Sold to the Alpha

by Cara Wylde

  “Why didn’t you?”

  Max hung his head in defeat. Of course. It was obvious. This was how life always worked. There were many things he regretted now and wished he had done differently, but that didn’t mean he would have changed them at that point in the past.

  “I couldn’t…” he finally said.

  “I see. Why?”

  “I knew what they would do to her.”

  “You were afraid she would get the death sentence.”

  “Yes… I… If it happened, I couldn’t have lived with myself.”

  They both fell silent for long minutes, the doctor contemplating the fiery sunset sky, while Max was still staring at the stone alley under his feet. Small, thin blades of grass peeked out from between the stones, but he didn’t notice them. His mind was too focused on what was happening inside his aching heart. Once again, he was torn. He knew there was no point in thinking about Sabine anymore, but he couldn’t help it. She had been his first bride and he had loved her once. He knew what he would have done if he could have: keep both of them safe. But that was exactly what he had tried, right? It had all ended so badly.

  Dr. Stevens turned to Max and put a hand on his shoulder. “You need to accept what happened and move on, Maxwell. You have a family and three packs that need you. Your wife needs her husband, your child needs his father, and your werewolves need their Alpha. Every choice has its consequences, and this is something we can’t control. What we can do is make choices we can live with later, and this is exactly what you did.”

  Max knew the man was right. He wasn’t telling him anything new either. However, it was always one thing to know something and a completely different thing to accept it and let it become part of you, let it change your perception and state of mind. He would work on that. He took a deep breath and finally looked into the doctor’s eyes. “Thank you.”

  “You have nothing to thank me for. All you have to do is focus on the present and future.”

  “I know. I will.”

  “Good. Now let’s talk about your wife. She must eat and rest. Even though she is a hybrid and her body is stronger than any human’s body, the baby can still dry out her energy if she doesn’t take care of herself. My advice is to take her back to the Schloss tomorrow morning, as soon as she wakes up. I’m not a fan of the hospital food. I’m willing to visit every few days to check on her and make sure she’s all right and the pregnancy is going smoothly. I’d also suggest hiring a nurse so she’d have a professional around at all times. I don’t think there will be any complications with the baby, but it’s better to be prepared.”

  “I completely agree. If you can recommend me a good nurse…”

  “I’ll take care of it. All I needed was your consent. Your wife has gone through a lot. No woman in her second month of pregnancy should be exposed to such stress and trauma. I’m not blaming you, nor any of your wolves. However, you must keep her away from any kind of drama. Bury your dead, mourn them, but let go as soon as possible and let the wounds heal. Try to distract her. I’d like her to stay in bed for at least a couple of days, until she regains her strength, but make sure she doesn’t spend all her time by herself.”

  “She’s made a lot of friends in all three packs. Everyone likes her.”

  “And they have no reason not to. Now, more than ever, she needs her friends.”

  Max thought about Claudia and Delyse, and bit the inside of his cheek. For the thousandth time in the past few months he had to accept that he couldn’t give his wife absolutely everything she wanted or needed, no matter how much he tried. He didn’t care. He was going to keep trying. They were friends with Viggo now, even though Avelyn hated his guts. Maybe she would forgive him if they kept in touch after Eric Drekinn took Delyse as his bride. Once Delyse was out of Alma Venus, they could still be friends, especially since the girl would marry an ally of Clan Blackmane. Then, Claudia would be the only one left. If he remembered well, she was an Ursi bride. Maybe it was time to suggest to Karl it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to settle down.

  Dr. Stevens squeezed Max’s shoulder one last time and headed back to the hospital building. Max contemplated the man’s calm, steady steps for a moment, then followed him. Yes, things were under control. And those that weren’t… he would figure them out.

  ***

  Avelyn couldn’t believe how much she had missed this bedroom. Her eyes moved from the high ceiling to the open curtains that revealed a perfect blue sky, then to her desk, the sofa, and, finally, the clock on the wall. It was almost lunch time. A sharp, merciless pang of pain went straight through her heart. Just a few months ago, Christine had been the one who brought her meals in bed. She had had breakfast at the hospital, just before a car arrived to drive them to Max’s private jet. When she got to Schloss Blackmane, she felt so tired that she had to sleep for a couple more hours. Now she was wide awake and the helpless victim of the harsh reality. She closed her eyes and moved her hands under the duvet to trace the roundness of her belly. The baby was growing fast. She was only two months pregnant, but she looked to be in her fourth month.

  “A son…” she whispered. Christine had used her last breath to tell her and Max they would have a son. She believed her. Since the mating ritual and the discovery of the telepathic connection she had with Max, she had accepted that some kind of magic existed in the shape-shifter’s world. Had they buried Christine? What about Sabine? She had so many questions, and when she heard Max’s soft steps down the corridor, she made an effort to sit up in bed and prop herself on the big pillows.

  “I noticed you were finally up, so I asked Harold to prepare a quick, delicious lunch for you,” said Max as soon as he entered the room. “It’s very nutritious too.”

  Avelyn smiled and closed her eyes when Max placed a kiss on her forehead.

  “Stop spying on me when I’m unconscious,” she said.

  “I’m not spying on you… I just check from time to time to make sure you’re all right.”

  “I’m fine. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you… If you prod my mind while I’m asleep, can you… like… see my dreams?”

  Max set the tray on the nightstand and sat down beside her. “Just flashes. Nothing clear or coherent. Why? Have you been having naughty dreams?”

  Avelyn laughed and reached for the glass of orange juice on the tray. “Not lately.” She drank half of it.

  Max watched her in silence. She did look a bit better, even though she was still pale and had huge bags under her gorgeous blue eyes. He found her free hand and guided it to his lips to press a long, lingering kiss on her knuckles. “Did you sleep well, my love?”

  “Oh yes. Much better than on that old, creaky hospital bed.” She put the glass down, but didn’t show any interest in the food. She didn’t feel particularly hungry. “Tell me… How is everyone? Is Jocelyn okay? Is she still in bed? How about Caleb? I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s going through… Val… Oh God…” Tears stung at the back of her eyes, and she willed them away. She was tired of crying. It didn’t do any good, it didn’t relieve the pain.

  “Shh… don’t think about that. They are both okay. Caleb and Daniel have healed completely, and Jocelyn is resting. Ryan refuses to leave her side, so she’s in very good hands.”

  “Have you… Have you buried…” she choked on her words and took a deep breath before trying again. “Have you buried Christine and the other wolves?”

  “Yes. Karl and his Beta took care of everything. I’m sorry, but they couldn’t wait for us.”

  “I understand.” She made a long pause.

  “You need to eat.” Max placed the tray on her lap and removed the lid from the bowl of chicken soup. Avelyn scrunched her nose at the smell. “Come on, honey, make an effort. I know you don’t feel like eating. Hell… I’ve barely eaten a sandwich and some yogurt today. But our son is going to turn you into a zombie if you don’t keep your energy levels up.”

  “Ugh… the smell makes me sick.” Nonetheless, she use
d her spoon to fish out a piece of potato and chewed on it slowly.

  “That’s my girl,” said Max, a big smile on his face.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  She ate in silence for a couple of minutes, and Max felt content watching her. He would take good care of her from now on. He’d never leave the Schloss if it wasn’t a matter of life and death. And even then he could very well send Kevin to take care of things. When Avelyn finished her soup, he took the tray away and lay down in bed, beside her. He took her in his arms, and she rested her head on his chest, eyes closed, enjoying the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

  “Viggo is leaving this evening,” said Max carefully.

  Avelyn’s eyes snapped open. Well, there went her moment of peace. “Good. I don’t want him around.”

  “He’s a good guy, Avelyn. He did the only thing that could stop Sabine and her allies even if it was a hard call to make.”

  “I doubt it was hard for him. He was supposed to scare them, scatter them into the woods, not kill everyone. If I had known what he intended to do, I wouldn’t have let him go.”

  “And we’d all be dead now. Sabine and the fox-shifters were winning. If he had been just five minutes late, Jocelyn wouldn’t have been here with us. It was the only way. We all knew it, but none of us had the courage to do what had to be done. Viggo was an outsider, so he took that burden from us.”

  “He didn’t save Christine…”

  “It was too late for her. He had nothing to do with her death. If there’s anyone to blame, that’s me. Christine challenged Sabine only because she was beating the crap out of me. I couldn’t… I just couldn’t fight back. I’m sorry.”

  “No.” Avelyn lifted herself up on an elbow to look into his eyes. “You’re a wonderful man, Max, of course you couldn’t fight back. I just wish… I just wish she had come to her senses and given up…”

  “But she didn’t. She was determined to fight to the death. She had made her choice. Don’t hold it against Viggo.”

  Avelyn sighed heavily and let herself fall back on Max’s wide, strong chest. “I still don’t want to see him. I need time to figure things out… make some kind of peace with what happened.”

  “Of course.” Max kissed the top of her head and squeezed her closer to his side. There was a fair chance that what he was about to tell her would make her angry again, but he had to. Honesty above all. “Viggo is going to buy Delyse for his Fyrstur, Eric Drekinn. And before you lash out on him, it was my idea…”

  Avelyn jumped back to a sitting position and the quick movement made her head spin. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised a questioning brow at Max.

  “Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Delyse’s brother asked me to use my connections and find a wealthy, influential Alpha for his sister in exchange for the cure. Delyse agreed.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I guess I never got around to it. He gave me the cure, then you took it, then it was that whole month of tension until the full moon… Sabine… Also, I wasn’t quite sure I would be able to keep my promise. When Viggo made his weird, unexpected appearance, it struck me that not even Councilor Harington could say a dragon-shifter is not enough for his daughter.”

  “Yeah… fair.” Avelyn calmed down and started playing with Max’s soft, black hair. “Let’s just hope Eric Drekinn is nothing like his Annarr.”

  “So… you’re not angry?”

  Avelyn smiled. “As if being angry would solve anything. Delyse is my best friend, but I can’t make decisions for her. If Viggo interviews her, it doesn’t mean she will accept. It’s Delyse we’re talking about here. She’s tougher than me, and her Donation status does give her some privileges the other Alma Venus girls don’t have. She’s met Viggo and seen what he did. She’ll make her own decision, and it will be the best.”

  “Honey, you’re amazing, did you know that?” Max pulled her towards him and captured her lips in a bruising kiss.

  “Yeah… I’ve been told before,” she said when they paused for a breath of air.

  ***

  Max left Avelyn with Rosanna and went to his office at the first floor, where Viggo was waiting for him. The weredragon had no reason to stick around Schloss Blackmane now that everyone knew about his intentions and why he was so interested in Avelyn’s unique condition. He could finally go back to his clan’s business, and in light of what he had found out in the past few days, the things he had to solve had doubled.

  “I’ll have the private jet ready for you,” said Max. He was sitting in his chair, behind the desk, a glass of whiskey in hand. Viggo was on the other side of the desk, his glass already empty. He had fallen silent a few minutes ago, and he seemed to be in deep thought. “If there’s anything new with my wife and our baby… related to the cure, I mean, I’ll let you know immediately. You have my word.”

  Viggo turned his golden gaze to Max and gave him a half smile. “I know.”

  “Then what’s wrong? I feel like something’s wrong. What is it?” That was a silly question. Almost everything was still wrong, and now Max was waiting to see which particular thing Viggo would bring into discussion.

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about the escaped rogue wolves. Because I have.”

  Max sighed and took a sip of his whiskey, enjoying the burn it left down his throat. “Here we go again,” he thought.

  “I’ve been thinking about more than that. There’s also the three-tailed Inari and a couple of his werefoxes.”

  Viggo leaned forward in his chair and propped his elbows on the desk. “Yes, but you see, the werefoxes are not really a problem unless they try to take revenge on us for killing the she-wolf. I still can’t figure out why they were involved with her, but let’s leave this for later. I’m concerned about the remaining rogue wolves. They turned just a month ago, they’re inexperienced, they probably don’t know how to control their animal instinct, or move slowly enough to fool those around them when they’re in their human form. They were clearly controlled by Sabine. Either because she was their only option once they turned, or because she had some sort of inexplicable power over them. I don’t know… The point is that Sabine is dead and they are out there, scattered. These are people who were kidnapped and forced into something they didn’t want. The implications scare the shit out of me.”

  Max considered Viggo’s logic for a long minute. Everything he said made sense. “So, they’re more dangerous than the werefoxes because…”

  “… they can decide to take some kind of revenge for what happened to them by simply going to the Council.”

  “Shit.” Max rubbed his beard, then ran his fingers through his longish hair. Why hadn’t he thought about this? It was simple, common sense logic.

  “Yeah… you can say that again.” Viggo reached for the bottle of whiskey and poured himself some more, then refilled Max’s glass as well.

  “They could do that, yes. It wouldn’t necessarily benefit them, because it’s not like anyone can give them back their old lives, but the scandal would be huge. It could actually threaten the peace treaty.”

  “And we don’t want that.”

  “Why would they want that?”

  “I don’t know… to get some sort of closure? I’ve been turning this over and over in my head for hours. I mean, what options do they have now that their Alpha is gone? Sabine didn’t only rob them of their freedom and normal lives, but she also made sure she became their only reason to live. It’s not like they have anything left to go back to.”

  Max thought about it for a moment. He tried to put himself in these wolves’ shoes, understand what they were feeling, what they were going through. “They could, actually. They could just return to their families, invent some kind of story, and continue with their lives like nothing happened.”

  “A decent option if controlling your animal side weren’t such a pain in the ass in the first couple of months. Without a good guide, it can take them even longer to le
arn to hide their physical strength and keep in check the explosive temper that comes in the same package with the werewolf DNA. Possible, but unlikely.”

  Max shot Viggo an annoyed look. As always, the dragon-shifter was making some good points. “They could just drop everything and flee the country. Start a new life somewhere else.”

  “Sure. Also, they could form their own pack, live somewhere secluded…”

  “But why would they? They were the wronged ones in this whole mess. If there’s any justice left in this world, it should be on their side. Whether we like it or not, one of our kind broke the rules, killed innocent people, turned other innocents into shape-shifters against their will and, most importantly, against the peace treaty. Now we must all suffer the consequences.”

  Viggo leaned back in his chair. He studied the afternoon sunrays reflecting in his glass. “You’re right, of course. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m really not looking forward to suffering the consequences for what some crazy ass bitch did.”

  “It just struck me that we’re actually sitting on a time bomb. A time bomb that can easily start a second war between humans and shape-shifters.”

  “And there’s nothing we can do about it…”

  They let silence fall between them. It weighted on their shoulders, making both Viggo and Max slump imperceptibly. It was more of a mental slump than a physical one. They both knew the conclusion to their conversation, and it was so depressing and disheartening that there was really no use in voicing it. All they could do was wait and see what would happen. Max smiled bitterly, thinking how Dr. Stevens had told him to forget the past and focus on the future. How could he focus on something he had no control over? In fact, he could… if he wanted to be driven insane all over again. The present. The present was a safe thing to focus on.

  “Have you decided when you’re going to Alma Venus?” asked Max, grateful he found a way to change the subject.

  “Yes, right after I run this through the other members of the clan. I’m sure they will agree to buying Lily Harington for Eric, but it wouldn’t be fair to make such an important decision alone.”