I don't own Voltron, Defender of the Universe. Only Hal is mine.

Chapter One- Jealous Cousin

The man was pushed to his knees and a bag put over his head. His pleas were muffled by the bag as a second man raised a sharp axe and the people roared their approval. The axe came down and Princess Allura closed her eye and turned her head as the man was executed.

But he's not really a man, her inner voice said. He's a werewolf and everyone on our world despises them. They are evil, dangerous beasts. They use their human form to lure others to their secret village to turn them into beasts like themselves. We can't catch them at night as they don't leave their sanctuary at that point. Daylight catches are our only option and then we extract information from them before execution which is how we know about their secret village, but none of them will reveal its location. You have to admire their loyalty in that respect.

"Allura?"

Allura opened her eyes and turned to look at her fiancée, Prince Keith. "It's over, Allura. The werewolf is dead." It wasn't easy to hear him as the people were celebrating the death they had witnessed. She smiled at him, as she put a hand on his hand. The gesture was noticed by another and she scowled at it.

Princess Romelle was Allura's cousin and she resented her cousin's engagement to Keith. She wanted to marry Keith and rule the world. However, Allura was the elder cousin so she would be queen, married or not, while Romelle wouldn't…unless Allura died. Romelle, as much as she loved Keith and wished to be queen, was not a murderer. But, she did want Allura out of the way. So, once the royals had left the balcony from where they had viewed the execution, Romelle headed down to the court witch's laboratory in a room off of the dungeons.

The witch Hagger, was in the midst of mixing a potion so Romelle stayed quiet until the potion had been stored but before she could speak, Hagger said, "Princess Romelle, how nice of you to visit." She turned and bowed to her. "How may I be of service?"

"I'm in love with Keith but he's engaged to Allura."

"Are you? You never gave anyone the impression that you still love the prince after all the courting the three of you did."

"I felt it wasn't appropriate to show my contempt for my cousin when she won Keith's affection. I'm seeking your help to get her out of the way so I can marry Keith and rule the planet with him."

"Out of the way?" Hagger repeated. "Do you possibly seek a curse or spell to keep her from Keith and the throne?"

"Yes. I certainly don't want her dead."

"Of course, princess. I believe I know just the thing." She held up a scrap of parchment. "I have a spell here to curse someone as a werewolf. Or wifewolf, in this case. Once cast, the afflicted will transform on the first night after being cursed."

"Yes." Romelle smiled as she took the parchment. "I'll curse her as a wifewolf and she'll have no choice but to leave. Thank you, Hagger." Romelle left, her smile now a wicked expression. She now had a way to make her dream come true. Of course, I'll destroy the parchment once I've used it on Allura. The last thing I need is for someone to use it on me. I sure don't want to be an evil, dangerous beast.

Allura was walking up the hall to the treasure room to admire the outfits Keith and she would wear on their wedding day. The event itself wouldn't take place for a little over a week and she was excited. She had competed against Romelle to win Keith's affection for the prince was smitten with both of them. Courting had been fierce from all three of them and when the dust had settled, Keith had proposed to Allura. She had seen the disappointment in Romelle's eyes when Keith proposed, but she congratulated the couple happily like everyone else.

When Keith and I kiss at the end of the ceremony, we will be husband and wife. The crowning ceremony will come at a later date. Allura came out of her thoughts when she saw Romelle coming from the opposite direction. "Romelle, hi!" she called. Her smile faded when she saw Romelle's hateful look. "Romelle?"

"I wanted to marry Keith," she hissed in a tone that matched her face. "Marry him and rule as queen."

Allura took a step back, taken aback by her cousin's words and tone. "I understand your disappointment and I'm sorry things turned out this way."

"Oh, you'll be sorry all right." Romelle chanted the spell, pointing at Allura as she did so. Allura gasped as she felt magic wash over her and a white glow outlining her body before both feelings ceased.

"Romelle, what did you do?" Allura demanded.

"I just cursed you. When night falls, you will become a wifewolf."

"No. Humans can only be turned by being bitten."

"Turns out they can be cursed too. I don't want to see you dead so I suggest you leave the palace before it gets dark."

Allura ran past Romelle who had a triumphant smile. No, I can't be cursed, she thought. We learned werewolves are born or bitten. There's no way that a curse exists. And yet how else to explain what I felt and saw?

She entered the treasure room and went up to her wedding dress which sat on a mannequin behind a glass case. She saw herself in the glass, looking like she was wearing her dress. She smiled at her reflection and then the image blurred as tears filled her eyes as she recalled her encounter with her cousin. She heard footsteps behind her and so didn't react when her name was spoken.

"Allura?"

Allura gasped at the voice, spun around, and hugged Keith desperately, her tears turning into sobs.

"Allura!" Keith said, alarmed as he embraced her. "What's wrong?"

"Romelle hates me. Sh-she put a c-c-curse on me," she cried.

"A curse? What kind of curse?"

Allura stepped away and turned around, not wanting to see his face twisted in hate at her next words. "She cursed me to be a wifewolf once night has fallen."

Keith stared at her and then laughed gently. "Allura, no one becomes a werewolf or wifewolf through a curse. You have to be bitten in order to be turned. Everyone knows that."

"But suppose one could be cursed?" Allura pressed as she turned back to Keith. "What then?"

"Well, I would destroy the cause of the curse so on one else falls prey to it. If someone had been cursed, that's too bad as curses, good or bad, can't be broken."

Allura nodded. She was sure that Romelle would do just that to avoid someone cursing her for cursing Allura.

"That's just a hypothetical question though, right? There's no werewolf or wifewolf curse."

Allura couldn't believe how naïve Keith was being. "But, Romelle really did do something to me. She pointed at me, chanted a spell, and then I felt magic wash over me as well as a white glow around my body. She even said it was a curse."

"But why would she curse you?"

"She's jealous of me. She wants to marry you and be queen."

"I see. Allura, it's possible that the 'curse' was just a ruse. A ploy to get you to leave so that she can marry me and be queen. The 'magic' and glow were likely for effect to make you think it was a real curse."

"I suppose so."

"Trust me. No one and nothing is going to stop us from getting married and ruling the planet." He pulled Allura into an embrace before kissing her. He felt her melt against him and he knew then that he had convinced her.

Allura relaxed against Keith, but inwardly she was tense and worried. Romelle did not seem like the type to bluff. The look of hate on her face seemed all too real to be a ruse. Keith didn't see what I saw. I'm certain that she cursed me but what it was is a mystery, kind of. There's only one way to find out: Leave before dark and wait for it to activate.