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  Prince Theo:

  Royal Wolf Book II

  By: Haley Weir

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  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

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  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  “You cheated!” Holly shouted at her brother as he caught up with her in their game of chase and managed to tackle her to the ground.

  “I didn’t cheat,” Theo said. “I’m just better at this than you are.”

  “You are not,” she protested.

  Theo threw his head back and laughed.

  “Oh yes, I definitely am,” he said. “And if we were in our other forms, I would beat you even faster at this game.”

  “Hush,” their mother scolded as she came toward them in the hallway. “You need to mind what you say in these hallways. Honestly, you’d think at some point you would start acting more like young adults instead of pups.”

  Cassandra may have been trying to scold them to protect them, but she loved her children so much that even her scolding sounded like no more than playful banter.

  “Mom,” Theo said. “If you want me to hush about shifting in the hallway, then you might also want to keep your voice down about us being pups.”

  Cassandra looked amused at her son’s warranted correction.

  “Besides,” Holly said with an indignant tone in her voice at being called a pup, “we’re adults now.”

  “Young adults,” her mother corrected gently. “And yes, you are. So please try to act the part, at least every so often.”

  Theo laughed again, and Holly couldn’t help but join in. Their family was filled with love, and even Holly’s father, Rubius, who was not Theo’s father, was welcome as part of the family now as the human kingdom of Grenvich thrived under the rule of the royal family.

  When their father also emerged in the hallway, though, Theo knew that the fun and games were over for today. Aeron had been pressing Theo to begin his training to be groomed for his role as heir to the throne someday. But Theo wasn’t looking forward to it. He preferred running wild to ruling tamely, and he dreaded the day that he would one day assume the throne.

  Thankfully, since shifters lived an inexplicably long time, barring meeting death in any unforeseen incident, Theo wouldn’t have to worry about assuming the throne anytime soon. Still, Aeron liked to be prepared, and so he was on a mission to begin training Theo now that he had just reached adulthood. Aeron knew that Theo’s rash impulses (especially when it pertained to his wolfish side) were dangerously unpredictable, and he figured that the sooner he could help his son get his emotions and his duties under control, the better. Theo groaned when he realized that his sister would get to go run around on the castle grounds and possibly even into the forest with the other packs, while he had to stay confined to the castle and play at performing his princely duties.

  “Come now,” Aeron said. “It’s not that bad. There are many young men in the pack that would give their tail to be a prince in the city.”

  “Can I just give them my tail and trade places with them instead?” Theo said with a witty grin.

  Holly laughed until Aeron shot her a look. He loved her like a daughter, and she loved him as if he were a second father, but she also respected his position as King of Grenvich and knew when not to cross him.

  “No one wants your tail anyway,” Holly teased as she got ready to leave him to perform his required tasks.

  Holly and Cassandra walked down the hall together until they were out of sight, leaving Theo standing in the corridor alone with his father.

  “Can I at least get something to eat before we start?” Theo asked,

  “Of course,” Aeron said as he smiled fondly at his son. “And maybe today, after we attend to a few things inside of the castle, we’ll go into the forest for a little bit as well.”

  “Really?” Theo asked excitedly. The forest was his favorite place to be and shifting into his wolf form was his favorite thing to do.

  Aeron nodded in response.

  “There are things to attend to with the packs as well,” Aeron said.

  “One day, will I assume leadership of the pack and replace you as alpha too?” Theo asked.

  He wasn’t trying to usurp his father’s leadership; he was simply curious because the thought of having to be both king of a human city and alpha for a pack of wolf shifters seemed like a daunting task. Although it always seemed as though his father managed it with ease.

  “That remains to be determined,” Aeron answered. “Pack leadership works differently among humans than being an heir to the throne works for humans. Here in Grenvich, simply being my son makes you the next in line for the throne. The humans are strange that way; most things are based solely on privilege. The hierarchy of the packs works differently. To be an alpha, you must earn your place.”

  “How do you earn your place as an alpha?” Theo asked.

  “Usually by challenging and killing the current alpha.”

  Theo certainly had no intention of killing his father, so at least that was one duty that he likely wouldn’t have to assume. Although, if he were to have to choose between the two, he would have much preferred being an alpha to being a king.

  Theo went to the castle’s kitchen to grab some food before heading out with his father. Being part wolf combined with being a muscular young male meant that he was hungry almost all the time. He was thinking about how he felt regarding fulfilling his future obligation to the throne and not watching where he was going as he walked in through the kitchen door and bumped carelessly right into Marquette.

  Theo had known Marquette since the two of them had been children. And since the day Marquette’s mother was accidentally killed by a wolf hunter who was actually after Theo, the royal family had taken her in and given her a home inside the castle. Since no one really knew quite what to do with a human child back then, especially since they knew they couldn’t reveal who they really were to her, Marquette ended up just kind of assuming a place as a servant within the castle. She cooked and cleaned and tended to the needs of the royal family. But they always treated her more like a friend of the family than a regular servant. Marquette was happy there, and well cared for. She had been friends with Theo and Holly as the three of them grew up alongside each other and played together frequently as children.

  But as Theo began growing into a man, the dynamic between he and Marquette changed. Instead of feeling like comfortable friends, Theo found himself being c
onstantly distracted by Marquette anytime that she was around. He felt awkward, and because of that, he didn’t talk to her as much as he used to. He wanted to; he just felt inept at speech anytime he tried to open his mouth in her presence. But as much as he tried to brush it off, Marquette attracted his eye every single time that he saw her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, reflexively reaching his hands out to her waist to prevent her from being knocked down after he had bumped into her.

  As soon as his hands touched her waist, he retracted them as if something had scalded his skin. He felt his face flush, and he hated it. He hated feeling out of control.

  “It’s okay,” Marquette smiled at him. “Hi, Theo. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

  Her voice sounded as though it could have been made out of honey: sweet, and smooth, and appealing enough to make him want to put his tongue against her words.

  “Good,” he said, as he abruptly walked past her to grab some of the meats and cheeses that he saw sitting on a tray.

  He was mad at himself for acting rude to her. He knew that he should have just stopped and turned around and smiled at her. They could have talked like they used to, and he didn’t have to act so cold and odd around her. But then he also realized that he couldn’t just talk to her, because if he tried to, then something else was sure to come spilling out of his mouth that he didn’t intend to say. Something like how much he desired to bury his face in the tangled strands of her long blonde hair as he made love to her. That was the reason that he had to just keep acting like a jerk.

  “Ready?” Aeron said as he walked into the kitchen and smiled at Marquette when he saw her. “Hello, Marquette.”

  She smiled and greeted him in return.

  “Yes,” Theo said. He had never been so happy to see his father.

  He grabbed another handful of meat and cheese and walked briskly out the open doorway into the halls. This was how it had to be between him and Marquette to keep himself from doing something stupid. The only problem was that their paths began to cross more and more frequently on the castle grounds, and it became harder and harder for Theo to ignore her presence.

  CHAPTER TWO

  After a long morning of tasks in the city, and then a reprieve of socializing with the pack in the afternoon, Theo went into the open courtyard inside the castle grounds to train. He enjoyed training alone. It allowed him to get into his own headspace and really focus on pushing his body to its limits. His human body was more fragile than his wolf form, so he devoted extra time to working on his fight stances, the fluidity of his movements, and cutting definition into his muscles. It was also a good tension release. The endorphins released while training, mixed with the way his thoughts melted away, seemed to always leave him with a feeling of good exhaustion both mentally and physically. He trained with his shirt off since even with the cool air that swept into the courtyard on refreshing breezes, he always worked up a sweat.

  It wasn’t until he heard Holly say something to him about “being a show-off” that Theo broke from his concentration and looked up. He thought that he saw the corner of Marquette’s dress and the flowing tendrils of her hair disappear around the corner just as he had looked in that direction.

  “She was watching you,” his sister said to him as she walked over.

  “Who was?” he asked.

  “God, why are you so daft sometimes?” Holly asked. “Marquette, obviously.”

  “Why would that be obvious?” he said, pretending not to know what she was talking about.

  “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid,” Holly said. “You know that it pisses me off. Marquette was standing there for a long while, completely caught up in staring at you while you were training. I watched her for at least several minutes before I walked up.”

  Theo didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say.

  “And, I know that you watch her too,” Holly continued.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do. I see the way the two of you lock eyes every time you’re in the same room together. You like her, and she likes you too. You guys have always liked each other ever since I can remember. I always thought that would make it easier for you two to just come out with it, but instead, you both pretend like you don’t even see each other.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Theo said.

  “Oh, really?” Holly teased playfully. “So the fact that she is still standing there staring at you doesn’t matter to you at all?”

  Theo whipped his head around again to see, but there was no one there.

  “Made you look,” Holly smirked.

  Then her tone changed to a more serious one.

  “Theo, why don’t you tell Marquette about your feelings for her?” she asked.

  “I can’t,” he said.

  The frustration was clearly evidenced by his furrowed brow and clenched jaw.

  “Why not?”

  “Because I am the Prince of Grenvich,” he said as he pulled the shirt over his head so hard that he ripped it. “And because I am a shifter and she is a human. And because I have duties that get in the way of my stupid emotions.”

  “I’m sorry,” Holly said. She reached her hand up to touch her brother’s shoulder.

  “Don’t be,” Theo said as he shrugged her hand off. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I don’t have feelings for Marquette anyway. I don’t know what you think you see, but you’re wrong. Marquette is a nice girl, and we were friends when we were kids; it’s nothing more than that.”

  “If there’s nothing more to it than that,” Holly said, “then why aren’t the two of you still friends now?”

  Theo paused for a minute, unsure how to answer that question without it sounding like a lie.

  “Because I got busy,” he said.

  He figured that was a truthful and inarguable way to quickly dismiss what his sister was saying before she got too close to the truth for him to be able to hide. Even as it was, he could always tell when Holly didn’t quite buy in to what he was saying, and he knew that this was one of those times. She had one eyebrow raised, and her lips were pursed to the side, which was her usual expression of skepticism. Although Theo knew his sister was only trying to look out for him and wanted him to be happy, he hoped she would just drop it. It was hard enough for him to try not to think about Marquette as it was. Having to talk about it made it even more difficult to put out of his mind.

  “What did you do today?” he asked her, changing the subject.

  “Mom and I went into the city for a bit. There are some pretty interesting things at the open-air markets,” she said. “Humans never cease to amaze me with some of the things they make.”

  Holly pulled a curved dagger out of a sheath hanging at her waist, just below the ties in her bodice. As far as princesses go, Holly was beautiful and delicate-looking, but she was much fiercer and less conformist than probably any princess before her. She had a bold streak in her that Theo admired.

  “Wow,” he said in appreciation of the fine craftsmanship of the blade. “That is an exquisite weapon.”

  Holly grinned, pleased with her purchase.

  “How about you?” she asked. “How did your training go?”

  “Eh, it was fine. Dad and I spent a bit of time with the packs, which was the highlight of the day. The rest of it was kingdom-related affairs, which I could have done without,” Theo answered. “I wish I could have spent more time in the woods.”

  “Why don’t you go back?” Holly asked.

  “I can’t go back now,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  Theo thought about it for a moment. Holly was right. Why couldn’t he go back to the woods for a night run? The human city was mostly ready to go to sleep for the night. His parents would soon retire to their bedroom. And the packs would think nothing of seeing him out for a run in wolf form in the middle of the night. Theo had done all that was required of him for the day, and as long as he was careful
not to be seen leaving or re-entering the castle, there was no reason that he couldn’t go enjoy some wild solitude in the forest.

  “You’re right,” he smiled as he gave his sister a kiss on the top of her head. “There’s no reason that I can’t go for a moonlight run tonight. What would I ever do without you and your brilliant ideas?”

  “Well, you don’t always listen to them,” Holly said as she rolled her eyes at him.

  Theo knew that she was referring to what she had said about talking to Marquette about his feelings. He ignored it in lieu of thinking about a good and refreshing run in the crisp air. He immediately felt energized, thinking of running for as long and fast as his four padded paws would carry him.

  “Just make sure you don’t shift until you are well into the thicket of trees,” she reminded him.

  “Yes, Mom,” Theo teased sarcastically.

  Holly gave him a gentle smack on the arm and then headed off to bed.

  Theo knew where the hidden entrance at the back of the castle was; the one that led straight out underground and didn’t emerge at the surface until it was right at the edge of the forest. He crept quietly through the castle corridors and then slunk down through the underground passageway. The long tunnel was dimly lit with the stubs of candles hung as sconces along the stone walls that looked as if they had been burning forever. He wondered who was in charge of keeping this passageway lit if it was supposed to be a hidden entrance. The thought only entertained his curiosity for a moment before he emerged at the edge of the forest.

  As soon as Theo stepped out into the night air, he inhaled a deep breath and smiled. This was exactly what he needed. He walked into the trees, past the tree line, and deep into the thicket before shifting into his wolf form. As soon as the breeze moved against his fur like small rippling waves, Theo took off running.

  CHAPTER THREE

  After a truly enjoyable night of running at full throttle through the woods at a furious pace, Theo returned back to the castle during the wee hours. He walked back through the hidden entrance, still panting and catching his breath from the run, and holding his shirt in his hand as the dim candlelight reflected off the beads of sweat that rolled down the muscles of his chest.