, much too cold. He curled up beside her in his wolf form, if he had been able to he would have cried for her. Instead, all he could do was watch and wait.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Amy took a deep, shuddering gasp, her body jerking as though she had been having a nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment and Geric gazed down into them sorrowfully. They were amber.

Amy-Chapter 34

Amy starting coming to oh so slowly, and even though her mind felt hazy, she could hear voices. Far, distant voices.

"She's been like this for far too long," one of the voices said. "I'm worried. What if she didn't survive?"

Another voice said, "She had to have survived. Her heart is still beating and it's getting stronger each minute."

Amy slowly opened her eyes and had to squeeze them shut again when everything looked too clear, too focused. What had happened to her?

She tried again and both her father and Geric came into focus, peering down at her with worried expressions. Where was she?

"Amy!" her father cried, starting to rush toward her when Geric held him back roughly with his arm.

"Don't go near her," Geric growled. "She might accidentally lash out."

When Amy got her bearings just enough, she opened her mouth to ask Geric what he meant by that, but the only sound passing through her mouth was a wolfish whine. Her eyes widened as she glanced down at herself, her heart missing a beat when all she saw was brown, grey, and white fur. Furry body. Furry arms. Furry tail.

Amy leapt to her feet in fright and in her haste knocked several items in the tent to the floor. She let out another frightened whine as she stumbled backwards, knocking over even more things to the ground. Everything was too clear, too sharp, and noises bombarded her ears in an overwhelming array of chaos.

Both Geric and her father tried saying something to her, but she felt too frightened to listen. She caught sight of the open tent flap behind them and bolted right past Geric and into the light. Another panicked whine escaped her as the bright light blinded her, and then all she could see were the stares. Stares from her soldiers. Stares from the werewolves. All eyes in the camp were on her.

Involuntarily, her distress caused her tail to tuck between her legs and her ears to lie flat against her head, and then she couldn't take their stares any longer. She started to back up slowly, and then without another moment's hesitation, Amy hurtled toward the cover of the forest, running faster and faster, light footfall after light footfall. Her feet kept stumbling on fallen trees and roots, not used to running on all fours, until she couldn't run anymore. Her chest hurt. Her chest hurt so badly.

Finally, she collapsed next to a small lake, her breathing heavy and ragged. She was a werewolf. She was a werewolf. She was a werewolf.

She tried crying, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was small, heartbreaking whines. What was going on? Why on earth was she a werewolf? How was she supposed to change back?

Amy flopped over onto her side exhaustedly, letting out a huff from her nose. Her wolf nose. She could see her nose. Oh, her poor little soul. She could see her nose.

Once again, her shoulders began shaking, and then she just gave up entirely. It wasn't the same. As a werewolf, she couldn't express herself in the way that she wanted to. How on earth had this happened? Could this be a dream?

A couple minutes later, her ears pricked up as she heard a sound behind her in the brush, and exhaustedly she sat up to find Geric standing just yards away in his wolf form, his movements cautious and calculated. He let out a whine, but this time she could understand him.

Amy, everything is okay. I'm here for you.

More than anything, she wished she could speak, but human language wouldn't come out of her mouth, so she had to hope that her words came across without sounding stupid.

What happened to me? Amy whined back. I'm a werewolf.

Geric approached cautiously before nuzzling her neck and giving her a licking kiss on the side of her mouth. I'm sorry, he replied through the sounds coming from his mouth. I turned you. I didn't have much of a choice. Charles shot you with a silver arrow right in the chest. So in order to save your life, to keep you from dying, I turned you, and your father asked me to do it too. I'm so sorry. I never wished this life on you. But I didn't want to lose you either.

How she could understand such eloquent sentences through the small amount of noise coming out of Geric's mouth, she'd never understand. But now that she thought back to the incident, she remembered Charles shooting her, and then he stood over her as her consciousness faded away. She would have died if it hadn't been for Geric.

What are my people going to think? Amy asked, resting her head on her paw. This felt so strange, being in a wolf's body. Nothing felt the same anymore. I'm a werewolf now. I mean, if I married you, I always suspected that I'd get turned eventually in order to be with you, but never this early. What are my people going to think? I always thought that a human and a werewolf could rule Colmar and maintain peace, but two werewolves?

Geric whined sadly, the little whine holding an immense amount of emotion just in that miniscule noise. He rested his head on top of hers, that small action holding so much meaning behind it. I'm sorry. I never wanted this for you. But for the record, everyone knows what happened and all of your soldiers had been worried. They respect you. They trust you. They adore you, and I don't think you becoming a werewolf is going to change any of that. Your father has been worried sick. I know you'll be welcomed back with open arms.

The two of them stayed silent for the next thirty minutes, just spending time together like this beside the pond until her body stopped trembling. As each minute passed, the pain in her chest became smaller and smaller. This must have been what Geric meant when he said that he healed fast, but for how much her chest hurt, she knew that this wound would probably take days to heal.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Geric said, That arrow is going to leave a scar. Traces of silver still flowed through your blood when you turned. As a human, all who see that scar will be reminded of the sacrifice you made for your kingdom, and no one will be able to forget it.

Amy buried her head deeper into Geric's neck, reveling in the feeling of being engulfed by his fur. It felt so comforting, and she loved the way that she could be so near to him like this without getting squashed.

I don't know how to face them.

Shaking his wolfy head, he replied, Only time will tell, Sweetheart. You gave them a chance, now you need to let them give you a chance.

She nodded. Just the thought of returning to camp as a wolf terrified her, but what terrified her even more was when she'd have to look back at herself in the mirror and see her amber colored eyes.

Can I tell you something? Geric asked as he licked the top of her head endearingly. You are the most beautiful werewolf I've ever seen. Your eyes look the same.

Except for the fact that they're amber, she joked. I'm going to miss my brown eyes.

Geric nudged her up onto her feet and pushed her toward the lake with his nose. Just come look. You're absolutely gorgeous.

Amy took a deep breath before turning her head and meeting her reflection, and she even jumped back a foot at how strange it felt to look at her own reflection and see a wolf staring back at her. But the instant she looked back at herself, she immediately got drawn in by her own eyes. They were a beautiful shade of amber, even different from Geric's eyes. She had a ring of brown around her eyes that had been the color her eyes used to be with brown flecks swirled in with the amber. Her face was a beautiful shade of white with her brown, white, and grey mixed fur engulfing the rest of her and traveling down the length of her snout. But what got her the most were those eyes with a black lining circling the eye and the amber glowing back at her.

She hadn't realized that she had stepped into the water to get a closer look and she leaned in so close that her nose grazed the surface of the water, causing her to sneeze. Once. Twice. Three times.

Beside her, noises flowed from Geric's mouth and only now did she realize it was his wolfy laughter. You're still as adorable as ever, Geric said as he walked around her, rubbing himself against her almost as if to mark his territory. Amy felt incredibly amused, but somehow she liked it, especially as he nuzzled against her neck and gently gnawed on her ear. She loved how he treated her. She wasn't different or alien. Even in her wolf form, she was still just Amy.

Her ears fell back against her head as a thought crossed her mind. Geric, how do I change back? I don't want to stay like this forever.

Geric shook his head. It's not something I can teach you. It's something you need to figure out on your own. You might not be able to change back into a human for days, perhaps even weeks, and even then your transformations will hurt a lot until you get used to it.

Amy whined, rubbing her paw against her face in sorrow. This could not be happening. Her people needed her. Werewolf or not, her people needed her.

He licked her mouth again and brushed his nose against hers, something that felt so intimate and reserved just for her and she loved it. As long as you are a wolf, I will be too. I won't let you go about this alone. I will be with you the entire way.

A mix between a grateful sigh and a grateful whine came out of her mouth as she nuzzled her head in Geric's fur. This was probably the worst time that she could have possibly been turned, but at least she was alive. She had Geric to thank for saving her life, even if that meant that she had no choice but to be a werewolf for the rest of her life.

Geric-Chapter 35

He led her back to the cave near the pond where he had been waiting for her the night of the kidnapping. It was secluded and quiet, a perfect place for Amy to get used to her new life. The Minnings army had been defeated and her father had gone to pursue peace negotiations with their king, Tonraq by his side as both protector and advisor. King Merek had asked Geric to come but had understood when Geric had declined. Amy needed him.

How do you feel? he asked the next morning as the sun tinted the sky pink above them. She was curled softly into his side, her face hidden in his shoulder.

Different, she responded. Her words were wistful and sad, but there was also a tinge of excitement there that Geric understood all too well. He touched his nose to hers, tipping her face up to look into his eyes.

What's wrong? he asked, concern filling his eyes as he nuzzled the side of her neck. Do you want to talk about it?

Amy sighed deeply, making the fur on her breast ruffle. The motion made her smile slightly and she batted the long, sleek fur with her paw. What if I can't change back? What will happen to the kingdom?

Don't worry about them, Geric said softly, licking the side of her cheek before nuzzling his head under her chin. Amy closed her eyes, a wolfish smile appearing on her lips. Right now the focus needs to be on you.

Amy stared at him for a moment before Geric stood up, motioning her to the mouth of the cave. Come on, we're wasting a beautiful day.

Standing up and trotting after him, Amy followed closely behind Geric. He smiled as she paused to sniff everything, to listen to every sound. He remembered what it had been like once he had gotten over the injuries Warrick had inflicted. It was as though the world had opened up in an entirely new and beautiful way and he hadn't wanted to miss any of it.

Geric let out a whine of laughter as Amy sprang after a stray rabbit in excitement, using the new muscles in her legs to pick up speed. She let out a joyous yip as she followed behind the fleeing rabbit, not to kill it, but for the fun of chasing it. When it disappeared into its hole, her tail drooped in disappointment.

I can't catch it, she said in annoyance, looking over her shoulder at Geric.

Laughing again, Geric gave Amy a wicked, wolfish grin and said, Watch the master and learn.

He crept forward on the pads of his paws and she copied him. You're breathing too hard, relax. Stay low to the ground, feel the earth under your paws so it doesn't shift and make noise.

Amy copied his example and he waited, crouched quietly in the dense undergrowth until the rabbit dared stick his nose out into the open again. Geric pounced, careful not to hurt the rabbit, just wanting to give it a good scare. With a bark of laughter, he turned to share his amusement with Amy, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Amy? he called softly, but there was no response. He lifted his head, trying to catch her scent on the breeze, but he couldn't find her. His heart hammered, where could she have gone?

A split second later, he was bowled over by a streak of light brown as Amy pounced on him, pinning him to the earth on his back with a thump.

Ha! she teased. So much for you being the master hunter.

Geric took a playful swipe at her shoulder with his paw before reaching up and licking her chin. His words came out as a whine to human ears but he knew she would understand at last. I love you, Princess.

A wolfish smile formed on Amy's lips as she understood, making the same whining, growling noise back. I love you too, Geric.

They didn't worry about anything else for the rest of the day. Geric loved watching Amy get used to her new form, the joy of discovery as her ears swiveled this way and that, taking in the sounds of the forest that she couldn't pick up in human form. He remembered the fear of his first few days as a wolf and was glad her experience was so different from his own.

Making their way to the pond together, they splashed out into the water, rolling over and over again in the shallows until they were both covered in mud and laughing until their sides ached. Geric put a muddy paw print on Amy's forehead that looked almost like a crown as they laid in the shallows together, trying to catch their breath.

See? Geric teased. Even in this form you're still the most regal and royal woman I've ever met.

Amy put her head on Geric's shoulder, breathing a deep sigh. Do you really think that we can bring peace to the kingdom?

I do, Geric nodded. The humans already respect and love you and the wolves are beginning to see what I do in you.

Amy looked up at him, her amber eyes glowing. And what's that?

That you were born to lead and that you'll make things change for the better, Geric smiled, nuzzling the side of her neck. You were born for this.

Amy licked the side of his face gently before nuzzling him back with her forehead. How will I ever change back, Geric? I can't lead the humans like this.

Don't worry, Geric soothed. When you're ready, you'll know what to do. Trust me.

They were silent for a few moments before Amy whispered, I always have.

Amy-Chapter 36

The days crept by slowly, and Amy almost lost track by day seven. As much as she wished she could turn back into a human, she enjoyed the freedom she experienced as a wolf and secretly, she looked forward to being a wolf whenever she wanted in the future as well. Though, only after she got the hang of this transformation thing.

Amy and Geric returned to the cave together, happy with giddy excitement after they both caught a couple of rabbits. She was getting better at this, so good in fact that returning to her human form would probably feel really strange.

You know, Amy joked, I would have thought it disgusting to eat an animal raw, but now I love it. Will I still like it as a human?

Geric shook his head. It won't be terrible, but it will taste different. You won't like it as much. It's strange, I know. But that's just how it is.

She sat down, feeling quite amused. Being a wolf felt so strange and she only hoped that she would get used to it. Geric already had a hundred years' worth of practice. She only had eight days. She'd get there eventually.

Getting back to her feet, Amy circled Geric, rubbing her face against his neck and dragging her tail along his chest. She licked his cheek before nuzzling him right under his chin again and again, enjoying the feeling of the warmth that radiated off of him. She licked him right beneath his ear, making him let out a small whimper of desire. Amy had no idea how to do this as a wolf, but she wanted to try. Geric was as patient as they came and she had no doubt that he'd teach her.

Geric nuzzled her neck and she closed her eyes with enjoyment as he touched his nose to hers before pawing her back, almost excitedly. She really liked the feeling of that.

She nipped him softly in the neck, her heart beating quickly in her chest and she had no doubt that Geric could hear it because even she could hear it.

Leaning close to her ear, Geric let out a small noise from his mouth. Wolf or human, you are mine, and I am yours.

. . . .

For the rest of the day, Amy pranced around the forest happily, enjoying the last little smidge of sun before it would sink below the mountains. Even though she liked the darkness, especially because she could now see in a way that she never could as a human, she still enjoyed the sunlight on her skin. Winter was coming soon, so she'd take as much sun as she could before she had to hide indoors, away from the wretched cold. However, maybe she'd like winter as a wolf. Geric sure did. He told her again and again that he was excited for Winter to come.

Amy was about to head back to the cave where Geric slept when something bubbled up inside of her. It started small at first, but then it felt overwhelming. Heat radiated from her core before spreading to the rest of her, and suddenly it clicked. She knew how to change back into a human.

She allowed the warmth to spread to the rest of her body and grimaced as her body started to change. A muffled scream escaped her mouth as her furry arms were replaced by soft, supple human arms. Her paws were replaced by elegant feet. Little by little, her wolf form turned into her human form, her large limbs shrinking into something smaller. She could feel the magic inside of her awaken, and she knew that from this day forward, the magic would never disappear for as long as she lived. It was here to stay.

The pain had taken such a toll on her that she laid on the ground, panting from the effort it took to transform. She stared up at the canopy of trees above her and let out a deep, relieving breath. It felt so nice to be a human again.

When her body calmed down and the pain subsided, Amy got to her feet, surprised at how little difference she felt. Her body didn't struggle with the transformation. It wasn't difficult to be a human again because her brain remembered. Though what was difficult was navigating the forest floor with bare feet and no clothes. She had never felt more exposed in her life!

After what felt like an eternity, Amy returned to the cave and shrugged on the spare dress they had brought with them when she turned back into a human, and then she gently shook Geric away.

"Geric," she whispered, smiling as he lifted his head and his eyes widened in surprise. "Geric, I'm ready to go back home."

Very quickly, he transformed back into a human beside her, working on getting his clothes over his head before engulfing her in a hug. "I knew you could do it," he said quietly into her ear. "It's easier after the first time, I promise. After that, it's a cinch."

Amy smiled and held him close, loving him even more than she had before. She had never met anyone like Geric, and she loved him so much. She didn't know what the future had in store for them when they returned to Colmar, only that she looked forward to finding out together.

Geric-Chapter 37

Geric studied Amy's profile as they walked, taking in her high cheekbones, her slender nose, the delicate waves of her hair. She had always been beautiful, but the magic that had transformed her into a wolf seemed to have given her a little extra confidence in her walk, a little more assurance in herself.

She caught him staring, her lips parting softly as she smiled. "What?"

"Nothing," he grinned, giving her a playful nudge. "Just admiring your beauty."

"Do you really find me so fascinating?" she asked dubiously, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks.

"You know I do," Geric replied, kissing her ear. "I always have."

Amy let out that little whining noise in the back of her throat. It was harder to make the sound with a human voice, but Geric's smile widened as he understood her perfectly. "I love you too, Princess."

As they walked back toward the palace, Amy became more and more withdrawn and Geric could sense fear rolling off her in waves. He held out a hand to stop her, drawing her into his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. "I can sense your fear."

Amy looked up at him, her amber eyes wide. "What if they don't accept me? The people? My family?"

Geric held her close, resting his chin on top of her head. "They will. It may take some time to get used to how things are now, but the people love you. And your family loves you. Your father would rather have seen you become a wolf than lose you, that's how much he cares for you."

Amy smiled, her mood lightening slightly. They approached the palace through a secret entrance, not wanting to make a scene but as they entered, her father and mother were waiting for them in the corridor.

"We heard you were coming," her father said, enveloping Amy in a hug. "How do you feel?"

"Better," Amy replied truthfully. "All thanks to Geric."

To Geric's surprise, the king bowed low to him, a mark of respect Geric had never in his wildest dreams imagined that the king would give him.

"Thank you for saving our daughter," he said as the queen hugged Amy. "And for helping save our kingdom."

Geric nodded, smiling slightly. He didn't want to interrupt this reunion, but there was something he needed to speak with the king about before he lost his nerve.

"Sire, may I speak with you for a moment in private?" he asked as Amy and her mother spoke quietly off to one side. King Merek nodded, leading Geric into his study and shutting the door.

"I think I can guess what this is about, but I want to hear what you have to say," the king said, sitting down and gesturing for Geric to do the same. Geric took the offered seat, looking Amy's father directly in the eyes. They were the same shade of brown that Amy's had been.

"Your Majesty, I love your daughter with all my heart," he began carefully. "She is brilliant and kind and funny and I believe she will make an excellent queen one day. I know that you don't like our plans to wed, but I hoped that by coming to you and asking for your permission I might change your mind."

King Merek stood up, pacing around his desk toward Geric. "You changed my mind the day you saved Amy's life," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving Geric's. "I could see how much the decision to turn her troubled you and that was when I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you love her."

Geric was speechless as he watched the king, wondering briefly if this was real.

"My daughter is much wiser and less stubborn than her father," the king chuckled. "She's right, an alliance with the King of Wolves will bring some much needed peace to Colmar. But more important than that is an alliance with a man that she loves and that loves her in return. Nothing could make me happier than to see the two of you wed."

Geric grinned as King Merek had a servant bring two goblets of wine into the room. "A toast to your upcoming marriage! May it be a long and happy one."

Geric drank some of the wine, the smile never leaving his face. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

. . . .

Afterward, Geric found Amy sitting on the steps to the kitchen in the shade of the tallest chimney as the light melted into sunset. She looked so peaceful, her long dark hair hanging loose over her shoulder and her amber eyes gazing at nothing, she took his breath away. He took a seat beside her, looking down at her with a smile in his eyes.

"I realized something today," he said mischievously, his eyes twinkling with humor. "I have been a scoundrel."

Amy looked up at him, a little startled by his words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I never actually asked you to marry me properly," he replied, watching her expression for any change. A soft smile formed on Amy's lips as she raised her eyebrows incredulously.

"After all we've been through, that's what you're worried about?"

Geric breathed out a laugh, letting go of the breath he had been holding and grinned with relief. Amy couldn't help grinning back, and they laughed lightly at nothing. He looked down at her hand and turned it palm up, running his fingers over the creases and merging his fingers with hers. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"I never imagined my life turning out this way," she whispered. "It's all so new and exciting and a little scary. I'm a little nervous to rule Colmar someday."

"Don't be," Geric said quietly. "You are exactly what the people of Colmar, and I, what we all need."

Amy squeezed his hand. "Am I really?"

"You are everything and more, Amy," he grinned, kissing her slowly, breathlessly. He still couldn't believe she was his. "And so, Princess Ameline Auclaire, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes." She smiled and laughed. "Yes, of course, yes."

Geric smiled slowly and broadly, humor lighting his eyes. "Good. Because I, Gericault Dunbroch, King of Wolves, declare right now that you're beautiful and you're perfect and I'll slay any man who tries to take you from my side. And now, Princess, may we seal the bargain with a kiss?"

She answered by leaning over and kissing him first. A spark kindled deep in his chest and he leaned in, framing her face between his hands. He felt sure as bones and deep as blood that he had found his place.

Their embrace was interrupted by the same young page clearing his throat. Amy looked down but Geric wasn't embarrassed at all. In fact, he felt his grin widening.

"The king would like an audience with you two if you aren't otherwise occupied."

Amy's blush deepened but Geric laughed and nodded. The page bade them follow, taking two steps for their every one like a short-legged dog. He stopped before the door to the throne room, his hand gesturing that they should enter.

"What's going on?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrows in question.

"You'll see."

The doors opened and there was a kind of silence in the room because no one spoke, but in that silence, Geric could hear one hundred hearts beating, one hundred mouths breathing, and could see one hundred hands that were fisted at the chest of the soldiers of the royal army, showing loyalty, their heads inclined respectfully.

"Captains," King Merek said commandingly. "Please welcome my daughter and her betrothed, Prince Gericault Dunbroch, hero of the battle of Minnings."

The soldiers hit their fists against their chests roaring their approval. Amy smiled, whispering to Geric, "I think this means my father approves of you."

"No," Geric said, kissing her knuckles. "I think this means he approves of us."

Amy-Chapter 38

Amy touched her reflection in the mirror, staring back at herself but it was a completely different rendition of herself than she remembered. Everything looked the same except her eyes. Her eyes were amber, and no matter how often she looked at herself in mirrors, she never got used to it.

Over the past couple weeks, her mother refused to leave her side, and that meant fussing over her as the seamstresses put the final touches on her beautiful burgundy ball gown. Unlike the last ball, she felt ecstatic to attend this one because Geric would be there. It was a ball to celebrate not only their triumph against Minnings, but their engagement as well. She felt proud to call him her fiance.

But then her stomach dropped when she remembered that this would also be the first time being introduced into society as a werewolf. How would her people take it? Would they accept her? Would they still trust her?

Even though she knew her people knew the story of why she had been turned in the first place, it didn't make it any easier to find the courage that would lead her downstairs into the ballroom. She needed to be strong.

"You look so beautiful," her mother said as she held Amy at arm's length and wiped a tear from her own cheek. "I'm so proud of you. I know I didn't want you marrying a werewolf before, but now I couldn't be prouder. You deserve someone who will love you and fight for you for the rest of his life. Geric will do exactly that. He's a great match for you."

"Thank you, Mum," Amy smiled as she held her mother's hand to her cheek. "That means a lot to me. It really does. But are you bothered by what I am now?"

Surprisingly, her mother shook her head. "Not at all. You can have yellow eyes. You can be a wolf. But you'll always still be my daughter. I'm just glad that you came back to me alive, especially after you took a fatal wound to the chest."

Amy ran her fingers along the silver scar on her chest that she didn't bother hiding. It was the reason why she had to be turned into a werewolf. The arrow tip that Charles had shot her with had been made of silver, so even the werewolf in her couldn't heal it all the way. It was a part of her. It would always be a part of her.

For the final touch, her mother set a tiara on top of her hair encrusted with clear jewels and pearls. It was one of her favorites and it matched her dress perfectly.

Her mother smiled as she stroked Amy's soft curls pulled up expertly on the top of her head. "There. Now you look just like the werewolf princess you were always meant to be. Get out there and turn some heads."

Amy returned her smile, her heart flipping excitedly in her chest. She could hardly wait to be officially announced at Geric's betrothed. More than anything, she could hardly wait for Geric to be recognized for who he truly was. It was high time for society to know their future king who hid in the shadows for years. Geric deserved that and more.

Both Amy and her mother walked arm in arm out into the hallway, and her eyes lit up as she met Geric's gaze. He opened his awestruck mouth to say something, but she flew into his arms and held him close.

"You look so handsome!" she exclaimed, holding him at arm's length to survey him up and down. He dressed just as elegantly as her father did but the one thing she wasn't used to seeing him wear was a crown. Not as big as her father's crown, of course, but Geric looked very kingly wearing it.

As if noticing her grinning stare, he said, "I'm not used to wearing things like these. It looks outrageous, doesn't it?"

Amy quickly shook her head as she ran her hands down the front of the shirt he wore. "Absolutely not. It suits you. And you look so handsome."

"You two stop dawdling," the king chuckled. "We're making our introduction and we sure hope you won't be far behind." Not waiting another moment, the king and queen broke into the great hall at the top of the stairs and started their way down with revered claps of applause.

"After one hundred years, are you ready to get out there again?" Amy asked as she linked her arm through Geric's, her smile wider than she had ever remembered it, but she also felt nervous beyond belief. What were her people going to think? Would they throw rotten fruit at her? Would they try to attack her? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"As long as I'm beside you, I'll always be ready." He dipped his head to hers and gave her a soft kiss that made her toes curl, and this time, no guards rushed in to stop them. It was all as it should be.

When Geric tried to deepen the kiss, Amy burst into laughter and pushed him away. "There's time for that later. But right now, your kingdom is waiting to meet you."

They followed the path her parents took arm in arm and Amy's heart beat erratically in her chest, almost as if it were about to explode. The next few moments would determine whether or not her people wanted two werewolves on the throne.

She held her breath as they entered the ballroom, aware of dozens of eyes staring up at them. But then the most unexpected thing happened. The entire room burst into applause and excited whistles, even louder than when her parents made an entrance. Amy felt completely, utterly shocked as the two of them descended the stairs. No rotten fruits or vegetables were thrown. They were only met with smiles and applause.

Both Geric and Amy cast each other surprised looks. It seemed as if Geric also thought he'd meet the same reaction as she did. When they reached the end of the staircase, they were met with shaking hands and congratulations on all sides, and although her new amber eyes were met with more than just a few stares, no one commented. No one said anything at all.

"It's great to have you back, Princess Ameline," one rather stocky grey haired man said who she recognized as Count Geoffrey as he took her hand in both of his and gave it a squeeze. "I heard about your brave sacrifice and I commend you for that."

One after another, the people in the room either shook her hand or kissed it, and she couldn't feel any more relieved. This had not been the reaction she was expecting. But she felt so grateful for the latter. So incredibly grateful.

When the congratulations finally ended, the music began and Geric held out a hand to her. "I believe this is the part where I'm supposed to ask you to dance."

Amy giggled and took his hand, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor. "How long, exactly, has it been since you've danced at one of these things?" she teased.

"About… Two months, I'd say, when I stole you away at that masquerade. I don't regret it one bit."

"Neither do I," she sighed.

"I learned something new this week. It's called the something or other waltz." When Amy grinned at the name he gave it, he began leading her in one of the newest styles of dance that Colmar was raving about. Geric seemed to have a hang of it at first, but then he seemed to forget some of the steps and tripped over his own foot.

Amy burst into laughter right along with Geric before they resumed the dance they were doing before. "How does that saying go?" Amy teased. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Geric grinned. "I may be an old dog, but I excel in learning new things, mind you. It just might take a while." His smiled faded into shock as he glanced over her shoulder and Amy had to turn around to see what he was looking at.

"Oh," Amy said, her smile growing wider. "I invited someone specifically for you. I thought you'd want her here. If I remember correctly, your landlady, Berta, took very good care of you for the last ten years. I offered her a position at the castle in the kitchen and she accepted. You don't have to say goodbye to her after all."

"Thank you," he breathed. "That is so kind of you. She loves the castle. You ought to know that."

"I'm glad. Hopefully you love it too."

"Well I have to," Geric chuckled as he spun her around and gave her an endearing kiss on the cheek. "After all, this is where I'll be living for the rest of my long werewolfy life, right?"

Amy giggled and shook her head at him. "You forgot one thing, wolf. This is where we'll be living for the rest of our long werewolfy lives. Forever by your side."

He smiled before kissing her knuckles so softly. "Forever by your side."

About the Authors

Sydney Winward was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and since a young age, has had a passion for writing stories and books. She wrote her first book at age twelve and has only continued to expand on her love of writing. Sydney graduated from the University of Utah with a major in English, and as she follows her passion of writing, her stories and characters come to life.

As a hopeless romantic at heart, Kaitlyn Rowbotham's passion for writing the C.H.A.S.M. series shines through with each character and story that she creates. She is currently attending the University of Utah with double majors in English and Communication. One of the things she loves to do is curl up with a good book and her favorite chocolate, allowing herself to get sucked into the beautiful world of fiction.

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