Chapter 1

Willow POV

I can remember the day like it was yesterday.  My mother tucked my hair behind my ears and wiped the dirt off my face. 

“You are going to meet the Princess,” she says quietly.  “You have to look your best.” 

“What if she doesn’t like me?” I ask innocently.  I didn’t understand the gravity of what was about to happen. 

“She will love you,” my mother says before she places a kiss on my forehead.  “Now, what do you say?” 

“I tell them that I was sent to live with the Princess,” I say proudly. 

“Perfect,” my mother says. 

I close my eyes and try to remember the sound of her voice, the way that the breeze blew through her hair, the color of her hair, and the color of her eyes.  But time has faded my memory to nothing but the words that were spoken between the two of us. 

This is the same memory that flashes through my mind before every mission.  It was the beginning of everything.  It was the moment my life turned into something that, I am sure, my birth mother could never imagine. 

I slide into the warehouse through the unguarded side door.  Sticking to the shadows, I shake my head at the lack of protection around the warehouse.  I am sure that the Rogue Alpha isn’t here. It will be just another dead end.  More innocent lives will be lost because I cannot leave any loose ends.  If anyone sees me, they must die. 

I am the Lycan King’s most valuable asset.  He knows it, and so do I.  None of the other assassins are as quick or as clean as I am.

Voices echo loudly through the warehouse, and I know I need to find a place to hide.  I hop inside one of the oversized crates and listen to the conversation that is being held just a few rows over. 

“Do you think he will show?” One of the voices says.  The voice is low and growly. 

Another chipper voice chimes in.  “Our contact within the city swears the King took the bait and would be sending his best assassin.” 

“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath.  I knew that it was too easy to get into the warehouse.  It is a fucking setup.

“He should be here shortly,” the second voice speaks again.  “Our contact within the city has been trailing him for some time now.” 

Accidentally, I let out a snort of laughter because they keep calling me a ‘he.’  I clasp my hand over my mouth but fail to stifle the laughter. 

“Did you hear that?” the man with the growly voice says, and I know that it is over.  I have blown my cover.

A single set of footsteps echoes through the warehouse and get closer to my location.  Pulling my gun out of my holster, I crouch low in the crate and ready myself to pop up with a surprise.  The footsteps sound like they stop just a few steps away from me.  Popping out of the crate, I find myself face to face with an angry man covered in scars. 

“What the fuck?” He growls in my direction.  “Who are you?” 

“I’m here to kill you, Cupcake?” I smile broadly in his direction. 

He turns his head to the side to call for his buddy.  But before he can say anything, I pull the gun from my side and pull the trigger without hesitation.  My bullet pierces through his temple, and the other side of his face explodes. His body wavers on his feet for mere seconds before he crumples to the ground.  

“Razor,” his buddy calls out from the other side of the warehouse.  “Did you find him?” 

Another snort of laughter escapes my lips as I hop out of the crate and over Razor’s now lifeless body.  “Razor,” I try to sound menacing as I say his name, but no matter how I say it, it comes out as a giggle. 

“Razor,” the other guy says loudly, and I hear his footsteps running towards me quickly. 

Propping myself up on another crate, I wait for the other guy to approach me.  As he comes into view, I hop off the crate and keep a wide smile on my lips. 

“I am sorry, but Razor is unavailable at the moment.  He’s busy.”  I say in my smart-ass voice.

The man looks me up and down, but I don’t take my eyes off his hands.  “You have got to be kidding me,” the man laughs.  “You are the Lycan King’s lead assassin?  Aren’t you also his secretary?”

Scoffing loudly, I pretend to be offended.  “I am his administrative assistant.” 

“This is a joke,” the man doubles over with laughter.  “You are a human.  I can’t believe he sent a little girl to do a man’s job.” 

Jumping over Razor’s lifeless body, I kick the other man in his chest, and he stumbles backward a few steps.  As soon as he gets back to his feet, he barrels towards me and tries to lunge for my waist.  I brace myself for the impact, knowing I am not fast enough to get away in this tiny space.  

He wraps his arms around my waist and forces me to the ground, holding me there by my shoulders.  

“I don’t want to hit a girl, but I will,” the man says with a hint of irritation in his voice.  

I spit in his eyes, not bothering to answer him, taking him by surprise.  Raising his hands to wipe my spit from his face, he accidentally sets me free, and I wiggle from his hold and spring back to my feet.

He lunges for me again, only this time, I am ready for him.  Jumping up, I knee him in the nose before I leap over his shoulders.  Spinning in the air, I land, so I am facing him.  I watch with amusement as he holds his nose and tries to stumble to his feet.

Leaping onto his back, I rip my favorite blade from its sheath and stab him in the jugular.  Blood sprays from his neck and covers the side of my face and hair.  He falls to the ground with a thud.  Before I take the knife out of his neck, I roll him over onto his back and watch as he sputters for air. 

“Who is your contact in Lycan City?” I scream at him. 

“Die, Bitch,” he sputters. 

“I’m sorry.  I had a hard time hearing that over the sound of you dying.” I say with a smile on my face. 

The man continues to gurgle and stem the blood that is escaping from around my blade.  I let out a frustrated sigh and rip the knife out of his neck, letting him bleed out onto the warehouse floor.

I turn my head and look toward the shelves that are full of boxes.  I swear someone is watching me, but if anyone is there, they don’t make themselves known.  I hear more footsteps coming from outside of the warehouse, but enough blood has been shed tonight.

Quickly I slide out of the side door of the warehouse and run into the woods behind it.  The sound of footsteps falls behind me, and I know that they are close to catching me. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I groan as I run.  I know that I cannot outrun a lycan or a werewolf, even on my best day. 

A large tree stands before me, and I shimmy up the trunk before those that are chasing me can catch up to me.  I climb to the top of the tree and wait.  I watch as the rogues that were chasing me run stupidly by the tree.

Now I must sit up here and wait.  Pulling out my phone, I shoot a text off to the King. 

Me:  You have a rat among your men.  This was a setup. 

King:  I thought maybe it might be. 

Me:  So, you sent your niece into the trap.  How kind of you?

King:  How many fatalities?

Me:  Two

King:  Waste Not.  That’s why I sent you.

Closing the screen on my phone, I tuck it back into my pocket.  It is going to be a long damn night at the top of this tree.