Sold to the Alpha

by Cara Wylde

  He sighed heavily and it felt good. It felt like he had expelled all his doubts and worries with the exhaled air. He smiled and kissed her shoulder, letting his lips linger on her flushed skin. “Thank you. This is the best news you’ve ever given me… that you want to bear my baby.”

  Avelyn could finally breathe in relief. “Yeah, well… you should start getting used to receiving great news. Next one on the list: showing you the positive pregnancy test.”

  Max laughed and hugged her from behind, not caring that the hot water spilled over the edge of the tub right onto his jeans. “You’re wonderful, Avelyn. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love you. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, Max,” she said. Her small hands went to rub the strong arms that encircled her. She couldn’t deny that she felt safe in his embrace. She tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder, and Max started placing small kisses on her forehead, nose, cheeks.

  “And yes, I think it’s a great idea to wait until the next full moon. There’s nothing I want more than to make you my official bride, but you’re right. If we do manage to conceive in the following weeks and you announce your pregnancy right before midnight, on Thunder Moon, the wolves will love you. Heck, I can already see Josie jumping up and down in excitement. You’d totally win her heart with such a surprise.”

  Avelyn almost couldn’t believe it had worked. She turned to face him and capture his lips in a firm kiss. “Thank you! Thank you for doing this for me!”

  “Baby, I’d do anything for you. If winning Jocelyn’s love is so important to you, then I support you entirely. I want you two to get along, and this is a marvelous idea even though it means we’ll have to wait a little longer.”

  “How will you tell everyone that the mating ritual is not happening tomorrow anymore?”

  “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry. I won’t let them in on our little plan.” He caressed her cheeks and smiled. “After all, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.”

  “So, you’re not going to tell anyone? Not even Christine?”

  “No! Christine has been looking forward to take care of my or Karl’s pups since… forever. Next month, when you’re pregnant, you get to tell her yourself. I’m almost sure she’ll break down crying.”

  Avelyn couldn’t believe how well this was going. She didn’t even need to ask him to keep their little plan secret. If he had gone to tell Christine, she’d have been royally screwed. So screwed that she could have just as well jumped off the Crescent Tower.

  “I’m just curious…” He looked her in the eyes and hesitated a bit.

  An icy tremor ran up Avelyn’s spine. She gulped.

  “How exactly did you do your homework? How did you know about the respect an Alpha bride gets if she’s already pregnant on the full moon ritual?”

  “Oh, that… I learned about that at Alma Venus.”

  Max cocked an eyebrow.

  “I still have access to all my accounts, you know. E-mail, cloud storage… those things. I can’t use them to contact my friends from school, but I still have all my course materials on them. In the past few days, I went through all the courses on the werewolves’ culture and traditions, thinking that I should at least know the few things Alma Venus taught the Vulpes brides.”

  “But… when I first told you about the mating ritual, you didn’t know anything about it. I assumed it was because Alma Venus didn’t deem it necessary to give the girls in House Vulpes this information.”

  Avelyn laughed, praying it didn’t sound too fake. “No, it was because I never paid attention in class. The information was there, I had just forgotten about it. You know… like when you learn for an exam at the last possible moment, and then your brain deletes it like a cleaning software deletes temporary files?”

  Max laughed at her lame attempt to make that comparison. “I see…”

  “Well, I think that’s exactly what happened. It never crossed my mind that I would become a Lupi bride, so I just ignored all those courses. But, don’t feel too bad, I also ignored everything on the dragon-shifters, bear-shifters, and eagle-shifters.” She stopped to reconsider for a moment. “Okay, maybe not the dragon-shifters. They have such a twisted history and such weird-ass customs that it’s kind of impossible to ignore them. They’re like the glamorous celebs of the shape-shifters’ world.”

  “Fair enough,” admitted Max. “I can’t believe I ended up with the laziest, brattiest Alma Venus student.”

  “Go figure…” Avelyn gave him a bright smile. It was incredible how she had managed to lie her way out of this mess. Of course, she had thought of this explanation before. She was too careful and clever to allow any loose ends to give her away. After all, she had been put in House Vulpes for a good reason.

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll wait another month,” concluded Max.

  Avelyn could hardly restrain herself from pumping her fist in the air.

  “I shall not disappoint you, sir!”

  “Of course not, baby. Not as long as I’m here to assist you.” He winked at her seductively.

  “Hmm… what’s that supposed to mean?” She squeezed her eyes at him, urging him to develop his weird statement. She knew what to expect, though.

  “It means sex. Two times a day, no exceptions.” He grinned, loving the effect his blunt words had on her. Her pretty eyes went wide, and her lips curved into a naughty smile.

  “It’s so on!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The She-Wolf

  Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, the sound of pumping blood almost hurting her ears. She needed to focus. One step at a time. Try not to fall down the iron stairs. The straps of the heavy backpack were digging into her shoulders even through the jacket. It might have been the middle of May, but it wasn’t summer yet, and the nights were cold, especially in the mountains. The small flashlight of her smartphone danced on the dark walls. Just a few more flights of stairs and she’d be there. Avelyn hadn’t felt so stressed and nervous when she first tried to run away, at Alma Venus. Now she was shaking with fear. Her teeth clattered in her mouth, and it wasn’t because of the cold. “It’s now or never,” she whispered to herself. “It’s my last chance.” It was also Sabine’s only chance, so she’d better not screw this up. She’d better not freak out and suddenly decide to run back into Max’s arms and beg for forgiveness. A trembling whine left her lips when she thought how she would have loved to be in his protective arms right now, and not heading for those cold, dark, scary dungeons. She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to bring her mind back to reality. She was running away and that was that. She was finally escaping. She touched her left breast, feeling the fake ID in the inside pocket. It was a square of hard plastic that felt so real. It reminded her that Italy, a cute bakery, and a kind husband could also become real. She just had to hang in there a while longer. She had to survive this night.

  It had been easy enough to snatch Max’s keys when he wasn’t looking. He had become so careless around her. He had practically left them on his nightstand before hugging her and going down to the courtyard. Maybe he really did think that the only key which could have ever interested her was the one to their bedroom. What a fool. Her heart tightened at the thought. A fool who loved her, that’s what he was. Also, a fool who had lied to her. She jumped over the last two steps and crossed the large dark chamber as fast as she could. She cursed herself for stuffing so many things in her backpack. She was already getting tired, and the muscles in her shoulders burned. She went straight to the lit corridor, fishing for the keys in her pocket. Sabine would be waiting for her, so she had to be quick and efficient. Every minute counted. She turned off the flashlight and put the phone in the back pocket of her jeans. She’d need it later, when they’ll have to find their way through the pitch black labyrinth underneath the Schloss. She only hoped the battery would last long enough. Now, she only needed her phone to make it to the exit without twisting an ankle. She intended to throw i
t away the minute she was out of there.

  Avelyn fumbled with the keys, trying to guess which was the right one.

  “Hey, Sabine, are you ready?” She tried a key and huffed when it didn’t work. She skipped the one which she knew was to his office, and the third one worked.

  “Avelyn? You came…” Sabine’s voice was strangely weak. It was almost a whisper. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  Click.

  Avelyn took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The moment of truth. She had waited so long to see the girl behind the door, the girl who had once been Max’s first bride. What was she like? Was she more beautiful than Avelyn? Was she skinny? Was she curvy? Talking through a wooden door was one thing. It was easy being friends when they didn’t have to look into each other’s eyes, and try to read each other’s feelings.

  Sabine’s room looked nothing like a cell. It was large and comfortable, the walls were painted in a warm color, and the floor was covered in thick animal pelts. Two electric heaters kept it warm and cozy. That was everything Avelyn could see in the light that was spilling from the corridor through the open door.

  “Sabine? Where are you?” The room was dark, so Avelyn hesitated for a second before stepping over the threshold. She saw a small silhouette crouched on the floor, beside the bed. “Sabine? Are you all right?”

  The girl sobbed. “Yes. I’m just feeling weak… and dizzy… I’m sorry. It’s the stupid tea Christine makes me drink every evening after dinner. I hate it.”

  “What’s in that tea? Why would she do something like that to you? God… No, don’t answer those questions. It doesn’t matter anymore. In a couple of hours we’ll be far away from the Schloss and this family of madmen. Here, let me help you up.”

  Avelyn entered the room and looked for the switch, but she couldn’t find it. Whatever. She didn’t need light to grab Sabine off the floor and guide her out of the luxurious cell in which she had spent the past five years of her life. She offered her a hand, and Sabine took it. She supported the girl’s frail body, marveling at how light she was. Sabine’s small, bony hand was trembling in Avelyn’s firm grip. How could such a skinny person even stand on two feet?

  “All right, you’re doing great. Now, let’s get you out of here.”

  Avelyn let Sabine lean on her. The girl stepped lightly, carefully. She was truly dizzy, and seemed slightly unaware of her surroundings, like she was walking in her sleep. She kept her head low, a dense mass of dark, curly hair covering her face and shoulders. They stepped out of the room, and Avelyn could finally see her clearly. Sabine was a bit shorter than her, and sickly thin. She had olive skin, but the long years of confinement, without even the tiniest sun ray, had given it a yellowish, unattractive tint. She was dressed in something that looked like a nightgown, and her feet were bare.

  “Oh my God! You can’t go out like this. Why haven’t you gotten dressed?”

  “Too weak…”

  Avelyn’s hands flew to Sabine’s face to remove all that impressive mass of frizzy curls from her forehead and cheeks. Sabine lifted her chin and looked Avelyn in the eyes for the first time. Her face was just as gaunt as her entire body. All bones and skin, but no flesh between them. She had deep brown eyes, thick black eyebrows, and a pointed little nose which could have been sexy if it didn’t remind Avelyn of a skeleton. Her hair was also black, and Avelyn wondered if Sabine had any kind of Arabian ancestry.

  “Hey there,” Avelyn whispered and gave her a smile.

  “Hey…”

  She seemed young, even though Avelyn couldn’t quite tell. There were no wrinkles on the girl’s face, but the veins in her arms were prominent, reminding her of Christine’s. If she had been trapped in here for five years, then how old had she been when she had become Max’s bride? Avelyn shuddered and refused to go down that path. She had to focus on getting them both out.

  “Can you walk?”

  Sabine lifted her gaze to the neon lights on the ceiling, and shielded her eyes with her arm. “Yes. I’ll be better in a few minutes.”

  “Let’s put some clothes on you. You can’t possibly walk out of here like this. And, where are your things? Don’t you have a bag or a backpack? Something…”

  “I don’t need anything. I don’t want to take any of the things he’s given me.”

  “All right, I can understand that, but still. There’s no way you can make it in this state.”

  “I’ll manage…”

  “You should…” Avelyn looked down at the girl’s tiny feet. “You should at least get some shoes.”

  “Don’t need them. Come on, we’re wasting time.”

  Sabine headed down the corridor, using the stone wall to support herself. Avelyn went after her, incapable of coming up with a way of convincing her that what she was doing was insane. She studied her from behind. There was something about her. Something that unsettled Avelyn and sent chills crawling underneath her skin. Sabine seemed twitchy and agitated. She was soft spoken, and sometimes she had difficulties articulating the last words of her sentences. It was definitely because of the suspicious concoction Christine had made her drink. But why? Why sedate someone who was already trapped in a bloody cell? Sabine had taken quite a few steps, so Avelyn decided to follow her. After all, she had some warm clothes in her backpack and a spare pair of sneakers. They’d manage.

  “Wait for me.” She yelled as silently as possible and ran after her. “Here, take my hand. I have a flashlight. You do know the way, right?”

  “Yes.” Sabine looked up at Avelyn and gave her a weak, yet reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here in no time.”

  Avelyn smiled back and squeezed the girl’s hand. She had been wrong to think she’d ever be jealous of Sabine. The state she was in said everything about how badly Max and Christine had treated her. Jocelyn, Karl, and all the other wolves had certainly contributed through their ignorance and disinterest. The few times Rosanna had said more than she meant to had been enough for Avelyn to make the connections and draw a conclusion: they had all known about Sabine’s unfair confinement, and they had all played a part in it. Clan Blackmane disgusted her. How could she have fallen for their Alpha? No matter, every wound healed in time. Although, looking at Sabine from the corner of her eye, her belief in those magic words wavered.

  The tunnel was getting darker and colder with every step they took. Avelyn tried to light the way ahead, but sometimes she couldn’t help herself and flashed her phone around her. Sabine, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the darkness. Not even once did she complain that the light wasn’t enough or that she couldn’t quite see the way they were going. She either knew the tunnels incredibly well, or she had perfect eyesight in the dark. Avelyn was glad Sabine didn’t let go of her hand. They didn’t talk much, as Sabine seemed to have difficulties focusing, and it took her a huge amount of energy to speak, so Avelyn figured she shouldn’t force her. She needed all her strength to resist the almost four-hour journey through the mountain. They kept taking turns, climbing down slippery stone stairs, descending deeper and deeper. At first, Avelyn had tried to pay attention to the corridors they were passing through and count the open chambers they left behind, but she soon lost all sense of orientation. She couldn’t afford wasting the battery of her smartphone to consult her map. At this point, she had no choice but to put all her trust in Sabine. When they reached the exit, she’d be free to let go and be awed at the girl’s impressive memory and sense of orientation.

  After what seemed like forever, Sabine stopped in the middle of a narrow corridor and sniffed the air. “Can you smell that?”

  Avelyn sniffed as well and shrugged. “No. What is it?”

  “The air is fresher here. I think we’re close.”

  Avelyn took a couple of steps and sniffed again. Nothing. Sabine tugged at her hand and urged her to move faster. It seemed that the girl was slowly regaining her strength. Her legs were less wobbly, she walked straighter, and she had stopped using her other hand to brace herse
lf on the stone walls an hour ago. Avelyn was glad, because their long walk wouldn’t end at the exit. From there, they had to make their way to Dunkelstadt and find the train station. She could barely feel her legs herself, so she believed it was a miracle that Sabine had actually made it this far and never complained about being tired. Her only complaint had been about her difficulty to think clearly, which bugged Avelyn too. There was nothing she would have liked more than to bombard her with questions she could have never come up with before seeing her face to face. Why was she so thin when she had insisted that Christine fed her well? Was she sick? How old was she? And, for the love of God, why did Christine sedate her almost every night?

  “To help me sleep…” That was the only vague answer Avelyn had been able to squeeze out of Sabine. She had no idea where they would be headed to after they got out of this blasted maze, but she knew that the next day, whether they would still be on the train, or in a hotel in another city, Avelyn would get some answers. For now, they both had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

  ***

  It was colder than Avelyn had expected it to be, but at least they were finally out in the open air. She inhaled deeply, eyes closed, enjoying the rush of pine and earth scented air filling her lungs. Fresh, much-needed oxygen invaded her blood, making her feel more alive than ever. It was almost over. Almost. She opened her eyes and stared in the distance at the street lights of Dunkelstadt. It must have been 4 AM and they had to start moving towards the city. The ten minutes of rest they had decided to take had passed. Avelyn turned her gaze towards Sabine, who was sitting on a log, head down, hands squeezed into fists at her sides. She looked so tired.

  “Are you all right?” Avelyn asked. She took a couple of steps towards her. “You look cold. I have a sweater in my backpack, and a pair of sneakers. Let me just take them out for you.”

  “No.”