Page 1 of Her Forbidden Prince
Chapter 1
The warning shouts pierced the peaceful hum of morning.
Carys Remington flinched, her head snapping up from the letter in her hands.Around her, pedestrians scattered like startled birds.A woman shrieked as her coffee exploded from her grip, the paper cup cartwheeling across the sidewalk and splattering caramel-colored liquid across the pavement.Horns blared from the nearby intersection, and someone shouted, “Watch out!”
What in the world?
A pulse of unease struck Carys as she took in the chaos.This wasn’t some casual city commotion.People were backing away with wide eyes and flailing arms.For a split second, she wondered if a gun had gone off.Or maybe the police were chasing someone through Rittenhouse Square.But there were no sirens, no uniformed officers.
Then she saw it.
A blur of motion.Brown and black fur.Massive.Barreling directly toward her like a freight train let loose from its rails.
A dog?
No—not just a dog.This was a leviathan in canine form.Easily over a hundred pounds, it bounded across the grass and sidewalk with terrifying speed, eyes gleaming with either madness or pure, unfiltered joy.Its ears were pinned back.Its mouth hung open, tongue lolling, thick ropes of drool catching the sunlight.
Carys’s breath caught, and the letter fluttered from her fingers.The air suddenly smelled of crushed grass, hot asphalt, and something faintly metallic—fear, maybe.Around her, the crowd’s panic crescendoed into a chorus of screams and scrambling footsteps.She was frozen, her heart hammering in her chest like it was trying to punch its way out.
Move!her brain screamed.Do something!
But she didn’t.
She stared at the charging creature, caught in that strange, surreal moment when time slows to a trickle.The dog’s paws pounded the earth like war drums.His muscles bunched and flexed with every stride.Sunlight flared off his coat, revealing a sheen of health, strength, and raw power.
It was beautiful.
And it was coming straight for her.
Just as she braced herself for impact—legs locked, ready for pain—she noticed the tail.
Wagging.
Not low and menacing.High.Exuberant.The dog’s eyes weren’t filled with rage.They sparkled with joy, tongue flapping out the side of his mouth like a giant pink flag of peace.
Oh.
He thought this was a game.
Carys blinked, stunned.The beast wasn’t attacking.He was… playing.
A bark erupted from his chest—loud, deep, but unmistakably happy.
Carys dropped to her knees without hesitation, arms open wide.“Come here, you goofball!”
In that instant, the fear evaporated.The sun beat down on her shoulders.The city’s roar dulled beneath the thunder of approaching paws.The scent of the park—fresh mulch, warm cement, summer-blooming flowers—rushed in to replace the adrenaline in her lungs.
The dog let out a delighted yelp and launched into her arms like a missile of fluff and affection.She toppled backward, laughing as paws the size of oven mitts landed on her thighs, then shoulders.
“You big baby!”she gasped, half-laughing, half-straining to stay upright.“You’re just a puppy, aren’t you?”
He wriggled and licked Carys’s face like she was his long-lost soulmate.His tail thumped wildly against the concrete, smacking a nearby trash can with hollow thuds.The crowd, moments ago terrified, now stood stunned and silent.Then someone let out a tentative chuckle.The woman who’d lost her coffee shook her head.“Idefinitelyneed to switch to decaf.”
Still grinning, Carys rubbed behind the dog’s velvety ears.“Where’s your collar, honey?”she murmured, her fingers sliding along his thick neck.“Where’d you come from?”She found the collar, buried under thick, rough fur, and held on.
No tags.No leash.Just a big, gorgeous German Shepherd, panting happily against her chest.
“Where’s your momma?”Carys asked, shifting her weight but keeping her hands on the dog’s collar—not too firmly, but enough so that the dog knew not to run away.“Huh?Where is she?I bet she’s upset that you ran away.Why did you do that?”
