Running through the trees, quick and silent as the wind, my feet easily maneuvered over fallen limbs, leaves, and patches of moss as I tracked my prey. My sisters had already given up the hunt and headed back to the lodge to await Artemis’s return from her trip up the mountain. But not me. I was ready to take down the stag, one of the largest I’d ever seen in the Forgotten Forests of Olympus. A creature so magnificent would make a perfect offering to Artemis – not to mention feed the warrior maidens for a week.

Up ahead, the brush gave way to a verdant clearing, the sun’s rays making the grasses grow high and thick. I crept to the edge and spotted the stag grazing on a patch of milk thistle. It was almost too beautiful to take from the forest, but Artemis would make sure the deer’s spirit awoke in the breast of another proud creature.

I nocked my arrow and steadied my bow, taking care to aim for the heart. A kill with no suffering was the best gift I could offer to the massive animal. Right before I let my arrow fly, I sensed a presence on the other side of the glade. So did the stag, which bolted off into the underbrush before I could get my shot off.

I edged up to a sapling for some light cover, warily watching the tree line. The forest was full of hunters and prey, and I intended to stay the former. After a few tense seconds, a magnificent wolf stalked into the greenery. Challenging a wolf wasn’t high on my list of priorities, so I began to back away, hoping to circle around and catch the stag in my sights once more. But as I moved, the wolf fixed its gaze on my position. I froze. It let out a low warning growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I quickly re-nocked my arrow, but this time for defense. 

The wolf approached, its clear blue eyes seeking me in the tangle of bushes. It crept ever closer until it stopped and lifted its nose, scenting something – me, no doubt – on the air. The wolf let out a wild bark and suddenly fizzled into a million beams of light. I had to blink against the glare. When I opened my eyes, I found a handsome man standing before me, naked as the day he was born. His golden hair fell past his shoulders and his square jaw was shadowed with a few days’ worth of growth.

His chin had a proud tilt to it and his eyes, still that striking blue, were full of swagger. “I know you’re in there, female,” he called. “You can come out. I won’t hurt you.”

I stifled a laugh as I lowered my arrow. Thank the gods he won’t hurt poor little me.

Keeping the bow at my side, I climbed the rest of the way through the thicket and emerged into the sun. The wolf seemed taken aback.

“Expecting a nymph, were you?”

“I was hoping for one, yes. But it looks like I found something even better.” He raked my body with his eyes. The male stood unashamed as a prodigious erection took shape for all the world, and this warrior maiden – emphasis on maiden – to see. I stared at it, suddenly overcome with improper thoughts. I’d never seen a male naked before and had been so long sequestered with my sisters that I hadn’t given a thought to the world outside. Clearly, he was from beyond the Forgotten Forest or I would have spotted him long before now – wolf or no.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was on the trail of a rogue wolf from my pack. I’d heard he may have strayed into these woods. He’s a silver wolf, with fur much lighter than mine. You seen him?”

I gripped my bow more tightly. “You should leave. Artemis rules here and suffers no males to trespass.”

“Does she now?” He crept ever closer.

“Stop that,” I nocked an arrow in the blink of an eye.

“Sorry.” He held his hands up. “I just wanted to get a better smell of you.”

I blinked back at him, unsure of how to answer that.

“You smell like night-blooming jasmine. You know that?”

“You should go.”

“You sure you want me to, sweetheart?”

I caught the sound of Lynxia not far behind us in the forest. She must have doubled back from the lodge to try and take down the stag right from under my nose. Figures.

“Go, now. Someone’s coming!” I gave him a light shove, though his muscled body didn’t move an inch.

“Look, darling,” he said, his drawl more pronounced, “I’ll leave right now if you promise to meet me here tomorrow. Same time, same place. Deal?”

“No. I don’t make deals with males. Just go!” I pointed the arrow at his heart.

“I’m not leaving until you agree.” He grabbed a long stalk of grass, nibbling on it.

If Lynxia spotted the naked male in the clearing, she might kill him first and ask questions later. Even if she didn’t kill him, it would only be a matter of time before Artemis found out I had been consorting with a male and then I’d be in deep trouble. 

But the vexing wolf wouldn’t move. He just stood there crunching the blade of grass between his teeth as Lynxia prowled ever closer. After a brief standoff, when I realized that the male was serious, I finally bit out, “Fine. I’ll meet you tomorrow.”

“I’m gonna need your word on that, sweetheart.” He held his hand out. I reluctantly gripped it and he stole a kiss on the back of my hand before striding toward the opposite end of the glade.

“By the way, what’s your name?” he called over his shoulder.

“Lilah.”

“Nice to meet you, sweetheart. I’m Farrow.” He transformed into the wolf and silently disappeared into the underbrush as Lynxia emerged behind me.