We are the lions.
We drink from the ancient springs as if it’ll quench the same thirst that drives us—the innate thirst that we embody. Sunlight courses through our veins, radiating warmth throughout our body. At night, our souls glow dimly against the black backdrop, like stardust painted across the heavens.
We’re governed by laws, but by nature, we are untamable. We change any time we feel like it. We rule all of the seasons but none as much as summer.
Our women take charge in our realm and we command it by brute force. Three queens to every king. We fight for that position, to the death if necessary.
There are many tribes that live in our realm, and each tribe has their own king with three complacent queens governing their family. But there is only one kingdom that rules them all. One king and queen the pride looks to for direction. I was fortunate enough to be born a royal. Destiny whispered her demand into the fleeting wind and I was born. I know it deep in my bones I am meant to rule over not just our pride but all the realms.
My mate, Crede, was chosen with that same knowledge. We are the heirs of Summer. As such I will have to tolerate the other two wives, my own sisters, who will rival against me for our future husband’s attention.
As cubs, our mates are named during the Ceremony of Promises where we are officially betrothed to our partner. We accept our selected groom or bride as our soulmate. The stars have spoken, and we are fated for one another. But always, there’s one female that stands out to her husband-to-be more than the other wives. One lioness the lion prizes above the rest.
As the preferred daughter of the king and queen, I guess it’s only natural that the man I’m betrothed to also favors me. We’ll rule together, Crede, the future king, and me, his wife by his side, with my sisters behind us, always wanting more than they will receive. It’s our destiny.
A destiny I want and shy away from at the same time. Because, although I want my rightful place at the throne beside my closest friend and soon-to-be-husband, I also yearn for something more, something I can’t quite name. Something unknown and, I’m sure, something my parents would disapprove of. I shudder at the thought of their disapproval, of disappointing them.
Behind the soothing, almost melodic sound of the rushing water, something rustles. Tilting my head away from the river and toward the tree line of the nearby woods, all I hear is the wind singing through the trees. I smile when a small fox runs from deep inside the trees and scurries to the meadow. Angling my face upward, I soak in the unending blue sky that spans above me and the sun glistens on my tan skin.
Secure in the loneliness of my surroundings, I undress. My dress falls to the ground unceremoniously and as I step out of it, I unlatch my undergarments, still holding onto my washrag. Walking to the river, the thigh-high grass runs smoothly across my legs. I dip a toe into the cool water. When I’m waist deep, I dive in head first, my carefree glee coming out as a giggle when I come up for air.
This is the life I want. Swimming and bathing in solitude, surrounded by the familiarity of my realm while keeping a watchful gaze at the closest realm where the peaks of the mountains break through the puffy clouds—as if the mountains themselves are cruel and demanding.
Having already put soap on my cloth, I lather myself, beginning with my long, light-brown hair. The same shade of brown that covers my lion form.
A gentle whisper of leaves crackling catches my attention again. For a second time, I scan my surroundings. The sun streams into the dark spaces, permitting me to see the thick wooded area better. I startle, gasping for air, when I spot a pair of electric blue eyes emanating from behind a nearby bush, a dark mass of fur surrounding it.
The lone wolf prowls forward, sending me a quick glance as he dips his face and laps the cool water into his mouth. I still, both of us watching the other, and when I cover my naked body with my hands, his eyes narrow. I inch forward, anger making my body tremble with every casual step I take. In response, he pulls his muzzle back as he bears his white, sharp teeth at me. A growl rumbles from deep within his chest. I jump, changing form, and the transition is swift but empowering. In my true nature as a lion, my muscles twitch with power desperate to be released. The wolf flees the moment I land where he once stood, watching and antagonizing me.
The coward runs with his tail firmly between his legs. Unsure of his true nature—if he is simply a wolf or a spy sent from Winter—I follow him with the same quiet and patient footsteps I use when hunting.
I let him lead while I stalk back, as he rushes back to safety. When his stance relaxes, confident that he is alone, I stride forward, away from the shadows I’d hidden in.
We circle each other. His ears suddenly erect and he holds his legs stiff, he stands tall. He holds his tail high, thrashing side to side. We pace in front of each other. Watching. Waiting.
He snaps his jaw, his dark fur bristling as he stares intently at me. His muscles expand and retract with every step, and dominance radiates from him. His eyes change color, alerting me of his true nature.
This isn’t a regular wolf who accidentally strolled into our realm but, as I suspected, a wolf from Winter.
He crouches, as if readying himself to attack, so I pounce, landing on him and sinking my teeth into his neck. A howl crackles, reverberating around us as the first star appears onto the falling sky.
Chapter 3
Noble
I wander from the pack immediately.
My animal side takes over, just like before. It’s why Katarina died, because once I’m wolf, I’m not half myself as my parents are, as the parents before them were. If I change, I become the wolf. If I die, I wouldn’t even feel the death.
I do remember much later, but in the moment, it’s as if I’m asleep. The memories will tumble back unexpectedly afterward.
As soon as I transition, I head for the wood line, but the wolf doubles back. Before transitioning, I’d been seeking to be alone, and the wolf follows suit. I can sense the wrongness of where I’m heading, but the wolf pushes on never-the-less.
What I can recall next is waking - naked and bleeding.
I’m against the walls of our castle trying to hold chunks of myself together, blind with a pain I’ve never felt before.
Bites have been taken out of me.
I try to yell, but can’t summon the energy to do more than whisper.
A growl makes me flinch, huddle into myself, and I stare into the wood, waiting for the monster that did this to show themselves. To finish the job.
Three wolves watch me. Just blinking eyes before they come into the growing light. Their markings are ones I cannot recognize. They must be from the furthest parts of our kingdom. The large black one strides over and I wait, breath held, ready for them to attack.