When I awoke, the covers next to me were flat. There was no sign of Bri anywhere. What the hell? I rubbed my forehead. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept so soundly. She had been wrapped in my arms. Her head on my chest. It was almost like a dream. It was the closest thing I had felt to hibernating in years. I could pull her into a den and spend months filling her until she had my cubs. Last night was unexpected.

The game had turned on me. I was hooked. I needed to find her and talk to her about what happened between us. She needed to know what it meant to my bear and me.

There was pounding at the door again. “Sir?”

Damn it. Those guys were determined to ruin everything.

“What?” I opened the door, staring at the security detail. At least this time I wrapped a towel around my waist.

“You have thirty minutes until the breakfast.” He looked at his watch as if I could read the fucking time on his wrist.

I exhaled. “Plenty of time.”

Maybe they had just come off my cousin’s detail and expected me to be just as punctual. The king was never late for anything. That was the shitty part about being a king—you were expected to do certain things. As a duke, I took a lot of leeway with my title.

“Sir, we’ll be outside.”

“I assume the code purple has been lifted?” I asked.

“It has. It was a false alarm,” he reported.

“What in the hell?” I balled my fist. I could only be so mad. That code purple is what had led Bri to my bed. My bear had found something he didn’t know he was missing.

“Sir, we did try to give you the full report, but my briefing says you sent last night’s agent away.”

I glared. “I was busy.” I didn’t have to explain my behavior to this man. “I’ll be out in five,” I added.

I closed the door abruptly and wandered the suite, picking up my clothes. Where had Bri gone? I wanted to talk to her before I left. But I didn’t have a phone number for her. I wasn’t sure I had her real name.

Last night was unbelievable. It shouldn’t have been more than a random hookup, but it was as if we had crossed an invisible line. I couldn’t explain it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. But I had to find.

I fastened the last button on my shirt and opened the door of her room. The officers met me in the hall.

“Bon jour, boys.” I grinned. “I have something for you to do for me today.”

“Yes, sir. Anything you need, Your Highness.”

“The woman who was staying in this suite. Bri Keyes.” I eyed them. “I need to see her before I leave the village.”

“Yes, sir.”

They were good for something, finally.

They tailed me to my suite at the end of the hall. I closed the door and walked to the shower. I didn’t have much time before the breakfast with the mayor. After that, I could regain a little free time, and hopefully that would be with Bri.

* * *

I had been to a thousand of these damn breakfasts. It was a royal show. There was a lot of pageantry and fanfare whenever a royal was in town. It wasn’t as if I didn’t understand why it was a big deal when we traveled to the remote parts of the county. I did it, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t distracted. My bear had finally gotten a taste of the woman he wanted for a mate and thinking about anything else was impossible.

Members of the town government were gathered together. A group of local farmers who would benefit from the king’s irrigation bill were in attendance. And of course, I couldn’t escape the fucking paparazzi. They flew in from Freychon.

I gritted my teeth, dreading having to deal with them.

I had twenty texts from Julianna this morning. Apparently, a photographer had captured my entrance into town. There was a story circulating that I ditched my guard because I was trying to exile myself from the royal family.

I’d never heard Juliana so panicked.

“Love, it’s going to be fine.” I tried to calm her on the phone before I walked into the breakfast.

“It’s not fine. This has gone into the king’s lodestar. I’m going to have to end up meeting with Sutcliffe about this. It’s not like this story is on someone’s blog. It was in La Freychon.”

I hated the palace’s head manager. He was a dick to deal with.

“I’m not leaving the royal family.” It wasn’t like I could tell Julianna I was a part of a bear clan. Clans didn’t just disband because they were angry or felt moody. Our bloodline tied us together for eternity. Royal scandals weren’t the kind of thing that could come between us.

“You haven’t read the story,” she seethed. “Your stunt yesterday didn’t help us.”

Whoever the reporter was who wrote that piece of garbage, was probably in this crowd. I wasn’t going to apologize to the press or to the other royals. I needed that drive.

I was here doing my duty. I represented the crown.

Meanwhile, Julianna was having a royal meltdown over the photos and that shitty article.

“Look, I’ll try to smooth things over with the locals. I will be the picture-perfect duke for you today. All right, love?”

She sighed. “Once Sutcliffe tells me how he wants me to handle it, I’ll let you know.”

I groaned. “He is a royal bastard. You shouldn’t have to deal with him.”

I thought I heard Julianna giggle. “I’ll let you attend the breakfast. If I do my job well, you won’t have to worry about this when you return to Freychon. Will I see you tonight?”

I wasn’t sure when I’d be back in the capital. My plans depended on finding Bri.

“I’ll call you later. I see the mayor headed in my direction.” I hung up and turned toward the ornate doors.

The mayor of Sangreaux was the first to greet me. “Your Highness. We are honored to have you join us. It is such a privilege to have a member of the royal family amongst us.”

I nodded. “Thank you. My cousin is pleased the bill was passed. We’re anxious to see a return next year on your olive groves. It was a huge success for our country.”

“We are as well. It is has already done so much for the village. There is hope here we haven’t seen in fifty years. I appreciate everything the king did for us.”

I shook his hand. “I’ll be happy to send the message to the king.”

I had plans to see Alaric next week. We’d check in on the meetings. Hopefully we’d play some golf and grab a drink. His security was ten times worse than mine. Finding peace when living at the palace wasn’t easy.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness. We look forward to his next visit.”

I moved along the line, greeting the members of the town council. The breakfast was a formality to welcome the bill to the village. It would still be a number of months before installation would begin for the irrigation system, but so far the reviews were positive.

“Your seat is this way, Your Highness.” One of the council members directed me to a long table.

I realized on the other side of the room, the press was beginning to enter. They were given a table, along with assigned passes. It was easy to identify them. And avoid them.

I looked up just as I reached the head of the table.

And there she was.