Chapter One

  “Your Highness, the dresses have arrived.”

Inside her room, Evie hugged her cinnamon-scented pillow tightly with a blissful smile playing on her face. She had had the same dream again—the dream that she had always longed for. She closed her eyes for a minute, ignoring the voice of the maid outside her grand chamber’s door to reminiscence. It was a large ball; just like the one her father was planning for her that evening, and a large crowd. And then, in the middle of it all, she finds her mate, who is stricken by her beauty at first sight, and they danced away for the rest of the evening. He was everything she wished for—a tall glass of hot chocolate with a cold aura that scared away other maidens except her. Throughout their dance, he had eyes only for her and wouldn’t stop showering her with praises of her beauty.

Evie sighed. It was a dream she had had since she was a child. As the princess of her clan, she had attended a few coming-of-age balls with her parents, and they had always been so magical. Two parts were her all-time favorite. The first is when the birthday girl’s wolf comes into full display and she is allowed to run into the woods for at least an hour to get used to her wolf side. Of course, if it was the daughter of a noble, a guard was sent after her to keep her safe and was in charge of bringing her back in exactly an hour to avoid keeping the guests waiting for too long. A big window is often designed for allowing her wolf jump over to the woods.

Her second all-time favorite was when the girl finally met her mate. From the gossip, she had heard several times that it all begins with a quickened heartbeat and the feeling of your wolf pushing you towards a particular direction; alongside a feeling of sudden excitement. Gosh! That part was her most favorite. She had often imagined herself in their shoes. A wedding is then announced before the end of the ball.

  “Your Highness.” The maid outside called again, interrupting her train of thoughts. She frowned. If only she had gotten her super strength that comes with the first transformation, she would have thrown her down the balcony.

  “Come in.” She pulled the bed spread over her body, making sure her petticoat was out of sight.

The big door opened, and her maid came in, pushing in a long trolley of dresses. At the sight of the dresses, Evie flung aside the large spread, jumping off the bed with a visible smile. She had even forgotten to scold the maid for interrupting her thoughts earlier. 

That’s right! In a few hours, it was going to be her coming-of-age ball. 

In a few hours’ time, she probably wouldn’t have to dream anymore. The man of her dream would be standing right before her, and just before the end of the ball, a wedding would be announced.

The thought made her smile.

  “The Queen asked me to let you pick what you would wear for the evening.”

Evie clapped her hands in excitement, trying to hide her nervous side. “Great! Where is mother?”

  “Inspecting the decorations in the hall, Your Highness.”

She swallowed. All her life, she had never had the chance to pick her own dress, and despite that it excited her, she was scared of making mistakes. “Tell mother to please come when she’s done?”

  “Of course, Your Highness.”

The minute the maid went out, Evie jumped on her bed, pulling open the large curtains. Sure, it was busy outside. From the kitchen maids to the cleaning maids, all hands were on deck. It made her excitement grow. This was truly happening!

  “Get off the bed, Evie.” A voice called behind her.

She turned quickly to see not just her mother but her father standing by the door too.

  “Mother! Father!” She jumped off the bed to greet them.

  “Happy birthday, Princess.” Her father told her in his usual cheerful tone. Perhaps she was being too skeptical, she could detect a trace of sadness in his voice. Was he sad? But why?

  “Thank you, father.” She humored them, bowing like a princess. That did lighten up the atmosphere.

  “We know we may not get the chance to do this later, so we got your present.” Her father announced. 

Evie looked at the box in her father’s hands with so much curiosity. Each year since she was born, she has always received a present from them. this one looked a bit more special. “Thank you so much, father. Mother.”

With excitement coursing through her, she opened the box, her gaze shifting from her mother to her father. The moment she looked down on the box, a soft gasp escaped her lips. “No way!”

Her mother chuckled. “You like?”

  “I love!” Starring back at her was golden necklace carrying the crest of their clan. It was a family heirloom that she had only heard about. “A-are you sure you want to give this to me?”

Her father patted her hair with a smile. “You are all grown up now. Probably, you’ll find your mate tonight. We want you to keep it as a token of your roots—your clan and your family.”

She caressed the piece of treasure gently, her eyes welling with tears. “Thank you so much, father.”

Her mother chuckled. It was hard to see Evie shed a tear. She had always been the strong one—even stronger than her dear mother. “As much as I’d love to see you finally shed some tears, we have to prepare for the ball. Come on now.”