Page 9 of Crowned By The Blood Alphas

The distant sound of horns fills the room and we both perk up.

It’s the trumpeters announcing the arrival of the humans.

The princess is here.

“Well,” I say as my chest fills with dread. “Let’s go welcome this spoiled brat.”

Chapter Four

Vaela

“We’re not in the Jewel Kingdom any longer,” I whisper under my breath when the Blood Alphas’ castle comes into view.

“No, we are not,” Garrick says, looking up at it. “I’ve seen grain silos with more decoration than this.”

It’s true. It’s not as elegant and luxurious as I’m used to, but it has its own sort of charm in a savage, brutish way. There are no slender towers reaching elegantly into the clouds, no bright banners rippling from polished golden poles, and not a single marble statue of a naked goddess posing beside a fountain.

It’s a dark, hulking fortress crudely carved from rough stones, which are covered in old moss and creeping vines. The thick stone towers are connected by high walls lined with armed guards. I shiver when I see the brown furry back and bushy tail of a wolf prowling behind the crenellations.

Everyone we pass stops and stares at us in shock as we roll into the courtyard, passing under the dark red banners hanging from the battlements, each marked with the black head of a snarling wolf.

“Garrick,” I whisper as the Varkharian guards take control of the horses, guiding them toward the large doors on the far side of the courtyard. “I’m going to be okay, right?”

He smiles sadly at me. “Princess, I’ve never seen you in any situation you couldn’t handle. Keep your wits about you, don’t lose that indomitable spirit Aurevale loves so much, and you will be just fine.”

I hope he’s right.

But this place is no Aurevale.

I hold my breath and stare in shock as a woman suddenly drops onto all fours and explodes into a large brown wolf. She shakes out her fur, sniffs the air, and races out of the castle.

“Did you see that?” I ask, turning to catch another glimpse of her. She is gone and most shockingly of all, not one other person in the bustling courtyard seemed to notice or care that this woman just turned into a wolf.

Loud trumpets sound out as the kings’ men step out of the huge wooden doors.

More people gather in the cramped courtyard as they approach. I even spot several wolves prowling around with their heads lowered, staying to the back of the crowd.

Is that how it is here? Do wolves just mingle along with everyone else?

This place is not like the courtyard at home with all of the fancy dresses and gentlemen in jeweled gloves and embroidered coats. I don’t see one scrap of silk in this entire lot.

“I’ll present you,” Garrick says, opening our covered carriage.

“No! Wait!” I reach out to grab him, but he slips out and stands on the raised step.

“Coming to you from Aurevale!” he shouts loud enough for the entire kingdom to hear. “The exquisite and graceful, Princess Vaela Valecourt.”

Here goes nothing…

I step out of the carriage and stand on the step, waving to the crowd.

No one bows when they see me.

No one cheers.

Pure silence.

They just stare with the most unimpressed faces I have ever seen.