by Cara Wylde
“Right,” she dared whisper in the cold, humid air for the first time. “Two of these babies lead to two of the exits.” Her finger moved the map on her phone in all directions until she thought she got the right position. “The second one and the fourth one.” The problem was that these small tunnels led to another chamber, similar to the one she was in now, and then to other small tunnels. And it went like that, deeper and deeper, and each time Avelyn would have to make sure she took the right turn. “I can totally do this. Hell, I’ve done it before.” But the tunnels under Alma Venus hadn’t been so numerous and maze-like. Delyse had been right, even though her words had only been based on rumors. “You wouldn’t want to get lost down there because no one would ever find your body.” Avelyn repeated what she remembered of her friend’s words and sighed. “I’ll figure it out, I’ll find a way. I have the map. Even if they realize I’m missing, they won’t know how I got out, so they won’t look for me here. And God knows these woods are friggin’ huge.” According to her map, one of the exits was somewhere close to Dunkelstadt, so she was aiming for that one.
Avelyn checked the time and saw that her hour was almost up. She turned around and headed back through the big tunnel, stealing a timid glance inside the cells from time to time. She thought she saw something hanging on the far wall of one of them, and curiosity took the best of her. She didn’t really want to go in, but she thought she could take a peek if she leaned over the threshold a bit. Her left hand grabbed one of the bars to keep her body from falling forward, while her right one held the flashlight as far inside the cell as she could. She lifted herself up on her toes, but she couldn’t see much. She squeezed her eyes, and took a step forward, but there was no way she could guess what that thing on the wall was. “Hmm… must be some old rag.” She pulled her body back, and her hand let go of the bar. The sudden movement made her sleeve catch slightly on the metal lock. A soft pull was enough to release her sleeve, and Avelyn wiped her sweaty palm on her trousers. “Eww… can’t wait to wash my hands.” She retraced her steps back to the large chamber, then up the spiral staircase, and reached the library in no time.
***
His soft touches made her body burn with desire. Avelyn moaned when Max’s hands squeezed her breasts and his mouth sucked on the tender skin of her neck. She was pinned down under his pleasant weight, and his body was moving against hers slowly. She had her legs wrapped around his waist, and her fingernails clawed at his back when he bit her neck gently.
“Tonight, I want to make love to you slowly. I want to take my time,” he said.
“Yes, please.” Avelyn’s answer was no more than a whisper. After they finished their dinner, she had attacked his lips and body with wild, passionate kisses, and his reaction had surprised her. Instead of taking her hard and fast, he had secured her wrists in a firm grip and whispered against her hungry lips that he had something different in mind. That’s how they had ended up in bed, completely naked, kissing, touching, and caressing every patch of skin they could reach.
Max moved down her body and his mouth found her hard nipples. She whimpered when he sucked one of them into his mouth, and her fingers found their way into his dark hair. He rubbed her other nipple with his thumb, causing her to arch her body up into him. Her pussy was already soaking wet and throbbing for attention. He released her nipple and blew cold air on it, then moved to the other one.
“You’re such a tease,” she moaned.
The reason she had wanted him to fuck her senseless without giving much thought to foreplay was that it could have made her forget about her plan. It could have taken the stress away for just a couple of minutes and helped her relax. What he was currently doing to her, however, had the exact opposite effect. As he applied gentle pressure here and there and kissed his way down to her clit, Avelyn could only think of how good and right it felt. Questions she had never asked herself before were suddenly popping up in her mind, causing fear and doubt to swell in her chest. “What if I miss him? No, there’s no way… It’s not like I love him. Wait. What if I do love him? This is crazy… I don’t.” Max kissed her pink, swollen nub, which sent a jolt of pleasure through her whole body, making her toes curl. Her legs were now resting on his shoulders, and he took advantage of the position to bury his head between her thighs and inhale her sweet, feminine scent.
“I love the way you smell and taste.” His tongue lapped at the juices coating her plump folds, and Avelyn tugged lightly at his hair, urging him to push his tongue deeper. “Impatient, are we?” His tongue finally parted her folds, and she moaned when it found her entrance and dipped inside. He fucked her with his tongue for a few seconds. She moaned in frustration, her pussy wanting to be filled by something much larger and harder.
“Fuck me,” she ordered in a whiny voice. Max laughed, which meant that she hadn’t been very convincing. He pushed her legs higher, and his tongue moved from her pussy to her ass, licking and pressing gently. “Oh…” That was the only thing she could say. No one had ever touched her there, and the strange sensation took her by surprise. “Wait, I don’t think…”
“Shh…” he said between licks. Then, his tongue pressed harder, and Avelyn felt it penetrate the tight ring of muscles.
“Mmm… that feels nice. And a bit wrong.”
“Nothing we do can ever be wrong, baby.” His tongue darted in and out at a steady pace, making her moan and squirm. She wasn’t quite sure if she liked it that much or not. Then, his thumb found her clit, and Avelyn didn’t care anymore. She pressed his face harder against her ass, and let herself be carried away by the orgasm that was slowly building inside her. His thumb moved in small, fast circles on her throbbing nub, while his tongue fucked her tight, virgin hole. Her body trembled under the power of her orgasm, and she moaned her release, her back arching off the bed. She wasn’t sure if what had sent her over the edge was his thumb furiously rubbing her clit, or his tongue fucking her ass, making her feel like she was doing something sinful and forbidden.
Max climbed back up her body and smiled at her. “Did you like that?”
“I… I’m not sure. Yes…?”
His warm palms went to cup her cheeks, his fingers finding their way into her red curls. “Use your hands to guide me inside you.”
That was all the encouragement Avelyn needed. She sneaked one hand between them, and grabbed his cock. She stroked it for a few seconds, enjoying the way it felt in her palm. She positioned the tip at her entrance, and pushed her hips up against him to let him know she was ready. Max held her gaze as he buried his cock inside her wet pussy, inch by painful inch. Avelyn felt like she could lose herself in those bright green eyes behind which she could catch glimpses of the wolf and his desire to claim her body and soul. When his cock was buried to the hilt, stretching her walls to their limit, Avelyn placed both her hands on his back, never breaking eye contact. He started moving at a slow, tantalizing pace, taking his time, enjoying the way her pussy clenched down around his cock, watching her eyes widen in pleasure when he hit a particularly sensitive spot.
“Please, move faster,” she begged.
He picked up the pace, but not too much. She felt too tight and wet for him to last long, and he wanted to enjoy her for more than five minutes. His fingers started massaging her scalp, and Avelyn closed her eyes in pleasure. She’d have purred if she could, because he was touching, rubbing, and massaging her in all the right places. It was like her body was an open book to him. He knew all its secrets, and he could play it like she could play the piano, pressing the keys in the right order, creating a symphony that caressed the senses and lifted the spirit to the clear, blue sky.
“You’re so wonderful,” he said, looking at her closed eyes and parted lips.
“Mmmm…”
“So beautiful and perfect. I love you, Avelyn.”
“I love you too.” She didn’t even realize the words had left her mouth. They felt right.
Max moaned when he heard her and moved his hips faster. He wan
ted to claim the woman in his arms, body and soul. He wanted to hear those words again.
“Say it again, baby. Please, say it again.”
“I love you.”
His cock drove faster into her, their bodies moving in the same rhythm.
“I love you, Max!”
“Fuck! How do you do this to me, baby?” His hips slammed against hers, and the sound of their lovemaking filled the room. “Look at me, Avelyn.”
She opened her eyes. She could see the wolf was so close to the surface, and it only made her wetter. She felt his cock growing even harder and more swollen inside her. He was so close, and so was she. He kept hitting the right spot, making her moan and claw at his back, her fingernails leaving red marks in their wake.
“Oh, right there. Right there, Max. I love you, baby, I love you!”
Her moans had turned into screams, and the sound of his name leaving her lips threw him over the edge. He whispered her name as he came, feeling how her own orgasm shook her body, making her clamp down on his throbbing cock. He thrust a few more times, shooting hot streams deep inside her, coating her walls and filling her tight passage.
They stayed like that for long minutes, holding each other and waiting for their heartbeats to calm down. Avelyn felt his cock soften inside her, and she squeezed him with both her arms and legs, not wanting to let go. She was, eventually, forced to, as she had started to get cramps in her thighs from keeping them up at that uncomfortable angle for so long. Max rolled them over on one side and kissed the tip of her nose. He didn’t know what to say. He had already heard the words he had been waiting for her to say since forever, and he was afraid to bring it up now. What if she took them back? What if she had only said them because she was so close and he was just pressing the right buttons, so to speak? No, he couldn’t think about that. He was being paranoid. If she said it, then she meant it. That’s why it had taken her so long.
Avelyn stretched her legs, releasing the tension in her muscles. She studied his strong jawline, his straight nose, and kind eyes. The words were out, but were they true? She knew she meant it when she had said it, but she’d be afraid to repeat it now. Not because she had changed her mind, but because she was afraid of the consequences. “If I love him, then how can I leave him?” She arranged a strand of black hair on his forehead, and her fingers lingered on his temple. He closed his eyes and smiled at her touch. “Dammit, what have I gotten myself into?” She tried to snap out of it. Maybe a quick shower and a good night’s sleep would help clear her mind. She got out of bed and tugged at his arm, convincing him to follow her to the bathroom. They cleaned each other under the warm water, hugged and kissed until they were too sleepy to stand. At least, Max was sleepy.
Avelyn couldn’t sleep that night. She tossed and turned, glad that Max was too tired to feel her agitation and hear her deep sighs. How could she sleep when she knew the next day she had to pack the things she would need most in a small suitcase she could actually drag down the narrow staircase? Everyone would be too busy with the preparations for the Seed Moon to pay attention to her. Then, at midnight, they would all gather in the courtyard, around a huge bonfire, to celebrate the beautiful full moon. There would be music, food, and a lot of booze, and that made it the perfect time to slip into the library unseen, and then find her way out through the dark tunnels underneath the Schloss. There would be no ritual this full moon. Not with Jocelyn around, carrying a silly vendetta against Avelyn, not with all the werewolves who didn’t approve of Max’s choice. Everyone would think she’d be watching the celebration from her room.
She turned on the other side and fixed her gaze on the tall, dark windows. The heavy curtains blocked the moonlight, making it difficult for her to see anything in the room clearly. The room which had been her prison for a week. But it was nice and comfortable, and the bed came with the warm, hard body of an Alpha who was hers now. An Alpha whom she apparently loved. “I love him. How can I leave him if I love him?” Then, what about Italy? What about freedom? What was freedom, anyway? Hadn’t she changed in the past two weeks? Was she the same Avelyn who had been dragged out of Alma Venus kicking and screaming, determined to run away again the next chance she got? Did this Avelyn have the same dream as that Avelyn? Or, had she somehow deceived herself into thinking that the only way to gain her freedom was to change her identity and move abroad?
“Sometimes we don’t know what we want. Maybe we can name the thing… freedom. But do we know what it actually is? How it looks like? If I had a dream once and I fought for it with all my might, does it mean I’m giving up on it now, when I realize that it’s not my dream anymore? That my dream has changed? Does it mean I’m letting myself down? Does that make me a coward?” Tears stung the back of her eyes, and she blinked fast to chase them away. Why was she crying? She finally had what she had wanted the moment she had set foot in this castle. This prison. She had a map and a plan. A fake ID, money, and a better chance than the last time. So, why did it feel like she was about to make a huge mistake?
Much needed sleep drowned her senses with no warning. With her eyes closed, her cheeks drenched in thin rivulets of tears, and her fingers clenching the pillow, Avelyn ran through the cold darkness her own mind had created for her. An endless maze, narrow tunnels with cells on both walls… she had forgotten her phone, she had no map and no light. There was no one waiting for her at the exit. In her sleep, she turned on her other side, with her back to the window. But, she was too close to the edge of the king size bed to feel the one sleeping next to her, and too busy running from one tunnel to another and taking wrong turns to realize her freedom and safety were at arm’s length. Avelyn was alone.
***
She woke up with a startle. Her first instinct was to reach over to Max’s side and check if he was there. Her hand touched his arm, and she breathed out in relief. “What time is it?” She sat up and the covers slipped down her shoulders and chest, leaving her half-naked in the chilly air of the room. She pulled them back up and held them in place over her breasts. By the darkness behind the curtains, she could tell the sun wasn’t up yet. She reached for her phone and lit up the screen. It was only 5:04 AM. She hadn’t slept more than three hours. “What’s wrong with me?” She got out of bed and went to the table to pour herself a glass of water from the carafe. She drank greedily, realizing how thirsty she had been.
“Where are you?”
Max had felt she was not beside him anymore and he was looking for her. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes with one hand. Avelyn smiled at how cute he was. She set the glass down and went back to bed.
“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.” She leaned in to kiss his cheek.
“Oh. I thought you were feeling sick again.”
“No, I’m fine.”
He turned her around gently and took her in his arms. Avelyn loved the feel of his chest pressed against her back and of his strong, muscular arms enveloping her completely. She wiggled her hips a bit, making herself more comfortable.
“Max?”
“Mmm…?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Other Bride
“Stupid. Stupid. I’m so incredibly stupid.” Avelyn was pacing the room, clenching and unclenching her fists, running her fingers through her hair only to tangle it more, and stopping in front of the wall from time to time, to bang her head on it.
It had all been nice and peachy until twenty minutes ago. Max had had breakfast with her, then he had kissed her forehead and headed to his office on the first floor to make some calls. He had promised her he would come back upstairs for lunch. For the first time in two weeks, Avelyn had been able to relax and actually focus on what she was doing. It was a bit chilly outside, so she had decided to stay in bed and read “The Boleyn Inheritance”. She was halfway through the book when she took a break and reached for a muffin from the plate Christine had placed on her nightstand. The sleeve of her pullover rode up her wrist and that was the
moment when she realized: the bracelet was gone. The blood had drained from her face, and she had almost had a heart attack. She had jumped off the bed and started looking for it everywhere. It was gone. Not in her drawer, not on her desk, not on the floor, not in the bathroom. It had just vanished.
“I am the worst and that’s why all the worst things happen to me.”
It could be anywhere, but the problem was that “anywhere” included the dungeons. She wanted to go look for it in the garden, the courtyard, or the library, but it wasn’t such a good idea with two packs of werewolves running around the castle and up and down the stairs, preparing for the full moon celebration. Someone would have figured out that she had lost something, and either Caleb or Daniel would have asked her if she needed help. And she wasn’t about to let Max know she had lost his mother’s bracelet. She had a nasty feeling that she had lost it the day before, somewhere in those dark tunnels. She’d have to go look for it because the worst thing that could happen besides Max finding out she didn’t have his gift anymore (he would have eventually forgiven her), was for someone to find it down there. She didn’t know if anyone ever used those tunnels anymore, but she couldn’t risk it. The problem was that today wasn’t yesterday, in the sense that today the castle was buzzing with activity. Yesterday had been a lazy, relaxed day for everyone. It had been like they were getting ready for the madness that was currently going on. Her only good chance was to wait for the party to start and go down there at midnight, at the exact time she had planned to leave Max and the Schloss forever.