Free The Wolf Prince by Karen Whiddon Page B

she’d been noticed, she pushed herself to her feet and went to try the door. To her surprise, it wasn’t locked. All of her intuitive alarms began chiming. This was too easy.
    She thought about abandoning her attempt and leaving it for another day. Then she pictured her mother’s reaction if she noticed the missing earring and decided to go for it. In the end she didn’t really have a choice.
    So she pushed open the door and boldly stepped inside.
    * * *
    Like some sort of supernatural caravan, Ruben and his father followed the man who followed Willow. Of course the two high Royals of Teslinko remained in wolf form. They hadn’t taken the time to change back to human. Yet.
    From the shelter of a grove of aspens, the stranger stopped to watch as Willow shimmied up the tree. They all saw her drop onto a balcony, try the door and go inside.
    Apparently satisfied, the other man turned and went back the way he’d come. Clearly unaware that he’d been followed, he made no attempt to hide his passing.
    Ruben glanced at his father. Since as wolves they couldn’t speak, he whined once, jerking his head in the direction of the stone temple.
    King Leo shook his shaggy gray pelt and made for their castle instead. Ruben understood and followed. It would take too long for them to return to the stone temple in the woods and change back to human.
    Their captain of the guards was Pack. He kept several changes of clothing stashed in the guard house just in case. They’d change there. That way, they could get inside and catch Willow before she had a chance to plant another bomb.
    And, Ruben thought grimly as he loped alongside his father toward the guard house, he’d send some soldiers to find that man in the woods. Just in case.
    Again, Ruben realized he’d underestimated his wolf. Once allowed to take form, the beast resisted the necessary change back to human. Heart pounding, Ruben battled his inner animal, praying his father was sufficiently distracted and didn’t notice the savage fight.
    Ruben won and forced the change back to human. Each time, it grew more and more difficult. He could easily foresee a day when the wolf would win and he’d remain in his lupine form forever. On that day, he knew he’d slide over the last slippery slope to madness.
    What worried him was how badly he wanted to.
    A few minutes later, human and fully clothed, King Leo and Ruben alerted the guards. Men were dispatched to the woods to search for the stranger, and the palace was quietly put on high alert. Willow would be caught and interrogated. Ruben hoped she wouldn’t resist. Despite everything, he didn’t want her hurt.
    Yet.
    Of course he’d already decided to question her himself. Though their association had been brief, he’d foolishly believed they’d connected on some visceral level. More proof that his mind was slowly unraveling, he supposed. Now, he wanted her to look him in the eye and explain.
    * * *
    Fuming, Tatiana put on her riding boots, trying to keep from scowling as she didn’t want to cause wrinkles. First her sister—whom she’d planned to pair with Prince Eric—had managed to disappear unnoticed, but now Prince Chad had begged off, claiming he had a headache. As if. And when she’d questioned him, he’d had the audacity to say he felt it better if she and her fiancé spend time alone. He’d grinned mockingly as he’d spoken, taunting her.
    This not only infuriated her, but aroused her, as well. Tatiana had never met a man who wouldn’t let her have her way.
    A challenge was exactly what she needed. But first... She stood, adjusting her ponytail. She had to deal with the buffoon she was supposed to marry.
    Sparkles of Fairy dust. This was going to be a long afternoon.
    Prince Eric waited, standing beside his mount. She noted he’d chosen the largest, flashiest horse in the royal stable, a cantankerous gelding appropriately nicknamed Trouble. She wondered if the stable hands had bothered to tell their visitor that