by Kamryn Hart
“Is this for real?” Aerre was the one who broke the silence.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Rodrick replied.
“Do you know what this means?” Caspian asked.
“Paws Peak will probably become the High Kingdom and rule the world?” Rodrick said with a tone that had to mean sarcasm.
Caspian brushed his response off. “We have to get the princess first.”
“What if it’s not real?” Aerre asked. “What if it’s a trap?”
“We’ll have to risk it. If it is real, if she is real, this will be the most important thing Phantom Fangs ever does.”
Aerre bared his teeth and growled. “The most important thing we can do is throw a werea at a werewolf’s feet and force her to become a breeder?”
Caspian frowned.
“You know that’s what would happen. Fighting for that, racing to get this girl just so she can live as a piece of property for the rest of her life doesn’t sound like you.”
“That’s not my goal,” Caspian defended. “We have to get her first and bring her back to Wolf Bridge where we can protect her. That’s our territory. And you’re wrong, Aerre. King Philip won’t act rashly. He’ll do his best to win her over, yes, but it won’t come down to force. He’ll want her on his side because she wants to be there.”
“Yeah, because King Philip is a rat.”
I could tell they’d be arguing like this for a while, so I tuned it out. All of it. I tried to get back to modifying my tech field. But I soon found out I couldn’t ignore it. I couldn’t ignore the Lost Princess. I didn’t want to think about things outside of tech. I didn’t know how to relate to things that were alive. I wasn’t sure I related to anything, but I could understand tech. I didn’t understand much of anything else.
But the Lost Princess of Howling Sky held my attention. I knew the legend as well as anyone else. It was impossible not to when Howling Sky was the High Kingdom, literally on top of the world, during a time when tech was practically outlawed worldwide because of the Hellfire Strike. They were physically the most powerful werewolves in existence and had a very special child almost eighteen years ago—eighteen on the first day of spring—just to be blown to hell by vampires who hadn’t completely shunned tech. If the Moonlight Child survived that attack, she must have been like a god because she was a newborn cub when it happened. I didn’t believe in any gods. I didn’t believe in anything that couldn’t be explained with science because everything could be, including a werewolf’s ability to absorb moonlight during a full moon in order to store that energy for later use. It wasn’t magic.
If the rumors were true and the Lost Princess was the Moonlight Child full of untapped power, the Prime War was going to come back in full force. Everyone would want her for one reason or another. Things would get uglier. Many more would die. The Lost Princess would probably put an end to the world once and for all.
I wondered if I hated her for that.
Chapter 5
Sorissa
MY POWERFUL BLACK PAWS padded against the forest floor, but the impact hardly registered. This kind of speed with no resistance was like skating on the lake when it was frozen over—except it was much faster with even more force behind it. This was something I could only achieve in my moonlight form, and I got faster each time I tried it. I was so pleased with my progress, I wanted to throw back my head and howl to announce an early victory. However, I didn’t give into the urge because I needed to focus.
Today, I would escape.
I could see the light, the cracks between the thinning trees showing a hint of the world outside of the woods. This time, I’d beat Babaga. This time, I’d be fast enough.
I was inches away from the light, the door to my freedom, when the woods spun around me. My sensitive ears popped and everything went black for an instant before it all came rushing back and I skidded to a dirt-spraying stop as I dug in my claws. The trees were bigger here. The light was gone. I was back in the center of the woods all within the span of a few stomach-churning seconds. I growled in frustration. Then I threw back my head to howl, not in victory but in a challenge. Babaga twisted into the space in front of me with the same warp magic she used to transport me here.
I let go of my moonlight form in shimmering sparks of blues and shifted back. My midnight black fur receded, leaving mostly the long curly hair cascading down from my head to keep me warm against the cold. I stood straight on two legs while the witch standing before me was hunched over. It was freezing in this form, my naked skin broke out in goosebumps, and my breasts ached a little, but I didn’t care. I stomped up to the witch so there was only a small space between us. I looked down at her, feeling a false sense of superiority for simply being taller.
“If you faced me fairly, I would have won by now,” I challenged.
“Our strength isn’t of the same make, my sweet Sorissa, and these woods belong to me,” she replied.
“I just want to go outside, Babaga.”
“We’ve been over this. Over it and over it again.”
“But there’s a world out there! Isn’t there? You’ve told me just enough to get me curious, you’ve made me read their fairytales, so when do I get to see it? If you didn’t want me to try this so often, you shouldn’t have fed my curiosity. I don’t want to leave forever. This is my home. You’re my home. You know that, right? You could make it my eighteenth birthday present. It’s only a week away.”
Babaga took off her shawl and wrapped it around my shivering frame. Then she did something unexpected. She hugged me. Babaga wasn’t affectionate. She had hugged me before, but those were rare occasions.
“Babaga?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around her in return. I thought this whole trying to leave and stopping me from leaving had become a game between us, like Babaga would honor my request if I finally bested her, but now I wasn’t so sure. Was she really that worried about me leaving the woods?
“One day, you might best me, but today isn’t that day,” she said and pushed me away.
Any doubts I had floated away like they never existed. I just tired her out today. That meant I was getting closer. Maybe she’d even give me that birthday present.
“It’s time for supper,” Babaga announced. “Come home and get dressed so you don’t catch pneumonia.”
“Coming.”
I looked at the trees surrounding me, from every angle, a complete rotation, to see if I could find another crack of light from in between the trunks and branches. Nothing. I missed that opportunity. It didn’t matter. I would get out of these woods one day because there was a world waiting for me. I could feel it on the breath of the wind, hear it in its haunting howls.
But I didn’t know just how much would change.
I didn’t know how broken the world outside was. I didn’t know my own legend. I didn’t know about the four men in my future or how my love for them would change everything
Claim the princess, rule the world.
I hope you enjoyed this look into the Lost Princess of Howling Sky. Sign up for my newsletter so you know right when Taken by Werewolves, the first book in the trilogy, is up for preorder! It’s going to be a wild ride full of reverse harem goodness. Hold on to your hearts, lovelies. You’ll also get an exclusive FREE book called Her True Wolf. It’s a complete standalone novel with an HEA and part of a series called Marked by the Moon. It’s shifter goodness. I’m sure you’d love it. ;)
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The Lost Princess of Howling Sky
Prologue: Phantom Fangs FREE
Book 1: Taken by Werewolves
Book 2: Saving the Werewolves
Book 3: Queen of Werewolves
Marked by the Moon
Book 0: Her True Wolf FREE
Book 1: Her B
rave Wolf
Book 2: Her Fierce Wolf
Book 3: Her Wild Wolf
Book 4: Her Noble Owl
Book 5: Her Bad Cat
FREE Book
She has a no man policy.
Karol Lee has a cynical outlook on dating and men in general. Her own father walked out on her, and she has seen her mother’s failed marriages one too many times.
Then Casey happened. He’s drop dead sexy, and she feels an immediate connection to him like he was made for her.
But she can’t have him. Nothing changes the fact that he’s just another man who won’t stick around.
He’ll do whatever it takes to claim her.
Casey Hunt left Blue Pack, his fellow wolf shifters, to find his Fated Mate. He found her, and she’s everything he could have wanted with her fiery personality and blazing red hair.
But she doesn’t want him.
Luckily, Casey isn’t willing to give up that easily. No matter how long it takes—or what it takes—he’s determined to win her heart.
Fated Mates. Forever Love.
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Message from the Author
I hope you enjoyed this look into the Lost Princess of Howling Sky. Sign up for my newsletter so you know right when Taken by Werewolves, the first book in the trilogy, is up for preorder! It’s going to be a wild ride full of reverse harem goodness. Hold on to your hearts, lovelies. You’ll also get an exclusive FREE book called Her True Wolf. It’s a complete standalone novel with an HEA and part of a series called Marked by the Moon. It’s shifter goodness. I’m sure you’d love it. ;)
About the Author
Kamryn Hart is a paranormal shifter romance fanatic. There’s nothing like the love a hot shifter guy has for his mate. Between the intense heat and sweet as candy romance, these stories are enough to make anyone melt away into blissful cottony clouds. Don’t forget the magical aspect. Fantasy is in Kamryn’s blood, so of course she’d choose a fantasy outlet for her romantic heart. (And let’s face it, wolf shifters are flipping awesome and the ones who started this obsession.) Kamryn will bring even the most reluctant shifters to their knees for their mate. After all, Fated Mates equal forever love.
Kamryn's website: kamrynhartauthor.com