there was a time, I used to look into my father's eyes

in a happy home, I was a king I had a golden throne

those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall

 i hear the sounds from the places where I was born

A green cloud hit me in the face when I walked through the front door.

"What the hell?" I muttered, wiping some of the soot off my face. Great. My favourite sweater was now stained green.

"Uncle Eddie," I yelled, shutting the door behind me. "Have you been experimenting again?"

Footsteps thudded down the stairs as Uncle Eddie came running into the living room. He was covered in the mystery gunk from head to toe. The blonde of his hair was no longer noticeable as it was now dyed a shade of emerald green, sticking up in little spikes. It looked sort of like grass that had yet to be mowed. I was surprised he could even see, as his goggles were painted green, save for a small dot on each side where I assumed he wiped a bit off in an attempt to avoid being completely blind.

"You're home already?" he panted between heavy breaths. "I thought you'd be out until after dinner at least."

I set my bag down on the tattered couch. It was made of brown leather, but worn out beyond the point of return. Everything was battered and old in our tiny cottage.

We lived in a small, two story cottage, located in the forest near the intersection point of three packs. We were part of the Lunar Pack, but we decided to live as far away from the pack house as possible. Not many pack wolves ventured out to our area during for fear of running into members of others pack - there was no knowing what would happen if you encountered someone from another pack.

Rules were no longer enforced as much since the Reds came into power, giving werewolves the freedom to do almost anything without fear of consequence. They were a pack of rogue wolves that operated differently from a traditional werewolf pack. While they all reported to an Alpha, they were able to go about their own business most of the time, doing whatever they wanted.

Rogues were already more wolf than human, with savage animal instincts, lack of remorse, and a thirst for blood. The Red Pack was essentially a group of rogues that did whatever they pleased, only coming together and submitting to their Alpha in order to carry out sadistic plans.

Example #1: The murder of my family.

As a result, murder, rape, and kidnapping rates increased alarmingly in the last few years. Therefore, the safest place was within your pack. However, even then, almost all pack Alphas were under control of the Reds.

Since we were surrounded by three pack territories, wolves came around our corner even less because the possibility of running into a werewolf from another pack was doubled. Border patrols had also become weaker, as pack warriors now did their runs closer to the pack houses.

It was a perfect spot for us.

Our location gave us privacy. Uncle Eddie had casted a few protection spells to further ensure that no one would find out our secret.

Well, two secrets. One: That I, the Princess, was still alive. Two: That Uncle Eddie wasn't really a werewolf.

"I heard talk that some Reds would be coming in tonight, so I thought I'd come back and get prepared before kitchen duty." I pulled an apple out of the fridge. "So what were you hoping to achieve with that green explosive?"

"I was trying to create a mind-reading potion," he began. "But I must've gotten the ingredient proportions wrong because one second I'm shaking the vial . . ." he muttered, as he started walking around the living room.

I tuned him out as I rummaged through the fridge in search of more food to eat.

" - and then in the next there's a flash!"

I found a jar of pickles in the very back and quickly began munching on one.

"And then suddenly I look like . . . like a . . ." He turned to look at me and gasped.

"Like a pickle!" he cried, as I stood there with a half-eaten pickle in my hand.

I took another bite.

"Don't you dare eat me!" yelled Uncle Eddie as he swiftly removed the pickle from my hand. "I think I just need to add more donkey foot," he mused, finishing off the pickle.

I never knew how or where he got his supplies from. Whenever I'd ask, it resulted in him going on a tangent about his disguise, old connection, various spells, secret passwords, and an ogre every now and then. After a while, I stopped trying to figure it out.

"A mind-reading potion?" I was intrigued. "That would come in really handy, Twix. If you need any help let me know."

I went up to my room. It wasn't much. A queen-sized bed was pushed to one corner, with an old, wooden desk in another. The walls were painted a light shade of yellow that had long lost its beauty, having been dulled by cracks, dust, and smudges. Clothes were scattered about everywhere.

I quickly changed my clothes and went to the bathroom. My eyes had been acting up lately, indicating I needed to change my contacts. Reaching up, I popped the lens out and threw them in the garbage.

My vision instantly sharpened. I looked in the mirror to see two dark blue eyes staring back at me. Just like my father's. It was a blessing and a curse. I hated the constant reminder of him; that he was no longer here, but I was thankful to forever have a piece of him with me.

Blinking away, I placed a new pair in, replacing the blue with brown.

I checked the time. 5:24pm.

Shit, I thought. I had only six minutes to get ready and get to the kitchen before Mrs. Watson gave me hell for being late again.

"Eddie, I've got to go!" I called, spraying myself with a scent-masking perfume.

If anyone got a whiff of me, my secret would be out. My scent was a dead giveaway that my wolf was of high rank, so Uncle Eddie designed the spray specially for me. He also made one for himself so that he could smell like a werewolf.

"Wait!" he cried, running out of his workshop. Or, as I liked to call it, his layer. "Take these." He shoved two vials into my hand.

"One is for creating a blinding fog," he gestured to the one on the right. "And the other one is basically an explosive."

"Thanks, Twix." I gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Anytime, Skittle." He ruffled my hair. "Be safe tonight, you hear?"

"I promise I'll try to," I said.

Giving him a wave, I left the house and ran to the pack house.

Seven minutes and 42 seconds later, I reached the kitchen and hurriedly put on an apron. I was over ten minutes late, but I didn't see Mrs. Watson anywhere. With a sigh of relief, I quickly grabbed a cutting board and began dicing tomatoes.

"You're late."

I slowly turned around to see a glaring Mrs. Watson. Although she was only four and a half feet tall, her wrath was strong enough to bring down a seven foot, 300 pound man.

I gave her a sheepish smile. "Mrs. Watson, um, hi! Is that a new apron?" I asked, trying to be casual.

She didn't buy it.

In fairness, her apron looked like it had been painted with vomit and shit. Not so smooth on my part.

"Ms. Willows, this is the fourth time this month that you have arrived after your scheduled start time." Her beady brown eyes bored into mine. "If you are tardy once more, I'm going to rearrange your duties so all your kitchen shifts will be replaced with bathroom cleaning. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir, yes!" I replied with military enthusiasm, even throwing in a flawless salute.

Freya Lockehart didn't exist in the Lunar Pack. In their eyes, the Princess had died thirteen years ago. My new identity was Reya Willows, daughter of Edison Willows.

Biologically speaking, Uncle Eddie wasn't my father, or even my actual uncle. He was my father's best friend for over a century, and therefore was family by heart.

She gave me one last glare, her eyes showing no amusement, before turning on her heel.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "If you are tardy once more, I'm going to rearrange your duties," I mimicked under my breath.

She turned around in a flash. "What was that?"

I stood straight. "Oh nothing, just talking to spirits." I shot her a wink and resumed my task.

My veins were buzzing with energy; the anticipation of tonight was overwhelming and I couldn't wait to finish my shift.

"Hey, Reya."

And just like that, my mood was ruined.

I looked up. "Hello, Valerie. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Valerie was a pack warrior and my biggest nuisance. She had gorgeous brown hair that cascaded down all the way to her waist. It was complimented by her emerald eyes, tanned skin, and her fully toned, athletic figure. Yeah, she was beautiful. But all that beauty was subverted by the hideous words that always accompanied her awfully high-pitched voice.

"I was wondering if you were going to the Mating Ball tonight?" she asked with mock sincerity.

Before I could even reply, she continued.

"Oh wait, of course you're not! You can't even shift," she sneered. "How could you have a mate?"

I simply raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry that not all of us need the help of the Moon Goddess to find true love."

Contrary to her belief, I knew I had a mate out there, but I didn't particularly need one at the moment. I had bigger things to focus on.

Valerie curled her lip in disgust. "Or she felt you were too pathetic to deserve love, just like your crazy dad."

I almost hit her, but I kept my cool.

No one talked about Uncle Eddie that way.

"One more word about him," I said in an icy voice. "and I won't hesitate to knock you cold. Wolf or no wolf, he's twice the person you'll ever be. Just because you have your own daddy issues, it doesn't give you the right to pick apart other people's. Now get. The hell. Out."

She glared long and hard at me before straightening her back and walking out of the kitchen.

I let out a breath, my shoulders dropping. I had to stay calm no matter what pissed me off. Creating a scene meant attention, and attention drew curious people. I couldn't afford that.

The Mating Ball was tonight. It was an annual event that provided unmated werewolves from all across the globe the chance to search for their mate outside of their packs. It was held at a different pack each year, and this year it was going to be at one of our neighbouring packs.

While the ball used to be held with good intentions, it had taken a dark turn. The ceremony became an opportunity for the Reds to come and steal women for their own pleasure, mate or not. The number of wolves that attended dropped drastically after the First Snatching a few years back, when many women were taken by the rogues involved in the Red Pack. Since then, the Reds declared it mandatory that at least ten girls and ten boys came to the ball from each pack.

For me, this meant that starting tonight, my area was going to be flooded with Reds. And that meant a bunch of rogues for me to get my hands on.

I was going to get some answers tonight. 

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Hi there! Thank you so much to everyone who supported my last chapter, your heartfelt comments really made my week :)

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