Her Alpha Prince

4

"She ran off!" Daniel told Nick. It shocked him. They'd shared a pleasurable kiss, and suddenly she was apologizing and running away. He was so stunned at her rejection that he hadn't thought to race after her.

"Did you do something?" Nick asked. He was lounging in the same chair Amelia had sat in an hour earlier.

"No. I kissed her and then she ran away!" He paced around his office, roughly shoving his fingers into his hair.

"What was your face like after the kiss?" Nick questioned. He had a smirk on his face.

"How should I know? I don't look at my face after I kiss someone," he shot back. This time, Nick laughed.

"You usually frown after you enjoy a kiss," Nick informed him.

"How do you know that?" Daniel demanded it shocked him his friend knew such information.

"I've seen you kiss a few girls. I'm always on guard with Alex on your dates."

"That is crazy," he replied, shaking his head and thinking about Amelia.

"She is my mate. My wolf went bonkers when she entered the room. He wanted me to mark her instantly." Sitting in his desk chair, he sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. How would he find her now?

"Then you need to tell her," Nick informed him.

"I know, but she is gone," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You go to her apartment and get her back. I'd go with you, but I have a date." Nick stood up and saluted him.

"Where does she live?" he called after Nick.

"Her address is on your desk," he answered, waving on his way out the door. Daniel frantically searched his desk until he found a slip of paper with her apartment address written on it. Looking at the address, he realized she lived over an hour away and felt bad he'd made her drive. He would get all his work done for the day and go to her. He needed to make a few things clear.

For the next six hours, he worked hard on getting all of his paperwork completed. Based on her frantic reaction, he felt he might need more than a few hours to convince her.

"Floyd!" he called. His butler opened the door.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Floyd stepped into the room. He had gray hair and brown eyes. He'd been a royal butler for thirty years.

"Find me a place to stay in the town of Doyle." Floyd nodded and walked out of the room.

"Is she worth it?" Alex asked from the shadows. Daniel turned in his chair to look at his head of security. He was deathly quiet, one reason Daniel had placed him in the position. It no longer made him jump when Alex appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes. She is my mate." Alex grimaced, and Daniel could tell he was trying to keep his opinion to himself. Alex had lost his mate in a fire when they were teens.

"I know you think having a mate makes you weak, but I want her." Alex nodded and said,

"Then I will come with you. If you don't want to attract unwanted attention, then having only me will be enough protection." Daniel smiled and stood.

"Go pack, and I will meet you in the garage. I want to take my Bentley out." Alex gave him a curt nod and left him to his own thoughts. If they left in twenty minutes, he would get to her place just after dinnertime. He hoped she would agree to a date and he could take her out the following day.

Twenty minutes later, he and Alex were speeding away from the castle. He'd texted Nick to fill him in on his plans. His phone rang, pressing the answer button on his steering wheel as he answered.

"Hey, Nick."

"I am in the town of Doyle for a date. I'll meet you at the hotel in case things don't turn out how you planned."

"I will ask her out for tomorrow."

"As I said, I'll be around."

"What are you hinting at?" he demanded. He didn't like his laughter.

"Just that if she ran off, it was for a reason. Don't be high-handed with her and do not demand things. You may be the crown prince but she is a commoner and has had a tough life."

"I am not a barbarian," Daniel replied and looked to see Alex chuckling softly.

"Just be nice to the woman," Nick said and hung up. Daniel rubbed his face and focused on the road. He had another thirty minutes to figure out how he would convince Amelia she was his mate. He needed to know why she ran off. He thought about her rich brown hair curled halfway down her back and her stunning emerald eyes.

"I am always nice to women," Daniel grumbled, and Alex gave him a doubtful look.

"What does that mean?" Daniel demanded as he glared at his bodyguard.

"Exactly what Nick said. Be nice and don't demand things from her. She comes from a very different world than you," Alex repeated Nick's words and Daniel felt a ball of anxiety settle in the pit of his stomach.

"But I am always nice." He tried to be polite to all the women he met or spent time with. He did his best not to lead any woman on and let them down gently if they thought there was more between them.

"You are royal nice, which means you don't show the real you to the women of the court. You need to drop the facade if you want her to believe you two are mates." Daniel stared at him. He didn't think he'd heard Alex say that many words all at once, ever.

"I'll try. I've never had to be myself around a woman. I always stay on guard in case she thinks there is a crown in her future," Daniel remarked, and Alex nodded. The two fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the ride. Pulling into a run-down apartment complex, Daniel grimaced. What was his mate doing in such a horrid place? Why was there a place like this in his kingdom?

"These are common housing accommodations," Alex commented as if knowing Daniel's thoughts. Daniel shook his head and parked the car in a visitor's parking space.

"The paper said she is in apartment 3D." Daniel took a confident step toward the apartment building when Alex stopped him.

"She is in that building." He pointed to a building further down the road, barely lit by lamps. Daniel, being a big man, knew no one would bother him, but Amelia was tiny and vulnerable to attack.

"This place is terrible," Alex commented, and Daniel nodded his agreement.

"Look into who owns this complex and have him report to me next week." Alex grunted, and the two men walked up a creaking set of wooden stairs to the third level. Looking to the left, he found apartments A and B, to the right were C and D. He knocked on the door to D and waited with bated breath.

"Hello?" Amelia opened the door wearing an apron with the words "I love cookies" on it and flour on her cheek. Her eyes opened wide and she gasped, staring at him.

"Hi Amelia," Daniel greeted her. To his shock, she slammed the door in his face. Alex couldn't contain his laughter and bent over double, holding his stomach. Daniel was glad to see his difficulties with women made his head of security finally let loose.