Tonight, I am supposed to dine with the king. I wait outside the heavy doors until two servants beckon me to come into the dining room. Candles are the only source of light in here, setting a very eerie, yet serious mood. It is a private dinner; just me, the king, the queen, and close family; including the two princesses. There is an empty seat next to Centa. I am expected to sit there. I do. She pretends to smile at me when I sit down. All of us are in human form, with a goblet of wine in front of us. Much to my surprise, a young man comes in and takes a sip from each of our glass, waits a minute by the door, than leaves. We are now allowed to drink. The king must have seen my surprise, because he smiles,

"This much all be very new to you," he booms across the table. The table is much wider than it needs to be, making me feel very distant from the few who are at the table.

"Yes, it is," I admit, taking a sip of my wine.

"As a king, no matter how well you rule, there will always be those who want you to die. They blame their own misfortunes on those who are in power because they can't admit they did it to themselves. That is why I have so many bodyguards, even men who drink my wine before I do. I can never be too careful; I have too much to lose. If I die, my line of rule does too. There is no son to take my place on the throne," he pauses, "Leonitis..." he trails off and looks out the window at his kingdom.

"Yes?" I ask, trying to nudge the words from him.

"Nevermind," he scoffs, "I will bring that up when the time is right. Anyways, you fought well today."

"I lost," I answer.

"You were fighting wolves larger than you with more training. You stood your ground, had good fighting tactics, and never gave up no matter how injured you would be. That is exactly the type of man I want guarding my daughters life, but Leo -if you want this, there are costs."

"Which are?"

"For starters, your life will always be in danger."
"That I am okay with," I say quickly.

"And what about this; second, you will have to cut off all ties with your past, your family."

I put my drink down and glance around the table. The king's wife is giving me a sympathetic stare, and Centa will not meet my eyes.

"I can't do that. My family means everything to me. It is one of the reasons I sought to give my life to you; to pay back what my family has done for me."

"Yes Leo, and that is very noble of you," says the queen in a meek voice, "but they are not of royal lineage, or any decent lineage of that matter. No one will follow or respect you if they know where you have come from."

I lower my head. My mother and father have done everything for me. They have paved the way so I could have a bright future, and now to keep growing my future i would need to turn my back on them.

"When? When would I do this?"

"Now," said the king, "now or never at all. You will live here at the castle. We will tell others you have come from a distant land to take my daughters hand in marriage. No one knows you now anyways, especially not if you bulk up and gain some more muscle. You will present yourself to crowds in human form, the rest who know the truth about you will be made quiet -or die."

"Die?" I choke out feebly. At that moment, the servants come out with roasted chicken and wild rice, vegetables, roasted potatoes, and exotic fruits. The king pauses his speech and fills his plate. He only eats the chicken. That is common for us wolves; we aren't very good vegetarians, but I pile my plate with vegetables as to not disrespect the chefs who spent their time making it.

When the king has eaten, he pushes back his plate and rests his hand on his bloated stomachs. Us werewolves eat twice a day, but we make it count. A bloated belly is a happy belly, for us atleast.

"Eat, Centa," the king commands his daughter. "You are not required to stay thin anymore; you are with child and must sustain nourishment for the both of you."

"Yes father," she says, and takes a small bite of a chicken leg. I can't help but think that my mother cooks much better food than this.

"Yes, die, Leo. That should not be necessary, but if anyone is to let this secret out about your birth home than they must die. That goes for your own parents, too."

That makes me lose my appetite. I imagine soldiers coming to visit my parents and telling them they no longer have a child. My dad is too stubborn to accept that. My mother will be a wreck.

"Do you accept?" the king asks.

I take one look at Centa, whose pale eyes are filled with fear and anger. She is not happy with her situation either, but she is stuck. In a way, so am I, with her. I wanted this life, and now I must meet it's standards.

"Yes," I say.

"Good," says the king, bowing and standing from his chair. The queen follows suit, and so does his daughter. "Centa will show you to your room. You two now live together."

They leave the room, and it is just me and Centa staring lostly at each other in the empty dining room.