Chapter 1

Everyone was gathered around the bonfire dancing to the beat of the drum. Evie sat beside her Father as the small village girls placed flowers in her hair. Every once in a while, she would raise her gaze to meet Leo's. He'd smile mischievously and wink at her and she would blush and look down again.

Evie was the daughter of the leader of the tribes who were the King's most trusted vizier. Due to his marvelous services to the King, the King had titled him as the leader of all the tribes of the Kingdom.

Evie had never known her mother as she had died in childbirth but she was told she looked exactly like her mother with her chocolate brown hair, her bright green eyes, and her beautiful smiling face.

It had been 19 years since her mother died but the villagers still remembered her and she loved hearing stories of her Mother from the villagers and her Father. They told her that they could never forget Evie's mother because every time they looked at her, they saw a younger image of Evie's Mother.

Evie had also never felt the absence of her mother because she couldn't miss someone she didn't know but also because her father didn't make her feel the absence of her Mother.

He cherished her completely and loved her endlessly and that was also a reason why he didn't stop her from getting close with Leo.

Nobody knew who Leo was. One day he had stumbled across their village wounded badly and so they had taken him in. Evie had taken care of him and nursed him back to health and they both had fallen for each other. He didn't remember what had happened to him but the village accepted him as family.

Evie also knew that it wasn't long before Leo asked for her hand in marriage from her Father. These thoughts made her giddy and she sat controlling her laughter which she didn't realize had surfaced.

After some time she couldn't contain it anymore. She excused herself and walked over to the edge of the forest that surrounded their village away from the rest.

She sat on a log and looked up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly and the full moon was out. She didn't know how long she sat there enjoying the silence when she heard a growl followed by a whine behind her.

It was a growl she had never heard before and it froze her entire being. Her first instinct was to run away screaming but the curious side of her couldn't resist the temptation of finding something new.

She was also not a damsel in distress who couldn't defend herself. Her father had taught her well in the art of combat and so without much making much movement, Evie unsheathed the dagger which was strapped against her leg.

Then, she carefully turned around and despite steeling herself for the worst, she nearly screamed at what she saw.