A Kingdom of Lies and Deception

Chapter One

My bow lay discarded in the snow. Flung from my body the moment I'd shifted into my wolf form, the tip of the carved ebony was barely visible above the soft, fluffy powder. Making a mental note of its location, I continued on, forging a path through the frozen wilds.

Winter had settled over the land; frost clung to the pines and snow blanketed the forest floor, bringing with it a silence that made my heart sing. This silence, save for the rustling of the branches as the wind caressed them, was my only company. I revelled in it – basked in the absolute quietness – a momentary refuge from everyday life.

Shaking out my dark fur, I lifted my head and let the scents of the forest flood my palate, the crisp mountain air invading my nostrils and coating the back of my throat. I sifted through the distinct smells, peeling back layer after layer until one caught my attention. It tried to hide – the breeze lifted my prey's succulent aroma from the snow and carried it deeper into the forest – but I latched onto it with a vengeance. My stomach rumbled in anticipation.

The mouthwatering scent grew stronger as I stalked it, slowing my breathing and darting between the trees with cat-like grace, closing in on my target in a horrifying quietness that would make even the toughest warrior quake in their boots.

My nostrils flared as I came upon a small clearing, and I crouched down onto my belly to slide into a cluster of shrubs, careful not to dislodge any of the snow from the foliage. The doe was standing up on her hind legs and craning her neck to strip bark from the tree, her heart thumping loud enough for my ears to pick up the sound. Excitedly, I licked my lips, almost tasting the deer's juicy flesh on my tongue.

When I first shifted almost two years ago on my sixteenth birthday, the urge to slaughter and feast on forest animals made me sick to my gut. Now, it was second nature. The hunting, the killing, the delicious meat that filled my stomach daily – it hardly bothered me now.

I slinked forward, preparing to launch myself at the deer, practically salivating as her pulse hammered visibly in her neck. A quick bite to the throat is all it would take. It would be painless, like drifting asleep on a warm summer's eve.

The wind chose this moment to change direction with gusto, blasting through my fur and rattling the snow from the branches, sending it plummeting to the ground with muffled thuds. The doe startled, and her eyes found mine.

Shit.

With a shriek, she took off, plunging through the snow with surprising speed. Cursing, I chased after her, delving deeper into the forest. The sun was beginning to crest over the horizon, bathing the land in a tangerine glow and painting the sky with vivid hues of orange and pink. Shafts of golden sunlight filtered through the trees, shining in my eyes and slowing me in my pursuit of breakfast.

The deer evaded my claws at every opportunity, and a frustrated growl slipped through my teeth, the thrill of the hunt wearing off and being replaced with irritation, the primal instinct that came with this form pushing me to make the kill.

Up ahead, a giant stone wall loomed, rising high into the sky and casting a long shadow over the land. Large blocks of granite formed the formidable structure, stretching for miles in either direction, encircling Vesenia's territory. Runes were carved into the coping at the top, an undulating pattern of shapes and swirls that pulsed and crackled with magic, charmed almost five hundred years ago to ensure the safety of the people within. A shiver scuttled over my spine as I neared the structure; the wall hummed with dark, malicious energy that almost seemed alive, just waiting for an unsuspecting soul to spring its trap.

The deer didn't stop as the wall began to curve back around to the north, instead continuing to run straight, too frightened to stop. I slid to a halt, scrunching my eyes shut and waiting for the sound of her skull to crack against the stone and echo through the wintery landscape.