The Alpha’s Wild Princess

19

She turned to me the smile vanishing from her face,

“I’m a little sad that I wasn’t invited to this shindig in my own backyard,” I said dryly.

“It was thrown for Nicholas’ family as a way to celebrate his marriage,” she said in a cutting voice that was intended to hurt.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m family now, isn’t it?” I said. She looked ready to murder me and I remembered I needed her help. Antagonizing her was not going to help my cause so I backtracked.

“Look. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I would like a truce. You know, us gals should stick together.” I said to her stretching out my hand. She looked at my outstretched hand like it was covered in maggots.

“What do you want?” she asked. She was smart; I would give her that.

Sighing, knowing there was no use pretending otherwise, I went for it, “The other day, you said something about my family killing each other.”

She took a step back from me and looked away clearly not wanting to have this conversation, and again I was sure I was onto something,

“It got me thinking, and I could not help but think about my mother’s death. Everyone sad she died at childbirth, but she was the Alpha’s wife, she had access to the best medical care, there’s no way she would have just… died.”

She looked me up and down before folding both hands under her breasts, “Why should I help you with anything?”

I stared back in Nicholas’ direction who was no longer with the girl but talking with a few of the elders. I looked back at Fiona,

“I know Nicholas was supposed to be your mate. And I know you’re jealous we’re married, but you’ve got nothing to be jealous about. You have my word that you won’t have to tolerate me any longer once I find out the truth -

My words were cut short by Fiona’s dry, irritating laughter. I stopped talking and waited for her to finish.

“I did not realize how funny I was.”

She rolled her eyes, but stopped laughing,

“I am right you’re in love with him,” I said and her eyes hardened, but she did not deny it.

“Girl, you think you can walk away from a lifetime commitment because you think I’m going to tell you a story? You’re even more stupid than I thought,”

I hated her using the words stupid to describe me, but I knew she was only trying to be spiteful because I’d struck a nerve.

“Nicholas will never let you leave. You’re delusional if you think he will. He’ll scour all of the factions to find you until you’re safely back home with him. So whatever plans of escape you might have, I would forget about those if I were you. They would be nothing but a waste.”

“Fiona? Can I talk to you for a second?”

I’d been so engrossed in my conversation with her that I had not noticed Nicholas walking toward us. My eyes found his face, but it was impossible to read his expression. I had no idea if he’d heard us or not.

He acted like I wasn’t thereand I wanted to punch him in the nuts, but he grabbed Fiona and they walked away before I could act on my instincts. I stared at their retreating backs until they turned the corner, and my irritation grew. Fiona’s words shocked me, but I was determined not to be bothered by them.

I would find what I needed to find, and then I would leave. I would move down south there were a few friendly packs there, and even if there were not, I could live among the humans, I’d had years of practice.

That night, sleep was far from me, I could not stop thinking about what Fiona said about Nicholas not letting me go. Was it because he wanted to keep up appearances, or was it because of something else entirely?

Sighing I sat up in bed realizing sleep was far from me, I needed to stop thinking about him, but I could not do that. His scent still clung to my pillows, and I hated how weak I’d been. I had not changed the sheets to get rid of the scent.

It was late and the house was silent. I got out of out of bed and I went to the kitchen in search of warm milk.

I found Nicholas sitting on one of the stools behind the counter. He had his head buried in his hands, his hair wild, loose, and a little damp, and he had changed his clothes from the one he’d been wearing earlier in the day.

I could not help but wonder if this was the real him, stripped of his position as Alpha as Lucas’s uncle and my husband. He looked vulnerable and in deep thought, and I ached to go to him. I wanted to find out what was bothering him like we were a normal married couple, but we were not. I needed to be mad at him, needed the anger to occupy every corner of my heart, or I was afraid of what might happen.

I attempted to turn and walk back to my room, but his words stopped me.

“You don’t have to run away, you know. I don’t bite.”

His head was still in his hands. I had no idea he knew that I’d even been there. He must have sensed me. I walked toward him, not really wanting to leave in the first place, and took the seat opposite him. Only then did he look up at me, and I felt the air leave my lungs with a woosh.

He was breathtakingly beautiful. His gray eyes looked almost blue in the dead of night with only the dull fluorescents illuminating the room. A stray dark strand of hair had fallen over his eyes, and my hands ached to fix it even though it looked right just as it was.

“Unless you want me to,” he added. When I looked up, his eyes had dropped to my mouth and I wanted so badly to lean in close and kiss him. But the last time that had happened, he’d disappeared like what we shared had meant nothing, and just like that my anger returned.

CHAPTER 12

NICHOLAS

T

he room was barely lit but I could see every inch of her through her see-through nightwear. The perverted part of my brain said nothing about it because, God, I had missed her. So much that it physically ached even though it made absolutely no sense.

I did not know her and even if I did I’d not known her for long, but somehow it felt like I did. The past two days had been confusing. I had to ensure that our alliance with the rebels had been smooth, but she had been all I could think about.

I was mad at myself for leaving without any kind of note, without talking to her, and I had no idea how she felt about it.