The plan didn't work.

Not the entire plan, but Camila's plan to be inconspicuous in a corner.

She had changed her position five times in the club now, each one more hidden than the last, yet men seemed to gravitate towards her.

Her outfit was not the problem.

Half of the girls there wore far more revealing outfits.

Also, she had confirmed from one of their conversations that they didn't know why they were drawn to her.

Suppressing her irritation, she moved again to another part of the room, while keeping her eyes on the princess chatting happily with Taylor on a couch, approximately 35 feet away from Camila.

After a few minutes of silent drinking and watching, the princess stood and walked in the direction of the only bathroom with an escape route as they had planned.

Camila immediately noticed the four men who stepped out of the shadows and followed the princess.

As Camila began to move, a boy between the ages of sixteen and eighteen staggered in front of her and slurred, "Hey, beautiful..."

He did not complete his sentence because Camila hit the pressure point on his neck and paralyzed him.

Using the noise that started as a result of the boy's collapse as a cover, she followed quickly after the men.

The scene she met was expected- a nearly unconscious princess, fighting to her last breath and four men trying to hold her down.

Jumping into the action immediately with the element of surprise as an aide, Camila stabbed tranquilizers, that had been well hidden in her long boots, into the necks of the two men nearest to her.

The sound of their slumping alerted the other two to an intruder.

Before they could let go of the princess and react, Camila rushed forward and stabbed two more tranquilizers in their necks.

"You're fast," the princess coughed out.

"Not fast enough. You should not be like this," Camila said.

"Oh, I'll be fine. My blood is strong. I just need to rest here a bit," she whispered.

"My princess, that might be a problem. There are more of them. If my calculations are correct, at least six more."

Four for the initial mission. Four for backup. Two for a getaway.

"Oh gosh. You'll need my help to fight them," the princess said, trying to lean upwards.

In one swift motion, Camila swept her into her arms.

"There is a time to fight and a time to run, Your Highness."

"Now's the time to run?"

Camila nodded, "I would fight but with your condition, it will be a losing battle."

"Thanks, Camila," the princess said, "You better get home safely. Alex has taken a liking to you."

Ignoring the girl's statement, Camila held Princess Adelaide tighter as she fell unconscious. She opened a door that the construction workers of the building had probably forgotten to seal and began to run in the direction of a predetermined rendezvous point.

She then used her shoulder to click on her communicator to alert Decebel, the head of the defense warriors of the royal pack.

"Camila! Finally! Was your lead solid?" Decebel asked.

He was one of the few thousand-year-old paranormals who didn't treat her like a child. After she had saved his squad from death a few times through her superior battle strategy, he'd come to respect her regardless of her age.

"Four unconscious men. Unconscious princess. Six or more are wide. Are your men still at the border?" Camila said.

"Six? You're alone, Camila but yes, the men are still at the border. You need backup, right?" he asked worriedly.

"No. Keep them there. The kidnappers might try to escape."

"Camila, you need backup. I'll come to you," Decebel said.

"No, that would..." she trailed off as she dodged a gunshot aimed at her head.

"Was that a gun?" Decebel yelled.

"I will try to outrun them. Come and get the princess. She is topmost priority," Camila said, dodging another bullet.

"What about you?" Decebel said, already running in the dense forest.

"I will be fine. Whatever you do, the crown prince must not know what is happening," Camila warned.

If he did, all hell would break loose.

As Decebel was within twenty feet of her, she tossed the princess in the air. Decebel caught her and began to run in the direction he came.

Suddenly, a growl that seemed like it emanated from the depths of the earth sounded through the forest. The ground and the trees vibrated and swayed with the intense power.

Camila stopped midrun and stared upwards.

This was the worst-case scenario. The only scenario that she did not have a well-thought-out plan for.

The prince finding out that she was in danger.

Camila turned to the shooters, who had managed to catch up.

With no harsh words exchanged, she began to fight all five of them with the goal of making them unconscious before the prince arrived.

He would tear whoever was left to pieces.

As the last man dropped to the ground, a midnight black wolf jumped into the clearing to see something that made him both angry and proud.

His mate in the center of a circle of unconscious men.

She looked at him with blank eyes before beckoning him forward. He moved forward slowly at first before increasing his pace eventually.

As he got to her front with his head reaching her chest, she sunk her fingers into his fur, causing him to let a little growl.

"I am alright, your Highness," she said.

He looked at her with sad eyes and she understood what he meant immediately.

You could have died.

"Your Highness, I am the knowledge keeper and an honorary member of the top division of the defense warriors of this pack. Life-threatening situations are in the job description," Camila said.

The prince's wolf growled in response.

"Sorry. Shall we go home?" Camila said and then contacted Decebel about the bodies at her location.

When she tried to walk, the prince stood in front of her and lowered his back for her to climb on.

"Your Highness, I am alright," she said, trying to sidestep him but failing. After a few more attempts, she sighed before getting in his back.

He yipped happily before starting their return to the palace at a slow run. Over time, he increased his pace to the point that they were zipping past the trees faster than the average paranormal could see.

As for Camila, she felt like her heart was bursting with satisfaction after a fulfilling night. The wind in her hair and the steadiness of motion just added to the thrill. She relaxed into her mate's soft fur.

They neared the palace and Camila was almost sorry that the journey was over. Giving the prince's wolf a final pat, she let him go into the woods to find clothes that had been kept somewhere for anyone who needed to shift into their human.

"He loves you," the prince said as he came out in a fitted T-shirt and sweatpants.

Camila's eyes raked down his body unconsciously and when she finally looked up and saw him smirking at her, she turned away blushing.

"Good," she said with her back to him.

"You know, Mila, I have no qualms with you staring at what's yours," he said, hugging her from behind in the safety of the trees.

His muscles pressed against her body making her shiver.

How was she going to survive being in his room tonight?

"Your Highness, your family is expecting us," Camila said.

"They can wait," the prince said, holding her tighter and kissing her neck softly.

"Al-Your Highness," she whispered, "Please."

He let go of her slowly and she took a few steps forward to calm herself.

"You were about to say it," he said. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Say what?"

"My name. You almost said it. You will say it soon."

She continued walking to the palace's servant entrance without replying. The prince followed her with a spring in his step. By the time they reached the tea room, he had not stopped grinning.

When they stepped through, the queen immediately rushed to hug Camila.

"Oh, honey, you're okay. You're okay. Don't do something like that to me ever again," she cried.

Camila hugged her back, "I'm alright, Your Majesty."

"Camila, let Decebel send you back up next time, whether you think it's wise or not," the king said before continuing his pacing, muttering something about losing another daughter.

"Yes, Your Majesty" Camila replied.

"And you, Alex. What you did was..." the queen began to berate her first son.

"Camila, we have a problem," Decebel voice sounded through the communicator.

"Problem?"

"We caught the rest of the men. Twelve in total. Now, they're all convulsing and falling unconscious. Get here quick," Decebel rushed out.

Camila flew out of the room with the royal family hot on her heels.

"Is any part of their body glowing?" she asked.

Let it not be...

There was a rustle of clothing then, "Yeah, the back of their necks. A blueish green color?"

It was.

"Cyan," Camila said as she rushed past the prison guards.

11:59 pm.

"There you are," Decebel said.

"Show me one that isn't unconscious," Camila said and Decebel took her to the fourth cell that had a man convulsing inside.

Pinching the skin at the back of his neck, she tapped his head jolting him into consciousness for a few seconds.

"Who do you work for? Where do you remember?" she asked.

He started to answer as the royal family entered the cell, "I don't know her name."

The man took a deep breath, "She had marks on her face. Took me near a green river and..."

In the distance, they could hear the pack's central clock strike twelve.

The man in her arms slumped.

Camila let go of him, took a few steps back, and suddenly, fell on her knees before the king and queen.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," she said, "I did not consider this possibility and prepare an adequate plan for it. Because of my inadequacy, the kingdom lost a valuable source of intel."

"Camila, get up. Because of your quick thinking, the princess is safe. We had a win tonight," the king said, raising her to her feet.

"But you still haven't said what's going on," the prince said, taking her hand.

"To put it simply, the men were not here willingly or consciously," Camila started.

"Consciously? Puppeteering?" Prince William said and Camila nodded.

"But puppet control should not expire at midnight, as it did if I'm not mistaken. It is a hard skill to achieve and once achieved, it is done without complications," the queen said.

"Cursed magic users are different. Regular witches who are puppet masters work over thousands of years to gain such power. Cursed magic hands over unlimited power to the user. If our user cannot hold puppet control permanently and has to renew it daily, it means that she is still..." Camila said.

"A child," she, Queen Aleksandra and Prince William chorused.

"We're fighting a kid?" King Lucian and Prince Alexander replied.

"Not a literal child. A child in the dark arts. Camila's saying that the cursed magic holder hasn't had her powers up to half a century," the queen explained.

"Her inexperience can be an advantage," Prince William said.

"Yes, the..."

A stirring behind Camila cut her off.

"He's awake," the king said.

"Where am I?" the man asked.

"Holding cell of the shifter royal pack. What is your name?" Camila said.

"Holding cell?" The man exclaimed.

"Your name?" Camila asked impatiently.

"Bruce Alikay," the man replied.

"Warrior in the second smallest coyote pack in France?" Camila asked.

The man frowned, "How'd you know that?"

"Camila Allard. Knowledge keeper of the wolf race. I have a question for you."

The man nodded slowly.

Camila leaned closer to him before asking,

"What time is it?"