Rejecting the Alpha Prince

7

AMELIA

Stupid dumb bastard, I growled as I kicked a rock on my way home. Princely, conceited dickhead.

A sudden twinge of pain shot through me, and I growled and leaned against a tree. It must have been one of the side effects of breaking the bond, because I'd been enduring those twinges since I'd accepted the rejection, but I wasn't going to complain about it - some pain was a small price for my freedom.

I was so angry I thought I might burst into flames - those few minutes with the prince had been crazy, to say the least. I still couldn't believe it - his presumptuousness was just abysmal. Had he really had the gall to ask me why I wasn't being a cute, helpful little doll to him? When he knew full well that it was his refusal to take responsibility if my pack was suffering, if my parents were suffering in roles that were not theirs?

It would have taken so little - so little to lift the lives of dozens of people. It would have been enough for him to take responsibility, but instead ... instead he preferred to be selfish.

Like all privileged assholes of his kind, like all royalty, he preferred his own personal welfare to his own responsibilities. And why would he take them, after all, when mommy and daddy were there, ready to pay for his lavish lifestyle with big smiles on their faces? Who would ever trade that life for one in the service of the people to whom he had a blood responsibility?

An honest person, I hissed. A person with an ounce of honor and respect.

But surely, honesty and honor were not things we could expect from royalty. No, those were people rotten to the core, who enjoyed dictating from on their high thrones, not giving a damn about the real needs of the people over whom they ruled.

At least that short and horrible chapter of my life was over - I was no longer bound to that asshole, and maybe ... maybe the Goddess would grace me with a second choice.

Who knows, maybe with Devon himself, my half in everything but a bond.

If he's your half in everything, an annoying little voice inside me chuckled. Why didn't you feel remorse when you lied to him? Why did you feel uncomfortable when you learned of his plans for the two of you?

Maybe because we've been dating for less than a year, I barked back. And because I lied to him as a favor. I did the right thing.

I quickly climbed the tree in front of the balcony of my room and quietly slipped through the window: the shower was still running.

A smirk crossed my lips.

There was, actually, a way to improve that evening.

I quickly undressed and walked into the bathroom; Dev was so absorbed in his shower that he didn't notice me until I wrapped my arms around his chest. Only at that point he turned around, a sly smile across his lips.

"I thought your leg hurt too much," he murmured, holding me close.

"It might have passed," I chuckled, clinging to his neck and kissing him. Deeply.

It didn't take him long to answer back to my passion - in truth, his member was already half-erect. Within a second, he'd pulled me up and I'd tightened my legs around his waist.

"So you don't have to strain," he laughed against my lips.

Yes, I sighed when he pushed himself inside me. He was the man for me.

And if the Goddess had not granted me that second chance with him, I would have taken it.

The next morning I woke up snuggled in my boyfriend's arms - the best waking there could be, in my very humble opinion.

"'Morning," Dev chuckled, squeezing me just a little tighter and brushing my temple with a kiss. With some effort, I managed to turn around in his grip, and I returned that kiss.

"Good morning to you too," I murmured, basking in his embrace. "What time is it?"

"It's ten. Which means we're terribly late for breakfast," he smiled.

"They must have left us something, don't worry," I did, stretching and getting up. "Not much, though."

"Then we should go now before it's too late, hmm?"

"Yep."

Dev got up as well, and once we'd showered and dressed, we went down to the dining room, empty except for a few wolves who were not particularly early birds, just like us.

On the table, luckily, there was still some choice of food and drink - juice, tea, coffee, and then sweet and salty options for every palate. Dev filled his plate with pain-au-chocolat, and I filled mine with what was left of the salty stuff: a couple of measly slices of bacon, a slice of toast, and a fried egg.

I'll make it up tomorrow, I guess.

We hadn't even made it halfway through breakfast when Riley, one of the Omegas, approached us.

"Amy, the Alpha and the Luna would like to see you," he said.

The Red Bloods were basically a family - we were a small pack, and hardly anyone used titles. Pack members usually called my parents by their names, using titles only on official occasions.

The fact that Riley had used them ... did not bode well at all.

Shit.

"Thanks, Riley, I'll go," I said, brushing Devon's arm and standing up.

"At least finish your breakfast," he insisted. "If they asked to see you, it's because it's not essential, babe."

"I'd rather do it now," I replied. "So I won't have to worry about it later. Whatever happens, don't touch my food."

A sarcastic smirk danced on his lips. "I'm not promising anything."

"You'd better, otherwise you'll become breakfast."

His laughter accompanied me up the stairs and all the way to my father's study. Even after all those years as Alpha, he still worked in the Beta's.

My parents were there, worried shadows darkening their eyes. That immediately put me on alert. I remembered very well the last time they'd had those faces - it had been a few months before, when we'd lost a big chunk of our land to a rival pack that had set its sights on us. It had been a tremendous blow to the Red Bloods - that was an extremely important area for us, because it gave us access to the gold and nickel mines that had made our pack's fortune. Thankfully, that wasn't our only source of income, we had a good logging industry, but ... good wealth differed greatly from thriving wealth.

Something's seriously wrong.

"What's going on?" I asked then, sitting down.

Dad sighed, and Mom squeezed his shoulder. "It depends - do you want the bad news or the really bad news first?"

Great.

"Let's go with the bad," I said.

Dad swallowed. "Prince Erik will not assume the title of Alpha. He sent a letter this morning officially confirming his intention. This means that ..."

"That when you retire, Charlie will officially be Alpha," I retorted, my voice aseptic - though anger was already beginning to grow inside me.

"Amy ..."

"Oh, don't start," I blurted out as soon as I saw exasperation dawn in their eyes. "Really, I just don't understand this mania of yours to justify that asshole to the bitter end. You'd be free if it wasn't for him, Dad! Free! You hate being an Alpha! We're not Alphas, you're not, Mom's not, Charlie and I are not. There's a reason Alphas rule the packs and Betas support them - it's written in our DNA. Why the hell are you okay with that i***t also condemning your own daughter to a life she'll hate?!"

"Charlie wants to become Alpha," Mom said. "Also, there are things you don't know about the royal family. Your father and I understand your position, we understand your anger ... but you have to keep in mind that there are dynamics that you cannot understand, because you're missing pieces of the puzzle."

"Then give them to me!" I shouted. "Let me understand what the f**k is there to worship in those assholes! Why we've been licking their asses for years! Why are you their friends when they're the cause of the ruin of our pack!"

"Who ruined this pack was not Emily and Xavier, Amelia," my father replied. "But the former Alpha."

"And why did he abandon us? Because that b***h dumped him!"

"Emily had her reasons, and you won't speak ill about your godmother, young lady," mom said, the calm in her voice contrasting with the steel in her eyes.

I was so angry that, for a moment, my sight turned red.

Every time ... every f*****g argument went like this. With them justifying them to the bitter end, and then saying that I couldn't judge the situation correctly because I was missing pieces - and then them denying me those pieces.

"I want to know those reasons. I am a Red Blood and the previous Luna's choices have affected my life, so I have a right to know."

Mom sighed. "It's not our place to tell you, honey. But ..."

"No, never mind," I growled, getting up. "I'll tell you one thing: when Charlie will be Alpha and she'll be miserable, and trust me, she will be, I'll bet my life you won't see those assholes in such a pink light anymore."

I made my way out - and had already grabbed the doorknob when my father's voice called me back. Not the voice of an Alpha - he lacked one - but the voice of a leader nonetheless.

"Don't you want the second news?"

Shaking with rage, I turned slowly until I brought my gaze back to his face.

"The Crescent Moon Alpha, Ben McNamara, has called. He's scheduled an urgent meeting at his pack house - your mother and I cannot go, and you've long wanted to be a more active member of the pack. Will you go in our stead?"