The Princess's Betrayal

Chapter Four

That night I dreamt of ash. It was raining from the sky and coating the ground. I could feel it sticking to my skin and I could taste it on my tongue. I was searching through a scorched land, trying to find my way home. All around me people whispered and wolves howled in the moonless night. I couldn't see much of anything, but I knew there was a presence near, watching, waiting.

I awoke covered in swear with a feeling of doom in the pot of my stomach.

What the hell?

Had I magically switched places with Maddox? He was usually the one with the terrible nightmares.

I shook it off as I blasted my skin with cold water. It was just the shock I needed to rejuvenate my body and clear my head.

It had only been a dream. That's all.

I walked with Juliette to the dining room where her parents awaited us. Their faces lit up as we entered the rooms.

"Good morning, girls," Artemis greeted.

"Morning!" Juliette chirped while I just sort of nodded.

Breakfast was a delicious spread of crepes with many different fruit fillings and eggs cooked in all kinds of different ways. To drink they offered tea, coffee, water, or fresh juice.

It felt like they went all out, but I knew this was normal for them. Family meal time was really important here.

"Today, you two will have two lessons on edicate, one in history, one on leadership. Then we'll meet for lunch and after that it's off to the training grounds," Von explained while reading from a paper.

"Not too bad, right?"

The question was directed at me, and as much as I despised the thought of sitting through lessons, I politely nodded my head. At least there would be training.

"Good. Your lessons start in an hour. Go and prepare."

We rose from the table but Von stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Your father called. He'd like to speak with you before lessons start."

I nodded again. "Thanks Uncle Von. I'll call him now."

I got back to my room and dialed my dad's personal number. It rang once before he picked up.

"Ruby."

"Hey, dad."

He sighed. "How's it going?"

"Good so far. We have our first lessons today. I met a boy that Juliette is crushing on last night."

He chuckled. "Ah, young love. I remember when I first met your mother. She irritated the hell out of me at first. But goddess, was she stunning."

I laughed. "I know, dad. You've told me a million times. It's just..." I trailed off.

"Just?" he gently prompted.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm being paranoid. Something about it him didn't sit right with me."

He paused for a moment and I could almost imagine him stroking his chin as he thought about what to say next.

"Well, you know what your mother says. Always trust your gut."

"You're right. I'll keep an eye out. Speaking of mom, how is she? And Maddox?"

"They're.. good."

I picked up the slight hesitation his voice.

"Dad."

"Alright, fine. They've been having weird dreams again. Maddox is always on edge and your mom seems distant. I'm sure it's nothing. It'll pass. It always does."

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. They were having weird dreams, too?

"I'll give them a call tonight," I promised.

"I'm sure they would love that."

I smiled as Juliette entered my room, motioning that it was time to go.

"Alright dad, I have to go. Time for lessons. I love you."

"I love you, too my little gem. Be safe and call if you need anything."

"I will," I promised as I hung up the phone.

***

It was dusk by the time we finished lessons and training. Dinner wasn't for another hour, so Uncle Von had permitted me to train my bow skills in the empty archery field. I concentrated hard as I knocked another arrow and rose my bow.

I let it fly on an exhale and it landed just shy of the bullseye. I was clearly distracted because none of my shots had hit the target just right.

Frustrated, I threw down my bow and collapsed into the grass.

Why did I feel so on edge? Ever since meeting that boy, I couldn't seem to relax.

Speak of the devil, I noticed a certain werewolf looking around as he ventured toward the tree line. I kept low to the ground and watched as he paused before entering, making sure no one was following him. I narrowed my eyes as he disappeared into the forest.

Without a second thought, I hopped up and grabbed my bow and arrows and took off after him. Sneaking around meant trouble. I would know, I was the Queen of trouble.

As I broke through the tree line, I carefully placed my steps to make as little noise as possible l. I relied on my sense of smell to track him, and curdled my nose at the underlying stench that was masked by wet moss. It seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I had encountered that scent before.

I walked a long ways back until his scent grew stronger. Hiding behind some bushes, I gripped my bow and watched as he emerged from behind some trees. It looked like he was having a conversation, but his voice was too low for me to hear.

My heart raced and I felt an incessant pull to go over there and investigate. Elise was going bonkers in my mind, yapping and spinning in circles like a pup.Because of this distraction, I accidentally lost balance and a branch crunched under my foot. He froze and turned in my direction, narrowing his eyes. He let out a snarl and I sunk lower into the foliage. Luckily, he didn't seem to see me as he turned back to whoever he'd been talking to.

The conversation ended suddenly and he shifted into a tan wolf before taking off in the other direction. I watched him go and held my breath until I thought it was safe to move.

A flash of grey to my side drew my attention. Was there another wolf here?

The wind blew a scent in my direction and my mouth watered. It smelled like fresh rain and the ocean and I couldn't get enough of it.

Just as I was about to follow this mysterious person, my phone vibrated in my pocket and a text from Juliette came through telling me it was time for dinner.

With a sigh, I packed up my stuff and sprinted back to the castle with that scent imprinted on my mind. The uneasy feeling I had grew even more and I wondered just what was happening here in the Moonlight Kingdom.