His Royal Shirtlessness

CHAPTER 1

His Royal Shirtlessness

KIERAN POV

There are disadvantages to being born royal.

Having your father slide a photograph of your own bare chest across the breakfast table has to rank fairly high on the list.

I looked down at it.

Then at Dad.

Then back at the photo.

“Okay,” I said, reaching for my coffee while a grin pulled at my mouth. “First of all, that is a fantastic picture of me.”

Across the table, Jacey made a choking sound into her tea. She was my older brother Adrian’s mate, which apparently meant she had no obligation to support me in a crisis.

Adrian did not even try to hide his laugh.

Mom closed her eyes.

Dad stayed completely still.

That was usually worse.

The photograph had caught me on top of a table at the club, shirt missing, an attractive brunette pressed against me while we danced. Her hands were on my waist. Mine were above my head. I looked extremely happy with every decision that had led me there.

The headline was less enthusiastic.

PRINCE KIERAN’S WILD NIGHT: ANOTHER ROYAL PARTY GOES TOO FAR?

I tapped one finger against the paper. “Question mark.”

Dad’s green eyes lifted to mine.

I pointed at the headline, because apparently I had chosen death before breakfast. “See? They’re not saying it went too far. They’re asking. Very thoughtful of them.”

Torin stirred inside me.

You should stop talking, my wolf warned, dry disapproval filling my head.

I took a slow sip of coffee.

Absolutely not, I told him.

Torin sighed.

One day, he said, you are going to discover silence.

Sounds awful.

Mom reached for the paper and pulled it closer. “Apparently you were ‘barely aware of your surroundings.’” Her voice had gone suspiciously calm.

“That part is definitely wrong.” I leaned back in my chair. “I was very aware of my surroundings. Great music. Good crowd. Terrible lighting near the eastern bar.” I glanced at the photograph again. “Luckily, I had the sense to dance somewhere flattering.”

Jacey gave up and laughed properly. Adrian joined her, shoulders shaking.

Even Mom’s mouth twitched.

Dad looked around the table. “Am I the only person here who understands that this is a problem?” His frustration finally cracked through.

The laughter died.

Mom gave me the look.

Not the Queen’s look. I had seen that one silence rooms full of powerful wolves.

This was Mom’s look.

Much worse.

I sighed and dropped some of the joke. “No, Dad. I know.”

“Good.” He tapped the photograph once, then looked at me. “You’re twenty. I’m not objecting to you going out. I’m not objecting to you having fun. I’m not even making the amount of skin on display my main concern, although I could have lived quite happily without seeing this much of my son before nine in the morning.”

Adrian’s grin came straight back.

Dad caught it immediately. “Do not encourage him.”

“I haven’t said anything,” Adrian protested, looking deeply innocent for a man enjoying himself this much.

Dad narrowed his eyes. “You don’t need to.”

“He really doesn’t,” I said, giving Adrian an approving nod.

Dad rubbed his temple. “You two are giving me gray hair.”

Adrian looked at him thoughtfully. “Distinguished.”

“Regal,” I added.

Mom lifted her cup to hide a smile.

Dad turned to her. “Eleanor.”

She took a very calm sip. “I’m drinking tea.”

“Supportively,” I added.

Mom kicked me under the table.

I nearly inhaled my coffee.

She kept drinking as if she had not just assaulted a prince at breakfast.

That was my family. One of the most powerful royal households in the werewolf world, apparently held together by tea, sarcasm and covert violence under furniture.

Dad looked back at the article, and the amusement drained from his face. “This part isn’t funny, Kieran.” His voice had gone quieter.

I knew which part before he pointed.

The article claimed the brunette had left the club with me.

She hadn’t.

She had left with two friends while I was still dancing.

Mom’s brows drew together as she read. “They make it sound like you took her home.” Irritation sharpened every word.

“I didn’t.” I shrugged, but my smile had already faded. “She left before I did.”

Mom tapped the page. “That’s what makes me angry. You give them enough real material. They don’t need to invent the rest.”

People had been writing versions of me for years.

Spoiled prince. Pretty prince. Party prince. Stupid prince.

Some of it was fair.

Enough of it, anyway.

And being underestimated had its uses. Nobody dragged the pretty party prince into serious conversations unless they absolutely had to.

“I don’t care what they think,” I said, aiming for casual.

Mom watched me for a second too long. “That’s not completely true.”

She knew me annoyingly well.

I smiled before she could dig any deeper. “Fine. I care that they used the photo where my hair looks terrible.”

Mom’s expression immediately turned into pure exasperation.

Much safer.

Dad leaned back. “Your reputation does not belong only to you, Kieran.” The anger had left his voice. That somehow made the words worse.

Something in my chest tightened.

I knew what he meant.

Every stupid thing I did came with Prince attached to it. Every club. Every photograph. Every mistake.

Sometimes I wanted to make one bad decision that belonged to me before it became a royal issue.

“I know,” I said, lighter than I felt.

Dad held my gaze, then looked past my shoulder. “Theodore.”

My stomach dropped.

Of course.

“Your Majesty.” Theodore, my lead protector, answered from near the door. Calm. Professional. Completely unhelpful.

Dad folded his hands on the table. “Would you like to explain why my son appears to have spent several hours in a club without his protection detail?”

Adrian looked at me.

Jacey looked at me.

Mom looked at me.

I glared at all three of them.

Cowards.

Theodore did not even blink. “His Highness had acquired another concealment bracelet.”

The room went silent.

Dad turned slowly toward me.

I smiled.

His eyes closed.

“Kieran.” My name came out like a warning all by itself.

“What?” I asked, widening my eyes.

Dad opened his. “Another one?”

I glanced at my bare wrist. “I feel like counting them creates an unnecessarily negative atmosphere.”

Jacey covered her mouth.

Adrian became very interested in his breakfast.

Mom looked at Theodore. “You recovered it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Theodore gave one short nod.

Dad did not hesitate. “Destroy it.”

I sat up. “Absolutely not.”

Theodore’s gaze shifted to me.

“Teddy.” I gave him my best reasonable look. “Think carefully about the choices you make next.”

One eyebrow lifted. “Your Highness.”

That tone was never a good sign.

“You cannot keep murdering perfectly good magic,” I told him.

“I was instructed to destroy it.” His voice stayed maddeningly calm.

“You were instructed five seconds ago. There is still time to grow as a person.”

Jacey made another strangled noise.

Dad pointed at Theodore. “Destroy it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Traitor,” I muttered at Theodore.

His eyes met mine.

For a second, I stopped seeing the immaculate protector and saw the man who had spent hours trying to find me.

He looked tired.

Not just irritated. Tired.

And worried.

Because I had vanished again.

My joke died.

Dad’s voice softened. “You understand why this cannot keep happening.”

I rolled my eyes out of habit, but there was not much force behind it now. “I went dancing, Dad. I didn’t cross enemy territory alone.”

His jaw tightened. “You made yourself impossible for your protection team to locate.”

“For a few hours,” I said, trying to make that sound less terrible than it probably felt to Theodore.

“That is not reassuring.” Dad’s frustration returned.

I spread my hands. “I came home perfectly fine.”

“This time,” he said quietly.

Nobody laughed.

I looked down at my coffee.

What felt like freedom from my side looked a lot uglier from theirs.

Breakfast broke up not long after that.

Dad had meetings. Mom had her own schedule. Jacey left with Adrian, still far too amused by my suffering.

I waited until Dad was gone, then stopped beside Theodore near the door.

“Are you really destroying it?” I asked under my breath.

“Yes.” He did not even pretend to consider mercy.

I leaned closer. “You could tell him you did.”

Theodore looked at me. “I could also resign and spend the rest of my life somewhere quiet.”

“You’d hate it.” A smile tugged at my mouth.

His face stayed straight. “I dream about quiet.”

The tiredness around his eyes made the joke land differently.

I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Sorry, Teddy.”

His expression changed, just slightly.

“For making you chase me,” I added. Then, because apparently sincerity could only live in my body for three seconds at a time, I let a crooked grin return. “Not for escaping. The escape itself was excellent.”

Theodore stared at me. “I knew there was a catch.”

I laughed and backed away before he found something else to confiscate.

Adrian was waiting in the corridor with his arms folded.

I slowed. “Why are you standing like that?”

His mouth twitched. “Come to my study in an hour.”

“No.”

“I haven’t told you why.” He pushed away from the wall, clearly entertained.

“That has never improved a sentence beginning with ‘come to my study.’”

“I want your opinion on something.” The amusement eased out of his face just enough to make me pay attention.

I frowned. “Ask the Council.”

“I have their opinions.” Adrian held my gaze. “I want yours.”

That shut me up for half a second.