Read Online Claimed by the Wolf Prince by Marguerite Kaye - Free Book Online Page B

that first day, wearing a gold coronet, his wolves flanking him. Iona’s heart leapt at the sight of him, though she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, too, for here was Prince Struan of the Faol in all his glory. Intimidating, forbidding, powerful. She only just managed to stop herself calling his name. He gave no sign of recognition as the circle opened to let her through, and her female escorts fell back, leaving her alone before him.
    Struan touched his amulet. He looked at the moon. He surveyed the circle of his pack, waiting tensely for his decision. He looked at Iona, hiding her fear, holding herself proud as ever. She loved him. Only now that she was about to leave him forever, did he allow the full import of her declaration to sink in. She loved him. This brave, indomitable woman had the true spirit of the wolf, though she was no Faol. She loved him, and she had been true to herself in telling him. She loved him enough to change for him. Enough to contemplate staying, though it would make her unhappy, though he could promise her nothing in return. She loved him.
    His heart swelled. Was there any gift more precious than such love? He was a fool not to have realised it earlier, because he loved her, too. He loved her with all his heart and his very soul. She was his mate, the one he had been waiting for all his life. He loved her. Nothing—not duty nor tradition nor even the greater good of the pack he reigned over—was worth more than such a love.
    It came to him then, so blindingly obvious, so terrifyingly dangerous. There was another way. The path he had always wanted to take. The path Iona, his brave, lovely Iona, would give him the strength and support to take. With her by his side, he could do anything.
    His heart pounding, Struan began to speak. “My people, you are gathered here on the night of the full moon to celebrate an ancient ritual. Iona McKinley, who came to us in reparation, by tradition is now to be bound or marked.”
    He surveyed his clan. Nods from some. Apprehension, too. He could smell its acrid odour. He straightened his shoulders, threw back his head, looked calmly and proudly around the circle, the man in him supreme, the prince. “My people, what I have to say will shock some of you, upset others. Of a certainty, you will all of you be disturbed by it, because it signals a great change.”
    He held up his hand as the murmurs grew louder. “Silence. Hear me out, then you may have your say. Iona McKinley came to us payment for her father’s folly. By rights she belonged to the pack, but from the first, I have been reluctant to surrender her. That feeling has grown stronger as I have come to know her. Though she is not of our kind, I am certain that she is my life’s mate.”
    A gasp, a look of stark disbelief on the faces of his people. If they were going to turn on him it would be now. Struan grasped Iona’s hand and pulled her to him. He would not resort to menace. “I know that this is against all custom and tradition. I know what you’re all thinking. She is not pure-born Faol and can never be Alpha. But the fact remains…I love her. Without her, I am not the man I was, nor can ever again be the Faol I ought to be.”
    Behind him, he could sense Eoin, utterly confused, yet ready to leap to his defence. His brother, whose unquestioning loyalty was about to be tested to the limit. Struan beckoned him forward. “I do not expect you to accept my decision. I know thatsome of you will find it bewildering, for did I not fight with tooth and claw to keep us together, to hold us as a pack to the old ways? It’s true, I still believe that united is better than divided. For you. But not for me. For Iona and I, there has to be another way. I am leaving you tonight to form my own pack. A new pack, with Iona by my side. As my mate. As my other half, my twin soul. A melding of two races. We will create our own traditions, our