The Princess And The Alpha *Excerpt Only*

Wrong Type

As much as I enjoyed my time away from the hype I really disliked Everett. Not that it was any fault of his really, he had an exciting edge I didn't expect and I would've quite enjoyed his company if he didn't remind me so of Ryan. Everett wasn't behaving like the other men. He wasn't puffing out his chest in an attempt to impress me, nor was he rolling over on his back in an effort to convince me he was placid and kind. Unfortunately, while we talked about horses, or his pack, or travelling I would do a double take, almost certain that he was Ryan because of his wild eyes and his laid back demeanour. I ended up hating him simply because he caused me to feel things I was trying to get away from.

Thankfully, dinner was announced soon enough. I forced an apologetic smile at Everett before I gave Poison a gentle kiss on the nose and shoved my aching feel back into those horrendous high heels. I spun away from him and walked as quickly as I could to the palace, wincing as my ankles and feet tingled with pain. Once I reached the front coble stone steps I carefully shook the loose dust off my dress and then strode through the halls back to the grand dining area where everyone was beginning to gather. The table had been cleared of the leftovers from lunch and was no filled with crystal wine goblets and perfectly placed dishes and cutlery.

I thanked everyone again for their time before I invited them to enjoy the mighty feast that had been prepared. Luckily for me, my parents had taken up the spots beside me which gave me a buffer from the competitive alphas. I smiled to myself as I shoveled a fork load of salad in my mouth. Our cooks were often given the burden to feed our picky guests, but it seemed like they always managed to outdo the food they prepared from the previous occasion and I was always thoroughly baffled by their ability to create such delicious things. If I had been left to my own devices in a kitchen the best thing that could occur would be mild burns on my body and a bad cup of tea.

"You seem pleased." My dad whispered from my left.

"The food is beyond amazing. How did we snag such wonderful cooks?" I replied after I swallowed.

My dad shook his head, unable to hide his grin or cover the small chuckle that leaked out of his mouth.

"And here I was thinking you had actually began to like one of the men that would probably cut off their own arm for you." He teased.

I knew he was joking; my dad was too playful to be serious some times. However, I briefly wondered if any of these men would do such a thing for me, and not just the crown. Though many of them tried to hide their true intentions underneath candied smiles and sweet gestures I knew their motives, it was just a shame that I couldn't be mad about it.

I knew my family didn't live as lavishly as previous royals. My mother had forced my father out of the old castle and moved to another one that was smaller and more manageable. My mother was very much about giving back to the struggling packs all over the world, despite the fact that her pack was self-sufficient and quite successful. She understood that she could not give as much to the ones in needed if she had to pay thirty people just to keep a massive castle clean. But, even with the dramatic cut backs, we still lived lavishly.

I mean, I had a handful of prize winning horses and a barn to fit their pedigrees all to myself, not to mention the people who took care of them when I could not. I had a training arena bigger than necessary, with tack from the finest brands. Though my parents hardly let me go anywhere I had been given a brand new SUV for my eighteenth birthday. Even though my SUV was average at best, my father had a few luxury cars which he babied endlessly, and my mother had a grand selection of tiaras and crowns, some past down from previous royals, others custom made for her. Many people would dream of a life like mine, waking up to perfectly created clothes, a stylist to curl my hair any day I pleased, a enough jewelry to over load my Subaru SUV.

Realistically, the man I married could have the authority to overthrow everything my mother had started and spend all of the royal income on themselves, buying designer suits, Bentley cars, and moving us to a larger castle or estate. They would have everything and anything they wanted, even if it meant depriving those who really needed help and guidance.

I cringed at the thought, feeling slightly sick despite the fantastic food.

"Have you decided who you would like to see again?" my mother whispered from my right. She looked gorgeous, as always, and terribly optimistic, something I wasn't very used to seeing. I would've been delighted to see her in such a good mood if her words hadn't caused a further lack of appetite.

I had picked through the men though. There was only one man in the whole group that I could tolerate, but I wasn't entirely certain and I didn't want to give my mother false hope so I shook my head.

"That's a shame, the young man over there seems to be quite a catch." My mom nodded towards the ignorant alpha with the short blood hair and my stomach twisted inside me. "He talked to me non-stop when you disappeared into the barns. He is very competent when it comes to royal history and he lost his poor mate to that horrendous rogue pack years ago. I think a man like him would make a good, sturdy king that people could rely on."

I nearly choked on the steak I was chewing, but I quickly recovered to avoiding drawing attention to myself. As I chewed the rest of the meat I glared darkly at the blond haired pig, knowing that he was playing the same game that Preston always seemed to engage in. sadly for him, kissing my mom's ass was not going to make me like him even a tiny bit more and as much as everyone might have assumed otherwise, this was my choice and my choice alone.

"He's not my type." I stated flatly.

My mom looked a little surprised, but nodded as if she agreed and let the subject drop.

After supper all the men looked at me expectantly but all I wanted to do was give up on this whole event and take a bath. I had had enough for one day. I didn't want people pretending to be someone they weren't. I no longer wanted to be surrounded by people who only wanted the crown and the power that came with it.

But I was a princess, and royals always kept their cool, even when they didn't want to.

So I slowly rose from my seat at the head of the table and turned to the man closest to me. It happened to be Everett. I tried to ignore the fact that he reminded me so deeply of my absent mate and asked him to dance with me. When he shot me a perfect smile and agreed I watched as all the other men slumped in disappointment. I suppose they assumed the first man I danced with would be my favorite, but in all actuality I just wanted to get it over with.

Everett was a decent dancer, which surprised me. He didn't look like the type of man that would pride himself on being a smooth mover. And we talked lazily as we moved over the floor. He seemed like he couldn't care less about all of the other men glaring at him icily, but I felt every single set of eyes and it was almost impossible to stop myself from shuddering.

"You don't seem like you're enjoying yourself." Everett murmured. His voice was quiet enough so only I could hear him. "I didn't know I was such a terrible dance partner." He mused.

I giggled a little at his comment, but it was forced. "It's not you." I promised falsely.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off as a guard strode into the room, looking panicked.

I watched as both my mother and father took long strides to get to him, but the guard didn't wait. He turned and addressed the whole room in a shaking voice, "Everyone needs to get to the safe room immediately."