Sold to the Alpha

by Cara Wylde

  “Thank you.”

  “No, I should be thanking you. It was a good idea. Let’s just hope it works.”

  “Lily will make Eric Drekinn come back from his slumber.”

  Viggo smiled and drank the last drops of his whiskey. “It’s not that simple, but yes, it’s worth a try.”

  They had nothing else to talk about, unless they wanted to go on and on in circles about the rogue wolves or the three-tailed fox. Viggo stood up, and Max did the same. They shook hands.

  “Well, I should be going now,” said Viggo. “We’ll keep in touch.”

  “Absolutely. Good luck.”

  The dragon-shifter grabbed his jacket from the sofa, gave Max a one last nod, and left the office. He rather enjoyed the wolf-shifter’s company, but he had business to attend to. He had liked Maxwell Blackmane from the first day he started spying on him and his clan, so this unexpected alliance between Clan Drekinn and Clan Blackmane was a good thing. A powerful wolf clan and an ancient dragon clan… It sounded quite encouraging, if he stopped to think of it. If the whole Sabine Miller business came to bite them in the ass, they had a better chance of dealing with it together.

  Max sat on the windowsill and watched Viggo cross the courtyard. When the guy’s dark blond head disappeared behind the gatehouse, he cracked his neck to relieve some of the tension in his muscles, then let his thoughts reach for Avelyn’s. He wanted to know if Rosanna was still with her, because if she wasn’t, Max really wanted to go upstairs and spend the afternoon and evening with his wife. Maybe they could watch a movie or a TV Show, do something normal and boring… why not? After so much mayhem, normal and boring sounded divine. The loud ringtone of his mobile phone snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to Earth.

  “Oh… what now?”

  Max took his phone out of his back pocket and looked at the caller’s ID. “Councilor Voinom? Well, that’s a surprise…” he thought. He set his glass back on the desk and pressed the phone to his ear.

  “Hello, Councilor Voinom. How are you?”

  “Max, hello. I’m not very dandy, but thank you.”

  The man on the other line sounded much more than “not dandy”. He sounded furious.

  “Is there… something wrong? How may I help you?”

  “You may help me by explaining why in hell’s name is a young she-wolf with bright blue eyes in my office, telling me a crazy story about how a certain Sabine Miller kidnapped her, bit her, then forced her to attack a boarding school? Oh… and also: Clan Blackmane, silver dragon, battle, blood, a lot of dead wolves and… foxes? What the fuck is going on, Max?”

  Max closed his eyes and tried to remain silent while some of the most creative curses the world had ever heard exploded in his mind.

  “Max? Your silence tells me more than you can imagine.”

  “Councilor Voinom… This is a misunderstanding…”

  “A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding?! Max, are you insulting my intelligence? I want to speak to you, Karl, and Jocelyn face to face right away. In fact, the whole Council wants to hear what you have to say. Let’s just cut this embarrassing crap and schedule a meeting, how’s that? Tomorrow evening.”

  “Yes…”

  “Oh, and I want you to bring your wife.”

  Heat rushed to Max’s neck and face, his cheeks and forehead starting to burn as if he had a fever. It was anger boiling too close to the surface, his wolf thrashing inside him, eager to come out. He clenched and unclenched his free hand, trying to calm himself down. It was a bad idea to snap at the Councilor.

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible. My wife isn’t feeling well and the doctor advised she should rest. She’s having a difficult pregnancy, so I need to keep her away from any matters that might trouble her.”

  There was a slight pause at the end of the line, and Max hoped the man was reconsidering his demand. He was wrong.

  “You know, son, in normal circumstances I’d empathize with you, but these are not normal circumstances. So, let me put it this way: I don’t care. Avelyn Blackmane seems to have triggered all this chaos, so I want to talk to her face to face, see what all this fuss is about. You’re bringing her with you tomorrow evening. End of discussion.”

  “Dimitri…” It was true that the Councilor was a rough man, but he was also a friend. He had been good friends with Nikolas Blackmane, Max’s father, when he was still around, and that was why he had decided to take Max and Karl as advisers.

  “End of discussion.”

  Max sighed. He needed to remember that while family and friendship meant a lot to Voinom, his political career meant everything. “I understand…” he finally said.

  “This is bad. This is very bad. You two are my advisers. Do you have any idea how this makes me look?”

  “I promise you, Councilor, this can be easily sorted out.”

  “I sure hope so, Max. I sure hope so.”

  Councilor Voinom ended the call without even saying “goodbye”. Max stared at his phone for long minutes, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he had just been summoned by the Council for a very, very uncomfortable discussion.

  “Who am I kidding? This isn’t going to be a discussion. It’s going to be a trial.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Council

  Avelyn was feeling slightly dizzy. She squeezed Max’s arm, leaning on him as much as she could, but when he threw her a concerned look, she forced herself to smile. She didn’t want him to worry. Karl and Jocelyn were ahead of them, already entering the tall, modern building where the Council held its meetings. Jocelyn was still weak, but she was holding herself straight and proud. Karl had been silent all the way from the Schloss to London. After Max received the call from Councilor Voinom the day before, he had gathered everyone in Avelyn’s bedroom and told them all the details.

  “Do you know what this means?” Karl had asked. “It means my political career is over. It doesn’t matter if we convince them we never broke the peace treaty. It’s over.”

  Since then, he hadn’t said anything else. Max and Jocelyn had tried to come up with a plan, but it was useless. Until they found out what the accusations were, there was nothing they could do. The smartest thing was to keep silent and give as little information as possible until they figured out where they stood.

  Avelyn, Max, Karl, and Jocelyn stopped in front of the elevator, waiting for it to come down. Avelyn shifted from one leg to the other, trying to ease the ache in her feet. A day before, she had been sure she could do this. The doctor’s advice to stay in bed for a week sounded ridiculous anyway. Now she was realizing how unprepared she was, both physically and mentally. The black, elegant suit she was wearing didn’t help either, as it made her feel hot and uncomfortable. She had traded her usual high heels for a pair of black leather flats, and whenever she wanted to catch Max’s gaze, she was forced to crane her neck. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Max pressed the button to the fourteenth floor.

  “Everything is going to be fine,” he said. She looked up at him and he pecked her lips. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay, don’t worry about me.”

  “I’m sorry I’m making you do this…” There was real concern and regret in his dark green eyes.

  “You’re not making me do this. I have to and I want to.”

  Karl and Jocelyn didn’t intervene in their conversation and didn’t look their way. They were too absorbed by their own thoughts. When the elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, they all took a deep breath and started walking down the hallway, towards the secretary. They didn’t even have to present themselves.

  “Right this way, please.” The woman behind the desk stood up and motioned for them to enter a large conference room. “If you need anything… coffee, water…”

  “We’re fine, Meredith,” said Jocelyn. “Thank you.”

  The woman nodded and let them inside the conference room. The moment the secretary opened the door and they stepped over t
he threshold, everyone in the room fell silent. Avelyn knew they had been talking about them. She scanned the room quickly, taking in the highly futuristic decor, the large windows that covered the entire opposite wall and offered a spectacular view of the city, and the long conference table, surrounded by elegant, comfortable leather chairs. She had expected the conference room to be much more crowded than this.

  “Ah! The Blackmanes! Welcome, welcome! I hope you had a nice flight.”

  Avelyn immediately guessed that the man who stood up to greet them was human. He was of medium height, with rich, white hair, and cerulean eyes. She recognized some of Delyse’s delicate features on his wrinkled face. Clearly, he was the representative of the human faction, Arthur Harington.

  “Mr. Harington, it’s a pleasure to see you,” said Karl, shaking hands with the councilor.

  The councilor shook hands with Jocelyn and Max, then stopped in front of Avelyn and took a second to study her before raising her right hand to his lips. “Max, you have a lovely wife.”

  “Thank you.”

  The councilor’s eyes went down to Avelyn’s round belly. “I’ve heard that you haven’t been feeling very well lately, Mrs. Blackmane. I promise you this meeting won’t take too much of your time. If I may ask, is the child okay?”

  “Oh yes, there’s nothing to worry about, Councilor. He’s fine. Thank you.” Avelyn offered him the brightest smile she could muster. She never expected Councilor Harington to be such a kind and caring old man. Because of Delyse’s odd relationship with him and the fact that he had actually donated his own daughter to a boarding school, Avelyn had pictured him as a bit of a tyrant. She made a note to herself to pay close attention to this man. The image she had grown up with didn’t fit with his small frame and wide smile, so she decided the truth was probably somewhere in between. Until she made a clear opinion about Arthur Harington, it was better to stay alert.

  More greetings and pleasantries followed, and Avelyn was introduced to all the other councilors, as she was the only one who had never met them before. She put on a permanent smile, even though none of them was as warm and welcoming as Councilor Harington. When they were finally invited to sit down, she tried to relax in her chair and study each of the men carefully.

  The meeting was a small one. None of the councilors had their advisers by their side, which meant that it had been scheduled in a rush. For the hundredth time that day, Avelyn told herself she had to calm down and chase away any fears. She was sitting between Max and Jocelyn, but she still felt like a deer caught in the headlights. From time to time, she would catch one of the men staring at her. Yes, they were the councilors of the six factions, the most important and powerful men in the world, but they weren’t dangerous. Not to Clan Blackmane, who didn’t violate any law. At least… that was what Avelyn thought. From her point of view, it had all been self-defense, but politics and law had never been her strong points.

  “First, I want to thank you all for coming,” started Councilor Voinom. “Max, I hope you won’t hold yesterday’s phone call against me. You must understand the situation we are all in.” He stole a glance at Avelyn. He might have felt a bit guilty for dragging her such a long way. The bags under her eyes were clear proof that she wasn’t feeling quite all right.

  “I completely understand,” answered Max.

  Avelyn gave the councilor a quick smile. She didn’t particularly like him. Dimitri Voinom, the representative of the wolf faction, the most powerful Alpha werewolf in Europe, with five packs under his command. Tall and imposing, he was a mountain of a man, with raven black hair and thick, bushy eyebrows that were constantly furrowed. From the way he talked, in short, dismissive sentences, he always seemed displeased with one thing or another. He was one of those men whom no one could completely please no matter how hard they tried. However, Max had warned her about him and told her not to worry. It was true that Voinom was rather grumpy and unpleasant, but he was a fair man who didn’t take any kind of crap. The fact that he had almost disowned his own sons because they had opposed the peace treaty in its early days spoke volumes of his principles.

  Councilor Voinom threw a look at the papers in front of him and cleared his throat. “Let’s get straight to the point. A young she-wolf… a newly turned she-wolf…” he emphasized, all the while moving his dark green eyes between Max, Karl, and Jocelyn, “came to my office yesterday morning. She wanted to report an impressive number of kidnappings all across Germany, countless breeches of the treaty, and…” he made a small pause, “…this is a good one, pay attention: a battle between wolves, dragons, and foxes. And they were all connected to Clan Blackmane. Now, what do you think my first reaction was?”

  They all remained silent. Jocelyn shifted in her chair and leaned forward just a bit, enough to rest an elbow on the table. “You thought she was insane.” Of course Jocelyn Blackmane was not the woman to simply shut up when she had something to say.

  “Point taken, Josie! Yes, I thought she was insane. But then…” Voinom spread his arms sideways, and looked at the other councilors, as if he was asking them for confirmation and support. “…this young woman didn’t have the trademark green eyes that indicate a born werewolf. No. She had the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. If she didn’t lie about this, it was fair to work on the assumption that she may not be lying about the other things either, as surreal as they may have sounded. Any thoughts?”

  Not even Jocelyn felt the need to speak. She did hold the councilor’s gaze until he averted his eyes to look at Karl.

  But not everyone in the conference room had patience for strategic pauses and rhetorical questions. The representative of the bear faction, Zachary Willamar, sighed in exasperation and intervened: “We’ll just ask you some questions and all you need to do is answer truthfully. As big and dramatic this whole situation might seem, I’m sure it can be simplified and, eventually, cleared if we work together.”

  “I agree,” said Karl.

  The bear-shifter was even bigger than Councilor Voinom. Ebony skin stretched over bulging muscles, short black hair with just a few gray strands at the temples, deep black eyes, and a booming voice that could make even the toughest people shrink in fear. The uniform and the medals on his chest told he was still in the military, but his words showed how much he dreaded the idea of a second war between humans and shape-shifters.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what we’re talking about here,” said Max, drawing everyone’s attention.

  Avelyn stared at his profile, admiring the straight line of his nose and the softness of his full lips. The business suit fit him perfectly, hugging his hard body in all the right places. If the situation were different and they were alone in this huge conference room, she would have jumped his bones and asked him to take her on the table. She sighed and tried to focus on his words instead of his gorgeous body.

  “We are ready to answer all your questions, but first we’d like to know what the accusations are.”

  “We’re not accusing you of anything,” said Councilor Harington.

  “No, of course not,” added the bear-shifter. “The young she-wolf who asked for Councilor Voinom’s help yesterday is, however, accusing you of many things.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch her name…” said Jocelyn.

  “We’ve decided to keep her identity private for now,” said Jonathan Redfur, the representative of the fox-shifters. He looked Jocelyn in the eyes and gave her a half smile.

  Avelyn didn’t know what to think of Councilor Jonathan Redfur. He was one of the youngest members of the council, together with the representative of the eagle-shifters, Christian Kwahu. Christian hadn’t said anything yet, aside from the usual greetings at the beginning. They were both tall, with strong, yet lithe bodies, but the common traits stopped there. While Redfur had fiery red hair, violet eyes, and sharp features, Kwahu had the olive skin and soft, delicate features of the Native Americans, with long, straight black hair and gray eyes. Each was sexy in his unique way.<
br />
  “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” intervened the dragon councilor, Calder Grimmr. “We offered her our protection and she’s in our custody now. We’re thinking that her shocking declaration might upset some people.”

  The silent, calculated Calder Grimmr was a sight to behold. Golden eyes, long, silvery hair, noble features… he looked like an ancient god. If there was one thing about dragon-shifters that everyone agreed on, was that they were all pure epitomes of beauty and majesty.

  “That was a very good call,” said Max. “Still, what is she accusing us of?”

  Councilor Willamar was the one to answer that question, and with every accusation he added, Avelyn felt her heart pick up the pace just a notch. Not out of fear, but out of anger. Everything was a lie.

  “Biting and turning Sabine Miller, your ex-wife, into a werewolf. Locking her up in a dungeon when she couldn’t give you heirs, because you wanted to take a human bride. Keeping her locked up for half a century, then attempting to murder her when she tried to escape. Hunting her when she finally escaped, thus causing her to kidnap humans and turn them into werewolves so she would form her own pack to defend herself against you. Butchering her, most of her pack, and the werefoxes who had tried to help and protect her, then covering all traces of the battle. Is that all?” The werebear turned to the other councilors, inviting them to add anything he might have missed. “I guess that’s all.”

  All the Blackmanes at the table were dumbfounded. Karl clasped the edges of the armrests in his big, strong fists, his muscles tensing under the pressure of sheer anger. Jocelyn fought the urge to stand up and scream in the councilors’ faces, and instead forced her body to relax and lean back in her chair. Max started rubbing his beard and taking deep, steady breaths, while Avelyn reached for his hand for support. He squeezed her fingers and he suddenly felt a bit better.