The Cursed Prince, Teresa Roman [the reader ebook TXT] 📗

the situation I’m in has been especially hard. My pack is my family, and I long to get back to them. Thankfully, I have my brothers with me, but at the same time I feel guilty that they are compelled to stay by my side when I know they miss home as much as I do.”

I put my palms up to my temples and shook my head. Nicolai and his brothers were werewolves. That explained all those carvings in the drawing room downstairs. “This whole thing is so crazy. Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck in some bizarre, freaky dream. A week ago, I would’ve told you that Beaver Falls is full of a bunch of superstitious, gullible people who believe anything they hear, and now I’m sitting here having a conversation with a man who swears he’s a werewolf.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you so soon, but I feel like you have a right to know.”

“I’m glad you did,” I said. “It’s just a lot to take in, that’s all.”

“If I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that a lot can change in a short amount of time.”

I pictured Nicolai changing forms from man to wolf … and back again. An image of him without his clothes flashed in my mind. I pictured his muscled torso, his broad shoulders, and strong legs. What was wrong with me? I should’ve been afraid, but instead here I was imagining him all naked and sexy. Werewolves were supposed to be ferocious creatures, ones that could tear a person apart with their teeth in a matter of minutes, yet somehow, I wasn’t scared of Nicolai. In my gut, I knew he’d never hurt me. Still, his revelation left me astonished.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to sort through everything I’d learned in the past two days. Beaver Falls must’ve been some sort of haven for the supernatural. What was this place like when it was founded hundreds of years ago?

“How long ago was this castle built?” I asked.

“Sometime in the early 1700’s. For some reason, my family was quite taken with the idea of the New World.”

“So your family has been coming here for generations then?” Had my mother or any of her ancestors crossed paths with the Korzha family? I doubted it. If they had my father would have said something.

Nicolai nodded. “Yes. Although until recently only for short visits. This castle is just one of several vacation homes my family owns.”

“Personally, I would’ve picked Hawaii,” I said, suddenly feeling the need to add a bit of humor to our conversation.

“Well, Hawaii was a lot harder to get to in the 1700’s than it is now. And I can name at least a dozen places closer to home that have beaches which are equally dazzling.”

“I bet you’ve traveled all over the world, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

That had to make being stuck in Beaver Falls even more unbearable. “I’ve never even left this state.” It sounded pathetic when I said it out loud.

“That’s too bad. The world has a great deal to offer.”

I’d often dreamt of traveling, but after my mother died, Dad had to raise four kids on his own. That didn’t leave much extra money. Which meant I’d had to take out student loans for college. It would be years before I could pay off my debt, so I didn’t have an extra thousand dollars for airfare to Hawaii. Canada wasn’t that far away, though. I could drive there. One day real soon I’d have to do that. It wasn’t a tropical paradise, but at least I’d get to say I’d traveled to another country.

“What’s on your mind?” Nicolai asked.

Rather than share my rather pathetic musings with him, I replied with a question.

“Why would someone put a curse on you? You seem like a nice … person.”

“It’s a long story.”

“And one I have a right to know if we’re going to be friends.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Nicolai let out a deep breath then lifted his gaze to meet mine. “A few summers ago, Frederic became involved with a woman. Unfortunately, he wasn’t honest with her about his feelings and led her to believe he cared more for her than he really did. Eventually he grew tired of her and told her as much. She refused to accept that Frederic didn’t love her the way she loved him. He told her the two of them had no future together, that our father already had his future bride picked out for him. She was devastated and vowed to get revenge on my brother for breaking her heart.”

“But if Frederic is the one that hurt this woman, why didn’t she curse him?”

“She didn’t curse anyone. It was her sister. She wanted Frederic to know how it felt to watch someone you love suffer. My brother may come across as cold and indifferent, but there is no one in the world he loves more than his youngest brother.”

“What?!” I shook my head. “That’s so incredibly unfair. No offense, but Frederic should be the one stuck inside this castle, not you.”

“Well, in a way he is. He’s stuck with the guilt of watching me endure this life of mine. Watching me suffer and knowing that it’s his fault is eating him alive. If Frederic had the choice of taking this curse from me, he would. He’s tried everything in his power to get the curse either lifted or transferred to him, but nothing has worked.”

I’d wanted to help Nicolai from the moment his brothers had asked, but now I felt an almost manic need to. I crossed my legs, uncrossed them, and then crossed them again. Nicolai noticed my fidgeting and reached out to rest his hand on my arm. Just like the day before, the contact made my heart leap.

“I’m worried that I won’t be able to break your curse.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I talked to my Aunt Delilah today. She’s my mother’s sister—”

“And she confirmed what my brothers and I