“And so, fair Arwyn, it is now your turn to pick from the hat of love!” Raydir announced, waving his arms around dramatically as we sat on the floor of our clubhouse behind the palace.

“Ray, you have to make those cheering sounds!” I protested.

“Fine, fine. Don’t get so bossy on me now.” Raydir huffed, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Chaaaaaaa!! Chaaaaaa!!”

“What is that?”

“It’s people cheering, Ar.”

“Well, it sounds stupid.”

“You’re stupid.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. “Ray, come on! The day of the Fate Ceremony is the bestest day of our lives.”

“Maybe for you. For me it means I have to spend the rest of my life with a girl.” He wrinkled his nose.

I punched his arm. “I’m a girl.”

“First of all: Ow. Second of all, you’re not a girl. You’re my best friend.”

The corners of my mouth twitched into a smile. “And you’re mine. Now can we proceed?”

“Fine. Lady Arwyn, Duchess of Gwyniar, you must choose your future by picking a name out of the hat.” Raydir held the hat out to me. “You have to close your eyes.”

“Now who’s bossy?” I covered my eyes with one hand and stuck the other into the hat to pick out a name. I smiled as my eyes landed on the piece of paper in front of me. “Did you plan this?”

“Did you really think I’d put anyone else’s name?” He looked up at me with a mischievous gleam in his green eyes, a sprinkling of freckles across his nose.

“We should make a pact,” I said. “No matter what happens, you will be my soulmate, ok?”

Raydir nodded. “Deal.”

“You know every deal needs to be sealed somehow.”

“Hence the handshake.”

“I was thinking something different.” I glanced up at him.

He wrinkled his nose. “You’ve been reading too many of those fairytale books.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re an idiot, Raydir. Are you going to kiss me now or not? I don’t have all day.”

Raydir leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to mine, his nose squishing against my face. “There. Sealed with a kiss.”

I blushed, pushing him away from me, and wiping at my mouth with my fingers. “Glad that’s over. You wanna go play dragons and warriors?”

Raydir grinned. “I always want to play dragons and warriors.”

Sixteen years later…

“Lady Arwyn!” my ladies’ maid, Ginny, called out to me, knocking on the locked door of my bedroom.

I grunted, one boot-clad foot over the edge of my window. “I’m a little busy at the moment!”

“Lady Arwyn, please. Your mother has been looking for you all morning.” The door burst open, and Ginny gasped at the sight of me halfway out the window. “What on earth are you doing?”

“Not escaping, that’s for sure,” I mumbled.

Ginny ran to the window, reaching out a hand to help me back into my bedroom. “Honestly, dear. If you’re sneaking out again to see Lord Raydir, you can tell me. You know I will cover for you.”

“As you always have, yes. But I don’t want you to get in trouble. You’ve done so much for me, Ginny, and I shouldn’t even have to sneak out to see him.”

“I know this feud has been difficult on you.”

I scoffed. “That’s an understatement. Our fathers used to be such good friends. And ever since it was clear a romance started to develop between me and Raydir…”

“I know, dear.” She patted my hand lightly. “But you cannot blame yourself. Your father and Duke Phillips—Lord Alexander—began a disagreement long before you and Raydir fell in love.”

I tugged at my loose braid. Just adding fuel to the fire with the accident. “Well, it doesn't matter. Tell my mother I’ve gone riding.”

“And you’ll be back for your lessons, later?”

Not a chance. “Of course. And thank you. For everything you’ve done for me.”

Ginny smiled. “It is my pleasure, my dear.”

I gathered the skirts of my burgundy riding gown and ran out of my room, praying that I would be able to slip past my mother and the palace guards with no issues. Luckily, my mother was in the midst of preparing for my courting that would take place quite soon, so I easily made it to the barn and saddled up my horse, Majesty.

“Hey, bud. You ready for a ride?” I murmured, brushing his tawny coat.

Majesty snorted happily in response. I hoisted myself over his back, pressing my heels into his sides slightly, and taking off at a slow gallop. As I reached the bridge in the woods that separated Gwyniar from Alvenora, I let out a tiny whistle: two short notes followed by two long notes. It was soon followed by a reply whistle—one long note, three short notes—and a black stallion appeared at the edge of the bridge, its rider flashing me a grin that made my heart beat faster than a horse’s hooves on the ground. His rumpled white shirt billowed in the breeze.

“M’lady.” He greeted me with a nod, pulling his horse to a stop and jumping down.

“Ray.” I slid out of the saddle and walked over to him where he enveloped me into a hug. “The usual spot?”

We walked our horses in the direction of the clubhouse we used to play in as kids. Even after sixteen years, it was still our favorite go to spot. The place of our first kiss. Our first real kiss. Our first date, however secret it may have been at the time. Our first ‘I love you’s.

“It’s still as beautiful as ever,” I mused, taking in the lush green scenery and the delicate purple flowers growing around the moss in the undergrowth. The clubhouse was too small for us to fit in now, but it held so many good memories, we just couldn’t let it go.

“Indeed.”

I turned and found Raydir looking at me with admiration. He held up a basket. “Lunch?”

My face lit up. “Certainly. What did you bring us?”

“The usual. Turkey and cheese sandwiches.” He reached out to brush away some stray hairs that had escaped my braid. “And I managed to sneak some wine from the kitchen.”

“Clever.” We sat down on a blanket that Raydir pulled from his satchel and began to eat. “So how are things in Alvenora?”

Raydir shrugged. “Same old, I guess. My father has been working me tirelessly trying to teach me the ways of the dukedom. As if I wanted to go into politics.”

“Have you had any time for your art?”

“Not as much as I would like. And every time I get even a few minutes in my studio, something else comes up with my father.” He reached into the basket for some crackers, rough calluses evident on his hands.

“At least you were able to come see me.”

“That’s true.” He patted his pockets. “I do have something for you.”

“Oh?”

He pulled out a sleek black box and opened it toward me. I gasped as I saw the contents: a pearl bead hanging from thin gold chains etched into a delicate pattern.

“Ray, it’s beautiful.” I kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. May I?” he gestured to me, and I turned so he could clasp the chain around my neck.

“I love it.” I reached out my hand and entwined our fingers together. We walked through the woods just enjoying each other’s company. The male birds sang their mating tunes, waiting for the females to respond. It was not unlike the courtship process in Gwyniar and Alvenora.

But as much as I enjoyed the limited time I had with Raydir, the moment wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, my mother would send someone to find me, so I knew the time we had together was precious. As we circled back around to where our horses were grazing, something in the air changed. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that Raydir had another reason for today’s rendezvous than just a picnic.

“I’ve missed you so much.” My words cut through the silence.

Raydir laughed. “Ar, it’s only been a week.”

“Does that mean you did not miss me?” I teased.

He drew me closer, sweeping a hand over my cheek. “Of course I missed you. And we would’ve met up sooner except that my father has been keeping me busy.”

I curled my fingers through his hair. “So you’ve said. Your father really is doing everything in his power to keep us apart.”

“As is yours.” He pulled away from me slightly, suddenly refusing to meet my gaze.

“Ray, what aren’t you telling me?”

He stroked his horse’s coat. “Arwyn, you know I love you, right?”

My heart lurched. “Yes, I do.”

“And you know Lady Emilia?”

I nodded slowly. “What about her?” Emilia and I had been good friends—and schoolmates—for as long as I could remember.

“My father…well, he wants me to marry her.” He turned back to me. “He knows how I feel about you, Ar, and I’ve tried to reason with him. I’m old enough to make my own choices, but because I’m inheriting the throne, he wants me to marry someone from Alvenora.”

“This is because of the feud with Gwyniar, isn’t it?” I tried not to let the hurt and jealousy seep into my voice.

“Partly. But there’s another reason.”

“The Fate Ceremony.” I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I have my own future to choose. But the only future I want is with you.”

“There’s something else we have to consider, too, besides your Fate Ceremony.” He started pacing. “My father means well, Arwyn. He knows that if I do what I want—what I truly want—I’ll be cursed. He wants to protect me from that. I’m supposed to run the dukedom some day.”

“So what are you saying?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m saying…this decision isn’t because of the feud. It has never been about the feud. It’s about protecting us—I’m sure your parents feel the same way about wanting to protect you.”

“For my parents, it’s always been about the feud. Why do you think they forbade me from seeing you three years ago? This might be about protection for you, but as far as I’m concerned, my family is still spiteful over what happened.”

“Arwyn, your family wants to protect you too. Don’t you think what happened would want them to protect you?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I kicked at the ground with my boot.

“But regardless, it’s also our decision. And I am willing to endure the curse if it means I get to spend my life with you, which is truly all I want.”

“That’s all I want too,” I said softly, chewing at my bottom lip. “I know you would be throwing your life away for me, and I don’t want you to resent me for that.” We didn’t even know the extent of the curse. “But I want more than anything to be with you.”

“I know.” He pulled me back toward him for a kiss. The type of kiss that meant he wouldn’t dare be with another woman, only me. The type of kiss that had me grasping at his shirt for balance.

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

“I’m not sure there’s much we can do at the moment. It seems our futures are…inevitable.”

I shook my head. “This can’t be the only option. Give in to the patriarchal system or be forced to live a life with the Wolf Curse? We’ve been sneaking around together for years. Why is now any different?

“We will figure something out so that we can be together.” He kissed me again. “For now, I better get back.”

I searched his green eyes for more answers; they held an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “Will I see you again before my Fate Ceremony?”

“If I say ‘only in your dreams’, is that too cheesy?”

I laughed. “Extremely. But I like it.”

He reached out and kissed my hand. “Until we see each other again.”

I mounted Majesty and took off back toward the palace. Upon my return, Ginny greeted me in the Great Hall, a look of concern etched on her face.

“Lady Arwyn, your mother has requested to see you immediately. I tried to reason with her, tell her you were out riding, but she sent one of the stablemen to find you and when she couldn’t—”

“You didn’t tell her about Ray, did you?”

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, but it wasn’t her voice that came out. “She didn’t have to.”

I turned, wincing at the sight of my mother at the top of the stairs. “Hello, mother.”

“Arwyn. You missed your lessons and lunch. So tell me one thing: how long has this secret affair been going on with you and Lord Raydir?”