Book 1: Old Wounds

Kieran

It’s late in the evening when I finally reach my father’s soldiers. The sun is low in the sky, threatening to set at any moment, and my body is weary after so many days of traveling. I’m grateful to see the men have already set up their camp for the evening. They’ve all shifted into their human forms, with one man still in his wolf form as the lookout. 

He growls at me as I approach, but I tell him who I am and he bows low.

“Is that Prince Kieran?” a man asks, and I nod, disappearing behind a tree so I can shift and dress. When I reemerge, the men bow to me as well. 

“At ease,” I tell them, and they relax. “Until we’re back at the castle, I’m just another one of you.” 

It’s a small group, only half a dozen or so, and I can tell that at least two of the men are apprehensive of me. Is it something I’ve done? More likely, it’s something they dislike about my father. 

“I’ll take the midnight watch, if no one