Prologue

I can't believe it. This thought kept running through my mind as I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. I still couldn't seem to comprehend what my father had said. Here I was, soon to be eighteen and I already had to leave my family, friends, and home behind. I thought it would be in the far future when I found a suitor worthy of my hand in marriage, but boy was I wrong.

My father was pretty well known and high up in the royal family in my kingdom. He was the cousin to the king and had two daughters. I was one of those daughters, while my younger sister the other.

My age was one of the things that sealed me to my fate. You see, I was one of the few girls old enough for the task. Out of us few, I was chosen for it. It was more of a punishment in my eyes.

Let me stop rambling and tell you exactly what i'm talking about, for i'm getting a little ahead of myself. You all need to know the truth behind my story and how I came to love a monster...

I was minding my own business when I heard a knock at my door. I had been sitting in one of the many chairs on my balcony when this occurred. I sighed and got to my feet, my dress trailing on the ground behind me. I set my book down, quickly marking my page before walking toward the door. I opened it and peeked out.

The knocker was one of my many slaves. I had forgotten her name, but I didn't really care. She was beneath me and needed to stay that way. Acknowledging her by name might make the other slave jealous and cause wars amongst them and our people. That would not be wise at all.

"Your father wishes to speak with you. He says it is of the upmost importance and that you arrive quickly. He wanted you to dress nice and be presentable. I am to assist you if you need any help," she mumbled. She was almost quiet enough for me not to hear her, but I didn't want to waste time by making her repeat herself. I would have usually done it, but today my father needed me quickly and he would grow angry with me if I did not comply.

The girl kept her head down and her eyes on the floor as she awaited my reply. Did I need her help? I could fix my hair by pulling it back into braids and straighten my dress, but that was about it. "I am in no need of your assistance. You are dismissed." I shut the door without a thank you, or a care.

I strutted over to where I had laid my book and picked it up. As I cradled it to my bosom I looked out over the forest and beautiful country side. Mountains surrounded us, but they were many miles away. I had personally never seen them up close, for I had never been given the privilege of leaving the castle walls.

My father had always told me it was too dangerous to leave and had never permitted me to even play out near the woods. The only way out of the castle walls and town was to go through one of the two gates at either end. Since I had no way of getting out, I spent most of my time indoors and reading. I was afraid that I had grown into a little bit of what the slaves called a prissy butt. It was a rude term and I hadn't appreciated being called it behind my back. When I caught someone saying it one time, I had my father send them to the dungeon and then sold soon after. I had never heard anyone say anything about me after that, for they feared my wrath.

I had always dreamed of running away to the mountains, getting away from all this high society, but it was never to come true. There was no way for me to leave and I had nowhere to go. I sometimes also dreamed of a prince coming and sweeping me off my feet and taking me away to his castle in the mountains, but I had no clue if anyone even lived in the mountains.

I had heard stories of what laid wait in the forest, but never heard anything about the mountains. The slaves talked about monsters that looked like dogs living out there. I had heard stories of them being called werewolves, but had never been so unfortunate as to lay eyes on one. They were fiercer than the wildest lion and as strong as a raging bull. I never wanted to meet one of them.

Sometimes I feared that I had met one, but couldn't remember him or if I really had. I had dreams of a giant brown dog attacking me, but never breaking skin when he bit me. Mostly he just tried to drag me out into the forest. I had screamed and guards had come running. I didn't' remember how I got outside, but I always awoke when the man started changing back into a human. That was part of the legend I never did get. How could a man be a wolf also? It just didn't make sense.

I was pulled from my many thoughts as a howl sounded outside of my window. I looked around, but didn't catch sight of any of the monsters. I sighed and walked back into my room, closing the glass doors behind me. I was on the third floor and had nothing to be afraid of.

The wolves couldn't get to me. We had too many guards and they never reached the castle walls. We were surrounded by them on all sides, but weren't fortunate enough to know their exact locations or their numbers. We only hoped that they didn't out number us and decide to come kill us all. I had lost many friends that traveled back and forth between our kingdom and theirs. Once people left the castle walls they were fair game. I had always hated that rule, but it was one of the rules of the jungle; "Kill or be killed".

I walked over to my bed and set my book down on the smooth surface. My maid had come in earlier and made the bed and fluffed my pillows. My favorite white blankets were on my bed. A white, see through canopy enveloped my bed and made me feel somewhat safe when I slumbered. I gave my bed one more pat before walking over to one of my many closets. I opened the doors and looked inside.

On the right side were all my dresses for the balls or banquets we had. The other side contained all my every day dresses. I also had rows of shoes underneath. I grabbed a yellow sundress and put it on. I grabbed some white heels and some hose. I put both of those on and went to the mirror to see what I could do with my hair and face.

My hair was a bright red, almost the color of fire. It was a very rare occurrence for my family. No one but me had this color hair and sometimes I got the impression I could be adopted. I always shook that thought off when people said I looked just like my deceased mother. She had passed away when I was a small tyke and I missed her dearly. My step mother was the mother of my sister and we weren't that close. She felt that my father should care for her daughter more than me, but my father spoiled us both rotten. It was only fair in his eyes.

My sister's name was Annabelle and she was the royal beauty. Most said that I could be just as pretty if I had a bigger bosom and smaller waist. They also said I would have to lose my hair color; possibly dye it if I could come across such things somewhere. I would always ignore them, believing what my grandmother used to tell me, "Beauty is on the inside dearest".

My face was as clear as any other teen. I used to have oily skins; therefore having blemishes. I started growing out of that at age sixteen and have had clear skin ever since. I decided to add a little liner and mascara to my eyes to accentuate their bright green color. The best part about me, in my opinion, was my eyes. They were the same eyes as my father, one of the ways I knew we were related and I wasn't adopted.

My figure was considered a fair one. I had "B" cup breasts and a small, round butt. Most girls in the kingdom were either a "C" or a "D" so I was considered small too. One of my friends, Tracie, was a "DD" cup and said she got all kinds of attention from the guys. I hated my figure at times, but when it came to wearing dresses, it was least expensive. I sighed as I spun around in the mirror.

A tune from the ball Tuesday flitted into my head. I started humming; remembering most of the words even though it was about three days ago. I started dancing with an imaginary partner, wishing I was actually dancing with someone when I closed my eyes. I felt a grip take my hand and twirl me around and quickly opened my eyes. I screamed at the stranger and jerked from their grasp. I back up against the wall and screamed again.

My door flew open and three guards entered. When they saw the man standing near me and the scared look on my face, they took action. The man, who looked to be around his mid twenties, didn't' seem scared in the least. He turned around and smirked at the guards. He had blonde hair and looked somewhat familiar. It was then that I recognized him. He used to be one of the guards that worked for my father. He had been fired after raping several of the girls in the castle. I almost fainted after I realized what could have happened. I could have been raped and wouldn't have been able to stop it.

The guards grabbed the man and led him out of the room. He looked back at me and winked. "I'll see you again, princess," he said. There was no more said as the doors closed behind him. One of the guards was still there.

"Are you all right, Miss?" he asked me. I glared at him.

"That shouldn't have happened! Why did you let him past you? I should have my father kill you or send you to the dungeon. I mean it, don't let that happen again or I won't hesitate to take action." I stomped over to my mirror and fixed my hair once more. It was pulled up on to the top of my head with curled strands outlining my face. I smiled and put on a little gloss over my lips.

When I thought I was ready I walked out of my room, sparing it one more glance and seeing everything in its order. I looked down the hall before I fully stepped out my bed room door. I was fearful after meeting that man from earlier. Seeing no one, I made my way towards my father's study.

When I arrived, I heard voices from under the crack in the door. They sounded foreign and one held a slight accent to it. I knocked on the door and one of the guards glanced at me warily from the corner of his eye. I gave him a questioning look, but wasn't answered. I shrugged and straightened my shoulders.

The door was opened and I was brought in. I glanced around, seeing two men facing away from me and sitting in the chairs opposite my father's desk. He looked nervous and motioned for me to take a seat next to two other girls. I recognized them as Mandy and Raven. They both had long black hair and the perfect figures. I found myself somewhat envying them. They were my age and had already filled out. I felt I might grow some more, but my 5'2" said differently. I hated being short, for everyone was so much taller than me, even the girls.

Mandy and Raven were familiar to me because they were my age, but the men in the room were unfamiliar. I had never seen them before. One had black hair that was even darker than the midnight sky on a new moon. The other had dirty blonde hair, almost brownish in its tint. I would prefer the black haired over the other.

I studied what I could see of their figures and saw that they both looked really muscular and had an air about them that suggested they knew how to fight and would win. They looked hot to say the least. I hadn't been around guys much, but these were the cutest out of the few I had met or been around.

One of them looked over at me, the black haired one, and I got to see his sky blue eyes. They sparkled as they caught me looking at him before he glanced over at the other girls. I sighed. I was tired of being ignored. It wasn't my fault I was so short or that my figure wasn't the greatest, nor my hair being the red color it was. I almost felt like crying when the other male didn't' even spare me a glance. Instead, he put all his focus on Raven who was wearing a dress that pushed her cleavage up and showed off her boobs. It was a slutty thing to wear and she was known to have slept with several guys.

Mandy wasn't as bad as Raven, but she was Raven's follower. She still slept with guys, just not as many or as often. I felt bad for the way Raven treated her, but it wasn't like I could do anything about it. I was higher up in society than they were, but that didn't stop them from picking on me. I was basically an outcast.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I caught my father looking at me expectantly. "Sorry, did you say something?" I asked, a blush tinting my cheeks. My father looked like he wanted to strangle me.

"Tell the gentlemen your name please, my dear." He turned to them and apologized. I looked at the men and felt the blush stay in place as I caught them staring at me.

"My name is Paige," I said in reply. They nodded.

"Girls, this is Garret and Nathan. They have given us a proposition that was hard for us to refuse. We have talked it over, the king, his advisors, and me, and we have decided that we will take them up on their offer.

"As you may have heard before, there are wolves living around the castle outside. Many people have died trying to get from our city to the next. These men are representing those wolves when they bring us this proposition. Some of them refer to themselves as werewolves or shape shifters. They can take on the form of a wolf and a man.

"What they come here for is to ask us for a choice between our three eldest girls in the kingdom that have royal blood in them. As you may know, you are the three eldest eligible females and all have royal blood." He stopped a moment to look us all in the eye.

By now my thoughts were going crazy. Did he mean to tell me that the stories about the werewolves were definitely true and that we might be in the room with two of those creatures right now? What did he mean by choosing one of us? Choosing us for what exactly? I was confused and wanted answers. I hoped he answered them soon or my head was going to start hurting.

"The proposition is that one of the girls will be going with them to choose between three alphas. When she picks one of the alphas, the wolves won't kill people passing on the roads from one kingdom to the next. The only way they will kill is if the people are walking around in the forest and on their territories. They will be picking between you three today and the one they pick will have a week before they return to take her with them. The girl is going to be given a month to decide between the three alphas. If you choose before that, then the deal will take place immediately. I'll let them look you over and pick now," he said, turning to face the men.

"May we talk to each of them alone before we decide?" the black haired one asked. My father took a moment to ponder the question, glancing between the two men and us ladies. He finally nodded and stood.

"Alright, but I'm warning you, do not harm a hair on their precious little heads," he warned almost angrily. "Or I will have to kill you." He paused for a moment, leaning forward on his desk, and then left cautiously. I turned to face the men once more.

I caught one of them looking at me, but the other was looking at Raven. She was pushing her chest out, trying to win his favor. He snorted and looked at the other girl. I couldn't tell if that was him rejecting her, or him choosing her. Raven seemed to take it the first way and stared in shock at the man.

Mandy was being looked over by the one that at first was looking me over. I found the black haired one staring at me. He smiled and asked me a question. "How old are you dearest?" he asked.

"My eighteenth birthday is coming up shortly sir," I answered him. He smiled at me before looking at the other male with him. The dirty blonde haired one smirked at me before nodding.

"What is your age?" he asked Raven. She smiled at him flirtatiously before replying.

"I am eighteen, recently turned." She looked at them both in the eyes, not fearing them like I was. They asked the same of Mandy and she answered the same as Raven. They were older than me by a few months, but out of us three I was the most mature.

They asked us a few more random questions like what our favorite past time was and what our favorite color was. I answered reading and blue to those questions. They asked if we had ever left the castle walls and I answered no while Raven answered yes. She was the only amongst us that had besides the werewolves.

It still felt weird to call them werewolves. I wasn't used to them existing yet, and now they were right in front of me, asking me questions. It was weird in my mind and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

They all seemed to ponder over our answers before calling my father back into the room. The dirty blonde started speaking first. "We have chosen. There are some things to discuss and we would like to speak to you alone."

My father nodded and looked toward us. "Girls, will you please go stand outside the room?" he asked us nicely. We nodded and all stood up at once. Raven was the first out, with Mandy in the middle and me last. It was usually how it was since Raven thought she should be first at everything. She really got on my nerves sometimes.

It seemed like ages till we were called back into the room and by then I was as nervous as baby that was about to be scolded by its mother. I walked into the room with my head held high, for it would be what my father would want me to do.

I was instantly greeted by four eyes that stared at my figure as I walked. I thought I saw one of them lick their lips, but it could have been a trick of the light. I sat down in the previous chair I had occupied and waited for my father to speak.

"The wolves have decided. Raven, Mandy, you are dismissed. Paige, you will be leaving with the wolves in a week's time. You need to go start packing and finish some last minute things. I need to continue to talk to the wolves, so you are all dismissed." I stared at him with my mouth agape. This couldn't be happening.

I was too ugly for the wolves to pick me and I had no special talents or abilities that might attract someone to me. I was too different with my red hair and my small curves. Why did they choose me?

"Paige, you may leave," my father said, trying to motion for me to quit embarrassing him with his eyes.

"Why?" I asked the men still looking at me. One of them smiled at me.

"We want you," was the reply. I shook my head and got to my feet. I felt numb and had no clue as to what I was going to do. My dress felt like it was suffocating me and I ended up fainting. Luckily one of the men caught me. I glimpsed blue eyes before I faded off into darkness. The last thought that passed through my head was that I was glad that Raven and Mandy were gone and wouldn't see me like this. That's the last thing I wanted to be, the gossip of the noble woman.

A/N

This is the edited version of A Forbidden Love, for those of you who were confused. i hope you enjoy it. I"m afraid that this story won't be updated as frequently as my other ones... this is just for fun and ATL needs finishing. After ATL is finished, i'll be working on this one more. i hope you all enjoyed the different scenes and the longer chapter. The rest of them will still be this long, maybe even longer. Please leave me a review to tell me what you think about the new, edited version of A Forbidden Love.

Haybell

PS: check out my poll on my profile please :) thanks.