The Alpha and His Cursed Princess

Chapter 2

Archie Phillip surveyed the ballroom of the palace. The band had just played a few numbers of the local folk song and a tune in waltz-time was a signal for the guest to take their partners for the first dance of the evening. the whole ballroom was filled with women who were wearing designer gowns made by the famous designers and magnificent jewelry hung around their neck and ears as they walked with their partners towards the dance floor.

Archie’s angular feature softened and a little when he saw the bride. His half-sister, who was out showing the pieces of jewelry around her, her blazing happiness making Archie feel uncomfortable like an intruder. She was quite a few younger than him, Christina was born to her step-mother, whom his dad had married after her mother had died and although they had become good friends over the past few years, he never had a very close relationship with her because he had always been busy handling his business and his pack.

Archie transferred his gaze to his brother-in-law, Duke of Värmland, who was the alpha king of his pack and ruled over humans and wolves, just like him. Harry wasn't given to displays of overt emotion but Archie blinked at the other man's unguarded expression when he looked down at the woman in his arm. It was as though there was no one in the room but the two of them.

It lasted scarcely a moment, just long enough for Archie to wonder at the subtle emotion that twisted inside him.

Was he jealous, looking at their intimate moment?

He shook his head and said to himself, no it can't be I can't be jealous of my sister and her husband.

Sex and affection he understood, respect and liking also but love was a foreign word to him.

As he was the alpha  of the Hilkiah pack and he had no time to indulge in such affection as love. He was known to be ruthless and cunning towards his enemy and was a very shrewd businessman. he was never into a relationship with any woman so far, for him it was just s*x that mattered not love probably always would be. The ability to feel such intense emotions did not seem to be a part of his character. and since breaking hearts wasn't something, he enjoyed, a lesson he had learned from a painful experience in his youth, he now chose lovers who would accept and respect his aloofness and would not expect anything from him.

But to date, he hasn't found his and mate. He was looking for her but in the process was waiting for her to come and look for him. Till then he was happy to indulge in lust with anyone who is easily available near him. However, he could not imagine that sort of emotion in himself, he was glad that his sister loved a man worthy of her, one who not only returned her love but also valued her for it although he and Harry went distant cousins, they had grown up more like brothers and if anyone deserves Christina's love, Harry did.

The ballroom was filled with humans and Alphas who had flown from around the world as Harry was a well-known face and had achieved a great name in his pack and many countries because of his sense of wisdom and knowledge.

Couples began to group around the royal pair, leaving them a space in the middle of the ballroom. The man beside him said, are you planning to sit this one out, Archie?”

“No, I am pledged for it.” Then Archie's dark eyes moved to a woman standing alone at the side of the room.

Elegant, classy, and very confident, princess Amelia's beautiful face revealed nothing beyond calm pleasure. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid eyes on. And the wolf inside him wanted him to go and pursue her but he had to be very rational because he knew that Amelia was a human and he could not touch her.

“Not now Casper, don’t even think about it, stay calm.” He scolded him. His wolf became sad but listened to him.

Until Amelia and Harry had announced their engagement, most of the rare field circle of the high society she moved in had assumed that Prince is Amelia would be the next grand Duchess of Varmland.

Regally inscrutable, even if princess Amelia was secretly grieving, she refused to give anyone that feeling of satisfaction of seeing it. And Archie admired her for that.

During the last few days he had overheard, several remarks from the watchful wedding guest, a few gossip Mongers, who were looking for drama, the chance to see a woman whose heart was broken into pieces.

It made him obscurely angry by their snide spite. Archie mentally shrugged. The Princess did not need his protection, her impervious armour breeding, and self-sufficiency had deflected all snide comments, denied all attempts at sympathy and she did not allow anyone to bully her.

He had met her a year ago when Harry and Kristina got engaged and he was introduced to her by an elderly aristocrat who had completed her beyond words and Archie was surprised by the quick masculine desire that the old man had for her, he had read amusement in the Princess’s amazing, green violet eyes.

A little sardonically he commented back saying that even he agreed with him. Not that he wanted to but Casper was instigating him. But he was furious with the old man as well for coveting her. He was probably of her father’s age.

Her amused chuckle had further fired his senses.

“Thank you, my lord,” she said with unruffled composure.

He had been bowled out by her beauty from the very first time and couldn’t forget her, but now he was possessed with a disturbing knowledge about her brother, but Archie wasn't so sure about his predicament. Did the Princess have any idea of what her younger brother had got himself mixed up with? More importantly, does she know that her brother was half human and half wolf.

He knew that she was a self-made woman who did not rely on her ancestor's property to make her living. In fact, she was a very famous Tv Presenter but he had learned from his informants that Lucas was looking for a rich groom for her. That made him wonder if the princess was also after money.

“No, she is not.” Groaned Casper with frustration and Archie was amused as Casper would always get restless whenever he saw princess Amelia.

But Archie needed to find out just what she knew about her brother and he set off towards her.

she saw him coming, of course, and immediately produced an irritatingly gracious smile. The bright color of her gown echoed the color of her eyes and hugged a narrow waist, displaying curves that unleashed something elemental and fear inside Archie, an urge to discover what lay beneath that lovely façade, to challenge her on the most fundamental level, man to woman. Casper was growling inside him to come out and pounce on her but Archie tried to control his emotions and smiled back at her and walked towards her.