The Princess And The Alpha *Excerpt Only*

Enemy Territory

"But you hate going for runs." My mom protested, not even looking up from the paper work that was strewn across her desk. I felt bad for her in that moment, being completely swamped in every wolf's complaints with hardly any time to herself or with her mate.

"I know, but I think my wolf is getting restless. I haven't shifted in months and I think now would be a good time since I'm under so much stress." I explained, trying to sound honest. I didn't care how stressed or busy I was; I just needed to see Ryan before I started to vomit or broke out in hives. I wasn't sure if either were side effects of not being near a mate, but I was not going to wait around to find out.

"Alright sweety, you can go for a run. Do you want Preston to go with you?"

"Oh, god no." I said sourly, "I'll be back in a few hours and I can take care of myself." I grunted, trying not to think about Preston's previous comment.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." My mom replied with a dismissive wave. I wondered briefly if she had even heard anything I had said or if she was trying to get me out of her office.

I shifted when I stepped outside of the back door. I was hidden from everyone's view here so being naked didn't bother me while I stripped off my work out clothes and gradually turned from human to wolf. First my teeth and nails lengthened until they were claws and canines, then my bones began to break and bend, adjusting themselves while my muscles contorted. Finally, when my body moved so I was on all fours dark brown fur sprouted out of me. It was a painful process, but if it was done quickly enough it hardly hurt for more than a second.

It was part of the reason I hated run, well, I usually hated runs. But it was also much more than that. I had been raised to be refined and perfect all my life and my wolf was nothing like that. My wolf made me an animal in more ways than I wanted. Though my wolf wasn't entirely separate from me I felt wilder and less restrained when I was in wolf form. It felt like being drunk or high, where it was still you but the control was gone and your actions were not always your own. When I was in wolf form I ran off instincts more than logic and I could already feel my control slipping away.

I expected this though, I knew that keeping my wolf in for so long would result in a lack of control, but right now I had no other way to get to Ryan's pack lands without someone following me or driving me. So I let my wolf run. My tongue lolled out of my mouth, my ears pricked, and my tail wagging. I probably looked more like an excited puppy than a powerful princess and I would've blushed at my silliness if I could've.

I was careful as I ran, never letting myself go full wolf. I reminded myself that, as desperate as I was to see Ryan, I couldn't go directly to him. I didn't want anyone to see me take off in the direction of his pack lands, the same direction Poison had gone, and come find me because they assumed I was in danger. So I lazily loped around the royal grounds, watching the guards watch me. I suppose it was a sight to see considering I never ever let my wolf out, much less in front of people. It wasn't like they got to see me in wolf form every other day, but even so their attention slowly faded. I gradually allowed my wolf to weave in and out of the nearby forest so the guards would think that I was still close by, even if they couldn't see me.

Then, after what felt like endless amounts of teasing, I gained enough confidence to run deeper into the woods and race towards the forbidden creek and my mate's territory.

The run was long, but quite enjoyable. Yes, I did feel a little wild and rowdy. But I also revelled in the different sensations that I received in wolf form. I could see very little, my eye sight wasn't exactly fantastic. I could detect movement easily, but my colour spectrum was severely reduced. However, I could smell every animal that had been near my location in the past few days and I could hear for what seemed like miles in comparison to my human senses.

But I wasn't the only one with excellent senses.

The instant I stepped foot into his territory I was circled by four rogues. I nearly shuddered at the smell which was significantly stronger now that I was in wolf form. But instead, I slowed to a stop and watched these growling wolves watch me intently. I tried to remind myself that I was a princess, and their alpha's mate, they could not hurt me. But in the back of my mind there was a heavy reminder of the fact that I did not know how to fight in wolf form and my arrival had been unannounced. Plus, there was a chance some of these men didn't know I was their alpha's mate.

The wolves all moved closer around me, arranging themselves so I had two behind me and one on either side, effectively keeping me locked in place. The only way I could move was forward and when a wolf behind me snapped his teeth at my hind legs I did just that. I wasn't particularly fond of being ordered around, but I told myself that now was not the time to fret about such things.

We walked for a few kilometers, the four werewolves staying close around me and remaining tense while I slowly relaxed. I was getting closer to Ryan and that's really all I cared about. My wolf felt oddly centered and easy to control which helped me remain calm as well, maybe the instincts had finally given way to logic. Or maybe the idea of being near Ryan soothed even the most brutal, controlling instincts.

After about ten minutes the houses and buildings came into view. I instantly began looking for Ryan, but all I saw was people who looked terrified. At first, I felt sorry for them and wanted to comfort them, tell them that these rogues were nothing to be afraid of.

Then I realized that it wasn't the rogues they were afraid of, how could they be afraid of their own kind? It was me they were scared of and that broke my heart again, though I should've expected it this time. But I doubted that I would ever get used to being viewed as a monster.

"Adeline?" Ryan's voice rang out from one of the buildings, stopping my sadness instantly.

I temporarily forgot about the wolves surrounding me and leapt towards the sound of his voice, ready to take off running. Then, I was reminded that I was prisoner with a quick nip at my back left leg and the two wolves at my sides stepped closer to me, squeezing me between them.

"It's alright." Ryan said firmly, striding towards us from someone's home.

The four wolves didn't seem to hear him and stayed close to me, watching me warily.

"It's okay." Ryan repeated, his voice becoming more soothing than stern. "She's with me."

A couple of the wolves around me let out a defiant growl, but otherwise complied and walked away from me while Ryan moved ever closer. Just seeing him was enough to stop the sick feeling in my stomach and I happily bounded over to him, diminishing the rest of the distance.

Ryan grinned and rested a gentle hand on the back of my head, "Let's get you some clothes and maybe some food, yeah?" He could barely hide his excitement and that only made me feel more thrilled.

I followed Ryan to his home, finally able to examine the quaint one level ranch home since it was day time. The exterior was all warm browns with large windows scattered across it. It was small, tinier than any of the guards' homes on my land which saddened me because it reminded me of my father's lack of funding. Most alphas lived in lavish homes with a couple of cars parked in the driveway, but not mine. My alpha lived in something other alphas would call a shack.

Ryan disappeared inside his home, shutting the door behind him while I stood outside in my wolf form, a little stunned and fully aware of the eyes on me. I tried not to shuffle around or look nervous. I had to be a strong princess, even if everyone around me despised me for some unknown reason. I'm sure that I would come across people who hated me more than once in my lifetime.

The front door finally opened again and Ryan tossed out a shirt and a pair of shorts.

"There, they'll be a little big on you, but it's all I got." He watched me closely while I sniffed the clothing, assessing it. And I had begun to shift back into human form when I noticed he was still there, watching me. I lifted my head and let out a little growl, making him raise his arms in defeat and go back into the house.

Though I knew Ryan was no longer watching me shift and put his clothes on my naked body, I knew the rest of his pack was monitoring my every move closely.

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