The Princess and the Alpha: A Shifter Romance

by K. M. Carnoky

  “You didn’t try to stop him?” I whispered.

  “Adeline, I wasn’t getting in line to burn your home down, but you have to understand that my family didn’t like the royals or any pack at all, really. We didn’t matter when I was four years old while my mother was wandering through the forests, desperately trying to take care of us. And we certainly didn’t matter when my mother needed lifesaving medical attention. The entire werewolf community shunned us just because some asshole had kicked us out of his pack and another guy didn’t want to let us into his,”

  “Right,” I said, my throat tightened.

  It was hard to imagine what he had gone through. I also felt terrible for him and a wave of guilt hit me. This man had suffered so much just because his mother had lost her virginity and gotten pregnant before she had found her mate and my family had done nothing to help them.

  “Regardless, I don’t think he got really close to the palace anyway. From what I understand he just set a few buildings on fire then ran away when the guards got close to him and his deranged gang. They left with significantly less damage than they intended to have done. However, it worked on the king. He gave them the land that they demanded, even if it ended up being a lot closer to the royals than he wanted.

  “My mother died a few days after that. And things got much worse. Ares was pulling normal men and women out of their packs, demanding they follow him or he would slaughter them, and he got really greedy. Every week he would tell me some bizarre plan, hoping that he would gain more power and money. I guess it worked, he earned power through fear and he got money when he pillaged other werewolves’ communities. Within months we went from having nothing to having too much, but it was never enough for my brother. I think he was pretending to avenge my mother, but in all actuality he wanted all of it for himself. He loved that people were scared of him; he loved that he could threaten anyone and everyone into doing his dirty work.

  “I couldn’t take it anymore. He was taking the lives of innocent people and the people he didn’t kill he recruited and they usually ended up dying anyway. It was awful and my mother would’ve been beyond heartbroken if she had ever seen it with her own eyes. I couldn’t just stand by and let it happen either.”

  “So you killed him,” I uttered, my voice hardly breaking the silence.

  “Yes, and all of his adamant followers. I’m still amazed that I could do it. Ares wasn’t expecting it, so he was an easy kill. It happened before he even knew it was coming.” He swallowed hard, clearly reliving it in his head. Yet despite all the awful things his brother had done, he still felt guilty about it.

  “Once the other werewolves realized what I had done they started attacking me, trying to murder me. I handled the first few by myself, but it got to be too much very fast. I was honestly just lucky that some of the wolves in his pack were on my side and hated him as much as I did. They helped me with the warriors that remained.

  “After that I was left with only wolves who had never wanted anything to do with this whole awful mess. I gave them all the choice to go home, but not one left. No one could go home, they were all rogues now or their packs had been wiped out. I almost didn’t have a choice; I had to make a pack just to keep those wolves alive. My brother ruined their lives completely and I felt that I was responsible, at least in part. So as I was rebuilding their lives to the best of my abilities, werewolves with a similar story to mine sought me out. They asked to join my pack when they had nowhere else to go and I couldn’t say no because saying no was almost a death sentence.

  “A month or two down the road they asked me to be their alpha and I accepted. Since Ares and I looked so similar no one questioned the change and anyone who hadn’t seen me kill my brother would’ve never known that he died that night,” he concluded.

  “Oh god, Ryan,” I murmured, throwing my arms around his neck, “I’m so sorry,”

  “I should’ve told you sooner, I’m so sorry. And I understand completely if…if this is it for us,”

  “No, no,” I protested, holding him tight to my body.

  “But your parents, the rest of the werewolves–”

  “We will worry about all of that later. Right now I’m just so happy that you are not what the others think of you,”

  Ryan wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back tightly. It certainly wasn’t the end of our troubles, but at least my mate was a man I could trust and love.

  Chapter 50

  I held Ryan tightly, fighting off the tears of happiness as he held me back just as tight. This man was more than worthy of being a king, but if my parents and the community didn’t see what I saw then I would be fine to rule his pack by his side. I thought I wanted to be a queen more than anything, but now, wrapped in his arms, there was nothing I wanted more than him. I didn’t care what happened or what anyone thought of my choice, I was only concerned with spending the rest of my life with him.

  And I wanted him to be mine just as much as I was his.

  Before I was even fully aware of what I was doing, I had turned my head towards Ryan’s neck and began placing gentle kisses on the sensitive skin. When Ryan’s large hands pressed into my back, trying to pull me closer I took that as encouragement and slid my own hands through his hair while I started to lightly bite and lick his neck.

  Ryan didn’t bother to conceal his desire. His head tilted back and a stream of quiet moans dribbled out of his mouth. He wanted this. He wanted me just as much as I had wanted him. I felt my teeth elongate in my mouth and the way my name sounded on his lips when he spoke so softly was heavenly.

  Without another thought, I bit down on his neck.

  Ryan moaned loudly now and his hands curled so his fingers dug into my back. I leaned into him more, extending my teeth as far as they would go into his skin and the bonding sensation flooded through my body as my eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

  Ryan must’ve felt it as well because he stopped moaning and started panting hard. It was a wonderful, dizzying experience that was so intense it was too much to handle. A second later I pulled away and wiped the blood off my face, breathing hard but feeling so good.

  “Addy,” Ryan said breathlessly.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I asked.

  I suddenly remembered my marking, it had been nothing but pain and I had wanted it to stop as soon as it had started. I had been so caught up in marking him I had no idea if I had actually been hurting him or if he had enjoyed it as much as I had. Panic clenched at me and I tried to read his face for signs of pain.

  “No, you definitely didn’t hurt me,” he panted.

  Once the words were out of his mouth my lips were against his. Hard. I pressed my entire body against his, wanting to feel every inch of him immediately and my hands roamed over his strong back and chest. He responded with equal enthusiasm at first. He moved his mouth with mine meeting my kisses perfectly and with just as much power and strength behind them. His fingers even slipped under my old riding shirt, stroking the bare skin beneath with a tenderness and desire that almost made my head swim.

  But then his lips began moving slower and I instantly pulled away. I had never been with any man and it was terribly uncommon for women to date in the werewolf community before they found their mates. In addition to this, my parents had absolutely forbidden me from seeing anyone prior to the gala. So this was all very new to me and I feared that I had done something wrong, something to put him off.

  “Is everything okay?” I wondered.

  “Of course,” he replied.

  Ryan slipped his hands over my thighs to slowly pull me closer to him and he readjusted himself so that I could straddle him. He took a shaky breath as his fingers moved up my thighs, sending waves of pleasure up my spine.

  “Everything is wonderful,” he whispered.

  Then he was kissing me slowly again. I hesitated for a while, not understanding what he was doing, but I stopped worrying the minute I realized that the passion hadn’t stopped. In fact, it had intensi
fied, we were just going slower. He was still exploring my body with his hands, touching me so softly that I shivered. And he would gently sweep his tongue into my mouth which made me moan out loud and pull his hair slightly.

  Without even knowing it I had begun rocking my hips back and forth on Ryan’s lap, feeling him grow harder through his pants. Just the thought of him wanting me was enough to soak my panties and I continued to grind my core down onto him, even when he stopped kissing me.

  “Do you want me, Adeline?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes,” I moaned back, hardly able to control the words leaving my mouth.

  “This isn’t too much?” he pressed.

  I could hear the anxiety and uncertainty in his voice. And it was only fair. We were both raw and vulnerable with an uncertain future ahead of us.

  “I want you more than anything,” I murmured.

  Chapter 51

  Ryan didn’t try to stop me again after that, and within several minutes we were both exhausted and sweaty, our chests heaving as we laid there silently. I wasn’t bothered to say anything for a long while, beyond content to just lay there in silence with his fingers lazily tracing up and down the side of my body. His gentle touch on my bare skin felt heavenly and I gave out several happy sighs while splayed beside him, my head resting on his chest.

  “What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?” Ryan asked in a timid whisper.

  “I’m not sure,” I replied honestly. “I told my parents the truth and I hope you did the same, but if Preston and Lucas are as smart as I think they are they would’ve also had a back-up plan. And I’m a little worried because my family has always protected Preston, even if it meant throwing me under the bus,” I admitted.

  “Why?”

  “I guess my parents always thought I was a bit of a brat that hassled him too much. In reality he’s always been quite awful to me, he goaded me into being a trouble maker a lot, then my parents would protect him when I got upset about it,”

  Ryan let out a puff of breath in frustration, but tightened his arm around my naked body which soothed me endlessly.

  “Your parents will probably think I’m the scum of the Earth regardless of whether or not they believe me. Even if they somehow decided to believe you they would never be able to convince the whole community to tolerate me enough to be their king. Everyone seems to think that being an evil creature runs in bloodlines,”

  “That’s fine,” I mumbled between the soft kisses I was placing on his shoulder.

  “How on Earth is that fine?” he demanded.

  “We can always just go back to your pack and be a normal alpha and luna,” I mused.

  Ryan stopped moving completely for a moment. His hand stopped running from my hip to my shoulder and I feared that I had said the exact thing he hadn’t wanted to hear. I had completely and utterly ruined the sweet moment we were having together just after we had completed the mating process. But a second later both arms were wrapped around me and he had pulled my body on top of his, hugging me tightly. I immediately nestled my head against his neck and slipped my arms around his neck, holding him back just as tight.

  “You would be my luna?” he asked breathlessly.

  “Yes,”

  “But you used to hate the idea,”

  “I’ve grown a lot since I said those things. I know that you aren’t as awful as everyone wanted to make you seem. I know now that I could live with you, I could run a pack by your side, and if we had the opportunity and you were willing, we could run the entire werewolf realm. If the community can’t see how amazing you are then that’s their problem,” I murmured back.

  Ryan brought his mouth to mine once I finished speaking. The kiss was slow and patient this time, not heated and desperate like the ones we shared previously. His hands moved over my back softly and his lips brushed against mine so gingerly I wanted to moan in frustration. After the heat I had just experienced, I wanted more, I wanted all of him all over again.

  “It’s late,” Ryan whispered, pulling away slightly.

  “Not that late,” I protested.

  “We have all the time in the world for this later, but we both need to be ready for tomorrow,”

  I sighed, feeling defeated and I moved off him.

  “Addy, we don’t know what’s coming tomorrow and I’d really rather spend my night holding you in my arms and talking than anything else,” he pressed. “After tomorrow we can do whatever you want whenever, alright?”

  “Fine,” I huffed as I laid down.

  The next morning I was wide awake before the sun had risen and Ryan was beside me, looking equally alert. We didn’t say anything to each other. We just stayed beside each other and occasionally touched beneath the sheets to hold hands or draw on soft parts of the skin until we get goosebumps. It would’ve been one of my favorite moments throughout our whole relationship if the anxiety hadn’t been eating at my mind. I didn’t have to ask to know that Ryan was in the same situation. So when the clock on my dresser struck eight I gave his hand one last squeeze and got up.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  “Not even a little bit.”

  I was surprised but pleased that my stylist hadn’t bombarded my bedroom this morning. Though Ryan hadn’t said anything about my lavish living conditions, I could tell from the sideways glances that he was not really impressed. If anything he acted like everything was too over-the-top and my bedroom was certainly not the most expensively decorated place in the palace. When he glared darkly at my pricey vanity and all the beauty products on it, I knew that having my own personal stylist would’ve sent him over the edge.

  This also made me bite my tongue when I saw him pull on a pair of clean jeans that Officer Lincoln had lent him. I just released the skirt of the black gown I was holding and moved deeper into my closet. I could not go into the trial room looking like a princess while my mate looked like he could barely afford thrift store clothing. I ignored all the brightly coloured tulle and went for a pair of old workout leggings I had stolen from my mother and a tee shirt from a stable I used to go to before my stable had been erected. I didn’t bother to style my hair, just brushed it and pulled it into a ponytail and left my face make up free.

  I didn’t look like a future queen nor did I look like the trophy wife of an alpha. I just looked like a woman that was ready for a fight.

  Chapter 52

  Ryan and I burst through the double doors of the ballroom which had now been converted into a small court room which startled us both. All eyes landed on us, and there were many more people here than I had been expecting, and I suddenly regretted wearing such ugly clothes to such an important event. Ryan gave my hand a comforting squeeze and that made me feel a bit better. A bit stronger too. At least if I went down now, I would go down with him by my side.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, locking my eyes with my mother’s from across the room. It took me a while to find her in the crowd but when I did I felt a little calmer. My family would support me too.

  She and my father sat proudly on two thrones side by side, above everyone else. My father looked nervous, but was dressed in a clean, crisp suit and held his head properly to bear the weight of the crown. My mother looked stunning in a deep burgundy dress that reached the floor. Her crown glittered atop her hair; her makeup was perfection as well. I didn’t miss the cool glare I received when she noticed my rather lacking outfit. I suppose she didn’t care much for the fact that I had dressed like my mate to show we were on the same team. Maybe I would be getting less support from her than I expected.

  “We are holding a trial,” my mother finally announced.

  The room was dead silent for a moment, not even the slightest titter from the massive audience, while I tried to wrap my mind around what she just said. I thought this was going to be a simple family matter. I thought my parents, Ryan, Preston, Lucas and I would argue around a table until my parents came to the conclusion that I had almost been murdered. I thoug
ht it would be a quiet and contained to the limited few it directly affected. I certainly didn’t think I would have to be defending myself in front of people I had never met.

  “You can’t be serious,” I protested, “A trial for what? He tried to kill me and the future king! He and his son should be exiled!” I cried, waving dramatically at Preston and Lucas who sat perfectly still.

  Panic was making my heart race in my chest and I didn’t care that I was acting like a child. This could not be happening, not after everything I had been through.

  The father and son duo didn’t even flutter an eyelash at my outburst and that only made me more furious. I was a princess, my parents were loved by thousands and I was next in line to take over. I could do whatever I wanted to them and yet they refused to acknowledge me when they should’ve been cowering and begging my parents for mercy. But nothing. They just sat side by side and stared straight ahead like I didn’t exist.

  “Calm down, Adeline, we will deal with this as I choose,” my mother snapped. “Preston and Lucas seem to be telling the truth about the whole incident, their stories match up well. Because you were unconscious for the majority of the incident it’s nearly impossible to tell if Orion is telling the truth. He may be such a good liar that he forced himself to lie even under royal tone,”

  “So you’re going to put him on trial with no way of knowing if he’s actually telling the truth?”

  “No. the whole day is going to be televised as both parties are going to explain their version of the events. There will be a break, everyone in this room will meet together and discuss what has been said. After that we will regroup and move to the second stage. One more group discussion will be held, then everyone in this room and at home watching their television will vote,” my mother explained.