The Princess And The Alpha *Excerpt Only*

Dark Cell

"He is your mate." My dad said. His voice was absurdly calm. I had heard this voice before multiple times, like when I destroyed a priceless painting by accident. He was so shocked, so furious, and so unstable he had to force this fake calmness over himself so he wouldn't shift.

"Yes." I said stiffly. On the inside I was quite terrified. My dad was always gentle with me, he was the more affectionate parent. But I knew he had limits and this was probably one of them. Regardless, the damage was done and I was not a little girl anymore, I couldn't just run away from my problems. And I was not going to leave Ryan here to face my father alone.

"If you're lying to me-"

"I'm not lying." I stated, "Ryan is my mate, which means he will be the future king, therefore, if you do anything to him or against him it will be considered treason."

"Don't pull that shit on me." my dad hissed, startling me, "You know as well as I do that he is nothing more than a felon. A useless man who wanted to play alpha and exploited the most wretched werewolves to do it. Our subjects would be delighted to know that that monster was killed, even if he is your mate. And once he is dead you can have your pick from all the alphas in the world."

"I pick him! I pick Ryan!" I shouted back, "He is my mate. I don't want any of those stupid alphas! Would you pick anyone else over mom?" I demanded.

My dad took a deep even breath, regaining that forced calmness. He closed his eyes for a long period of time, and when he opened them he was completely emotionless once more.

"I see that you are too emotionally invested in this man to understand the consequences of your choice. Hopefully, when you are in a less charged environment we can have a normal conversation about this and you can see the reality you raise for werewolves all over the world. However, I will not harm your mate, nor will I let anyone else harm him. That being said, he must stay here, within his cell at all times until we reach a decision."

I just stood there, not knowing what to do. I wanted to have a screaming match. I wanted to defend this man I barely knew from my father. And then, I wanted my dad to nod his head in compliance, tell me I was right, and let Ryan out of the cell. But my father was now walking away from me, leaving me there in a speechless state. I wasn't even physically able to move my body until a guard escorted my father outside and I was left with one guard and two prisoners.

"O-open this cell." I said, my voice shaking.

The guard dropped his gaze in respect but shook his head, "I'm sorry Princess, but I can't let that man out."

I cursed under my breath and began pacing, thinking about everything that had just happened and would happen in the future. My father hadn't reacted kindly to the news, which was no surprise but concerning because my mother was the stricter of the two. If my father was this upset I can't imagine how livid my mother would be. I wondered briefly if I would ever be allowed to see Ryan again and my heart clenched painfully in my chest.

Fearing I would break down and cry in front of the guard, my mate, and a man I had never met, I quickly strode towards, then up the steps and out of the underground cells. I took a deep breath of fresh air, trying to calm myself down; I would figure this out, I always got myself out of sticky situations.

Even though the last thing I wanted right now was to face my parents, I knew I didn't have a choice. I either went to them or they became frustrated and worried and came after me. At least this way, it was on my terms.

As I walked across the royal grounds, I pretended not to notice all the guards who were gawking at me in shock. It wasn't often I was wearing something other than a dress and, at this point, I was wearing damn near nothing. Instead, I acted like nothing had happened and I focused all of my attention on the beautifully manicured grounds. Despite the fact that I was full of stress and anxiety of what had just occurred I could already see the loose outline of a form taking shape in my mind.