The Alpha and His Cursed Princess

Chapter 8

Lucas turned around and observed that a man was walking away with his back on him and he frowned.

 He was so sure that he was approaching them and his wolf was very uncomfortable.

“Anything suspicious?” He spoke through his mind-link to his pack.

But none of them reported anything suspicious so he calmed down.

After watching him disappear in the distance, Lucas said defiantly” Amelia, don't be so damn responsible. I am an adult, you know, legally and in every other way I am fully responsible for myself the trekking in the Kjolen mountains is absolutely fantastic and since you let Harry slip through your fingers this will probably be the only chance I will ever likely get to go out of this place.”

Amelia returned acidly. “I thought you were going to make your fortune by completing your studies and helping me with the business.”

She could have kicked herself for letting his angry response get to her. Her brother loved her but he needed a more mature figure in his life someone he would respect and listen to he was not ashamed at all and as he admitted” OK I was completely out of line and did not speak to you properly. I'm sorry but this is actually a lifetime opportunity....” the words trailed away.

“What are you lying to her?” Eric questioned him angrily.

“Eric, I need her to go and if I don’t act like a beggar she won’t listen to me.” Lucas groaned.

“Alex you have already told him that you couldn't go.” Amelia reminded him.

He sent her a look of mingled exasperation and embarrassment. "It's a good chance to miss, and  I can organize it, don’t worry.”

Amelia was relieved she said. “In that case, you’d be mad for not taking up Archie’s offer.”

“So would you,” he said.

They stared at each other and it looked as though he would refuse if he should if she did

Surrendering, Amelia shrugged and said slightly.

“Fair enough I've always wanted to visit Denmark and it would be a fantastic opportunity to find people for my new business venture.”

“Oh for heaven's sakes Amelia loosens up a bit forget about your new business and you being a big sister just have a proper holiday and have fun with Archie . Give Archie a chance to show you how much easier life can be when you are not trying so hard to become a role model for me.

That hurt but Amelia smiled and said coolly. “Perhaps I might”

Watching him stride away she asked herself why she wasn’t happy and thanks to Archie’s unexpected offer things had fallen into place so easily. Instead, we found Lucas’s final comment running around her head.

Fun and that too with Archie Phillip? He looked across where he stood talking to the newlywed couple. Her gaze roamed around his face unconsciously noticing the strong framework the lean body covered with Louis Vuitton suit, the arrogantly effortless impact of his presence on the guest present in the ballroom.

A prickle of excitement shot through her and her breath had hastened her pulse. He immersed her thoughts too much and that could be dangerous. But inside her body she felt a wild sensation ready to go and kiss him.

Of course, on closer acquaintance, they might decide they did not like each other at all. She thought. And it would give her an opportunity to get him out of her system for good.

Amelia dragged in an unsteady breath feeling as though she had been caught up in a storm-tossed and tumbled by strong winds until she did not know where she was going. The attraction had nothing to do with the fact that whenever she saw Archie Phillips or even thought of him, something shifted in the pit of her stomach and she felt a strange mixture of wariness and disruptive unbalanced hormones surging through her body.

If she went to Denmark she suspected she would be more vulnerable could she subdue this elemental response, control it so that she returned unscarred after a month of close contact?

Or she could refuse his offer. Lucas had clearly decided to take up his offer. She could turn the invitation down and get back to normal life.

And spend the rest of her life wondering if she had been a complete coward to take up the challenge.

Controlling an urge to bite her lip indecisively, she greeted an approaching couple with relief, who had come from their neighboring country. But later in the evening, she found herself face to face with someone she had successfully avoided until then. Why is she here anyway, she wondered because she had been exiled from the country, a long time back and was allowed to enter only with a special permit. Superbly dressed, the older woman was still beautiful enough to dazzle in any man. As she had tried to dazzle her father.

Lady Louise, was engaged to her father to be married to him but her father the Duke of Dalarna fell in love with her mother and so he broke off the engagement with her. But lady Louise still pestered him even after he was married and once when he was away on his business trip, while her mother was pregnant, lady Louis had drugged her father and conceived his child but her father had made it clear to her that he did not want her in his life as he loved her mother very much and refused to accept her. He had promised to take  full responsibility of the child but lady Louise became furious and tried to kill her mother and in that process she lost her child. After that, she was exiled from the Kingdom and she was not allowed to enter the territory. And they had never seen her again but right after her parent's death she had been coming in and out of the Varmland because she was Harry’s aunt and Amelia had frequently met her whenever there was a social gathering at the Duke’s place as she couldn’t avoid it.

Varmland and Dalarna are neighboring provinces and Harry is the duke of Varmland and Dalarna is ruled by the ferocious Nickolas Carl, the man who had dethroned her father Gabriel Alexandra ten years back when he had rebelled against him and Amelia had lost her parents.

As she saw Lady Louis approaching with a smile on her face Amelia stiffened.