One moment Brittney stands tall at the royal ceremony, the next she's on the floor, blood staining her beautiful gown, her pregnant belly in danger. Everyone gasps as they see her most trusted friend Maryann holding what looks like poison. But looks can fool you in this royal court, nothing is what it seems. Just six months ago, Brittney was just a backup plan, forced to marry after her sister's death. Now she's caught in the middle of an ancient prophecy she never asked for. The people she thought were her friends are acting strange, doing things that make her doubt them. And as her baby grows inside her, Brittney starts feeling weird powers awakening powers that no werewolf should have. Time is running out. Her baby's life is at stake, and Brittney must figure out secrets that have been buried for hundreds of years. Everyone around her seems to be playing a dangerous game. Some who act like enemies might be friends, and those who smile might hide daggers behind their backs. In this deadly game of secrets and lies, how can Brittney know who's really on her side?
Chapter 1 The Spring Festival
Brittney
The sun rose slowly over the old palace. The sun cast long shadows on the worried werewolves and Solarians below. I stood on the stage, looking at the crowd with my purple eyes. The werewolves were close together, their golden eyes shining brightly. The Solarians stood far away, wearing shiny, diamond-colored clothes.
My baby moves inside me, making my mouth taste like metal. I held onto Javier's arm tightly. He moved a little, his gRey eyes asking if I was okay. He looked strong and brave, but I probably looked silly and uncomfortable.
"Welcome to the Spring Festival!" I shouted loudly. My voice echoed off the old stone walls covered in wolf drawings. I felt a strong magic inside me. The crowd moved nervously, sensing the change-werewolves always knew when something exciting was happening.
I stood up straight, trying to be brave like a superhero. I thought about the things my sister Kimberly taught me before she was sadly eaten by a giant marshmallow. The baby moved again, and blue light came out of my fingers like a party. The crowd made a lot of noise, some growling, some whispering, and some saying, "Ooh, shiny!"
Javier pulled me closer, trying to hide his worry. I smiled, even though I was sweating a lot. "Let the blessing walk begin!" I said loudly, hoping no one saw that I was about to faint.
We walked around the grounds, seeing the red and gold flags of the werewolves and Solarians moving in the wind. The air smelled like holy smoke and fresh bread, but I was too busy trying not to fall to enjoy it.
Maryann walked through the crowd gracefully. She had a crystal bottle on her belt that glowed with a strange power. It made my skin tingle and my baby move a lot.
"My queen," she bowed very low. The bottle's power made my head spin.
I held my big belly as Robert Banister came up to me. "You look like you're about to have a baby that's half werewolf and half Solarian, Your Majesty," he said with a kind smile. "Maybe we should-"
"I'm fine," I lied, feeling like I might explode.
Maryann kept walking through the crowd in a strange way. My royal training told me something was wrong, but stopping now would be like canceling the festival because of a few evil werewolves.
The baby kicked harder, and magic felt like it was burning inside me. I watched Maryann closely, seeing a pattern that only people who read "The Big Book of Weird Werewolf Rituals" would know. Javier sensed my worry, but I couldn't explain what I didn't fully understand. The sun rose higher, and the bottle's pull got stronger.
"Your Majesty, the holy fountain is ready," Maryann said, smiling in a way that didn't seem real.
The old fountain was in front of us, with pictures of the first peace treaty between werewolves and Solarians. Water came out of the mouths of wolves and crystal paths, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat, beating very fast. My hands shook as I raised them for the blessing.
Two different kinds of magic fought inside me-the wild power from my werewolf marriage and the mysterious energy from my secret family. They clashed in my blood like a dance between werewolves and Solarians. Rey came out of the crowd, his amber eyes warning me. He stood between Maryann and me like a protective guard.
"The time has come, my queen," he said, his voice sounding strained. The sun moved closer to the middle of the sky, making rainbows in the fountain's water.
"May the moon and sun be blessed together." I started the old prayer, my voice cracking. A strong magic hit me, making the baby fight against unseen forces. The fountain's water shook, then turned a deep, scary red. The crowd screamed loudly.
I held onto the fountain's edge tightly. Through blurry eyes, I saw Maryann's hand moving towards her bottle slowly.
"Stay away!" Javier shouted loudly, but it was too late.
Magic exploded out of me, breaking the top of the fountain. Red water fell on the shocked crowd. Rey caught me before I fell.
"We must hurry," he said, his voice sounding far away.
The sun shone brightly above, counting down the seconds until something catastrophic happened. My heart told me I might not survive what was coming next. Rey and Javier helped me walk to the throne, the crowd moving out of the way like the Red Sea-or rather, the Red Fountain.
My baby's magic pulsed with my rapid heartbeat, making the world spin. As we passed, an old Solarian said, "The old books talk about blood and water..."
His words made me feel cold. Palace workers tried to clean the red stains from the fountain, but they stayed. The big wooden throne, decorated with moonstones, didn't make me feel better as I held onto it to stay standing. Javier stood close, his body showing how worried he was. Rey and Robert Banister talked quietly and quickly.
I kept watching Maryann as the sun went down, making the wonderful hall look scary with an orange-red light. People moved around, getting ready for the last dance, but I could barely stand. One hand was on my big belly while the other held onto Javier's arm tightly.
"This is all wrong," I whispered, but my words were lost in the chaos.
The baby's magic got stronger, fighting against forces I only read about in old books. Maryann walked towards me slowly, holding the glowing bottle high. In the fading light, her face changed, showing that she knew about forbidden magic.
Rey and Robert looked at each other, their faces showing fear.
"The time has come," Maryann said loudly, making the crystals in the room shake.
The bottle pulsed red, matching my baby's rapid movements inside me. Javier let out a loud growl that shook the room, but it didn't stop the magic building inside me. As the sundial's shadow reached its final spot, I realized the scary truth.
The fancy rituals, the blood in the fountain, Maryann's careful movements-they were all part of a big trap I never saw coming. My legs gave out as the last rays of sunlight hit the bottle, making it glow with an evil light.
"We beg your forgiveness," Rey said, his voice sounding sad. "Some queens must die so others can rule."
The bottle in Maryann's hand shone a bright red as the sun went down. Too late, I understood what the sundial had been counting down to. As darkness filled the room, I saw my own reflection in the bottle's clear surface-my purple eyes burning with a strange magic. In my last moments of being awake, I knew that I was both a blessing and a sacrifice in an old game that had been played long before my time.
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