King Gaius p.o.vI stayed silent as Hilda proceeded down the hall ahead of me.I admired the swell of her hips beneath the deep purple gown she wore. Her gold crown balanced gracefully atop her auburn locks. I wondered how I had been lucky enough to be betrothed to her. There were plenty of other kings and princes who would have died to marry such a beautiful princess. Whatever my father had done to solidify the alliance with her kingdom, I thanked the heavens for. My only regret was that I hadn't been able to give her a child that was truly hers by birth. We both adored Isla and loved her to death, but I knew that Hilda craved a child that she had carried inside of her. We had stopped trying for a baby long ago. Hilda had gotten pregnant again when Isla was about two years old, but she almost died giving birth to the baby boy who died three days after he was born. After that, we no longer tried to have a child. It was very likely that Isla was the only child we would ever b
King Gaius p.o.vI sighed and stood up to pace to the window. I stared out into the courtyard. I was comforted by the torches of the guards that paced back and forth and perched on the wall. I begged for the gate to open to allow a doctor in, but I was losing hope. The clock in the nursery alerted me that it was now nearing midnight. It wasn't likely there would be an available doctor in the village. I looked up at the full moon that loomed above the castle. It was bright and mocking. It's white light bathed the land, and I felt betrayed; the full moon had always brought me comfort because it was watching over my kingdom. Now, here it was, and my daughter was possibly dying. The clock chimed midnight in the corner. I turned to glare at the obnoxious ringing and was shocked to see Isla's eyes were wide open.I rushed over and Hilda was staring at isla in shock. Her blue eyes were glowing in the darkness, the irises emitting a sort of their own light. She was completely stil
King Gaius p.o.vGreta and I had tried to coax the blue wolf to shift back into the princess, but either it couldn't or it wasn't inclined too. I waited as long as I could, but I couldn't go any longer without talking to Hilda."You'll keep an eye on her? Don't let anyone in here until she shifts back into herself," I warned."Of course, my lord," Greta looked at me as though I was crazy for even thinking that she would allow such a thing. I glanced at the clock on the mantle in the nursery. Two o'clock in the morning. It had been two hours since Isla had changed into the Wolf and it didn't look like she was going to turn back into a human any time soon. The wolf appeared to have overcome its initial shock of suddenly being an animal. It now around the room wreaking havoc. It would climb up the drapes and crawl back down onto the bed with tiny legs. Then it would run around the room, knocking over toys and running into various pieces of furniture. It had stumbled into the fire t
Isla sprinted down the empty hall, her skirts held tightly in her fists to avoid tripping over them. She chuckled softly as she hid behind a marble pillar. "Dammit, princess," the leader of her three guards, Gabriel, grumbled under his breath as he and the two others passed by her hiding place. She was quite adept at evading her guards, she'd had twenty-one years to hone in her skills, and her guards never seemed to catch on. She appreciated them, but they were suffocating. The large, blue clad men were never more than ten feet from her. "Sorry, Gabriel," she whispered and then took off in the direction from which she had come. Greta, her parents, and her guards chastised her on a nearly daily basis for evading their presence, but the wolf in her did not like being stalked. The wolf within her did not like much, but the one time they got along was when she was sneaking away from her supervisors. Although, even when she and her counterpart where on the best of terms, the wolf
"How many guests have arrived?" Isla asked her nurse."A few, but only the ones who live far away. The rest will arrive later this evening. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating with you, dear."Isla made a noise of agreement but a knot of worry had settled in her stomach as her wolf reappeared in her mind. It wanted nothing to do with this evening and she would most likely have a headache for most of the night, which she was not looking forward to. They traveled throughout the castle, passing servants who were rushing to finish preparing for the party. No one paid them any mind simply for that reason. Greta ushered Isla into her chambers, shutting the door in the faces of the guards. Isla looked around her tidy room and saw that her dress had arrived."Oh, Greta," Isla breathed in admiration. The gown was made of blue silk the color of the sapphire around her neck and the sleeves were a thin, nearly transparent fabric that flowed down nearly as long as her skirt. A silver
"How many guests have arrived?" Isla asked her nurse."A few, but only the ones who live far away. The rest will arrive later this evening. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating with you, dear."Isla made a noise of agreement but a knot of worry had settled in her stomach as her wolf reappeared in her mind. It wanted nothing to do with this evening and she would most likely have a headache for most of the night, which she was not looking forward to. They traveled throughout the castle, passing servants who were rushing to finish preparing for the party. No one paid them any mind simply for that reason. Greta ushered Isla into her chambers, shutting the door in the faces of the guards. Isla looked around her tidy room and saw that her dress had arrived."Oh, Greta," Isla breathed in admiration. The gown was made of blue silk the color of the sapphire around her neck and the sleeves were a thin, nearly transparent fabric that flowed down nearly as long as her skirt. A silver
Isla took a shaky breath as Greta pulled her into the hallway. The silk skirt of her gown flowed around her legs and dragged slightly on the floor, which made her look as though she were floating. Her three guards were waiting to escort her and they smiled at her appearance in appreciation. Greta had done a wonderful job making her look like a princess. Especially her hair. She had somehow tamed the unruly waves and coaxed them to flow around her in the most elegant of ways. The top layers of her hair were pinned back in a clip that matched both her gown and her necklace. Upon the piles of thick hair sat her tiara, silver and tantalizingly shiny. "My lady," A guard said as he bowed low. The other two guards followed his lead. Isla curtsied and smiled as her parents approached them.The queen adorned a deep purple gown with similar silver accents as Isla's. Her auburn hair was braided and wrapped around her head, with a few stray tendrils tickling her cheeks. The king wore his b
Chapter 15"I'm Isla," she offered. Though it was perhaps the most obvious thing she could have said, she couldn't stand the silent dancing.He glanced away from their feet and up at her face. His eyes were a plain brown, nothing to get excited about. "I know," he answered before looking back down at their feet. Isla refrained from rolling her eyes and tried to keep her irritation in check."And your name is...?" She left the question open ended.He looked up at her again, but this time his eyes were wide. He seemed surprised that she would even care what his name was."My father is Sir Anthony" he replied. And his eyes went back to watching their feet.Isla took a deep breath. Was the young man dense or what? At least she now knew that he was the son of one of her father's knights."I do believe I asked for your name," she reminded him in a sweet voice. Again, he seemed shocked that she cared."My name is also Anthony" he said meekly."You're named after your father?""After