The Alpha’s Wild Princess

3

CHAPTER 2

NICHOLAS

“I

should have killed him when I had the chance.”

I typically made decisions I was sure I would not regret in the future, but I regretted nothing more than not driving my arrow straight through Phoenix Lonsdale’s heart when I had the chance. I had hesitated because I thought he was worth saving.

I realized now that the man was no less a tyrant than his father, and letting him go would only cause problems for the pack in the future.

Thinking back to his sister, secluded somewhere under this roof, I wondered if letting her live was the right decision. But not even the safety of the pack was enough to push me to kill an unarmed, defenseless woman.

“You did what you thought was right, Nicholas. Don’t beat yourself up over it. We will deal with Phoenix Lonsdale when he becomes a problem. For now, we have the matter of the other Lonsdale kid to deal with.”

Douglas gave me a stern stare, not a scolding one, but the one where he wanted me to understand the seriousness of his words. I’d become familiar with his stares over the years, learning from him and growing under his tutelage meant I knew him almost as much as I knew myself, but in some other ways, he remained a mystery.

“I can’t kill a defenseless woman,” I snapped at him. He shook his head, walking away from the door where he had been standing to fold himself into one of the armrests on the far corner of the study.

We were inside Alexander Lonsdale's study the place he had called home. The house was a towering mansion, too big a space for only a few people to live, but that was the least of my worries right now.

“No one is asking you to kill anyone, Nick,” Douglas said.

His face looked tired but clean. We’d both cleaned up after the challenge at the reservation, and I’d called a meeting of the elders before deciding what to do with Prairie Lonsdale.

The elders were waiting in the lobby of the main house, and I’d asked Douglas privately for his input on the situation. Even though this was new territory for me, I knew Douglas had some experience in the affairs of the ruling. He’d been one of Alexander’s most trusted advisers before I was born.

Long before Alexander had become the mad ruler he’d been towards the end. He started making selfish policies and killing every male born on the first moon if it happened to be born on the first Monday of a new month. Douglas never failed to remind me it was the same date that I had been born, and that I was destined for great things.

I stared at the door, wondering about Prairie Lonsdale. I had the strongest urge to seek her out and ask her some additional questions. I wondered what she had meant about her brother not caring whether she lived or died? And why had she not even so much as blinked at the news of her father’s death?

She was not at all what I’d expected, and watching her take down two of my best men like they were still baby werewolves had been impressive. But still, she was the enemy, all my life I had regarded her entire family as such.

“Do you think she was telling the truth?” I asked Douglas. He raised his head to glance at me,

“About her brother?” he asked. When I didn’t say anything, he continued, "There have been rumors about their upbringing.”

I stared at him, curious to know more. I knew she had grown up under the care of nannies and had attended a preppy boarding school for aristocratic Weres. I knew she had moved out from under her father’s thumb as soon as she was done with university, and that she worked at a publishing firm. I knew she had only one friend, Faye Donovan, and they had brunch together every Sunday.

I knew basic things about her, but I did not know whether or not she had a good relationship with her family or not.

“What kind of rumors?” I asked Douglas.

“That she and her father never saw eye to eye. Alexander was not only a tyrant to the pack, but he was one even to his own daughter. Phoenix was the golden child, and he acted like Prairie did not exist,” Douglas supplied.

“Same relationship with her brother?” I asked and Douglas nodded.

“Dammit. That rules out any chance of bargaining then,” I said.

“Don’t rule anything out yet, Nicholas. We might not be able to bargain with one Lonsdale, but there are people still loyal to the Lonsdale name. Some Weres who benefited under Alexander’s tyranny. They might have a grudge against you, but not against the girl, so she may come in handy yet.”

When Douglas finished, I considered his words wondering what he meant but coming up empty.

“I think you should meet with the elders. You might find their input more useful than mine.” He stood to his feet, folding his two hands behind his back and staring at me expectantly.