The Crown Thief and Her Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 18 - THE LETTER

Prince Edmund Harrow’s Point of View

“Ouch. Tone it down a little Edmund,” whined William, wincing as he took in a very powerful right hook from Edmund.

“I thought you were supposed to be the big brother and thus, the tough one,” Edmund countered, ducking to avoid his brother’s punch.

He gave William a cocky smile, purposefully provoking him. William smiled too and lurched forwards. Edmund might be taller and bigger, but William was faster and so, they were equally skilled opponents.  

The two brothers loved to practice fighting together. When they were boys, they were inseparable, always playing together. They had grown apart, but it felt good for Edmund too to come back to his roots. 

It had been a while since they had mock-fought together. The idea had struck Edmund when he grew tired of seeing his big brother sulking around the castle. It could not have been easy for William, having his promised mate writing to her father to cancel the arrangement, mocking him. He needed something to evacuate the pressure, and to take his mind off things. In all honesty, Edmund did too with Amelia at the castle.

Plus, today was the worst day of the year for the Harrows, a day Edmund usually spent drinking himself into a stupor and sulking. It was the anniversary of…

“What’s the matter little brother? Scared to attack now?” provoked William, an enormous smile plastered on his sweaty face.

“Well, yes, I’m scared I’ll hurt you,” Edmund quipped. “You have such a delicate constitution.”

It had been a good idea, fighting like this, in the late summer sun in the gardens. Edmund could almost believe they were still innocent, carefree boys.

Almost. 

They fought for a few more minutes. Edmund was in a good posture, when the garden door opened, letting out a servant from the castle. A distinct perfume came out, feminine, enticing. 

Amelia.

A powerful punch from William took Edmund’s breath away for a few seconds, knocking him to the ground. William laughed, then helped his little brother up. 

“Good round. I think I win this one, brother,” laughed William, wiping his sweaty forehead. “Some water, please!”

William gestured towards Amelia, to grab her attention.

Fuck. Why did it have to be her?

Her eyes darted between the two of them, looking as if she was suspecting it was Edmund’s idea to grab her attention. It was not. 

Amelia nodded, still suspicious. She bowed, and quickly went inside to get William a glass.

Things were… Weird between Edmund and Amelia now. Now that the heat of the moment had passed, Edmund was pretty embarrassed about their encounter in his bedroom. He hadn’t meant for her to see her in such an intimate moment. 

And yet, she had looked so entranced, so aroused, that for a moment, he had almost forgotten that she was only human and let his wolf off the leash, finally doing something about the tension that had been building between them for days now. But to know that she was there to steal from him, to break their deal, betraying his trust AND that she had had the audacity to lie to him about it…

It had made him furious. It had reminded him why he kept everyone at arm's length. He had made clear that she was to stay at the castle until the deal was completed. In all fairness, it was a ridiculous request - the Golden Crown of Skavon she was supposed to steal was not even in the castle. But Edmund could not help his anger and had needed to enforce consequences for her betrayal.

It hadn’t dampened in the slightest his attraction towards her, his wolf still desperate for her. She knew now that he wanted her. He knew that she wanted him too. And that she hated him.

What a mess.

“Are you ok brother?” asked William, concern written on his face. “You look a little dazed. Was my last punch too hard?”

“You wish,” Edmund countered, snapping back to the present moment. “Are you ok?”

Edmund had meant in the sense that he too had punched his big brother pretty hard, but William’s face sombered, his thoughts clearly on another path. 

“It’s about Eleanor, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes.” William nodded, then sighed. 

“You really seem upset. Were you… Do you think you were fated? Did you imprint on her”

The prospect was horrifying, and he hoped for his brother's sake that it was not the case. The whole concept of being forced to be with someone by destiny had always seemed odd to him, like something a human with free will should never want. 

“No, nothing of the sort. Eleanor is not my fated one, that much is clear,” replied William truthfully.

Edmund was relieved for his brother. He wished things were that clear cut for him too. Edmund did not have it much better than if he had found his fated one… It might be impossible to imprint on a human, but his wolf did not seem to know that. He could not get his human little crown thief out of his head. 

He saw her as soon as he closed his eyes. She was with him (and, quite often, under him) in his dreams. It was paradise and hell at the same time. 

“It is not even that I liked Eleanor or anything,” William continued, sounding exhausted. “The rational part of me is glad she will be leaving soon. She would have made a very poor mate and queen. But… She was promised to me. Father has been trying to get this alliance for years. To my wolf, she was already mine. I have this… Desire to mate, now.”

“Well, there is always the ball on my birthday.” Edmund shrugged. “Father is getting a bit desperate for me to find an eligible mate. He won’t personally be there of course, but he has invited plenty of female shifters in heat from other clans. You’re the most eligible bachelor in all the kingdoms. I’m sure you’ll find someone who would be delighted to become your mate - or at least, to spend the night with you.”

Shifters were not hung up on silly concepts like purity like humans. Sleeping around before finding a mate and marrying them was not frowned upon. Wolves had needs. It was only natural to assuage them - no point in waiting around for the perfect mate. Edmund did not enjoy the company of others and refrain from too much luxury, but William was known to have had several dalliances. 

“Yeah, the ball’s a good prospect,” said William, his face lighting up. “I don’t think I’ll settle on a new mate so soon - Father won’t let me until he has personally talked to the King of Ivory to try and save my mating with Eleanor, which will be in months. But I won’t be technically promised anymore, so nothing will stop me from a bit of harmless fun.”

He grinned. 

“What about you?” William asked Edmund. “If you cannot find a suitable mate this year, I fear Father will be quite unimpressed. Between Marjorie who scares off all potential suitors, and I for whomst Father had only wanted to be mated with the Ivory Princess, we don’t have the best track record right now. Why haven’t you settled already?”

Amelia was returning now, a glass of water in her hands. Her eyes were down, her posture polite and submissive, but she was listening. 

“I’m not looking for romance,” Edmund said, wanting to avoid the subject.

“You do not need romance Edmund,” William said, his tone almost paternalist, setting Edmund’s teeth on edge. “This is not a fairytale. You just need to find a high-ranked female shifter that you find at least mildly interesting and that Father approves off. Honestly, I envy you. I’d have chosen a mate years ago if Father was not so hung up on the Princess of Ivory as a prize for his crown prince.”

William took the water glass from Amelia, their fingers lightly brushing. Edmund felt irrational anger at the sight, his wolf desperate to keep all single males away from the female he had chosen.

“Stay here,” William ordered Amelia. “We might need more water and fresh clothes after our practice.”

Amelia nodded again, but she looked clearly uncomfortable. She had been avoiding Edmund in the last five days. She was clearly angry at him, maybe a little scared of his temper. Despite his best wishes and interest, it hurt Edmund. He missed her presence, missed the way her eyes would track him around the room, missed their secret little meetings. He had ruined whatever chance he had with her - not that he even wanted a chance with her in the first place.

“In all frankness,” continued William. “You could even skip the ball altogether and settle with Grace. Father would approve, I’m sure. She’s from our clan, so no alliance there, but her family is very wealthy and loyal. And I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Have you two ever… Shared some time together?”

Edmund shot him a glare. Amelia was still not looking at him, but her shoulders had tensed, and her face had turned ever so slightly towards the princes. She was interested in the answer.

“It is none of my business what you and Grace have done together, I know, I know,” said William, when his brother took too long to answer. “It’s just that -”

“Let’s stop talking, and just do another round of fighting,” Edmund gritted between clenched teeth, taking a fighting stance.

His energy needed to go somewhere, or he would fight his brother, for real this time. Amelia’s presence was unnerving him. She still did not look at him. 

William also took position, and  threw his first punch, when the garden door opened again.

“Very impressive boys,” said Eleanor sarcastically, slowly clapping her hands. “Very primal, very animalistic, very manly. You’d almost think I was not in a castle, but in a zoo. How quaint.”

William looked ashamed of himself, and Edmund almost roared. Who did that princess think she is, policing his brother’s every move? Did she really need to judge William when he was having the only moment of carefree fun he had had since she had arrived?

“Came here to watch, Princess?” retorted Edmund. He had no patience left at the moment. “It does feel like a zoo, doesn’t it? Two lions are fighting, and the snake comes to watch.”

“Actually, I came to deliver news,” she said with a satisfied smile.

She waved a sealed envelope she held in her delicate hand. The seal was the one of the Ivory Kingdom.

“This just came in,” Eleanor crowed.  “It is from my Father, King Stephen Cordova of the Ivory Kingdom. My Father’s messenger insisted I was the one to open it - and I thought I would share the good news. I am sure you will be as happy to get rid of me as I am to leave this mess of a castle.” 

She shifted one of her index nails into a claw, and used it to open the envelope, retracting the claw as soon as she was done. She threw the envelope on the ground, and unfolded the letter. She was grinning wickedly, enjoying how everyone was watching her. Her eyes skimmed the letter, and her smile fell. She reread it again, her face blanching.

“What is it, Princess Eleanor?” asked William, genuine concern in his voice.

“It…”

Her voice broke. Edmund had never thought he would see the princess lose her countenance and her arrogance like that. He did not feel gleeful, however. He could scent the Ivory’s princess turmoil, and it was distressing in its intensity. 

She crumpled the letter in her hands, then let it fall on the ground. Eleanor adopted a regal posture, her face a neutral mask. That did nothing to mask the scent of her intense distress and anger.

“It appears my Father does not care that the Onyx kingdom is unsafe, poor, and barbaric. All that counts for him is that I am to be Queen one day. My word and my desires, and the security of my children are worth nothing to him. He said I could not hope for a better match. The wedding still stands, as does the alliance. I hope you are happy, Prince William. You got what you wanted. Unless you decide you don’t want me, you still have a fiancée.”