Sold to the Alpha

by Cara Wylde

  “Yep! Just a dash. Also, a drop of lemon juice. My special recipe.”

  Max laughed. His arm went around her waist. He pressed her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “I love it. However, it’s a wonder Christine let you take over.”

  “She didn’t have a choice.” Avelyn traced small circles on his strong chest. “I told her I’d make your coffee this time, and I made sure it didn’t sound like a question.”

  Max took a longer gulp and sighed in pleasure. It was the first time in many years when someone other than Christine or Harold made him coffee. He looked down at his bride, and smiled. She wasn’t only beautiful and intelligent, but also kind and attentive. Avelyn really deserved the best. He set his mug down and took her in his arms. She hugged him back, and he buried his nose in her red curls, greedily inhaling her feminine scent.

  “Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.

  “No problem. It’s only coffee.”

  “No. Thank you for everything. For the coffee, for being here with me. Thank you for giving us a chance.”

  Avelyn responded by tightening the hug. Her arms were around his neck and she started threading her fingers through his longish black hair. She loved the way his short beard tickled her neck.

  Max’s hands roamed down her sides, and he smiled when she moaned. She was so sensitive and responsive. The slightest touch aroused her, and the sweet scent of her wetness assaulted his werewolf senses. He squeezed her bottom, and she rubbed herself against his already hard cock. His palms went back up to cup her breasts only to discover his naughty bride had chosen not to wear a bra today.

  Avelyn was melting under his touches, but she tried to keep her mind clear. There was a reason for which she had decided to bring his coffee.

  “Max, I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Sure, baby. What is it?” His lips were now leaving small pecks on her neck and inching closer to the roundness of her breasts. His fingers pinched her nipples, turning them into painfully hard nubs. She moaned and her hands went to grip his hair and urge him to go down faster.

  “This might sound weird, but it’s been nagging me since last night. I had meant to ask you at breakfast, but, I don’t know… I think I was afraid it’d be inappropriate.”

  “You can ask me anything, you know that.” Was she finally going to tell him why she had behaved so strangely last night? Why she had refused him and driven him away for the first time? Max could only hope. He continued his slow, torturous teasing, letting her know that whatever she was about to ask was perfectly okay and wouldn’t change anything. He wanted her to feel confident and relaxed.

  “Rosanna mentioned something a couple of days ago.” Avelyn tried to think and speak coherently, which had become a rather challenging endeavor since Max’s mouth had just reached her nipples and was biting them gently through the fabric of her dress. “I don’t know how to put it, so I’m just going to spit it out: she mentioned an ex-bride.”

  Max’s lips and hands froze on her breasts, and his eyes went wide with shock. “Shit, Rosanna! You and your big mouth.” He pulled away, but didn’t stand up from his position. He was kneeling in front of her, his hands still on her breasts, his dark green eyes staring up at her face, trying to read her emotions.

  “An ex-bride,” he repeated her words. “She said exactly that…”

  His reaction was all Avelyn needed. He was going to lie to her again, she knew it. Her heart sank, and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

  “Not exactly those words. She said something about… Shelly?” Avelyn couldn’t care less if she was getting Rosanna into trouble. But, if Max went to question the blond she-wolf and found out she hadn’t told her about another bride specifically, this could have turned bad. She had to tread carefully.

  “Oh, Shelly!” Max felt like he could breathe properly again. “Shelly was never my bride. Why would Rosanna let you think that?”

  “Maybe I got it wrong, I don’t know. I feel stupid now. But she said this thing about you going to London to see her, and I just can’t get it out of my head.”

  “Are you saying you’re jealous?” Max gave her a wicked smile and studied her face curiously.

  “No! Maybe. A bit.” She smiled back. Her mind was trying to come up with a strategy to make him talk. “It got me thinking… Was there… anyone before me? I mean, it won’t change anything. I’m just curious, I guess. It’s that kind of silly curiosity that I should never indulge in, but…” Okay, she should stop talking now. She could see Max growing more and more amused, and she had the feeling that her rambling had the exact opposite effect of what she had been hoping for. “God, I suck,” she thought. “Should have rehearsed this part.”

  Max caressed her calves underneath her long skirt, never taking his eyes off hers. “Avelyn, there was no one before you. No other bride.”

  “Liar,” she thought.

  “I’m an idiot for lying to her like this,” he thought. “This could be the perfect moment to tell her.” The words had taken form in his mind. “Avelyn, there’s something you need to know.” But when he opened his mouth, a whole different set of words came out. She was concerned, he could tell. If she had lost sleep over this Shelly matter Rosanna had been so generous to tell her about, then what would happen if she learned about Sabine? She was obviously jealous, and that meant she loved him. He couldn’t ruin what they had by telling her the truth. He wasn’t ready to risk losing her after she had just started to trust him.

  “Shelly was just a fling. She’s a Dark Wolf, so there was no way she could have ever become my bride. I’m sorry Rosanna couldn’t keep her mouth shut. It was a long time ago, believe me, and I’ve never felt anything for her. But, an ex-bride? No, Avelyn. You’ve always been the only one.”

  “Liar! Liar! Liar!” she thought.

  “Maybe, just maybe,” he thought while trying to determine the effect his words had on her, “I’m not even entirely lying to her. Yes, Sabine and I have gone through the ritual, but she’s never been a proper bride to me.”

  “All right.” Avelyn had finally found her voice. “I’m sorry I asked. I feel so stupid. You should never explain yourself to me. I don’t know why I took Rosanna so seriously.”

  “Don’t apologize, baby. I’ll answer all your questions. Ask anything you want to know about me and my past, and I will be happy to answer.”

  “No, it’s fine. It was never my intention to pry… I…” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence. “I think I got enough lies for today,” she thought.

  He kissed the roundness of her belly, wishing she would have worn a blouse, not a dress, so he could have sneaked his head under it and touched her skin. “You. Are. The. Only. One. For. Me.” He marked each word with a kiss. His hands went higher under her skirt and reached her panties. He hooked his fingers in the thin straps and pulled slowly, teasingly. Avelyn ran her fingers through his hair and pushed down just enough to let him know she wouldn’t mind if he went down on her. He smiled and pulled the panties down to her ankles. “Tell me what you want, baby.”

  “I want you to tell me the truth,” she thought. “I don’t know, baby,” she said out loud. “You could lick me, I guess.” She gave him a playful smile and cocked her eyebrow as if she were just making an innocent suggestion.

  “That sounds like a marvelous idea.” He helped her step out of her panties, and raised one of her legs to rest on his shoulder. She was forced to let go of his hair and grip the edge of the desk when he dived under her skirt. He kissed her mound, then his tongue parted her pussy lips, making her moan and readjust her position so he’d have better access.

  “Oh yes, that’s nice,” she whispered. He might have been the biggest liar the world had ever seen, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy an oral. She had refused him the night before, so refusing him now and walking out of his office would have made him suspicious. Might as well enjoy this while it lasted. She threw her head back, lips parted, eyes closed, and focused on th
e sweet tingles his expert tongue and teeth sent up her spine.

  Max’s hands were on her ass, holding her in place. He massaged her round buttocks while his tongue darted in and out of her pussy. He could feel her shudder above him, and he licked her harder and faster, drawing her closer to orgasm. He moaned when her walls clenched, letting out more delicious juices fall right on his tongue. He lapped them greedily, wanting more of her heavenly nectar. She was very close, he could feel it. His tongue went to her clit, and Avelyn gave a low scream and bucked her hips. One of her hands went to his head, and she pressed his face hard against her pussy, moving her hips in time with the tongue that tortured her hard nub.

  “So close, so close, baby. Don’t stop.”

  Max squeezed her ass and licked harder, feeling her juices running through his beard. He’d have loved to scoop them up with his tongue and drink them, but he couldn’t abandon the small piece of flesh that was throbbing between his lips. He’d have to clean her later.

  The powerful orgasm shook Avelyn’s body, and she screamed her release, gripping the edge of the desk with one hand and Max’s head with the other. Waves of pure, delicious pleasure washed over her, making her belly tighten and knees buck. His grip on her ass tightened, and his mouth moved to her entrance to drink the juices her pussy kept pumping out. His tongue went up and down, and she shuddered each time it touched her sensitive clit.

  “You’re so delicious. You smell so good, and taste even better.”

  “Then, make sure you clean that pussy well,” she said, but she couldn’t hide the smile in her words.

  “I love it when you talk dirty.”

  “Really? And here I was holding back.”

  “Never hold back.”

  Avelyn laughed. Max reemerged from underneath her dress, forehead drenched in sweat, and beard wet with her juices.

  “Damn, it’s hot down there.”

  She removed her leg from his shoulder and stretched to release the tension in her muscles. He stood up, and Avelyn’s hands flew straight to his hard cock.

  “It seems like you’re in need of attention.” She rubbed the generous length through his trousers and he moaned. His hands went to cup her cheeks, and he kissed her hard, letting her taste herself on his tongue. When she opened the first button of his fly, he pulled back and smiled down at her.

  “This was all about you. You don’t have to do anything.”

  “But I want to.”

  “You can pay me back tonight.”

  “Are you sure, Mr. Blackmane?” She gave him a devilish smile. “What if I tell you I want to suck your cock so badly that I’m already salivating?”

  Max laughed, but grabbed a hold of her tiny wrists. “I’d tell you to wait ‘till tonight.”

  “Such a tease…”

  “If you’re a good girl and wait, I might have another surprise for you.”

  “What surprise?”

  Max looked into her bright blue eyes, enjoying the sparkle of curiosity and intrigue he saw there.

  “Well, I was thinking you’d love a shopping session in Dunkelstadt. You can take anyone you want with you, and I’ll have Caleb drive you over. How’s that?”

  Avelyn’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “For real?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “I thought I wasn’t allowed to leave the Schloss.”

  Her words hit him like a hammer. “I was such an idiot. She never deserved to be treated like that.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed every single knuckle.

  “Avelyn, I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I’m sorry for locking you up in the bedroom for a week. Will you ever forgive me?”

  “Well, this has taken an unexpected turn,” she thought. Big bad Alpha Maxwell von Liar was actually apologizing? She must’ve been dreaming.

  “There’s nothing to forgive, baby. I guess I didn’t make it easy on you.”

  “I’ll never do that to you again. Ever. I love you, Avelyn.”

  “Of course you won’t, jerk. I won’t be here to give you the chance.”

  “I love you too, Max,” she said instead. If he could look her in the eyes and lie to her face, then she could do the same. Two could play at this game.

  “So, who do you want to take with you tomorrow?”

  “I don’t have many choices. Rosanna and Val?”

  “Rosanna? Aren’t you mad at her?” Max would have pretty much preferred if Avelyn had stayed away from Rosanna.

  “No. It was my own fault I misunderstood the whole Shelly business. She’s a nice girl, really. I like her. She’s all hyper and bubbly all the time.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  “And Val is rather silent and broody. She’s got that grumpy cat thing about her.”

  Max laughed. He had to admit Avelyn was a good judge of character. “All right then. It’s settled. I’ll tell Caleb he’s booked for tomorrow. He’s a bit of a grumpy cat himself. A day out shopping with you girls will do him good.”

  “Poor guy!”

  Max loved it when Avelyn laughed. Her eyes lit up, and her perfect, white teeth could almost blind him. He kissed her smiling lips, and squeezed her in a crushing hug. She struggled a bit in his strong arms only to give up a second later. She had better chances of breathing if she let him do his thing. Yes, Avelyn didn’t deserve to be locked up in a castle. She was young, beautiful, and full of energy. She needed freedom and she needed to have fun. She didn’t deserve to be lied to either. He’d have to figure that out one day. Sooner rather than later. He couldn’t risk her finding out about Sabine before he told her himself. She’d take it all wrong.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dunkelstadt

  The end of April announced a warm, sunny May and a hot summer. Avelyn tipped her head towards the sky and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun on her pale skin and the sound of cars around her. Finally, she felt like she was back to civilization. They were walking towards the car because Caleb really needed to get rid of the girls’ bags. He had been a real gentleman when he had offered to carry all their bags with newly bought clothes, perfumes, and jewelry, but he surely hadn’t expected to need more than two hands for the task. Val hadn’t bought much. Just a leather jacket that really got her attention, and a new pair of boots. Rosanna and Avelyn, though, had tried on all the pretty clothes they had set their eyes on, and bought at least half of them. Avelyn was feeling quite satisfied for having gone crazy with Max’s credit card. She felt much more relaxed and pleased with herself. Yes, shopping was great therapy.

  “Wanna grab lunch after we drop off the bags?” asked Avelyn. “My treat.”

  “You mean Max’s treat,” said Val.

  Avelyn laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “Rosanna, Caleb? Aren’t you hungry?”

  “I could eat a cow!” said Rosanna.

  “I wouldn’t mind a coffee,” said Caleb. The shopping spree had only lasted a little over three hours, but he was dead tired. Not because he had been forced to follow them from one shop to another and give his opinion on every piece of clothing they had tried on, but because he had had to listen to all their girl talk. Even Val had been girlier than usual.

  “Then it’s settled. Do any of you know a nice place around here?”

  “I know a pub,” said Rosanna. “It’s not far. We can walk.”

  Dunkelstadt was by no means a big city. Still, it was bigger than Myrtle Valley, and Avelyn was enjoying her day out. At Alma Venus, they were allowed to go to Myrtle Valley on weekends, but only in group and with a Guardian. However, the small town didn’t have much to offer, so Avelyn rarely went. They reached Caleb’s black, fancy car, and he threw all their things in the trunk.

  “Careful with that, idiot!” screamed Rosanna. “You’re going to break my perfume bottles.”

  “I honestly don’t understand why you needed three,” he retorted.

  Avelyn watched them banter and the thought that they were perfect for each other crossed her mind. Val studied the amusement on her
face.

  “Don’t even think about it,” she said.

  “What? Think about what?” asked Avelyn confused. What was up with Val?

  “All right, let’s go.” Caleb closed the trunk and made sure everything was good. “Rosanna, lead the way.”

  The Jolly Wolf was a cute, intimate pub. Avelyn laughed when she saw the sign: a drunken wolf barely standing on his hind legs. They got in and ordered a couple of drinks and sandwiches. It was Wednesday, so the place was quite empty, with only three or four people drinking beer at the bar. Avelyn admired the funny pictures on the walls, then studied her companions. Caleb was sitting opposite her, with Val to his right. Rosanna was sitting to Avelyn’s left, her legs bouncing impatiently.

  “I’m so hungry!”

  Val threw her an exasperated look. Caleb didn’t seem to pay attention to her.

  “Guys,” Avelyn said. “I just wanted to say thank you for taking me out today.”

  “No problem! We should go out more often,” said Rosanna. “But next time, let’s leave Val and Caleb home. Especially Caleb. He’s such a kill joy.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for not being the type who’s into binge shopping and meaningless chitchat.”

  “It’s not meaningless.”

  “You know what?” said Avelyn. “I think we should definitely take Caleb with us every time. He needs to go out, he just doesn’t want to admit it.”

  “Miss Avelyn, with all due respect, I do go out a lot.”

  “Really? Because in the past few weeks I’ve only seen you at the Schloss.”

  Caleb sighed, licked his lips in deep thought, then smiled at Avelyn. “Lately, work has taken up most of my time.”

  “Work? Is that what you call it? Where I come from, it’s called stalking.”

  “You don’t like me much, and I get it. Entirely. I’m sorry. I would have very much loved to go out than… work all day long. Alas, it wasn’t my choice.”

  “I know, Caleb. I’m just teasing you.” Avelyn gave him a playful smile and a cute wink. The Delta wasn’t that bad, she had decided. He had patiently followed them everywhere, gave them thoughtful fashion advice, and carried their bags. Also, his pretty eyes, golden skin, and sexy, disheveled brown hair made it impossible for her to stay angry at him. For lack of a better word, he was handsome. Handsome in a boyish, slightly bratty way.