A single candle defied the darkness. Dim and feeble, it cast a withered glow upon a grim face. Even so, the tiny flame radiated enough light to shed truth upon her mother's lies. No longer able to hide in the darkness, it was all so clear in her features: taut, hardened with worry, ugly with deceit – it was almost as if she were attending a funeral, not a wedding. 

She said her tears were bitter-sweet. She insisted that she was joyous for her daughter, simply just distraught over her leaving the nest. But every so often when the light flickered across her features, Winter would catch the detachment in her mother's gaze. The worried thoughts clouding her eyes made them almost seem lifeless. It was clear not only from expression, but her prolonged lapses of silence that she didn't trust her daughter's would-be husband.

Like the rest of their village, it seemed she firmly believed she was releasing her daughter into the jaws of a waiting wolf. 

"Winter," the mother called her daughter in a hollow sounding voice. "This will be your wedding dress." 

There was a small shake her mother's arms as she extended a white gown towards her. The movement distracted her from the garment – an exquisite piece adorned with lace. 

"It's beautiful," Winter muttered, although her head was somewhere else. "But how can we afford this, mother?" 

"It's a hand-me-down," she replied flatly, with little emotion in her voice. "This will be the happiest day of your life." 

Something lurked behind the woman's grey eyes, something pained and secretive that made them seem lifeless. 

Winter's lip curled distastefully. After all these years, she still didn't trust Tamer nor her daughter's faith in him. She did her best to ignore the irritation itching in her stomach. This was a happy day –  no one would take this from her. 

Her mother avoided the sharpness of her gaze. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a bundle of silk and unfurled it, revealing a crown of white roses inside. 

"And finally," she whispered, raising her hands to place it on Winter's head, "the crown of ice flowers, the roses bloom once a century in the snow. As is traditional for the Maiden." 

Winter looked up, feeling the soft caress of the petals against her forehead. "Thank you, Mother." 

Her mother took a deep breath as if bracing herself for something. The last thing Winter expected was for her to pull out a knife. 

Her mother was acting so absurd and uneasy the sight of a weapon in her hands brought an immediate surge of anxiety within her stomach. Red candlelight – the hue of blood – danced over the silver surface. 

"And finally, the most important accessory of all," her mother whispered. "You must wear this beneath your dress, it will attach to your leg." She slipped the knife into its leather case.

Winter squared her shoulders, feeling her blood boil.

"Mother?" she asked sharply, fingers balling to a fist by her side. No longer could she keep her mouth shut in case of ruining what was supposed to be a happy day. Already there was a stain of distaste souring her mouth. "Is this traditional too? Or is this because you do not trust the nature of my groom?" 

Her mother took a deep breath. "No. It is not traditional." Her features hardened; her skin remained pale and sickly, even in the red glow. "But it is important for me. For my peace of mind, my dear." She clawed at the knife's sheath. "I raised a strong girl but there are some things even the lone wolf cannot fight." 

"He is not a shape-shifter," Winter snapped, articulating each word slowly and clearly for each other. 

Her mother scoffed. The boiling of anger in her stomach frothed like a witch's cauldron – Tamer had taken care of them and hunted for them all his life. She could not believe this was still an issue. More than anything, she just found herself hurt that she seriously thought she was in danger. 

She opened her mouth then shut it. No. Not today. She would not let this day be ruined.

"You should check your reflection in the lake once you are changed. You look very beautiful,” her mother mumbled.

Winter glared at her. She'd deal with this later, after the ceremony. She took the blade for the sake of peace-keeping; her hair whipped over her shoulder as she turned and made her way to the door. 

“Winter.” 

She paused in the doorway, the bleak light from the grey scenery outside streaming in through the frame. 

“Goodbye.” 

Winter slammed the door shut. 

****

Outside snow was falling like the most delicate of rose petals, leaving the forest iridescent in the breath of frost that swept over the land. 

She reminded herself to take deep breaths as she felt her eyes begin to sting. Her pace was brisk; she couldn't help but storm. This day was not going to be ruined. She would not let her mother take that from her. 

Even after all these years as friends, her still mother didn't trust the man she was to marry. Tamer may have had a faint lineage of Lupine blood running through his veins, but her mother had eventually grown past her unease for him – or so she had believed. They both knew Tamer was no shape-shifter. If he were, he would have been brutally murdered like his mother was years ago. 

As she passed them, villagers cast her lingering glances. Her palms clammed; she tried to pay the thick, heavy atmosphere and grey skies no attention as an omen. She glared back at anyone who stared. She trusted Tamer. Even if the whole village stared at her like a dead person walking, that would not change.

Eventually, she found herself at the lake. When she made her way to the water she realised the whole journey was pointless. The water was frozen, her reflection stolen by the thick layer of cloudy ice. It didn't matter – she just needed the time to herself more than anything. 

The sound of footsteps hammering through the snow alerted her ears. She nearly jumped out of her skin. When she saw the man's face behind her, she crumbled into a further state of panic. 

Her would-be husband – the man with wolf blood in his veins – was behind her.

She couldn't help the initial warm flutter within her stomach. She noticed he'd had his hair cut – no longer did the bronze strands shroud his face like an untidy mane.  However, the moment he came closer into view, she saw that something was wrong. His face was as pale as the snow and for once, he did not look pleased to see his bride. His hands were balled into fists; even in the bitter cold that reddened her own hands, his knuckles were turning white from the intensity of the grip. He didn't even say hello. Panting loudly as he drew to a halt, he shoved his hand in his mouth, chewing his nails and shaking like a nibbling mouse.

She wanted to say that it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. But the amount of white showing in his eyes grew. It was almost as if the roles were reversed – like she was the wolf, and he was the frozen rabbit staring her down. 

Something was wrong. She doubted he was having cold feet; even if they weren't allowed to be psychical until marriage, they had been stuck to each other like glue all their life. His dad must have done something again – nothing new on that part, Winter noted with a scowl of disgust.

“Tamer, please, not you too,” she said quietly. 

He said nothing. The rasping of his chest grew louder. He genuinely seemed like he was struggling to breathe. His ghastly face reddened with hives. A shiver passed through him and his teeth began to chatter. Winter quickly realised that it wasn't anything to do with the cold.

She wondered if Tamer was about to have a panic attack. It wasn't the first time he'd had one when he'd had a fight with his Father. He was extremely abusive. Now that Tamer would be living with her, he must have fought to bring him down one final time. 

She moved instantly to help him, doing just as she always had. The Lupine experienced something known as a mate bond – an intense, almost primal feeling of love that humans did not. It had the power to mend any negative mood by a mere touch. She threw herself at him, making to calm him with her embrace.

"Easy now," she whispered, soothingly encircling her hand on his back. "Slow, calm breaths. Focus on my touch."

Tamer tried his best to do as he was told. He spluttered and stumbled as he tried to form words. He was purely vibrating in her arms, a strange metallic sound jingling from him as he did so.

Something was wrong. Really wrong. He wasn't calming down with her touch like he normally did.

"Tamer, what's wrong?" she demanded. Her nails dug into his shoulder. "You're scaring me."

"Winter," he croaked. It was then she realised he was crying. He buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed, hugging her so tight it was hard to breathe. She felt something hard around his wrists imprint into her back – it appeared to be where the jingling was coming from. 

She took his hand as if to comfort him but rolled up his sleeve instead.

Her heart stopped when she realised there was a pair of broken shackles encircled around Tamer's wrists. The skin was red and irritated around them. Definitely silver.

Nauseating bile frothed within her stomach upon realising his father had chained him up. She hated him. Truly, she despised that man.

“Why were you restrained?” 

She couldn't finish her sentence. He clenched his eyes shut and his mouth opened as if he was trying to say something, but his teeth snapped back together again. A large amount of his gums showed; his teeth remained gnashed. “I can't tell you or do anything," he sobbed. "Literally. I psychically cannot – !” 

The sound of shouting was heard in the distance. Tamer turned to ice, whatever colour that was left in his cheeks completely draining.

"There!" a voice called.

Tamer sucked in a sharp, quivering breath. 

“Father's coming,” he whispered. "Winter." 

He reached to hold her face in his hands. His grip was tense, nails digging into her skin.

"Act natural," he breathed, pushing her behind the tree so they would be hidden from view. "P-please play along, this is important, this is the best I can..."

She found herself in the clutches of a desperate grip and stare. His handsome face was contorted with agony, ghastly like pure death. He stared at her lips solemnly for a second, seeming like he was about to dive into her lips before planting a kiss on her cheek instead.

She froze, feeling the warmth of his lips blossom upon her cheek. The mate-bond momentarily stole her mind; nothing else existed but the touch of his lips in that moment. Not her mother, not her fear, nor his absurd actions. Just a pure, explosive pleasure fluttering like a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She felt Tamer untense. His kiss unwound the initial knot of worry in her stomach, but there was something desperate in his movements, less a kiss and more a fear induced cling. 

Very suddenly, he pulled away. Winter's lips parted as she found herself faced with a beautiful golden light inflaming his irises. They had changed from brown to gold, liberally radiating light. Lost in their beauty, the voice that interrupted them made her lurch in fright. 

"Tamer!" it roared. 

Tamer pulled her into his arms protectively, smothering her body with his bulky frame. He was shaking hard but the look in his eyes toward his father was volatile. Whatever Tamer was playing at, she really hoped his Father had not seen that for his sake. 

Tamer's eyes darkened in distaste as the man ran toward them. "Father." 

His Father hesitated in the ferocity of his stare. A purely wolven snarl distorted Tamer's usually gentle features. 

"What are you doing?" his father demanded, although his voice wasn't as confident as he probably would have liked. "I told you you can't see her before the wedding!" 

Tamer said nothing, his fingers digging into her shoulders. Even the comfort of his embrace could not calm the pounding of Winter's heart. 

“Don't you look at me like that,” his Father warned sharply. “Let her go. It was the order of the king that you couldn't see her!” 

Tamer's eyes narrowed. Reluctantly, he released her, hands lingering on her shoulders. Once she was free, he stared at his hands in shock as if surprised he'd released her himself.

“Exactly,” his Father spat almost smugly. He looked pleased to have Tamer obey him once again. “You can't ignore the order of your alpha.” 

“What's going on? Tell me!” Winter shouted, having no idea who the question was directed to, Tamer or his Father.

His Father ignored her; Tamer's teeth clung together as if they were glued. He hung his head, looking as if he were rooted to the spot. 

“I'm so sorry, Winter,” Tamer whispered. He buried his face in his hands, sobbing. "I'm not strong enough."

His Father stormed towards him, invading his personal space. “Don't try and hide them from me! I saw! Your eyes are golden – I know what that means. You actually tried to slip through the loophole – you were actually okay with killing us all for her!” 

Without a moment hesitation, his Father punched him; Tamer staggered but other than that didn't react to the pain, even as blood poured from his lip. 

Winter's heart broke at the sight. “The only animal here is you,” she hissed. 

His Father stared at her like she was a piece of dirt before returning his attention to Tamer.

“I'll teach you a lesson,” he growled at his son. “Seize her!” 

She heard the smashing of glass. She couldn't even finish a howl of protest as severe pain blossomed in her skull. She was the one who was targeted – not Tamer. The ultimate way to punish him. 

For a moment she was stunned, knees buckling. 

The last thing she caught sight of was Tamer's horrified expression as she collapsed. 

Darkness consumed her vision. 

*** 

The darkness was just as prominent when she awoke. Her head was in agony and the tight burn of rope grazed her wrists. She stirred, finding her joints agonised on the stone floor as if she had slept for hours. 

Her surroundings were cloaked in darkness. If it were not for the faint illumination of a single flame and a thin crack of light from a window, she might not have noticed him. 

In front of her, bathing in the most unnaturally radiant moonlight, was Tamer. His bare chest was flaunted in the silver light as if he were soaking up rays of sunlight to add to the hue of skin, opposed to the cold, white light that bleached him. 

At first, she didn't notice the blood drenching his skin. She was too focused on how at home he looked in that sinister light. 

"T-Tamer...?" she gasped, her mind finally joining back together to form the word. 

The rope tying her hands together made her movements clumsy. Awkwardly, she crawled toward him, desperate to find the source of the blood coating him. 

His eyes remained tightly shut.

"Winter," he said hoarsely. 

Something about him made her heartbeat quicken. She'd never seen him in such a light before. His beauty was somehow far more prominent but incredibly dangerous at the same time; she could see his muscles, how powerful this being actually was. 

She almost didn't recognise this person. 

"What happened to you?" she uttered. 

Still not opening his eyes, Tamer turned around, exposing his back to her. It was there she noticed an array of gashes over his body, the skin bright red and irritated like he had been burned. 

His voice cracked. "They punished me  for interfering. I'm sorry, Winter. I failed you,” he whispered, voice flat. “I couldn't save you before the full moon rose." She stared into his eyes; they were glassy as if there was no longer a soul inhabiting him inside. "Father knew how I'd change under the moonlight. He tried to keep me from you during the day as it was more likely I could break the rule to try and save you. But the moonlight is different. Under the night, my wolf blood reigns completely. The only time a wolf can defy the alpha wolf's wishes is when it contradicts the will of his mate; I hoped the kiss would trigger something, but it was too little too late. That's why Father wouldn't let me even hug you. If we became bonded, I could have saved you." 

Winter's heart pumped pure dread throughout her body. She might've been okay with the wolf blood in Tamer's veins, but this was the first time she'd ever seen the animal in control. It was purely natural for her to feel the urge to flee. 

"Save me from what?" Her voice was a rugged whisper. She gulped, goosebumps prickling her arms, heart beginning to palpitate. "Tamer... What's going on?" 

The moment he turned and his eyes caught the moonlight, they changed. The brown bled into a vibrant, glowing red. "It was all just a front. There is no wedding, Winter." 

Winter froze. His eyes shone like hell-fire. This was the first time she'd seen him under the full moon.

As if reading her mind, Tamer cast her a grim smile, tears sparkling like fresh blood in those demonic eyes. 

"Then what?" she uttered, doing her best to avoid the animal lurking in his gaze as she began to shake. 

Tamer towered over her. His red eyes bore into hers. The genuine warmth of his affection for her only made them the more sinister, igniting them like flames. 

"No wedding. You, Winter, are the maiden: the sacrifice whose blood is shed to help keep the King of Wolves from slaughtering our entire village."

He reached out to caress her face; Winter froze as his fingers streamed through her hair, a warped tenderness radiating in his touch even despite its terrified shake. Tears brimmed from his red eyes, pouring down like blood in the fiery light. 

"And it is my job to guide the lamb to her slaughter."