WATCH THE FANGS PRINCESS !!!

The ballroom glittered like a kingdom made of stars. Golden chandeliers hung above hundreds of nobles dressed in silk and velvet. Musicians played beside towering marble pillars, while servants carried silver trays overflowing with wine. Princess Valeria descended the grand staircase, every eye turning toward her. She smiled. It was the smile she had practiced since childhood. Gentle. Graceful. Perfect. No one could know that something monstrous lived beneath her skin. "Princess Valeria!" Her father, King Aldric, stood beside his throne, his expression unusually tense. "Come here, child." Valeria approached, lowering her head respectfully. "You look beautiful tonight," he said. "Thank you, Father." He hesitated. "There is someone you must meet." Before Valeria could respond, the enormous ballroom doors swung open. The music stopped. A sudden chill swept through the room. Six warriors dressed in black armor entered, their boots striking the marble floor in perfect unison. Behind them walked a man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed entirely in black. His dark hair fell carelessly across his forehead, and a thin scar cut through his left eyebrow. But it was his eyes that made Valeria's breath catch. Silver. Not gray. Not blue. Silver, like moonlight reflecting off a blade. The stranger moved through the crowd without bowing to anyone. Whispers spread. "The Wolf Prince." "Impossible. I thought he was dead." "They say he slaughtered an entire army." Valeria's stomach tightened. The man stopped before the throne. "King Aldric." His voice was deep and dangerously calm. "Prince Kael," her father replied. Kael. The name struck Valeria like a warning. She had heard stories about him. Kael Draven, the exiled prince of the northern wolf clans. A ruthless warrior. A cursed alpha. A monster who supposedly killed his own brother to claim the throne. And now he stood in her father's ballroom. King Aldric cleared his throat. "Valeria, this is Prince Kael of the Northern Territories." Kael's silver gaze settled on her. For one terrible moment, neither spoke. Then his expression changed. Not admiration. Not surprise. Recognition. "Princess," he murmured. Valeria lifted her chin. "Prince." Kael stepped closer. Something inside her chest stirred. A low growl echoed through her mind. Danger. She stiffened. Kael noticed. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Interesting," he whispered. "What is?" Instead of answering, he reached for her hand. The moment his fingers touched hers, pain exploded through her wrist. Valeria gasped. A black symbol flashed beneath her skin. A crescent moon wrapped around a beast's claw. Kael released her immediately. His face had gone pale. "No," he muttered. Valeria pulled her hand against her chest. "What did you do?" Kael looked directly into her eyes. "Nothing." But his voice had changed. For the first time, the feared Wolf Prince sounded afraid. Later that evening, Valeria escaped onto the eastern balcony. The cold night air brushed against her burning cheeks. Below, the royal gardens stretched toward the dark forest beyond the castle walls. She stared at her wrist. The strange symbol had disappeared. But she could still feel it. Like something alive beneath her skin. "You're hiding something." Valeria spun around. Kael stood in the doorway. "Do you always follow women onto balconies?" she snapped. "Only the dangerous ones." She laughed bitterly. "Then you've chosen the wrong princess." "Have I?" He approached slowly. Valeria refused to retreat. "Stay away from me." Kael stopped an arm's length from her. "Do you know what you are?" The question struck harder than she expected. "I'm the princess of Eryndor." "That's your title. I asked what you are." Valeria's heartbeat quickened. Inside her mind, the familiar voice stirred. He knows. She swallowed. "I don't understand." Kael leaned closer. "Then explain why your scent is neither human nor wolf." Her blood turned cold. "Scent?" "And why," he continued, "something inside you growled when I touched your hand." Valeria stumbled backward. Impossible. No one had ever heard it. No one had ever known. Kael's jaw tightened. "How long has it been speaking to you?" Valeria said nothing. "Princess." "Leave me alone." "Answer me." "I SAID LEAVE!" The balcony doors slammed shut. Both of them froze. Valeria stared at the doors. She hadn't touched them. Kael looked from the doors to her trembling hands. "By the ancient moon," he whispered. Then the voice inside Valeria's head laughed. He is frightened of us. Suddenly, a scream shattered the night. It came from the gardens below. Kael turned toward the sound. Another scream followed. Then a horrible, wet silence. Valeria rushed to the stone railing. A palace guard lay motionless beside the fountain. Above him stood something enormous. A creature covered in gray fur, with elongated limbs and glowing red eyes. Its jaws dripped blood. "A rogue wolf," Kael growled. The creature lifted its head. Its gaze found Valeria. And then it spoke. "THE BEAST PRINCESS." Valeria stopped breathing. Kael seized her wrist. "Get inside. Now." But the creature was already moving. It leaped from the garden, claws tearing through the stone balcony. Kael shoved Valeria behind him. His bones cracked. Silver eyes blazed. Black fur erupted across his arms as his fingers transformed into deadly claws. The Wolf Prince attacked. The impact shook the balcony. Stone shattered. The rogue slammed Kael against a pillar and sank its teeth into his shoulder. Kael roared. Valeria screamed his name. Something inside her snapped. The world slowed. Her heartbeat became thunder. The air smelled of blood, fear, and ancient magic. And the voice whispered: Finally. Valeria's eyes turned gold. The rogue released Kael. Its monstrous face twisted in terror. "No," it whimpered. "You were supposed to remain asleep." Valeria stepped forward. She no longer felt the cold. She no longer felt afraid. A shadow rose behind her, enormous enough to cover the moon. Horns. Fangs. Claws. The creature from her mirror. The rogue fell to its knees. "Forgive me, Your Majesty." Kael stared at Valeria in horror. "Valeria," he whispered. "Don't move." But she wasn't listening. Her reflection appeared in every shattered piece of glass scattered across the balcony. Each one showed the same thing. A crowned beast standing where the princess should have been. Then the voice spoke through her mouth. "WHO DARES HUNT MY VESSEL?" The rogue shrieked. A wave of darkness erupted from Valeria's body. The balcony trembled. The creature was hurled backward into the gardens, disappearing beneath a cloud of shattered stone. And then everything stopped. The shadows vanished. Valeria collapsed. Kael caught her before she struck the ground. For several seconds, he simply stared at her unconscious face. Then he noticed the mark glowing on her wrist. The crescent moon. The beast's claw. His expression darkened. He had seen that symbol before. Twenty years ago. On the doors of a f*******n tomb. A tomb containing the remains of the creature that had nearly destroyed the seven kingdoms. The ancient beast queen. The Devourer of Moons. The monster his ancestors had sacrificed thousands of lives to imprison. Kael looked down at the princess in his arms. "No," he whispered. But the truth was undeniable. The ancient beast had returned. And somehow, it had chosen Valeria. A faint voice escaped the unconscious princess's lips. Not Valeria's voice. Something older. Something crueler. Hello again, little wolf. Kael went rigid. The voice chuckled. Did you really think killing me once would be enough? His silver eyes widened. Because suddenly, he remembered. The burning kingdom. The battlefield covered in corpses. The beast queen kneeling before his blade. And the terrible promise she had made before dying. In another life, wolf prince, you will belong to me. Kael slowly looked toward the rising moon. He had spent twenty years trying to escape that prophecy. Now its fulfillment lay unconscious in his arms. And somewhere deep inside Princess Valeria, the monster smiled.