Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Alphonse Mercier, the alpha of the snow leopards from the mountains of France.
But while he might hold both the title and the crown, it was the man who followed behind him that had everyone catching their breaths. Well, almost everyone. It was hard to tell with Samira, whose pale features revealed nothing but blankness.
Behind him swaggered a younger man, whom the alpha briefly introduced as his lieutenant Vaughn. The latter’s arrogance was evident in the way he looked at the bride disparagingly, but even he seemed to wilt when he, along with everyone else, heard the door behind them slide open yet again.
The air crackled with power as Alphonse’s younger brother made his appearance. Hexius Mercier didn’t walk so much as flow into the space, his every move economical, graceful, and deadly.
His hair was the same ice blond shade as his brother. A Mercier trademark, in other words, and so were his eyes of gold. His gaze was cold and hard, and it swept past Samira without pause.
The matchmaker rose from behind her desk. “Messieurs Mercier. May I present Miss Samira Hondros.”
Samira, on cue, rose to her feet.
“Miss Hondros, Alphonse Mercier and his brother, Hexius.”
The alpha inclined his head in greeting, but Hexius didn’t even glance her way, and the matchmaker could only clear her throat in discomfort. “If there is nothing else, then we shall—”
“Non.”
It was Hexius who spoke, and the matchmaker found herself shrinking under the leopard prince’s gaze, which seemed to see all the way to her less-than-pure soul.
She mustered the courage to make an appeal, mostly because her six-digit commission from the closure of this arrangement depended on it. “Monsieur—”
Hexius reached for the pen that had been set aside for his use, and the matchmaker’s eyes widened at what he wrote on the contract.
Rejetée.
Chaos erupted, with the representatives of Samira bursting into their feet in offended outrage while a red-faced Vaughn, the lieutenant who served as the alpha’s second-hand man, turned to Alphonse, saying furiously, “Such defiance is considered treasonous. You cannot—”
Alphonse raised a brow. “And what about you, Vaughn? Are you telling your alpha what he can or cannot do?” The words having effectively put the younger man in his place, Alphonse then turned to his brother, who appeared impervious to any of the havoc his actions created.
“What do you think you’re doing, Hexius?”
“Exactly what it implies. Rejetée. She is rejected.”
The alpha’s brother didn’t wait for a reply, having already risen to his feet as he spoke, and leaving everyone stunned as he walked away without a single backward glance.
“Sire!” Vaughn looked at Alphonse. “You cannot let him—” Realizing that he had once again made the same mistake, he switched his attention instead to Hexius’ retreating back, fists clenching at the way the other man kept disrespecting their alpha.
“Reviens ici immédiatement!”
The words seemed to fall on deaf ears, and a confused silence descended as the door automatically slid close behind him.
Chapter One
WHY OH WHY DID I LET myself get into this again?
The timer on the table blinks red. Two minutes left with Bachelor Number Four. Or is it Five? They’re all starting to blur together in a parade of disappointment that would make my grandmother roll over in her grave. She’d arranged so many “meetings” for me back in Athens, and here I am in Hollywood, voluntarily subjecting myself to the modern American version of the same torture.
“—and that’s when Mother suggested I should try meeting someone more...traditional.” The man across from me adjusts his glasses for the third time in as many minutes. “She says a woman who’s never had a boyfriend by your age must be waiting for the right man. Someone who understands family values.”
I force my lips into what I hope passes for a smile. “That’s...nice.”
“Mother will be so pleased when I tell her about you. Greek girls are known for being good homemakers. And you’ve never dated anyone?” His eyes light up like he’s found a mint-condition collectible. “That’s so rare these days. Mother says modern women are too—”
Ding.
“Oh, time’s up.” I try not to sound too relieved as he reluctantly gathers his scoring sheet. “It was nice meeting you.”
“I’ll definitely be marking you as a yes. Mother will want to meet you for lunch tomorrow. She—”
“Next rotation, please!” The event coordinator’s voice cuts through whatever else his mother has to say.
I scribble ‘Does not believe in leave and cleave’ on my notes as he shuffles away. Loving your mom isn’t ever a bad thing. But loving them too much to the point that she’s become more like your god?
Oh well.
At least he didn’t judge me for being relationship-inexperienced. Point in his favor, never mind if he also spoke of me being boyfriendless sound like I’m some untouched artifact in a museum.
The chair across from me fills again. “Hi there.”
“Hi—” My voice falters as I try but fail to read what he’s written on the name plate he has pinned to his coat.