Prologue

Lily lay in the bed her skin shining with sweat. Every muscle, nerve, and bone felt as if it had been doused in gasoline and set alight. Her teeth throbbed in her gums. Her tongue felt like a strip of sandpaper. Voices filtered into her ears, but they sounded as if they were coming from far away.

"I've never seen a werewolf attack have this effect on anyone." That was the healer's voice.

"That thing wasn't a werewolf," James said. "It was something else. Did you see it? It had the head of a wolf, but it walked like a man."

Lily drew in a harsh breath. It was so hard to breathe. It was like someone had dropped a house on her chest. Suddenly, the voices in the other room rose sharply.

"We have to do something. She's burning up."

The healer interrupted James. "There is nothing we can do. Whatever that creature was, its bite seems to have infected her with some type of magic."

"Magic," an old voice said, "Not a virus?"

Lily recognized that voice as the Headmasters. To her amazement, he sounded curious and more than a little worried. Could he not know what was going on? How was that possible? Albus Dumbledore knew everything. She strained her ears as the Healer explained what she knew.

"Yes, magic. It's not a virus like lycanthropy. A virus we could stop. Whatever this is, it's changing her."

Tuning out the voices as it was now obvious that they knew no more than she did. Lily lifted her head and looked down at her side. Most of the wound was bandaged, but she could see a small bit of the mangled flesh peeking out from underneath. It was enough to tell her she didn't want to see anymore.

"Albus," James voice made her start paying attention again. "It's a full moon do you think…"

Lily gazed out the window at the bloated moon just rising above the trees. As its light shown through the window, she tensed. She watched with trepidation as the light streamed towards her bed. She held her breath as the first rays of moonlight touched her.

Pain ripped through her. She screamed, feeling as if someone had reached inside her and yanked on her guts.

She looked down at her hands and saw they were covered in hair. Her fingers were bending and twisting into a claw formation. She twisted, throwing the bed clothes to the floor.

Her skin itched terribly, like bugs were crawling around just underneath the surface. Running her hands along her body, she was horrified to find herself covered in a thick pelt of fur. She opened her mouth to scream again, but all that came out was a long mournful how. There was a cracking sound. She felt her skull changing shape. Her ears shifted to the sides of her head and stuck straight up. Her teeth cracked and changed, becoming pointed and sharp enough to bite through bone. Her mouth stretched and lengthened, shifting shape until it resembled a muzzle. Saliva dripped from her open mouth splattered on the floor. Her eyes changed from emerald green to a glowing yellow. Her howls turned to bestial snarls.

Her legs bulged rippling with muscle. Her knees became double jointed. The souls of her feet became tough and leathery her toe nails lengthening to form razor sharp claws.

She rose from the bed, her head just brushing the ceiling of the cottage. She could hear furniture falling over in the next room. and snarled again. She stalked forward, moving surprisingly gracefully for something so large. She was hungry and there was meat so close. Someone stepped into her path. She could smell that he was old, but that was no matter. Old meat would fill her belly as well as young flesh would. She bent her knees, preparing to spring. Her claw-like hands flexed preparing to rend flesh from bone.

"Lily," the old man said. "Try to control yourself. I'm not going to hurt you."

She growled and made a sudden swipe at the man. He stepped back nimbly, barely avoiding her claws. He calmly raised a stick and pointed it at her.

"Stupefy," he said.

She growled as something hit her in the chest. She lunged, snapping her jaws, but the old man flicked the stick in his hand sending her crashing into the wall.

"Stupefy," the man said again, but this time his voice was joined by others.

She roared in rage as her vision began to fade. She faintly heard the spell being shouted again and everything went black.

Chapter ONE

Lily sighed as she stepped out into the pouring rain. Pulling her cloak tightly around her, she bowed her head and headed towards the apparition point at the edge of Diagon Alley. As she walked, she heard the giggles of the small girl walking down the street with her Mother. She frowned at the sound.

The laughter of children would provoke happiness in most women, but not Lily, not now. As she passed a shop window she winced. She hardly recognized herself in the woman reflected in the glass.

She was lean and muscular without an ounce of fat on her. Her red hair was cut so that it fell just short of her shoulders and her green eyes seemed to glow even though there was not enough light to reflect them.

Turning away from the glass, she hurried on her way. Not many new of her transformation, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. Listening to the little girls giggles getting farther and farther away, the words of the healer echoed in her mind.

"I don't want you to lose hope Mrs. Potter. There are many ways for you to have a child." The middle-aged woman smiled reassuringly. "Even if you can't conceive, you and your husband could always adopt, won't that be nice? You could give an orphan of this blasted war a good home."

Nice sure. James hadn't taken the news that she couldn't have children well. He'd wanted a blood heir and potions could only do so much. To add to that, what she changed into once a month made Remus Lupin, their werewolf friend look like a harmless little puppy.

"She's dominant," he told James. "I don't know what this is, but she makes my wolf cringe now. We need to make sure Voldemort doesn't find out about this. If he does, he'll stop at nothing to get her on his side. Even if she doesn't comply, which we know she wouldn't, he may force her to change someone else."

Voldemort. The sorcerer that terrified Great Britain had started a campaign to rid the world of all wizards not of pure blood. That meant any wizard born from two mundane parents were worthless to them. Unfortunately, Lily fell into that category. She smiled bitterly. That was the bright side about her transformation. Discovering what she was capable of took her mind off the war brewing around her.

Through trial and error, Lily had discovered that she could change whether it was day or night and during any phase of the moon cycle. However, the only time she had to change was the full moon. During that time, she'd started going to a secluded forest to hunt.

She had also discovered that she healed almost instantly from any wound, no matter how severe. The only thing that caused her wounds that wouldn't heal was silver. Wounds inflicted with silver healed as slow as they would have if she'd been a normal human.

James had tried to be there for her, but the fact that they couldn't have children, coupled with the fact that she'd tried to kill him the one time he'd accompanied her in his stag form caused them to drift apart.

Their separation had been amicable and they'd remained friends. So here she was, twenty-one years old, alone and divorced.

She was at least thankful that Dumbledore had given her the charms position at Hogwarts. At least she had an income and she was able to complete her charms apprenticeship. She just wished she could've known the joys of Motherhood.

Lily was drawn from her thoughts when the rain stopped. No, not stopped, she could hear it all around her, but it wasn't falling on her anymore. What was going on? She took a deep breath of the air. Concentrating, she sorted out the scents marveling yet again at how easy this had become after her change.

The smells of sweat, mud, rain, and cinnamon assaulted her nose. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. There were no shops selling cinnamon in this area. What was going on here? She reached deep inside herself, drawing on her magic. Her right hand glowed, the ring on her finger blazing with a fierce blue flame.

"Alright," she called, her voice echoing strangely. "I've had enough games. Show yourself."

A soft chuckle was heard right behind her. Lily spun and thrust her right hand out. Fire lanced from the ring on her right hand, but the flames froze in midair, literally froze. Lily watched in stunned disbelief as the frozen ice sculpture of fire fell out of the air and shattered on the cobblestones.

"It's alright," a voice said gently. "I am not going to hurt you; I swear it on my magic."

"If you don't want to hurt me then why are you hiding?" Lily growled.

"I am not hiding," the voice said. As it spoke, a man appeared standing a respectful distance from her. "I merely wanted to make you aware of my presence."

"And you couldn't just walk up and say hi?"

The man chuckled again. He brushed his fingers through his sapphire blue hair, pushing it away from his face. Lily gaped as she got a glimpse of the man's ears.

They were pointed. Only slightly, but they definitely weren't round. Looking closer, she drew in a sharp breath as she saw his eyes.

The man's eyes were gold, glowing in his pale face like two tiny suns. He gazed around as if making sure no one was listening.

"There are hard times in your world. I thought you may be suspicious if someone just walked up and starting chatting to you.

"Who… what are you?" Lily stammered. It was clear she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"That could be considered a rude question," the man said raising an eyebrow the same sapphire color as his hair.

Lily's ring flared with light again. "I said no games," she snarled.

"Redheads," the man said calmly. "All of you have that famous temper."

Reaching out quickly, he grasped Lily's shoulder with a long fingered hand. Before she could do anything, the ground seemed to fall away under her feet.

XXX

Lily stumbled as the ground firmed underneath her again. She jerked away from the man and spun, flinging out her hand as she did so.

A bolt of red light flew from her ring and struck the man in the chest.

The man rubbed his chest where the light struck and grimaced. "Owe, that actually hurt. You are a lot stronger than I thought you were." He grinned charmingly at her, flashing white and slightly crooked teeth. "Of course I should've known that. After all, there aren't many mages left in this country. Most of the magic users are so weak they are forced to use wands even with our help."

Lily growled, her eyes glowing brightly and fired a bright blue light at his head. The man leaned slightly to the left. The light missed him by inches, blowing a hole in the brick wall beside him.

"Will you calm down," he snapped. "I'm not going to hurt you. Look," He drew a long hand across his palm. Blood ran in a steady stream from the cut. He held his bleeding hand towards Lily.

"I give you an oath by blood and magic that I mean you know harm either physical, emotional, or mental."

Lily paused as a light blazed from the cut. When it faded, the man looked at her. "Will that suffice?"

She was silent for a moment, thinking hard. "Alright," she said. "I'll listen, but no funny stuff."

"Good," the man said. "Come on," he motion to a pair of wooden benches against the wall. They sat and Lily gazed at him. "You wanted to talk?"

The man fidgeted, twisting his long fingered hands in his lap. "I know what happened to you," he said finally. "I know you are a werewolf, not a lycanthrope, but a true werewolf."

Lily froze. "I don't know what you're…" she stiffened as the man drew out a silver knife and held it out towards her. The mere presence of the silver made her skin itch.

The man nodded as if he'd just confirmed something to himself. "You are not cursed with Lycanthropy. What's happened to you is a complete change of your genetic structure."

"That's what the healer said," Lily said staring at the man steadily, "but how do you know about that?"

"The shifters are an ancient race. They are far older than humans. The lycanthropes your world knows of are merely a pale imitation of the true were. You're stronger, faster, and I bet you got a hell of a nose don't you? To add to that, I bet you eat like a horse and you got eyes like superman. Your magic is stronger as well. Pretty soon, you won't need any type of foci to cast spells."

Lily nodded without saying anything. This man whoever he was seemed to know a lot about her.

He looked into her eyes, gold meeting green. His expression was serious. "It's not all fun and games is it? I assume your healers have already told you that it will be nearly impossible to have a child. The violence of your change will cause you to miscarry. That's what they told you, correct?"

It was as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "What… why are you doing this? Do you enjoy causing me pain?"

The man touched her cheek tenderly. "I wouldn't cause you pain for anything. I'm here to offer you what you've always wanted. You can have a child, just not with a human. However, another shifter or other magical creature would make the unborn fetus strong enough to handle the change."

He looked at her steadily. "My name is Oberon. I am the king of the fae, ruler of all of Faerie. I want you to bare my child."

"You… what?" Lily sputtered.

Oberon's lips quivered slightly as if he were trying not to smile. "It's more than that. I want you to be my wife. I've watched you for years ever since you graduated Hogwarts. I admire your passion and your desire to protect those you care about. That is what I want in a mate."

Lily laughed uncertainly. "I don't even know you. Hell, I only know your name and here you are wanting to be my husband."

Oberon leaned forward, speaking earnestly. "It was that way in the old days. Sometimes the wife didn't even meet the husband until the wedding day."

"I have a job here," Lily said. "I can't just hop up and leave."

"I've got you covered there. I'll create a homunculus to take your place. When you return, you will gain all the knowledge that the homunculus had learned, not to mention any skills it may have picked up."

"Why me?" Lily asked stubbornly.

"Because you are loyal. My X-wife is not. She is a slut who cheated on me repeatedly. I would like an heir and a wife I could trust. Werewolves mate for life and so do the sidhe, also known as the elves," he paused and took a deep breath. "I think you would be what I'm looking for. You never cheated on your X-husband even when he neglected you. I give you my word that I will be the best husband I can. You are immortal now, so we have time to get to know one another."

Lily stared at him her mind frozen in shock. What about her children. Was she going to be forced to watch them die?

Obviously seeing her distress, Oberon spoke. "I will never die of old age either and our children will inherit biological immortality from both of us."

Lily lowered her head, thinking hard. This was a tempting offer. After all, even if she completed her Charms apprenticeship, what did she have after that? She couldn't carry a human child and she would outlive any human she married and that was assuming they could get passed her turning into a blood thirsty killing machine once a month. She looked up at Oberon who waited patiently for her answer.

"What's the catch? You've told me all these great things, but there has to be a downside."

"Ah," For the first time, Oberon looked uncomfortable. "My X-wife is still the queen. She is not going to be happy that a werewolf has replaced her."

"But if she's your X-wife…"

"I can only divorce her if I have a new wife lined up. The nobles are very edgy because I haven't produced an heir. It doesn't help that I've been wandering the world for a hundred years searching for the perfect person to be my wife."

Lily gazed at him. Every word he spoke rang with sincerity. She could see the pain and sorrow buried deep in his gold eyes. "We can get to know each other first, right? I don't want to agree to be your wife and then we find out we're not compatible." She smiled slightly. "Especially if we are going to be together for hundreds of years. I assume adultery is the only way the fae can divorce?"

"You are wise beyond your years," Oberon complimented. "That is correct. Adultery or death are the only ways to break a marriage bond."

"What do you say?" Lily said. "Do we have to get married right away?"

"I agree to your terms," Oberon said. "Time passes different in Faerie. Right now, it's flowing faster, so a day in your world is a year in Faerie. In other words, we have plenty of time."

"Okay then," Lily said standing as well. "We have a deal. How do we get to Faerie?"

Oberon took her hand. His skin was warm. At his touch, Lily felt a piece and serenity she hadn't known since her divorce from James. "Like this," Oberon gestured at a puddle of water. It shimmered becoming a swirling doorway of mist. He gently drew Lily towards the doorway.

Hesitating only momentarily, Lily stepped through the doorway. For a few seconds, she felt intense cold. It was as if she'd stepped into a freezer. Then it was over. She blinked rapidly in the bright light. She could hear birds chirping overhead. Looking up at the sky, she saw it was the purest color of blue she'd ever seen.

Birds of every species flew through shafts of sunlight, singing happily. Distantly, she could hear the lowing of cows. Closer at hand, there were the sounds of laughter, the clink of cutlery and the cries of infants.

She felt Oberon squeeze her hand. "Welcome to your new home, Lily," he said softly.

XXX

Five years later

Lily leaned back in the chair next to Oberon's throne cradling her newborn son. The baby looked up at her cooing happily.

"Did he just say Daddy?" Oberon asked leaning towards their son expectantly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oberon, I know Fae children are more developed at birth than human children, but I don't think he'll be talking only days after his birth." Her green eyes twinkled mischievously. "Besides, his first word is going to be Mummy."

Oberon kissed her cheek. "We'll see about that."

Lily leaned over and kissed him thoroughly. "Yes, I guess we will."

As she leaned back in her chair, cuddling her son, she thought back over the past five years.

Surprisingly, she and Oberon had hit it off fairly quickly. She hadn't asked, but Oberon had sworn another blood oath that he wouldn't use any magic to manipulate or harm her in any way. This, more than anything, had shown her that he was committed to winning her heart through work and trust. It hadn't taken long before they'd begun courting. Three years after her arrival in Faerie, they were married. The fae had been overjoyed at the new union. They'd been even happier when Lily became pregnant.

Lily had been worried when Oberon's X-wife, Aeval, had not made an appearance. She'd asked Oberon about it not long before she gave birth.

"It is concerning," he'd said, "but I have guards watching out for her. They'll detain her as soon as she shows her face." His gold eyes were like two chips of granite. "Don't worry my love, I will not allow any harm to come to you or our son."

Lily sat up sharply as the doors to the throne room burst open. A woman stood framed in the doorway. Her cold blue eyes were focused unblinkingly on Lily. Her black hair floated around her face as if it had a mind of its own. Two small horns grew out of her forehead.

"So," she said her voice like the hiss of a serpent. "This is the animal you replaced me with? And look what you've done, Oberon, she's already had a pup. My my, you have been busy."

Oberon stood placing himself between the woman and Lily. "How did you get in here, Aeval?"

Aeval tsked. "You should know a lady doesn't reveal her secrets. Here I was hoping we could work things out, but I see that I have to get rid of the competition first." She stepped closer to Oberon, reaching out to touch his cheek.

Lily snarled, her eyes turning yellow. "Don't touch him," she growled. The nails on her hands lengthening into claws. "He's mine."

Aeval smirked at her. "Look Oberon, your pet is jealous."

Oberon stepped back from her. "I would thank you to treat my wife and your queen with the proper respect."

Aeval's face twisted, her upper lip lifting in a snarl. "Your wife she may be for the moment, but she will never be my queen. She isn't even Fae for Danu's sake."

"That's really your problem, isn't it? Have you forgotten that we've had a pact for centuries with wizards to exchange their squib children for our weaker fae children? Have you forgotten that it was the inbreeding of the Seelie court that made that pact necessary? We've fixed the inbreeding problem in Faerie. Our bloodline is stronger than ever, but you still can't let go of your prejudice and hatred can you?"

Aeval snarled an animal sound of rage and hate. "Wizards are one thing, but fae and shifter mixes are forbidden for a reason. I am not the only one who disagrees with your decision."

"Which one is it," Oberon snapped. "Is it Seelie or Unseelie that wants to slay my wife and son?"

"Neither," Aeval said snapping her long fingers. A group of fae appeared behind her, swords drawn. The bronze glinted in the light of the throne room.

"Just come quietly Oberon," Aeval said as if speaking to someone mentally ill and possibly dangerous. "Step aside; let me take care of this little problem you've created for yourself. Once that's done, we can work on creating a proper heir for the throne of Faerie."

Oberon moved closer to Lily and Harry. A short sword appeared in his hand, the metal glowing supernaturally bright. The handle was in the shape of a wolf, the feet coming together to form a guard to protect the knuckles. Runes ran the entire length of the blade. A sense of danger emanated from the sword, as if it were a weapon forged by Death itself."

At sight of the sword, Aeval hissed. "Really Oberon, Mortality? Is it really necessary to draw that weapon here?"

Oberon spread his feet, lifting the sword to chest height, the flat of the blade turned towards Aeval. "You know what this sword can do. It can penetrate any defense and any wound inflicted with it cannot be healed. SO," he continued, smiling grimly. "Who wants to go first?"

"You can't fight all of us," Aeval said confidently. "We will drag you down, take your sword, and use it to do what needs to be done. It's almost poetic isn't it? The king's sword used to protect the Kingdom from becoming infected."

Oberon moved. One second, he was in front of Lily and Harry. The next, he'd cut the arm off an Ogre at the front of the crowd. Black blood fountained on the air and the ogre howled in pain. It stepped back and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Oberon stepped in and drove his sword into its heart. The blade punched through the ogre's thick hide and cut through the muscle and bones like a hot knife through butter. The Ogre squealed like a stuck pig, twitched for several seconds, and then lay still.

Aeval stared at Oberon in shock. "You killed him," she whispered.

"What?" Oberon asked. "Was he one of your lovers? That's the reason it never worked between us Aeval. You dishonored me too many times, so I gave you up as a bad wife and found someone better."

"Oberon," she whispered pain lacing her voice.

Ignoring her, Oberon turned to Lily. With a gesture, a hole appeared in the wall of the throne room. "Run beloved," he said.

"What about you?" Lily said her eyes wide.

"I'll stay behind. I need to make sure she doesn't follow and I know just the spell to do it."

Lily's eyes filled with understanding. "No, not that one. Please, we can find another way."

"This will insure yours and Harry's safety. I love you Lily. Aeval will not stop until you and Harry are dead. I couldn't bear to come home one day and find you both slaughtered."

"But what about me," Lily said suddenly angry. "How am I supposed to raise our son without you?"

Oberon walked up to her and stroked her cheek tenderly. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her into a kiss. "Go," he whispered. "I'll be with you always. Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't for Harry, but we have to keep him safe."

With one last pleading look at her husband, Lily turned and leapt through the portal. As soon as she was through, the portal vanished with a boom that shook the throne room.

Oberon turned back to Aeval. "Now I just have you to deal with."

Aeval smirked unafraid. "Going to kill me?"

"No," Oberon said. "You are as powerful as I am. You are one of the few that could heal a nonfatal wound inflicted by this blade. I know this sword could kill you, but it would have to be a heart shot and I know you won't let me get that close."

"So what? Are you going to stand here and stare at me for eternity?"

"Nope." Before Aeval could do or say anything, Oberon had turned his wrist and plunged the sword into his own chest. Blood ran down his chest staining his shirt. White light blazed from the wound. Oberon smiled, more blood running down his chin from his slackening mouth. "I just have one more word for you," he croaked.

Aeval gaped. "W-what?" she said through numb lips.

"Close," Oberon said, a satisfied smile blooming on his pale face.

Aeval felt the surge of power as Oberon released his Life spell.

The Life Spells were spells cast at the death of a fae, using their life force to power the magic. The stronger the fae, the more devastating the spell. Oberon, as the king of Faerie, was one of the strongest fae alive.

Aeval felt the magic spreading through all of Faerie. As the spell took effect, she could feel every door in Faerie slamming shut. She screamed in thwarted rage. There was a burst of light as Oberon's body slumped to the floor. His sword fell from his limp hand, but vanished before it struck the ground.

Aeval sank onto Oberon's vacated throne, her head in her hands. Every door to Faerie was closed. There was no way she could go after the bitch and her pup now. What was she going to do?

XXX

On the other side of the portal, Lily felt the death of her husband. Raising her head to the sky, she let out a howl of grief and rage. Harry snuggled closer to her, whimpering softly.

Looking down at her son, Lily knew what she had to do. She had to go to Hogwarts. After all, five years may have passed for her, but only five days had passed in the mortal world. Unless a miracle had happened, Voldemort would still be at large. Her lips pressed together, forming a thin line.

Voldemort would not harm Harry. She would make sure of that. Turning on one foot, Lily vanished with a deafening crack.