Pack Princess (Paranormal Shapeshifer BBW Romance): (Devil Riders MC)

Pack Princess

Devil Riders, Book 1

MILLY TAIDEN & MINA CARTER

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http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/
).

Copyright © 2014 by Mina Carter and Milly Taiden

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Published By

Blue Hedgehog Press

Edited by Rachel Firasek

Cover by Mina Carter

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Property of Mina Carter and Milly Taiden May 2014

Chapter One

Thump! Crack!

“Argh!”

“Evva Castillo! What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Evva’s best friend, Giselle, stood at her bedroom door.

Giselle’s eyes widened, snapping to the pieces of colorful wood all over the floor. Ten seconds before, Evva had done her best pitcher move and threw the box against the wall, cracking it on impact. The delicate wooden case was a gift during her last birthday from her father.

Father, hah!

He’d gone ahead and put her in such a position that royally screwed her. How could he think that marrying her off to some man she barely knew was a good idea? All for a stupid merging of the packs.

A growl built up her throat. She gripped the glass penguin he’d given her for Christmas, ready to add it to the pile of rubble on the floor.

Evva flipped a long curl over her shoulder and stuck out her bottom lip. “Did you miss the conversation downstairs? The one where I casually found out about marrying what’s his name—Chip something or other?”

“Dale Rasmussen,” Giselle winced, rubbing her hands on the sides of her jeans. “I know it’s hard to understand, but he’s a handsome guy who’s stepping up as Alpha of his pack. Doing this will not just be a solid way to unite the packs, but to ensure we thrive.”

Evva rolled her eyes. “And what about what I want? I don’t know him from a can of paint. Come on. And that last name? Seriously? I hope they don’t expect me to take it. I can’t even say it right.”

“It can’t be that bad.” Giselle stopped the maid at the door and took the trash scooper out of her hands. “I got it, Mayra.”

Giselle shut the door to the room and headed for the broken mess. Why couldn’t she have said no? Heck, why didn’t she have the ultimate tantrum and tell him it wasn’t going to happen? Respect. Responsibility. She knew that her father only wanted the best for their pack and that meant she had to swallow her pride and abide by his decisions. Even if it meant losing the precious control she had on her life.

“Stop that, Gigi. You don’t have to clean up after me,” Evva sighed, putting the glass penguin back on her nightstand.

Giselle grinned and squatted down. “Well, you look like you want to hurl these pieces at the wall all over again.”

“Maybe just a little,” Evva grabbed Giselle’s hand, stopping her mid-sweep. “Wouldn’t you hate to have the choice taken out of your hands?”

Giselle’s shoulders slumped. “I would. I just think you’re going overboard with this. He’s a nice guy with a good pack. And come on, he’s hot. What else do you want?”

Okay, so maybe Chip wasn’t fugly. He did dress impeccably with his tailor-made suits and hair perfectly in place. He kind of looked like a woman’s wet dream come true, but there was something about him that screamed weak. That alone was enough for Evva to forget all about his pretty boy smiles and not want anything to do with him.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe to not be ordered to marry someone. To be allowed a choice. Now father has put me in a position with no other choice. There’s a contract in place. No tantrum or feelings will change a thing. He gave my word, and he knows I stand by my responsibilities.”

“You’re your father’s daughter. The most precious and probably most spoiled pack princess.”

“Gee, thanks.”

It was true. She was spoiled. Anything she wanted, she got. Being the daughter to a wealthy pack meant she was treated as a princess. Which was why she was so angry over being dictated to about something so important. Who cared if the groom resembled Mr. Big from
Sex and the City?
She wanted to make her own choice!

Stupid pack laws.

“You know you are, so cut it out.”

“It still doesn’t make it right,” Evva grumbled.

Giselle picked up the last of the broken music box pieces and stood. She gave Evva one of her teacher-type glares she gave the kids in her class. “You’re too big for tantrums. You didn’t do them as a child, don’t start now. It’s beneath you.”

“Fine. So I should just accept all this and be miserable for the rest of my life?” she growled. Dammit, that’s exactly what she’d have to do.

Giselle took a deep breath before answering. “Why not try to learn to adjust to your new life. Give it a chance. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think. Dale seems like such a nice guy.”

Evva snorted. “You’re just as bad as our other friends. All infatuated with Chip and his pretty-boy appearance. That’s not my thing, Gigi. I like my men to be harder. Scruffier. With the kind of face that will make you wonder if he’ll spank you or kiss you.”

Giselle’s jaw dropped. “Wow. Where the hell do I find one like that?”

Damned if Evva knew.

She needed to get out of there. To breathe and forget all about that stupid wedding even if only for a few hours. Tomorrow would be time enough to get back to it. For now, she needed a few drinks and to get the hell out of the mansion.

“I have an idea,” Evva tugged off the engagement ring her father had handed her on behalf of her fiancée, placing it in one of the drawers of her five-foot tall jewelry box. She didn’t dare shove it into one of the ones with her bejeweled toys for fear of Gigi’s reaction. Besides, a princess needed her bling.

“What’s your idea?” Curiosity and a hint of excitement sounded in Giselle’s voice.

“A girls night out,” Evva answered nonchalantly. “To say goodbye to my single life, but more importantly, to help me cope with this upcoming change.”

“Wait, like a bachelorette party?” Giselle gasped. Hell. Gigi seemed like she might pass out.

“No! No. Nothing like that. There will be no strippers. Maybe just a night at the bar going for a few drinks with the girls. You know?”

“Oh!” Giselle slapped a hand on her chest. “You scared the crap out of me. You know your dad would kill us if he found out you’d gone and done something like that knowing you’re engaged.”

What her father didn’t know…

“What do you say?” Evva asked, hoping to encourage Giselle into agreeing.

“Is that what you really want?” She sat on the chair across from Evva’s bed and frowned.

Evva clenched her teeth, glancing down at her lap before lifting her gaze to meet Giselle’s. “No. What I really want is to choose my own husband, but since that was taken out of my hands. This is probably the next-best thing. I need some way to relax after the news.”

Giselle nodded sympathetically. “I’ll get the girls together, and we can go out a last time to help you relax. Give me a few hours to get everyone.”

“Thanks. I think this will at least help me unwind. Maybe even be more agreeable.” When she died. The poor bastard had no idea what he had coming. If he expected some docile wife, he should’ve married Giselle. Evva was so far from docile it was laughable. That’s probably why her father decided to choose her husband for her. She tended to give most men a run for their money with her sarcastic wit and sharp tongue.

It didn’t matter. She needed some time away from her father. He’d made a decision without her input and that was something she had a hard time getting over. Tonight, she’d hang out with the girls and have a few drinks. Maybe even some fun. She knew there was no escaping her reality, even if just for a few hours, she could pretend she still controlled her life. Then she’d go off and do her duty to her pack. Her husband might hate her within a week, but she’d marry him. It wasn’t her fault he chose an alpha princess with a short temper for stupidity. He’d just need to learn to adjust to
her
ways.

***

Evva would kill her friends slowly. Each and every one of them. How could they think for even a second that this bar filled with her father’s friends would be fun?

She needed to get the hell out if she was actually going to be able to chill tonight and take her mind off things. First things first. Everyone had to be distracted, or they would notice her escape. She smiled at the other girls who would not— no matter how much she mentally begged them to—stop gushing over Chip and how handsome he was.

She was pretty dramatic, but acting as if she were actually enjoying herself was turning out to be harder than she thought. Her smile kept slipping, and her brows wanted to dip down in a scowl. What was the obsession with Chip? He could double as a damn Ken doll. All perfectly put together. Any man who was prettier than her was not her type.

“So, are you and Dale going on a honeymoon?” her friend, Ann, asked.

Evva’s other cousin Lainie clapped excitedly and bounced in her seat. “Oooh! Yes, tell us about the wedding.”

Frickin’ hell.

What she wanted was to tell them to shut the hell up about Chip and his baby face or his perfectly cropped hair. The eye-twitch she was known for was going to be a dead giveaway on how angry she truly was.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the person on stage spoke. “Let’s begin our Karaoke night!”

The crowd broke into screams and claps.

Wonderful.
She so needed to get out of there, yesterday. A light bulb turned on in her head. “Oh my gosh!” she turned to her friends. “Go sing Super Freak for me.”

Giselle giggled and sipped on her drink. “You’re crazy.”

“Come on! You know we used to sing that all the time while we were in college. It will be fun. I’ll be here cheering you on.” Evva grinned. Her cheeks hurt from how hard she tried to keep the smile going. Frantically nodding, she shooed them toward the stage. “Do it for me. It’ll mean so much.”

Giselle smiled with genuine amusement.

For a moment, Evva felt like the world’s biggest jerk, but then she remembered how Giselle would get to pick her own groom. Evva wouldn’t.

“Alright,” Giselle agreed, and the women headed for the stage. “Come on, girls. Let’s give our bride to be a show.”

Evva waited until they were busy answering the DJ’s questions before making a mad dash for the door. Her heels clicked on the pavement, drumming away the tightness in her chest and breaking the door to the wonderful freedom she’d wanted.

Now, all she had to do was find a place to drink a little, or a lot, without any of her family or friends telling her what a wonderful thing it was to merge packs.

Scuffling and voices sounded behind her. They grew closer. Louder. Adrenaline rushed through her, urging her to move her ass. She made a quick turn down an alley.

Palms slick with sweat, she leaned against the back of the building, surrounded by darkness. God, she hoped leaning so close to a dirty building would keep her from getting caught. She didn’t want to think of the years of grime on the wall rubbing her bare back.

After a few moments of holding her breath, she listened hard but didn’t hear anyone enter the alley. Then raucous laughter, music, and cursing drew her attention further into the darkness. She followed the sounds deeper into the alley and to a plain, metal door.

She pushed it open and smiled. Now this was more like it. The room was dark, but she could still see clearly. One of the benefits of her nature. It was a bar, but that was where the similarities with the place she’d left her friends ended.

There was a bar at one end of the room, true, but if any of the chairs crowded haphazardly around the tables matched, then she’d have been very much surprised. Several of them showed signs of repair, as battle-worn and battered as the tables they sat around. The floor underfoot stuck to the soles of her shoes as she ventured further in. There was a lot of leather on show. Not the cutesy, designer sort of leather she was used to seeing. This was more worn-in, worn-all-the-time leather that belonged on the back of a bike.