by Cara Wylde
“You loved her,” Avelyn finished the sentence for him in a small voice.
“Yes…”
“It’s okay. I’m not jealous, I promise. It happened a long time ago. I wasn’t even born.” She chuckled lightly.
Max kissed the top of her head. “Just a few months after the ritual things started going downhill. It was like she had become obsessed with trying to get pregnant no matter how often I explained to her that it didn’t matter, I didn’t care, and I was perfectly fine with being with her just the way she was. She insisted that it was unacceptable, and that the Crescents and the Moon Children had started turning against her, accusing her of trapping their main Alpha in a childless marriage. It wasn’t true. Even though Jocelyn had turned a bit bitter towards her, she had by no means accused her of anything or even told her anything unpleasant. It was all in Sabine’s mind, and I waited for it to pass, thinking it was only a phase. It’s unbelievable how naïve and irresponsible I was.”
“How long did it take…”
“For her to go completely insane? A little over 40 years. Her sanity slowly degraded, but it took us a long time to see it. There were little things. Paranoia, small crises of jealousy… A couple of times, she accused me of having an affair with the human maids, but I simply reassured her I would never do something like that to her. She was insecure and scared I’d eventually leave her for a woman who could offer me children. She became suffocating. I couldn’t take care of the clan’s business from Dunkelstadt, because she’d come to my office twice a day to check on me. Soon, it was impossible to get any time alone because she’d start freaking out and asking me if I was seeing someone else. Then… the most terrible thing happened.”
“She killed those two maids?”
“No… I mean, yes, but it didn’t happen all at once. First, Frida disappeared. She was a 20-year-old girl who worked in the kitchen. She came from a poor family, and her job at the Schloss helped her take care of her sick mother. We thought she had run away or something, tired of her life, determined to find something better. She was seeing a young lad in Dunkelstadt. A Crescent found her body buried in the woods. The earth had removed almost all clues, so we weren’t sure what had happened to the girl.”
“And the second one?”
“Christine advised me to keep an eye on Sabine because she was more and more unstable, so I asked one of Josie’s Deltas to follow her around, but keep his distance. She attacked Hilde when the girl was going home for the weekend. Her family lived in Dunkelstadt. The Moon Child tried to stop her, but he was too late. Sabine hurt him badly when he tried to restrain her.”
“Wow! Why kill these two girls?”
“She thought they were in love with me. In the last few months she had made a habit of spying on all the human girls working at the castle, and listening on their conversations. It seems that both Frida and Hilde had talked about me with some of the other maids. It later proved to have been just harmless girl chatter.”
“Yeah… the kind when you think a guy is cute and you have a crush on him and start talking with your friends about what you’d do to him if you only had the chance. We did that a lot at Alma Venus, except our cute guys were actors and singers.”
Max laughed.
“So, you locked her up.”
“We couldn’t find a better solution. The right thing to do would have been to announce the Council and let them decide what to do about it, but we knew that was the same thing as sentencing her to death with no trial. She was clearly dangerous and self-destructive, so it was impossible to reason with her. No matter how many times she promised she wouldn’t harm anyone again, I couldn’t just get over what had happened and move on like it had only been a small relationship crisis. After long debates, we decided to cover for her. Jocelyn and Karl agreed only on the condition that I kept her away from the wolves and everyone else. We turned four cells into as comfortable a room as possible, made sure she had everything she needed, and moved her down in the dungeons.”
There were long minutes of silence. Max had finished his story, and Avelyn needed time to take it all in. She had known it wouldn’t be pretty, but no matter how prepared she thought she was, it still hit her hard. Their arms and legs were tangled in a tight hug, none of them willing to let go of the other.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said.
“Me too.”
They were too exhausted to even pull the covers up over their bodies. They fell asleep.
***
Max took a long sip of the dark, strong coffee Christine had brought him ten minutes ago, and tried to focus on the papers before him. Blackmane Constructions had had a very good year, and they could take on a new project if only he could concentrate long enough to study the details that had come in by fax the day before and decide on a convenient bid. He was tempted to send it over to Jocelyn and ask her to take care of it, but she already had too much on her plate with the construction site in Ulm. He pinched the bridge of his nose, took another sip of coffee, then went back to the first page of the thick file for the third time, hoping the information would do him a huge favor and stick to his brain.
Unable to sleep, he had come to his office early. He had kissed Avelyn’s parted lips a couple of times, made her smile in her sleep, then left her curled up in bed. He was painfully aware that, for now, there was nothing he could do for her or Sabine. He couldn’t waste hours worrying about what would happen next when work waited. He had to take things one step at a time, solve the problems as they came. The office phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. He picked it up, mad at himself that he had spaced out again.
“Maxwell Blackmane.”
“Yes, Mr. Blackmane, this is Doctor Stevens. I’m sorry to bother you this early.”
“No, not at all.” Max leaned over his desk, resting his elbows on the edge and massaging his temple with the other hand. “What can I do for you?”
“Actually, I called to tell you there might be something I can do for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You see, these past two days I couldn’t take my mind off Miss Avelyn and her… unique condition.”
This got Max’s attention. When he had given him the news, the doctor had said there was nothing he could do to help Avelyn. He would monitor her pregnancy for the following month to see if the werewolf venom would have any impact on the fetus, but the next examination was scheduled in two weeks.
“I’m listening.”
“There might…” the old man hesitated for a few seconds, as if he wasn’t sure he had done the right thing by calling. “There might be a solution.”
“A solution to what? You’re not being very clear, doctor.”
“A solution to her turning on the next full moon.”
Max was silent for a moment. “That’s impossible.”
“Not exactly. You see, in the past few years, there have been rumors that the scientists are working on a sort of cure for the shifter venom.”
“Unfounded rumors. We’ve all heard of them and we know the authorization to research a possible cure hasn’t passed the Council.”
“Yes, mainly because the representatives of the shifter factions didn’t agree to it.”
“For good reason, too. Imagine humans discovering such a cure. The peace would go straight to hell because they would have the perfect weapon to get rid of us for good.”
“Sure, I completely agree. But let’s think of the positive outcomes for a second. If such a cure existed and worked, your bride would never have to turn and risk losing the baby.”
“True…”
“Now, what if I told you someone has been working on it and has recently made a breakthrough?”
“You’d put us both in danger, but… it would be well worth it.” Max could almost imagine the doctor’s smile on the other end of the line.
“I knew you’d understand, Mr. Blackmane. I wouldn’t tell you about this, if I didn’t know you’re a reasonable man who sees the impli
cations and can guess the possible consequences.”
Max thought hard for a few seconds. What was he getting himself into? First, he allowed a dangerous member of his own pack to run amok and possibly hurt innocent people, now he was trying to get an illegal, most likely untested, cure for his bride.
“Doctor, I’d do anything to help Avelyn,” he finally said.
“Good then, let’s not waste any more time. It seems that Harington Pharmaceuticals have managed to create an antidote in their labs.”
“Harington… Does this company belong to whom I think it belongs?”
“Councilor Arthur Harington, yes. Of course, you haven’t heard this from me.”
“It goes without saying.”
“It won’t be easy. The Councilor will never risk his position and reputation by admitting his pharmaceutical company has continued the research and even achieved success when the shifter Councilors have voted against such practices. However, Clan Blackmane is the second most powerful after Clan Voinom, and you and your brother are highly regarded by the Council. You might have a chance to convince him.”
“No, I don’t.” Max sighed in defeat. “That’s not the only problem, doctor. Do you know about his daughter?”
“Lily Harington. Everyone knows she’s a Donation. She’s still at Alma Venus Boarding School, I presume. I don’t remember her being chosen by a shifter yet. It would have been all over the news.”
“Yes, you see… It was not my intention to offend the Councilor, but I’m afraid that’s exactly what I did when I chose Avelyn, a Vulpes bride, over his Lupi daughter.”
“Well, shit. I hope you’ll excuse my vocabulary, but shit.” There was a long pause between them, none of them knowing what to say next. “Don’t lose hope, Mr. Blackmane.”
“Thank you…”
“Maybe there’s another way.”
“I don’t know…”
“Just… think of all the possibilities before giving up.”
“Yes. Yes, I will.”
They exchanged a couple more pleasantries, then Max hung up. He rested his head on his hands, unsure how he should feel about the conversation. On one hand, the idea that someone out there had discovered a cure was exhilarating. There was a small chance it could work and heal Avelyn before the full moon. On the other hand, given his tense relationship with the Councilor and the illegality of his endeavors, there was an infinitesimal chance he’d ever get his hands on it.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t try. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try.”
CHAPTER THREE
Chaos Unleashed
Trying to find a man who didn’t want to be found was hard. Max had been calling the Councilor’s office in London and waiting for his assistant to put him through all day. He was busy, he was in a meeting, he was out for lunch… She had used all the possible excuses and had no qualms about wasting his time by leaving him hanging on the phone for long minutes, saying she’d check and see if he had time to talk to him, or that he was just wrapping something up and would get to the phone in a minute. Max had been spacing out during dinner, lost in his own thoughts, his anger bubbling dangerously close to the surface.
Even Jocelyn sensed something was terribly wrong and tried to make conversation with Avelyn and Christine. It had proved to be more difficult than she had expected. She missed Ryan by her side. Her Beta’s zero tolerance for drama had always helped her stay sane and grounded when one of her brothers got himself in some serious shit. Alas, she had to make do with what she had. She watched Avelyn push her food around on her plate, taking a lazy bite from time to time and chewing slowly, thoughtfully.
“I’m amazed that you’re not gobbling up your food.” The moment the words left her mouth she realized how stupid and wrong they sounded.
“Excuse me?” Avelyn was glad she hadn’t taken the bite she had been balancing on her fork, or she would have choked on it and spit it right on Jocelyn’s pretty white shirt.
“I mean… with the changes and all.” Jocelyn tried to correct her mistake and take the failed attempt at a conversation on safe ground. “Your sense of taste must have increased already. You can finally appreciate Harold’s cooking at its right value.” She gave her a small, tentative smile. “And then, there are cravings that come with… well, being pregnant.”
Avelyn watched her wearily, unsure what to make of Jocelyn’s unusual attitude. Was it her imagination, or was she actually trying to be nice? “Yeah… I’m getting used to it. I think I’m starting to get a handle on my increased senses, power and speed.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“As for the cravings, they haven’t kicked in yet. And I’m not feeling very hungry right now.”
“Still, you should eat…” Avelyn’s unexpected laugh interrupted her. “What’s so funny?”
“You telling me to eat, that’s funny.” She covered her mouth with a napkin, trying to muffle her chuckles. “A few days ago, you were lecturing me on how I’m not the right size.”
Jocelyn’s cheeks turned red. Christine smiled discreetly, but Max tensed in his chair, the comment having snapped him out of his daydream.
“Did you really say that to her?”
“Oh, come on,” said Jocelyn. “What is this? Kindergarten?”
“You should be nicer to her, sister. She’s my wife.”
The only times he called her “sister” were when he was awfully angry. Jocelyn huffed and raised her brow. “What’s with you?”
“Nothing.” He patted his lips with the napkin, set it next to the almost full plate, and stood up. “I’m going back to my office. I have to finish some stuff.”
“Max,” whined Avelyn. “I thought you were done for today. No work after dinner, remember?”
He turned back and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I know, baby. It won’t take long, I promise. See you upstairs.”
She watched him go and, for a second, she wanted to follow him. Christine sensed her impulse and put her bony hand on her arm.
“Let him go for now,” she said.
Avelyn sent Christine a confused look, but let herself fall back into her chair. She picked up her fork and stabbed a huge piece of potato. Jocelyn watched the scene in silence and took a sip of her white wine. There was something strange going on, and she had no idea what. Sure, they were all stressed and on the edge, but Max hadn’t been quite himself today. He had locked himself in the office from early morning until a little before dinner, and now he was there again. She’d have to catch him later and make him talk.
“Any idea who got his panties in a twist?” she asked Avelyn.
“I don’t know. Me? Sabine? There are so many possible answers.”
“God, stop mentioning her name.”
“Why?”
“You should hate her guts right about now.”
“I could never hate her. And Max told me you two were rather close, so why the change?”
“What kind of question is that?” A look of disbelief crossed Jocelyn’s sharp features. “Anyway, that was a long time ago. The Sabine you’ve met is not the Sabine I used to know.”
Christine rose from her chair and motioned for a maid to take her empty plate and Max’s full one. “Would you like some tea, ladies?”
“No, thanks,” jumped Avelyn. “No more tea.”
Jocelyn smiled and raised her glass. “I’m okay with wine.”
“Well, then, this old woman is going for a stroll and then up to bed. I bid you good night.”
“Night!” said Jocelyn.
Avelyn nodded her head and kept silent until she was sure Christine had reached the front door. “No tea from Christine. Ever again. The only tea I’ll drink from now on will be in cafés.”
Jocelyn laughed wholeheartedly and reached over the table to pour Avelyn some wine. “I agree. Here, I guess you can have just a bit.”
“Thanks.” Avelyn raised her glass and Jocelyn did the same. “What shall we drink to?”
“Hmm… I t
hink…” she hesitated, as if she was just trying to come up with an idea when it was obvious she already knew what she’d say. “I think we shall drink to my nephew.”
“Nephew?” Avelyn laughed cheerfully. “What if it’s a niece?”
“That works too.”
They clinked their glasses and took a small sip, enjoying the wine’s rich aroma. Avelyn couldn’t believe she was laughing and chatting so comfortably with Jocelyn, Max’s sister from hell, the major bitch who a couple of weeks ago had treated her like she were some new, advanced form of disgusting bug.
“What’s with the new attitude?” asked Avelyn, her slightly squeezed eyes showing suspicion.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jocelyn set down her glass and asked the maid to bring them dessert. Yes, somehow, Avelyn had managed to grow on her, but she wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“You’re being nice to me.”
“I’m always a nice person, you just don’t see it.”
“Right. I see how this works. If someone wants to be in your good graces, they have to almost die first.”
“Not true.” Jocelyn smiled, pleased with Avelyn’s remark. Without knowing, the redhead had just stroked her ego. Or, maybe she did know it. The thought made her remember who she was dealing with: a Vulpes bride. She doubted the werewolf venom in her blood would manage to change her personality along with her body.
“Then? How does this work? How do you make friends?”
“Friends? Aren’t you going too far?”