Chapter Eight

The blood bear attack slowed our progress; we had missed a full day, and both Zander and I knew it. 

We rode through the rest of the night, the next day, and into the twilight of dusk… then… we crested a hill, and just over it was my new home.

Before us stretched an entire kingdom unlike anything I had ever imagined; dusk had settled over the land, painting the horizon in shades of violet, rose, and molten gold. The fading sunlight clung stubbornly to the world below, as though even the sun was reluctant to leave this beautiful place. 

Countless lights flickered to life throughout the kingdom, not from lanterns or torches, but from glowing blossoms that bloomed along winding streets, climbing the sides of buildings like living stars.

My breath caught.

The city appeared carved from moonlight itself.

Towering spires rose toward the heavens, their surfaces shimmering as stone and crystal fused. They curved impossibly high, twisting like the branches of ancient trees rather than the rigid stone structures I was accustomed to. Some were connected by delicate bridges suspended in the air, so thin and graceful they looked as though a strong breeze might carry them away.

A river of liquid moonlight wound through the heart of the kingdom, reflecting the colors of the twilight sky. Small boats drifted across its surface without oars or sails, guided by magic alone. The water glowed faintly from beneath, illuminating the elegant arches of bridges spanning its width.

The forests surrounding the city were equally impossible.

Trees larger than castles stood guard around the kingdom, their trunks wide enough to house entire villages. Their leaves shimmered in shades of emerald, sapphire, and silver, changing color whenever the breeze stirred them. Tiny lights danced among their branches like stars caught beneath the canopy.

A sudden shock settled over me as I realized there were more than just wolves here. I saw fae, witches, wolves, and so many other creatures I couldn't begin to process.

Hundreds of them moved through the streets below.

Some possessed wings that glimmered like stained glass in the fading light. Others had antlers woven with flowers and gold. I spotted skin in shades of bronze, ivory, blue, and even silver. Their clothing flowed around them like living silk, shifting colors with every movement. Woven in with them were wolves, larger than any being I had ever seen, with fur like moonlight, some like night, all guarding the others below.

Music drifted upward from somewhere deep within the city.

I couldn't identify the instruments, yet the melody wrapped around me like a memory I couldn't place. Beautiful. Haunting. Familiar.

And then there was the palace.

Gods.

The palace stood at the center of it all, built atop a rise overlooking the kingdom. Its countless towers gleamed beneath the first appearance of the evening stars. Crystal windows reflected the twilight, while flowering vines covered portions of the walls without hiding their grandeur.

For a long moment, I stared at the kingdom. Everything I had known suddenly felt small. Evandor, the fae clans. Even the castle Theron had ruled from. None of it compared to this.

Beside me, Zander smiled at my stunned silence.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I could only nod at his words. Beautiful wasn't a large enough word for what lay before me. The kingdom looked like something pulled from a dream, a place too magnificent to belong to the waking world.

Yet as I stared at the glowing city and the creatures moving through its streets, a shiver slipped down my spine. Because for all its beauty, there was something undeniably dangerous about it.

The Wolf Kingdom was enchanting, and every story I had ever heard about these beings suddenly became a lie. 

It was said the wolves were barely scraping by on one meal a day; that there was no luxury, no fineries… but before me was a kingdom the world outside of here had no idea about. 

It was with that realization that I knew I would never leave this place again, that I would never be forced to see the people who had, in some way or another, sacrificed me for most of my life. 

A feeling that was part fear and joy tickled in my stomach. On one hand, if Zander had been honest, I would be free here. I would be married, yes… but free. On the other hand, if he was lying, my fate may truly become worse than ever before. 

My body shuddered for a moment, a brief, tickling thing. But Zander noticed. 

"Odessa?" His voice was soft as chills spread across my skin. 

"I'm... scared." The admission slipped my lips so quickly I couldn't cut it off had I wanted to. 

"Scared? You are in paradise, my lady. I know you were expecting something different. I promise everything will be cleared up in a few moments." He didn't know that my fear wasn't because I topped that hill to discover the stories of the wolf clan were all lies, or that I couldn't understand why so many creatures lived here. It wasn't his fault, though. He had no idea what I had lived through in what I had thought was paradise once already. He had no idea the betrayal and grief that ran through my veins like molten lava, and no clue of the plans I had to avenge my son.

This was so much bigger than the fear of living somewhere new.

"Paradise." I smiled at him.

"Paradise," he repeated.

"Then... I suppose there is nothing to be afraid of." I took one step off the hill, pulling the tired mare behind me. 

Though Zander followed closely behind me, the moment my boots touched the cobblestone streets, things changed. I was no longer tired; instead, I felt energized and renewed. With every step forward, my spine became straighter, my chin higher, as the creatures began stopping in their tracks to stare at me. 

Just as I began to turn to Zander for answers, a group of women at a merchant's table turned to me, and with tears in their eyes they bowed deeply. This was no mere dip of the head; no, they fell forward, bending deeply at the waist, letting their tears fall free. 

"Our queen has arrived!" they echoed through the crowd, setting off a chain reaction. 

Some bowed, some fell to their knees, some rejoiced with tears of glee, while others laughed and cheered their joy. 

"Zander, what is happening?" I asked him, my face burning deep into my neck.

"They smell your blood, Odessa. They now know that for the first time in centuries, a human princess from Evander has chosen this place. They know their queen has finally come home." I stiffened. 

Home… that felt like such a foreign word to me. Locke had been the only home I had known for a very long time.

I reached for my aching heart, but before my hand could land against my chest, a little girl with silver curls and dragonfly wings ran forward, pressing a glowing blossom into my palm.

"For our queen," she bowed before running away with a giggle that warmed my aching heart. 

"Why all of this for me?" I asked Zander as an elderly male, clearly a wolf, approached me. He dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to my knuckles. 

"Because you have finally come home, my lady." Panic rose in my throat… was this him? Was this my husband-to-be?

"This is Abner, our healer?" I exhaled, trying to wipe the stupid look off my face as I returned his bow and took his hand, shaking it.

Fear rose in his emerald eyes at my actions; an expression crossed his features that caused my greeting to clip on my tongue.

"Odessa, they aren't used to your customs. Here, royalty doesn't return a bow or touch commoners." Zander spoke for only me to hear. 

For a moment, I pondered that. I didn't do that custom. Still, I released Abner's hand and apologized, stepping back toward Zander before I made a complete fool of myself. I had never felt more human than I do right now. I couldn't make myself the pun of every joke the way I had in Theron's. Things would be different here… they had to be.