The Alpha's Princess Mate

1

CAROLINE

All clear, I smirked as I heard the guard walking away from my bedroom door.

I waited a minute, just to make sure he'd rounded the corner, and then I slipped out, silently closing the door behind me and venturing into the silent, dark corridors of the palace.

A smile rose on my lips: it was time to have some fun.

Wrapped in an anonymous dark cloak, I merged in the shadows like a puff of smoke, sliding from corner to corner until I reached the ancient statue of a knight: I hid behind it and opened the hidden door in the wall, which gave on a secret passage that led directly to the tunnels under the city, a dense underground network that connected every point and building of the Fae capital, Carenna, used by all in different ways: as a cellar, as a house, as a business place… The possibilities were endless. They were, of course, the lair of thieves and assassins, too, who used them to enter their victims' homes without having to go through the main door. A dangerous place, even deadly, for any high-ranking woman stupid enough to venture cluelessly into it.

Too bad I wasn't just any woman.

And that I knew that labyrinth just like the back of my hand.

I took a few long laps and several wrong turns before heading into the heart of the tunnels, to prevent anyone from understanding where I came from: there was nothing more dangerous than letting intel leak out, and the place where I lived… well, that was a pretty important intel, especially considering that, if it came out, every single criminal that dwelled down there would know a way into the palace. That secret passage wasn't known, and that was how it had to stay.

So, as I did every time I ventured there, I fell perfectly in part, ignoring the drunkards' slobbery comments, pushing away wandering, groping hands, and continuing on my way unbothered, as the other women who lived and worked there did.

It took me thirty minutes to get there, but I grinned as I finally heard the sound of life: music, cheerful voices, and the tamping of carefree, happily dancing feet. Huge barrels of wine and other spirits appeared in front of my eyes a couple of turns later, all marked with the same symbol: an intersecting H and U. The initials of Hermann Uttard, the owner of my favorite tavern, the King's Flower.

Let's go have fun.

I knocked three times on the trap door above me, and five seconds later it opened: before my eyes appeared Hermann's beaming, ruddy face. Laughing, he lowered a ladder to help me up.

"I knew you wouldn't make us wait!" he boomed, greeting me with a vigorous pat on the shoulder. "Looks like it's gonna be an interesting night," he then added. “There are some foreign dignitaries. High-ranking lords, from their looks, but they drink like the pirates of the lowest league".

"Interesting indeed," I mused as we walked into the tavern.

I studied the scene in front of me.

The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, food, and s*x, as showed by the various half-naked girls who wandered around the tables, occasionally sitting on the customers' laps and whispering sweet words in their ears as they lustfully caressed their chest and hair. The clientele was, as always, a mixture of all the people that lived in the city: simple city guards, petty nobles, bourgeois, but also thieves and criminals of greater caliber, who occupied a long table on the left side of the room. No worries about being arrested: crime, after all, was one of society's pillars. The economy needed it, and therefore, frequently the guards looked the other way around when it came to certain people.

A flick of the wrist was enough for my hair to change color, fading from their natural bright wheat blonde to a dark brown: one of the many advantages of having fairy blood in my body. With a snap of fingers, my face was covered with freckles, along with a mole on the left corner of my mouth. Simple little tricks that allowed me not to be recognized as… well, me. As Caroline Hastings, Crown Princess of both the wolves and the Fae, daughter of King Malcolm and Queen Georgiana. A title equal to that of a human royal - I was the Prince William of the supernatural realm, with just an extra X chromosome, nice boobs, and a lot more hair.

I sat down at the counter as Jules, Hermann's daughter, poured me a pint of red beer.

"So," she smiled, resting her forearms on the counter. "You're leaving tomorrow, huh?"

I sighed, shrugging.

"Yes. Just a few hours and I'll be back in the human world, with televisions, smartphones, and zero privacy. Hurray".

I'd spent an entire month in Carenna, fulfilling my duties as heir to the Fae throne and enjoying life, and yet… time had passed so quickly. Part of me felt like I hadn't tasted enough of those four weeks. I already felt the sour taste of melancholy.

“I know that it's different for you, being a princess and all of that, but sometimes I'm really jealous,” Jules grumbled. “You don't know how much I wish I could see the human world. Life in the Fae kingdom fits me tight - almost as tight as this goddamn corset".

"Let's trade, then," I chuckled with no particular hilarity in my voice. “And we both get what we want. We taste a piece of each other's life. As in The Prince and the Pauper".

"The what?"

“It's… a human tale. Just... just drop it,” I exhaled, sipping my beer. Gods, I really needed it.

Jules sighed as she served another customer. “And here we are, always talking about dreams that will never come true,” she muttered. She bent under the counter and emerged with a basket of crispy garlic potatoes, which we began to nibble on. "Do you already know how long you'll be there?"

I shook my head, swallowing a potato and a sip of beer. "My father wants me to stay there for a while. But this,” I went on with a smirk. “Certainly doesn't mean that I won't make a few short trips from time to time. The portal won't be closed, after all”.

A smile echoing mine broke on my friend's face, and before she could speak, I added, “And one of those times, I'll bring you along with me to London. Your father won't even notice”.

I'd never seen such a bright and wonderful smile as hers. It could light up the night like a star.

“And we'll eat all the worst street food possible,” she concluded for me, laughing.

"And go shopping and partying," I grinned. "Oh, and of course, we'll have a trip on Everett's yacht."

"Your ex?" she said, wrinkling her nose.

I shrugged. "We're still good," ​​I explained. "He likes to use my popularity to get more people coming to his parties, and I like to admire all the juicy pieces of meat that come."

"If that's the case, it would be a shame to miss out on this." Jules winked.

We chatted for a while longer, making plans for when she would come to the human world, making absurd assumptions about why my father had called me back to the London court so early, drinking and eating until our stomachs were so full that we felt like we were bursting - and laughing at the disapproving looks Hermann threw at Jules for getting drunk when she was supposed to work and stay sober. Still, it was clear that he wasn't actually angry, and that she wouldn't be punished for that: Hermann knew that this was my last night here, and it was likely that he'd decided to give his daughter a free evening.

"It'll be… I better go," I mumbled when, in the distance, I heard the clock tower strike three in the morning. "My father is waiting for me early in the morning at ... at the damned house".

"Let me call Marcus," Hermann said, quoting his eldest son. "He'll escort you home."

"No need, thanks," I managed to say. Talking had become difficult, but I felt good! I was cheerful, and happy, and perfectly capable of returning to my grandfather's castle by myself through the tunnels. It was certainly not the first time I did it!

"Care..."

"Look," I dared him. With a tremendous effort of coordination, I stood up on the stool and climbed onto the counter, then spread my arms and started walking in a straight line.

At least - I thought it was a straight line, because suddenly, the counter literally disappeared from under my right foot.

Oh s**t.

My foot plunged to the floor, and my body followed it, spinning dizzily, and I clenched my eyes shut, preparing myself for the impact on the hard floor ... that didn't happen.

No.

Two massive arms appeared under me, arresting my otherwise ruinous fall and saving me from an extremely embarrassing situation, and wrapped themselves with firm delicacy around my body, pressing me against ...

Oh. Oh, wow.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

I almost didn't register the question, as captured as I was by those eyes.

Beautiful, as grey and intense as an approaching storm, framed by long, dark, thick lashes, and set in the most handsome, masculine face I'd ever seen.