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The Billionaire Werewolf's Princess
Michele Hauf
Fangs……and fairy dustRyland James is a wealthy philanthropist. He’s also a werewolf, and the son of the Fairy king. Indigo DuCharme seems like a typical socialite, but as she moves deeper into Ry’s world, something in her awakens – something she never could have imagined. She needs to accept her true nature if they’re going to have a chance at love…
Fangs...
...and faery dust
Ryland James is a wealthy philanthropist. He’s also a werewolf, and the son of the Faery king. Indigo DuCharme seems like a typical socialite, but as she moves deeper into Ry’s world, something in her awakens—something she never could have imagined. She’ll need to accept her true nature if they’re going to have a chance at love, and if they’re going to protect human children from the fae.
MICHELE HAUF is a USA TODAY bestselling author who has been writing romance, action-adventure and fantasy stories for more than twenty years. France, musketeers, vampires and faeries usually feature in her stories. And if Michele followed the adage “write what you know,” all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries and creatures she has never seen. Find her on Facebook, Twitter and at www.michelehauf.com (http://www.michelehauf.com).
Also by Michele Hauf (#ucb55dd12-1f56-5278-b0ae-28279fd7849d)
Her Werewolf Hero
A Venetian Vampire
Taming the Hunter
The Witch’s Quest
The Witch and the Werewolf
An American Witch in Paris
The Billionaire Werewolf’s Princess
The Dark’s Mistress
Ghost Wolf
Moonlight and Diamonds
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Billionaire Werewolf’s Princess
Michele Hauf
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08208-2
THE BILLIONAIRE WEREWOLF’S PRINCESS
© 2018 Michele Hauf
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Marcy V.
I’m so glad you persisted after that initial email to me.
Contents
Cover (#u488102c0-38d0-5abf-bfa7-06c6ae01ad40)
Back Cover Text (#u10241c7b-5dff-5560-bf29-3c18e9bc016d)
About the Author (#u0b20e7e9-d90b-529c-853e-7ec7c32d6418)
Booklist (#uae600ebe-e499-5a88-926f-21d784258e1e)
Title Page (#u9ef6aea1-7563-5c6a-bbcd-bfa177d63bcb)
Copyright (#uc66d3430-b025-5ffd-aef5-c9a07bc7215c)
Dedication (#ubc229a0d-ddd5-5e96-aa13-73e1fea1655d)
Chapter 1 (#u6b38cff4-954a-50fb-8a1a-0685ba6d4e3d)
Chapter 2 (#u4c2bf137-7ab7-5790-bc5c-c3023491bb17)
Chapter 3 (#u92333fd8-1bd2-540b-aaa1-30f913d438c2)
Chapter 4 (#ufb1a59bf-e5dd-532e-90e7-9607c1cd2058)
Chapter 5 (#ua25ef565-2134-5540-84d7-426ea9787942)
Chapter 6 (#u797908ca-cef4-5d81-bf37-54a68c2073bc)
Chapter 7 (#uf8e03065-0f2a-5aeb-94ee-eabc18d7e808)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 25 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 26 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 27 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 28 (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ucb55dd12-1f56-5278-b0ae-28279fd7849d)
Paris
Indigo DuCharme’s chin wobbled as she held up her head and bravely looked over the busy ballroom. She stood at the top of a stairway that curled down to the marble dance floor. Her heart pounded so loudly she couldn’t focus on the waltz played by the orchestra. Her eyes threatened to tear up, but she blamed this on the brilliant glints from half a dozen chandeliers suspended above the dancers.
Clutching her pink tulle skirt with both hands, she toyed with the embroidered red poppies she’d added days ago. She’d also sewn a pocket in the skirt to keep her cell phone. She forced herself not to check her text messages again. For the sixth time. Or maybe the thirteenth time. Because...
He had jilted her.
The last text she’d read from him, ten minutes earlier, had the audacity to state: Sorry, hooked up with Melanie this evening. You and me? Sex was great. But never connected beyond the sheets, yeah?
Fingers curling into her palms, Indi winced as her perfectly manicured fingernails dug into her skin. Never connected? Beyond the sheets? She’d been dating Todd for over a month. They’d seen each other practically every day. She’d cooked for him. Shopped for him. Had sex with him and made sure he was a happy camper, meaning that she didn’t always orgasm but he did. All week she’d been planning her dress and hair for tonight’s date. The Summer Soiree charity ball was one of her favorites. And she looked...
...so pretty.
Indi had felt like a star when she arrived by limo two hours earlier. Todd always met her for dates; his work as a stock trader kept him at the office at all hours. Indi had glided out of the limo, her long, lush, poppy-red-and-pink tulle skirts floating about her legs. The beaded bodice hugged her like a dream and she had dusted her décolletage with fine glitter. Her blond hair was pulled up in a messy bun with tendrils framing her face. She wore a pink, cat-ears tiara, which she sold through her online business, Goddess Goodies. Her makeup was dramatic and sexy. Todd loved the smoky eye shadow and her dark matte red lipstick. Or so he’d said.
Had it all been a lie? Had she merely been a prolonged hookup? Who the hell was Melanie? And just how long could Indi hold off tears before she risked mascara running down her cheeks?
A waiter, wielding a tray of goblets shimmering with bubbles, appeared before her. “Champagne?”
Indi shook her head and forced a smile. She felt no mirth whatsoever. Reaching up to adjust the cat ears, she remembered how putting them on tonight had reminded her of the joy she’d felt as a kid. She’d worn cat ears for fun as a child, and then, after a few bad romances in high school, as a sort of confidence boost.
The cat ears had been the first of many luxury accessories she now offered at her online store. Goddess Goodies bought out-of-season and damaged designer gowns—sometimes they were donated directly from the designers. Indi refurbished them, and then rented them for the price of shipping and cleaning. As well, she sold some gowns outright for a pretty penny. Indi’s business was designed to boost confidence and empower women, and to give the opportunity to those who might not be able to afford a pretty dress for prom or an important event. Goddess Goodies was treading toward its first million-dollar year. And that should make her feel on top of the world.
It was difficult to celebrate her feminine power when her goddess had just been trampled on by an asshole. Would her love life ever catch up to the success she was experiencing in her business life?
“Doubt it,” she whispered, and sniffed back a tear.
Screw it. She grabbed a champagne goblet from another passing waiter’s tray and tilted it back. It was number five, or six, that she’d consumed since realizing Todd had dumped her.
“One more,” she muttered, and veered toward another waiter, her footsteps a bit unsure. “And then I’m going to blow this Popsicle stand.”
“Indigo!”
Dread climbed Indi’s neck at the sound of a familiar and falsely friendly voice. Sabrina Moreau, who hosted this ball, had never met a strand of pearls she didn’t like, or, for that matter, an older married man. She tended to wear both as if battle prizes strung about her neck.
“Bree,” Indi said, while sweeping another goblet of champagne off a passing tray. Her world wobbled, but she ignored the easy drunk that was riding her spine and up the back of her neck.
“That is the most gorgeous dress I’ve seen,” Bree cooed. “One of your creations?”
“Of course. It’s Gucci restyled. Mint green certainly is your color.”
Bree blushed, which only emphasized how terrible the pale green did look on her artificially tanned skin. “Jean-Paul likes me in green. Where’s your date? For as lovely as you look this evening, it can’t be solo. You always have a handsome stunner on your arm.”
“Todd is...” An asshole. And her heart split to even think that she’d thought she could love the guy. Had she thought that? No, not love. Certainly not so fast. But she’d invested a lot of time in him over the past month. “We broke up. And you know me, I’d never miss a ball, especially when I’ve got the dress.”
“Oh, sweetie. That’s so sad.”
Tell her about it. Tightening her lips seemed to keep the tears at bay. Why had she stopped to talk to Bree? She needed to be out of here. Away from the too-happy glow of crystal chandeliers and laughing couples. Now. Someplace dark and quiet so she could lick her wounds.
“How old are you, Indi?”
Indi quirked an eyebrow at that delving question.
“Well, you know what I mean. We’re not getting any younger, are we? Time to wrangle one and get him to put a ring on it. Am I right?” Bree rubbed Indi’s forearm and patted her on the shoulder. “Do you want me to fix you up?”
