I

There was a loud urgent knock on the door as Aurora got ready for her daily trainings with the help of her personal maid, Helen who was doing a good job of wrapping her waist band around her waist.

It was a bright morning and she was given the grace to appear late for her training by her teacher.

Today was her birthday. She glanced at Helen who took the hint and went to open the door of the room while Aurora busied herself with the adjustment of her gown.

It was her birthday but she was about to go through it like every other day except the fact that she was excused from appearing to study with her teacher an hour after sunrise.

She heard Helen's voice talking to whoever was at the door but due to the demarcation separating the large living area of her room from the where the bed was placed she could not see who was at the door or hear what they were saying clearly.

She looked at Helen's worried face when she returned and knew that something was wrong. She was not sure but she hoped it was not what she thought it was.

"What is wrong?" she asked Helen unhurriedly despite the storm raging on her mind. 'Please it should not be what I think it is,' she begged her stars.

"The king has summoned you to the throne room," Helen said slowly and carefully.

She has been with Aurora ever since she was five and she did not miss the look of worry and fear of what was yet to come in every movement her mistress made including looking out of the window towards the east where the prophecy said her destiny lies.

"Help me hold this up so we could go to him," Aurora said with a smile she was forced to lift the corners of her lips to ease her maid of her worries. She sat down in front of the vanity mirror as she held back a sigh.

She tried to ease herself of the worries she had by constantly telling herself that it might not be what she thought it was, it could be something else and perhaps the king called for her because today was her birthday.

"Princess, is it going to be alright?" Helen asked looking down at her feet as she found it hard to walk over to her mistress and style her hair.

She felt it was best she refuses to do that since it will prevent her from going to the king and hearing the bad news that was expected.

"Hurry up. You know it is wrong to stall when the king summons you," Aurora told seriously her maid when she noticed what her maid was trying to do.

"I am sorry," Helen said with her voice thick with emotions. She sounded like she might break down into tears any second.

She walked to the princess and carefully packed the full golden hair that seemed to absorb light and reflect a fraction of the light it absorbed.

One of the things she loved doing was styling her mistress' hair although Princess Aurora likes her to make her hair into a simple bun or ponytails but today, it felt different.

She did not want to touch the hair or style it because that will make her mistress ready to meet the king.

As soon as Helen was done, she left to meet her uncle who was the king. The castle was large and it was not easy to get to the throne room from quarters.

She stood outside the tall large brown wooden door that will lead her into the throne room and took a very deep breathe and properly wore the cold fearless façade she was forced to wear a year after her parents' death.

A guard at the door bowed and pushed the door open and Aurora walked in without delay after glancing at her maid with a small smile.

She raised her head with her chin up as she looked at her uncle who took the throne after her grandparents, parents and siblings got killed in a massacre.

It was a very bloody night, one she will never forget since she was the only survivor left by those bloody werewolves among dozens of copses.

"Princess," the king said in a deep voice that carried enough power to show that he was great warrior.

"Your majesty," she replied him with a respectful but distant curtsy.

"I am sorry to disturb your rest. Your teacher said she gave you few hours of rest," the king told her his voice filling the large throne room.

"It is okay, Your majesty," she answered distantly as she looked into his blue eyes which always reminded her of her father who was her uncle's elder brother.

It was a pity her father died too early or he would have been king. He would have been the one sitting on the throne now. She was not against her uncle but it was not easy for her to keep such thoughts off when she sees her uncle sitting comfortably on the throne.

He nodded at her answer and glanced at his right-hand man before nodding his head. "We found something good. We have tried hard to get one of it to make your mission easier for so long but some soldiers got lucky yesterday," the king said and reached for his brown curly beard and stroked it lightly with a satisfied look on his face.

Aurora knew that he was just bluffing because there was no way in this world that her mission could be made easier.

It was a mission that requires a sacrifice and she was the sacrifice. She going to offer her life to the very creatures she hated for vengeance.

She was going to kill the Alpha and she was going to get killed by the werewolves afterwards.

She was going to take back what the werewolves took from her by taking away the greatest Alpha and cause the downfall of those vile creatures.