Customs be damned. I won’t permit my father to disgrace the wolf I nearly killed. If he is to be my husband, then I can’t permit my pride to see him for his weaknesses.

My father, a prideful king, will surely expose them all and I will be nothing more than the princess to a prince who doesn’t deserve the title. Worse than Lia or Calla, for at least their husband is bold and capable in battle.

My heart aches for everything I’ve lost, everything I took for granted. The love I almost had. The high rank I’d been promised since cubhood. Now, my name and reputation will be tainted because of the wolf whose cowardice I despise.

Power and strength, that is the lion’s honor. This wolf, Noble, has neither. If he did, he wouldn’t have been prowling around our realm like some… rogue! And he surely wouldn’t have shown such hesitance. He wouldn’t have wavered away from the fight. As if he were meek, rather than the mightiness I felt beneath his strong build.

Instead of relying on our conventional traditions and waiting for the wolf prince to arrive to Summer in five days’ time, I steal into the night, charging through the woods and across realms in my most natural form as a lion, until I reach Winter. I smell the muskiness of their realm before I see it and while it isn’t altogether unpleasant, it’s a scent I’m unaccustomed to. One I’d rather turn my nose away from than move forward.

But move forward I do. So distracted by the new scent, I trot through the forest until I stumble, rather ungracefully, over a large mass lying on the damp ground. The familiar scent of the wolf hits my nostrils and I breathe him in, needing to know my future husband as well as I know the man I’m no longer destined for.

His ears pull back, his eyes narrowing as he snarls in my direction. I let out my own growl, low and warning. He stands, his full height again taking me aback. We circle one another, my prowl graceful, opposed to the slight limp in his gait.

Not wanting to quarrel further, I retreat and sit on my haunches. Although patience isn’t a virtue I possess, I wait for recognition to cross behind those dark, stormy eyes that have tormented me since the day we crossed paths by the river. I angle my face to the side, try to remain passive while keeping a steady gaze on him, observing him as nothing more than my opponent.

His tail drops, pointing straight down as it switches lightly in a wag.

He shudders, his ebony coat trembling with the gesture as his lean muscles constrict. On a yawn, he transforms into human form. Curious, I peer up at him, assess him for the damages I’ve caused, for the strength I sense brewing beneath the surface.

“Well?” He gestures with an impatient wave of his hand. He settles in his form as a human man and I take some pride when he doesn’t shrink away when I stalk around him. “Are you going to change, Lion? Or have you come to admire your future husband?” His mouth bows upward in a tight smirk.

Apparently not shy of his sculptured physique, he splays his large hands on either side of his hips. Veins slope up his arms, the sinewy muscles moving as I admire him as a man. He’s brawny, as well built as the wolf, with wounds still healing from our encounter. Not ready to question him about it, about the reluctance I felt in our brawl, I lick my lips, my eyes darting away from him only to find amusement playing across his face when I look back at him.

“Don’t tell me, my bride is shy?” He laughs.

Narrowing my eyes, I also change. Back in human form, I’m more self-conscious but I hold my posture upright when his stare sweeps over my bare body. My chest heaves, my breasts growing heavy under the weight of his stare. I turn in front of him, a small circle as I let him have his fill, pretending I don’t mind the vulnerability of being naked before him.

“Are we done now?” I question with a melodic lilt to my voice.

“I don’t even know where to start,” he answers, his voice hoarse. “You came to me, Lion. What is it you want at such a late hour?”

“My name’s Liana. You may call me that or my lady. The choice is yours, Noble, but I demand you treat me as your equal.”

Dark, bushy brows shoot to his hairline and the corners of his lips twitch. “Very well then.”

“Very well then, what?” I demand. “Which will it be?”

“If I’m given the option, I’d like to call you Liana in private and my lady in public. So, that I may treat you with the respect you deserve.”

I curtsy, a deep bend of my knees as I bow my head down, showing him the same respect. “My thanks, Your Grace.”

“Your Grace in public,” he corrects. “As your husband, I ask you call me Noble when it is just us two.”

“Very well, then,” I mime.

Humor dances behind his eyes with a glint of mischievousness, mesmerizing me for a moment before I remember what I’m here for.

“You’re to fight my father for my hand,” I say, my voice steady, my nerves quaking. A small tick makes his jaw twitch as his features darken, but I continue. “You’ll lose if you don’t grow more confident. I’m sure from looking at you, strength isn’t against you.”

“And do you fear for my life, Liana?” His lips lift into half a smile that I can’t help but return. “If I remember correctly, it’s you who almost took my life two weeks ago.”

The smile falls, wiping itself from existence as my lips pull down into a frown. “You were spying on me, watching me bathe. When I saw you, you growled at me.” I poke his chest with a firm finger, and must hit a particularly sore spot that makes him flinch slightly. So slightly I might’ve missed it if I weren’t trained to notice these things. “What was I to do? Let some rogue wolf attack me?”

“Don’t do that.” He grabs my wrist, wrapping his fingers tightly around it. “Don’t call me a rogue wolf. I’m a wolf.”

“A wolf that can change when there is no full moon.” I tilt my chin skyward.

His shoulders slump forward, his face growing wary. And then he masks it with an arrogant smirk. He straightens, his expansive chest in full display. “Yes, a wolf that can change when there is no full moon. A wolf that dared to venture outside of his realm. Because I am a royal. And you, Liana, are to be my wife. Be mindful of that and of your words,” he warns me.

“I’ll be no such thing if you can’t defeat my father, and with the way you fight, I’m fairly certain you will only bring more disgrace to your pack.”

“Is that why you’re here, then? To mock me in my own realm? Need I remind you, this is my kingdom and you are trespassing?”

“Shall we fight?” I fold my arms over my chest, the smooth satin of my skin a reminder that I’m arguing with a barbarian who most certainly finds enjoyment in seeing me so exposed. “See who wins?”

“Don’t challenge me, Liana,” he growls. “I may not be able to hold back the next time we battle.”

I inhale a deep breath through clenched teeth, and choke on his words. “You held back?” I whisper. “Why would you hold back? When you fight, Noble, you fight to win. If death is what is warranted, you fight until you are the victor. Until you are drained of your own blood, you fight. Until you expend your last breath, only then can you retreat. You mustn’t hold back. Not ever.”

“We’re done here. Go back to Summer, Liana. Soon enough you’ll have your fill of the cold and wish you hadn’t spoken such careless words.”

Without warning he changes back into wolf form. I study him as he considers me. His penetrating stare digs into me, and I waiver under his silent contemplation. The exquisite black fur feathered together with the deep gray twitches as his long muscles strain beneath the surface of his body. My heart thunders, a loud cadence inside my ears, as sudden passion threatens to explode in lustful craving. He holds me captive and I kneel down in front of him, my knees sinking into the soft ground beneath me. I stroke his massive head and nearly whimper when he nuzzles against it. I stroke the shockingly soft fur, threading my fingers through the strands, our gaze never falling from the others.

I lean into him and whisper, “When you fight my father, don’t hold back, Husband.”