To love a man is to be weak. It is a betrayal of womankind. To belittle and lower yourself to have feelings for such an inferior creature is an abomination. Do not allow your self to be seduced by romantic words. For you will only be used and hurt. Women are too quick to give everything. It is both a quality and a weakness. Be strong, sisters. Do not allow yourself to be seduced for it will be your downfall.

~Daughters of the Tainted Holy Script.

Three Years Ago:

I wake up early despite the late my night, the smile still on my face as I remember being in Kai's embrace. Quickly, I get up and change into my training uniform. Excited as today is the day the Lupine are going to train us. Fallon is already out on the training field when I arrive, an excited smile on her face.

"Good morning," she says to me as I approach. 

"Morning," I reply and then watch as Shae, Rayana and Cordelia appear. All of them look slightly nervous. I walk over to them and wrap my arm over Rayana and Shaelyn's shoulders, kissing them both on the side of the head.

"Isn't this going to be exciting?" I ask. Rayana groans and pushes herself out of my grip.

"No, I'm terrified," she exclaims.

"Don't be scared Ray," Fallon says coming over, "they are only the most terrifying brutal race of warriors in Vivelle," she continues with a casual shrug. I roll my eyes and Shaelyn pales.

"Fallon," I say, shaking my head.

"Yeah, don't be mean," Cordelia continues, shaking her head. We all stop chatting as Sir Jago comes down into the training ground with our Red Guard friends.

"Are you lot training too?" I ask them.

"Yeah," Merissa sighs.

"I am so ready for this," Fallon grins. Sir Jago laughs.

"Of course you are," he says, shaking his head. We all go quiet as the Lupine walk out. My eyes fall on Kai and he smiles at me. It has my heart fluttering and his eyes are bright with mischief.

"Princesses," he begins and then looks at the Red Guard, "and friends..." he continues, smiling widely. "I hope you are all ready to get an idea of what Lupine training is like," he beams and the rest of the Lupine laugh. Shae and Rayana pale and I cross my arms, smiling. Ready for whatever challenge they throw me. 

We spend the first two hours just exercising. Switching between running or various movements with weights. By the end of it, I am sweating and I know my face is flushed. The others look similar but Fallon can't keep the grin from her face. It is after that when the fight training begins. We all watch in awe as the Lupine show us new and unique moves and skills. I practice against Cordelia, repeating what Aaliyah and Kai had just shown us. I "accidently" mess it up. Kai laughs and walks over to me.

"Princess, that is not quite right," he says to me..

"You'll have to show me again then," I say, keeping my voice professional. He laughs and holds out his hand. I take it and he pulls me up off the ground with ease. He puts his hands on my waist and moves me into the right position. I almost shiver, feeling his hot breath against my neck. He then steps in front of me and lifts my arms, moving them in the way I need to move them. His eyes on mine the whole time.

"Understand?" he asks. I nod my head.

"Yes," I reply, "I think so," I continue with a smile, spinning the practice daggers around in my hands.

"Would you like to try?" he asks.

"Against you?" He smiles and nods his head. 

"Okay," I smile and attack. After a few seconds, I have Kai pinned beneath me, the training daggers at his throat. "Is that how you do it?" I ask innocently. He laughs and I stand up, holding out my hand.

"Yes," he replies, his eyes on mine, "that is how you do it," he continues and I smile, proud of myself. He grabs my hand and I help pull him up off the ground.

"Perhaps Ana and the Solavar should have a little fight," Fallon grins. "Leader to rightful leader," she smirks. I laugh and look back at Kai. I remember seeing him fight. There is no way I would win against him. Kai looks down at me, his eyes bright and a smile on his face.

"If you would like to, I am happy to fight you, princess," he says and I can hear the challenge in his voice. I raise an eyebrow, biting at my lips. Then, I nod my head.

"Very well, Solavar," I smile. Fallon lets out an excited shout and a space is immediately cleared for the two of us. I spin the little training daggers around in my hands and Kovan throws two to Kai. My heart races in my chest and I get that familiar rush of adrenaline. Kai and I circle each other as Fallon lists off the rules.

"Fight!" she finally shouts. Kai and I charge at the same time. Determination fills me. I know I can't win, but I don't want to make it easy for him. Our blades clash, both of us moving quickly. Both trying to block and attack. Finally, I manage to get a break, ducking under his arm, spinning and running the blade along his stomach before jumping out of the way. He laughs and charges at me again. He moves so fast, I can hardly process it, disarming me of both my weapons and making me stumble backward. I nearly fall over but manage to steady myself. A smirk plays on his face and he holds his daggers up, ready for my next attack. I look into his eyes and smile. Then, I charge. He swings toward me but I knock his first arm out of the way and kick his wrist with my leg, making him drop the little blade. Before he can bring his other arm back around to attack, I grab it and spin, twisting his arm at an unusual angle. He drops the second blade and I catch it before jumping out of the way again. My breathing is heavy now and I wipe sweat from my eyes. Still, I can't help the victorious grin on my face as I spin his dagger around in my hand. He raises an eyebrow and I laugh. A wide smile lights up his face and he squares his shoulders before charging at me at a speed I can hardly comprehend. A squeal leaves my mouth and in a few seconds, the little blade is flying out of my hand. I do manage to kick it out of the way before he can get it though. He is about to wrap me up in a bear hug, but I am able to kick him away. A grunt leaves his mouth and he stumbles back. Before he can recover, I am running toward him. Before he can stop me, I have climbed onto his shoulders and am flinging my body back. Using the momentum of my fall to flip him over me. We both fall to the ground, my legs wrapped around his neck tightly. I let out a shout as he manages to slam an elbow into my ribs. This loosens my grip and he is able to twist out of it. I go to jump back but he grabs my leg and pulls me back toward him. I am able to spin slightly and kick him in the face. An oomph leaves his mouth and I see blood. I don't stop though. I elegantly jump up onto my feet again. He does the same and we look at each other intensely. He wipes blood from his nose and raises an eyebrow. I just smile innocently. Then, we are charging again. I slam quick jabs onto his stomach, but they aren't strong as I have to block jabs of his own. The speed in which I move surprises even me as I duck and twist out of the way of his attacks. Though he eventually gets one through and I let out a shout, feeling his elbow slam into the side of my face. He pulls me toward him, ready to try and pin me. I kick my leg straight up, leaving me practically doing the vertical splits. The heel of my foot slams into the bottom of his jaw. A shout leaves his mouth and before I can lower my leg, he has grabbed hold of it tightly, leaving me standing in the awkward position. I swing my fist out to punch him, but he lets go of my leg and catches my fist, twisting my arm awkwardly. Then, he does a strange flip. I land on him, my back on his chest. I struggle as his legs wrap around mine tightly. One of his hands holds both my wrists above our heads. The other hand presses against my neck, though not hard. He does hold it tight enough that I can't move my head, however. I struggle and try and wriggle free, but his hold on me is too tight. He laughs in my ear, his breath hot against my skin as he breathes heavily.

"That was a good fight, princess," he says into my ear and I suddenly realise how close we are in this position. I can't even say that I mind. I pant heavily and shiver as he moves the tips of his fingers softly over the skin of my neck. Unfortunately, Kai lets go of my wrist and neck. Though I keep the look of disappointment from my face as we stand and brush ourselves off. Remembering there is an audience, I step away from Kai, though I keep smiling. As does he. His eyes practically glow as he looks at me intensely. "You gave me a run for my money there," he chuckles. I laugh.

"Well, I couldn't go easy on you," I say to him. He laughs and looks over at his Lupine. They are all smiling also.

The lesson ends and we all go back to our rooms. During the night, we all sneak back out into the city again. This time with Cordelia, Rayana and Shaelyn. Kai, Aaliyah and Kovan come with us as we visit some of the orphanages. Watching curiously as we play with the children and tell them stories. I laugh and lean down, lifting up a little giggling girl names Ella, putting her on my hip. She lets out a squeal of delight and wriggles in my arms as I tickle her sides.
"No, Ana!" she squeals and continues to wriggle. Razan and Nishka had come with us tonight and he barks at my feet, jumping up to play. I laugh and put Ella down. She grins and Razan nestles into her, licking her face and nipping her hair. My heart warms and they all laugh as Nishka appears. She tackles my Razan to the ground. Looking over to Kai, I see him smiling as he is leaned down, talking to one of the little boys. His eyes are wide as he looks over the huge Lupine warriors. Ciara walks over to me, smiling at the Lupine members as they speak and play with the children.

"Thank you, for bringing them here," she says to me and laughs as four of children gang up on Fallon, climbing and jumping up her body. "It is good that the children get to learn about other cultures and see for themselves instead of having the stories to rely on," she sighs. I nod my head.

"Definitely," I say, my eyes not leaving Kai and little Elliott as the child asks him random questions. Ranging from asking about his clothes to something completely different and unrelated. "Why do birds have white poo?" he asks. I let out a snort and Kai chuckles deeply. It has my chest warming just hearing it.

"That is a good question," Kai replies, "and unfortunately, I don't know the answer," he continues. Elliott sighs, disappointed.

"Oh," he says and I walk over to them. "Princess," he grins and hugs my legs. I lean down and scoop him up into my arms.

"Elliott," I say, "are you pestering the Solavar?" I ask.

"Solavar?" he whispers back, his eyes widening as he looks at Kai. His mouth opens and forms a little O. "What's a Solavar?" he then asks.

"It is like a king," I reply, "but slightly different," I explain. He nods his head, his eyes narrowing.

"If he is like a king, will you be his queen?" I let out a laugh and look back at Kai. His eyes are on mine, his expression I can't read. I look back at Elliott.

"No," I say, "it doesn't work like that," I say.

"But you are a princess," he argues, "don't you have to marry a king so you can be the Queen?" he asks. 

"Well," I begin, he isn't wrong. "I might have to yes," I say. "But it will not be Kai."

"Oh," he says and then shrugs. I put him down.

"Go on, Shae is about to tell a story, go and sit with your friends," I tell him. He nods his head and runs off, jumping between two other boys as they start to gather in a circle around Shae. I look up at Kai.

"Sorry if that made you uncomfortable," I say a little awkwardly. He laughs and shakes his head.

"I am not uncomfortable, princess," he says to me as I lean against the wall next to him. "In fact," he begins, looking down at me, his eyes piercing into mine, "I was just thinking," he explains, his voice lowering to a whisper as Shaelyn starts talking. I step closer to him, not looking away from my sister.

"About what?" I whisper back. He leans down.

"That you would make a good Lunavar," he tells me. My eyes leave Shae to look up to him. I don't know what to say. My mouth opens and closes again and then I look away.

"That would mean killing you," I finally say, raising an eyebrow. He laughs lowly.

"If our fight proved anything," he begins, "we know you wouldn't be able to," he tells me. I laugh softly. "Plus, that is not the only way you could become a Lunavar," he continues. My throat dries and I lick my lips. My eyes peak over to him, narrowing slightly. He just smirks that beautiful smirk that has my heart racing. I don't know what to say, so I just look back at Shae as she tells her story. Though I do move a little closer to Kai, wanting to feel the warmth of his body. Our arms touch as we lean against the wall at the back of the room. My breath hitches as his fingers tickle mine. His touch sending shivers down my spine. I don't dare look up at him. If I see that smirk again then I don't know if I would be able to control myself once we were out of the presence of the others.

We get back to the castle and I have to leave for my room before I am left alone with Kai. When I get there with Razan, I am quick to splash cold water over my face before slumping on my bed. Razan snuggles into my side and I smile, running my hand through his fur. Falling asleep quickly. When I wake in the morning, it is because Razan is tugging at my hair. I groan and sit up. Snatching up the wiggling pup in my arms and tickling his belly. He yelps and nips at my fingers. With a laugh, I put him on the floor and then stand up. It is early, the sun just rising. Quickly, I change into one of my loose, delicate gowns. I only brush my hair and leave the black locks hanging down. My pup too impatient to wait for me to style it. I huff as he bites at the hem of my dress.

"Okay, okay," I say and he barks with excitement as I walk to the door. When it is open, he rushes down the stairs quickly. I groan and have to pick up speed to catch up with him. We head out into the gardens and it isn't long before we are running into Kai and Nishka.

"Good morning, Ana," he says to me as I approach. Just seeing him has my heart fluttering wildly.

"Good morning," I reply and smile as he holds out his arm. I take it lightly and we start walking. We don't really say much to start with. We just enjoy each other's company and occasionally laugh as the pups play. After a little bit of peaceful quiet, Kai finally speaks.

"You still haven't answered me about coming into the woods," he tells me.

"That requires sneaking out," I say with a sigh. He laughs.

"Oh, I forgot, you are such a well-behaved princess who always does as she is told," he chuckles. I nod my head.

"Exactly," I tell him. He laughs. "Okay," I say to him after a few moments. "The day after tomorrow," I explain, "I'll meet you at midnight in the usual spot. Then, you can guide me through the woodland in the dark with your magic Lupine senses," I say. His smile widens.

"Sounds perfect," he replies.

The rest of the day goes quickly. That evening, we are all sneaking out into the city again. This time to one of the healing centres. I spend a few hours comforting and helping some of the patients. I also help mix new potions for the healers. When I arrive back at my room, I am exhausted and practically fall into bed. I sleep until mid-morning, not having much to do during the day. When I wake, I have a meeting with father and we give the Councilmen a deadline to get their shit sorted by. Leaving me another day before the meetings start again with the council and Lupine. That night, Fallon decides she wants to party again and for longer. So, we all sneak back to Hugo's and Ava's. She had warned them in advance this time so it was already shut to customers by the time we arrive. Straight away we are wrapped in hugs and I laugh. It isn't long before the music is starting and the alcohol is out. Kai has brought some of the other Lupine warriors this time and it isn't long before they are teaching everyone a Lupine dance. It is so much fun. The dance is so bouncy and high spirited as we jump and spin around the room, swapping partners. When I fall into Kai's arms, I grin up at him. Our hands wrap around each others. My other hand reaches for his shoulder whilst his falls on my hip. I let out a giggle as he pulls me closer. Then we are moving. Jumping and spinning around the room, weaving in and out of the other partners. I am breathless and my mouth hurts from how much I smile. Kai laughs too as he spins me and I trip over his toes, falling into his body. His large arms wrap around me and hold me close. The music stops and we look at each other, smiling and breathless. Fallon whispers into the musician's ears and they laugh. The music now becomes slow. I turn my head and raise an eyebrow at her. She just smiles at me and then grabs Aaliyah's hand to dance.

"She's a schemer," I sigh, looking up at Kai. He laughs and moves his other hand to my hips. I wrap both of mine around his neck.

"I don't mind," he replies. I blush a little and he laughs again. We fall into a comfortable silence as we move slowly. I look up into his eyes, my heart fluttering wildly. Everyone around us seems to just disappear as we look at each other. My eyes fall on his lips for a second before looking back at his eyes. He raises a brow, not missing my little glance. I feel my cheeks redden, knowing I've been caught. His eyes move. Looking at my lips and then further down. The dress I wear has a lower neckline to my usual attire. The dark purple material also clings to my curves. It was Fallon's choice and I am really going to have to thank her for it. Still, I raise my brow at Kai as his eyes find mine again. He smiles a dazzling, charming smile and I can't help but laugh softly. Our faces get closer and he holds me a little tighter. I can smell his smokey scent and feel the warmth coming off his body. I can't help but bring one of my hands up, my fingers skimming over the skin of his neck and making his jaw clench and his body shiver. When my hand is on his cheek, he closes his eyes and leans into my touch and I see his Adam's apple bob. My thumb grazes over his lips and his eyes open again. The golden-green orbs looking down at me with an intense stare. I smile at him, looking at into those eyes from beneath my lashes. He brings one his hands up and tucks away some of my hair, the tips of his fingers gliding across my cheekbone as he does so. Then, his thumb presses against my lower lip lightly, his fingers resting beneath my chin. I can't look away from him. My heart races in my chest and my breath catches in my throat as I gulp. He smiles that same dazzling, charming smile and tilts my head up. I can feel his breath on my lips and I look into his eyes. He hovers in front of my lips, so close, but not touching. He is taunting me. Trying to get me to make the first move. I keep looking into his eyes as I go onto my tiptoes. I press my lips against his cheek, only getting the corner of his mouth. It is a small, delicate little peck, but I can hear his breath hitching. I pull away, but only a little. Moving to the other side and doing the same thing, feeling some of his dark brown facial hair beneath my lips. It is surprisingly soft. My eyes still don't leave Kai's as I press a kiss right beneath his lips, just grazing the bottom of his lower lips with mine. The tension is thick between us. Kai then leans forward, finally, unable to resist any more. Gently, he presses his lips to mine. I close my eyes and savour the feel of his soft lips. My heart races wildly in my chest and I move my hands into his hair. I can feel his hand still on the side of my face, the other on my waist. We pull away slightly, both of us smiling as we look back at each other. I let out a little laugh, my body tingling and lean in again. Wanting to feel more of his lips. The kiss is deeper this time and I lean into him more. When we pull away, I am breathless. Kai smiles that annoying, beautiful smile and we both start laughing. He pulls me into him and I wrap my arms around his body, my head leaning against his chest as we hug. Around us, everyone had ignored our little display. Too focused on their own partying and letting us enjoy our little moment. Still, I feel my cheeks burning with a blush.

The smile doesn't leave my face for the rest of the night. When I finally get into bed in the early hours, I can't help but giggle to myself. Razan jumps onto my bed and licks my face. I laugh and pull him into a tight hug, kissing his little nose. He lets out a little bark and licks my nose back. I tickle his belly and he yelps and wiggles. Eventually, he curls up into me and I hold him tightly, eventually calming enough to get to sleep.

It is finally the deadline for the councilmen to get all their paperwork in. We gather in the council chambers once again. There is an awkward silence as the Councilmen dump stacks of paper in front of me and my father. Scrunched up, messy, out of order and frankly in some places unreadable. To make it worse, there must be hundreds of pages from each of them.

"What. Is. This?" My father asks with a cold sneer. I mirroring his anger.

"The paperwork the princess asked for," Councilman Goral, the treasury councilman, says with an almost smug grin. I can't help but look at the Solavar. He sits patiently though I can see his slight smirk at my exasperated glare. 

"You call this," I say waving my hand over the piles and piles of messy paperwork, "Organised?" I ask. "Are you two even doing your jobs correctly?" I ask.

"Of cou..." I interrupt.

"Well clearly not," I snap. "First, it took you both five days to actually get all of this together. Second, when you present it to us, it is an unreadable, disorganised mess. How can you correctly do your job when you can't even keep your records in order?" The councilmen glare at me. "At least," I continue. "Councilman Drake and Arrigo have managed to present to us well-documented records," I say and hold up the neat stack of papers from each of them. "And Councilman Arrigo has only been doing this job a week," I snap as I slam the paperwork back on the table. "This is, putting it frankly, an embarrassment and disgrace." There is silence. "You're all dismissed until my father and I have managed to make sense of this mess." I sigh and sit back down. The council stand quickly and walk from the room. The Lupine stay behind and I shake my head as I scan over the mounds of paperwork.

"I am very sorry, Solavar," I say. "This will take a few days to sort out. Hopefully, after then, we can have a proper meeting where we can actually get things sorted." He nods his head softly.

"That is not an issue princess, we are happy to wait," he says with a slight smile.

"Thank you," I smile. They stand, bow and leave. Once they are gone, I lean back in my chair with a sigh. 

"This is a fucking disaster," father says next to me. I nod my head.

"This is going to be hours of work, days even." He nods his head.

"We'll do it together," he smiles.

"Okay," I say softly and shuffle my chair closer to his.

For the next eight hours, my father and I comb through the paperwork. Barley making a dent in the stacks of messy sheets and scribbled notes. My head is pounding at the end of the day, but we have managed to make sense of some of it.

"This is going to take ages if we work on it together," I tell father as I lean back and rub my eyes before running my hands through my hair.

"Agreed," he sighs and drags his hands over his face.

"What do you want? Money or farming?" I ask. He looks at the two equally sized stacks of paperwork.

"Farming," he finally replies. I nod my head.

"Okay," I sigh and grab up the piles of paperwork. "Shall we give it five days and then meet back here again and go through the last bits together?" I ask. He stands with a frown.

"Maybe a week," he grumbles as he scoops up his paperwork. I nod my head and we walk to the door. "Thank you," he says as we stop at the entrance. "For helping me with all of this." I smile and feel my heart flutter.

"I am happy to do so," I grin. He leans forward and gives me a small kiss on my forehead before turning and walking back to his room. I stand still for a moment, watching him leave before turning and heading back to my room.

I drop the heavy stack of paperwork on my desk and flop on my chair with a sigh. Before I get too comfortable, I stand again and gather my bathing things. Heading to the bathing rooms, I run past Juliet and ask for her to take some food and water to my room.

Sure enough, when I get back from the relaxing waters of the bathing rooms, there is a steaming bowl of tomato soup with fresh bread waiting for me. There is also a bowl of fruit and a small slice of cake for me to have after.  I tuck in straight away and feel the headache ease slightly. Juliet returns to take my finished plates and I get into my nightdress. A scratching on the door tells me Razan is here. Rushing over to it, I let the pup in. He rushes in like he owns the place and jumps straight onto my bed. He comes to me every night now and I love it. Closing and locking my door, I go over to the bed also. Razan bounces and I can tell he wants to play.

"Not tonight," I yawn as I lie down. He sulks but snuggles into his spot against my side. I wrap my arm around him as his head rests against my chest. His warmth and gentle breathing quickly sends me off into a deep sleep.