by Cara Wylde
“It’s late, we’re all tired, and even if we stayed until morning, we wouldn’t get anywhere.” The bear-shifter stood up, and he was soon followed by Karl, Jocelyn, and Max, who was supporting Avelyn. “I hoped this would be easier to solve, but alas… we don’t always get what we want. We need evidence and more witnesses. We must do this right, and for that we need to track down as many of the wolves and foxes involved. It’s obvious we cannot avoid a trial, so, if my colleagues agree, we’ll part ways for now, and we’ll contact you next week, after we decide a date for the trial.”
The other councilors nodded in approval.
“Thank you for your time,” said Willamar and shook Max’s hand.
“And thank you for your patience.”
Avelyn felt like it took them forever to say their goodbyes and exchange the usual pleasantries. All she wanted was to take a hot bath and sleep for as long as possible.
CHAPTER THREE
The Trial
The Council decided the trial would take place in two months’ time, in September. This way, they had enough time to investigate further, track down the rogue wolves to bring them in as witnesses and offer them support, and, hopefully, find the Alpha fox-shifter and what was left of his two earths. That was another thing they were eager to shed light on: why would a three-tailed Inari have two earths under his command? There were many questions that needed answers, and everyone was working on them. Everyone except Avelyn. Max was doing his best to keep her away from all the drama, and he was succeeding. She knew the Blackmane brothers had endless meetings in either of their offices, but after a couple of failed attempts, she gave up asking them to join them. She truly wanted to help, and in the first few days after the meeting in London, she had forced herself to eat more, move around, and seem cheerful. Then, Dr. Stevens told her she was just endangering her health by forcing her body to do more than it could, and putting herself under too much stress, and if one day she fell down exhausted, she’d just make things more complicated for the whole clan. Avelyn had listened to him in silence, studying her dark red nails while he was giving her the talk, then agreed with him and promised she would try to relax, forget about the madness around her, and take care of herself and the baby.
So, Avelyn spent July and August reading, watching TV shows, and taking long strolls in the woods with Rosanna or other she-wolves during the day, and with Max in the evening, right before going to sleep. She was never alone, unless she was within the castle walls, where there were always werewolves around. But no matter how hard she tried not to think about the upcoming trial, there were times when she couldn’t help it. Panic would take a strong hold of her, and she’d spend hours sulking, staring at a book without reading the lines, or spacing out when Rosanna was talking away about everything and anything that came to her mind. Those were the moments when all she wanted was to be alone, with her own thoughts, no matter how destructive they were. Those were the moments when she looked around her, took in the garden, the library, or the woods surrounding the Schloss if she was in one of the towers, and got the dreadful feeling that it would all be taken away from her one way or another. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what the consequences would be if the Blackmanes were found guilty of anything. Would they take Max away from her? No, that couldn’t happen. It wasn’t possible. He had done nothing wrong. And what if they somehow found out about the cure and that she was a hybrid? Would they then take her away from her family to study her condition and see how her pregnancy evolved? And when her son was born, what would they do to him? No, she couldn’t think about these things… She couldn’t allow herself to be overwhelmed by questions which only seemed to lead to the worst answers.
As she was alone in the Crescent Tower, watching the sun setting behind the tall firs, Avelyn tried to ward those thoughts off. The gentle wind was playing in her long, reddish blonde curls, and she closed her eyes to better enjoy its soft kisses on her hot skin. At the end of August, the evenings were nice and warm, and Avelyn made sure she spent all of them in open air. Fall was already working on taking over the Black Forest Mountains and Schloss Blackmane, and soon it would be too chilly to stay up here, in the tower, wearing only a short sleeve dress.
She heard Max’s steps as he climbed the spiral staircase up to the Crescent tower, and she smiled to herself. He had been locked up in his office with Karl, Kevin, and Matt almost all day, but she had no intention of asking him what they had been talking about. She was dying of curiosity, of course, but she knew he wouldn't have told her anyway. He had promised that he would let her know if anyone in the Council announced if the Alpha werefox was found. “In an intimate relationship with Sabine…” Avelyn thought. “Why didn't the two of you just run away together and build a new life somewhere, far away from here?” It would have been better for all of them, but most importantly, it would have been better for Sabine. She had found her happiness and thrown it away on a whim, to take revenge, when revenge was the last thing that could have made things right. Avelyn almost couldn't believe that Sabine had hated her more than she had loved her Alpha werefox. Or, maybe, she hadn't loved him that much? Max's warm hands on her shoulders snapped her out of her thoughts.
“I knew I’d find you here.” He kissed the top of her head and started massaging her shoulders slowly, his fingers searching for points of tension, then working on releasing it from her muscles.
She leaned back against his chest and moaned in pleasure. Oh, how she loved feeling his strong hands on her body. It didn't matter where he touched her, as long as he never stopped once he started.
“How was your day?” she asked.
He sighed, and his arms went around her chest to hug her closer to his body. “It was okay, a bit exhausting. We’re not making much progress, but that’s nothing new. With the trial coming up in just a couple of days, the only thing we can do is try to relax and wait for it to just happen.”
She nodded softly, but didn’t say anything. She realized how safe she felt with his big, strong body pressed against her back, and she smiled again. As long as he held her in his arms, nothing else mattered. She let her head fall against his shoulder, and he immediately took advantage of this position and started trailing gentle kisses on the side of her neck. As he reached her collarbone, his kisses became more passionate, his teeth nipping at the skin, his tongue darting out to taste her. Avelyn moaned deep in her throat, and her hands flew back around him to grab his butt and squeeze it firmly. As he continued to kiss and nip at her neck and shoulder, Max started massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples through the soft fabric of her dress. She was in the fourth month of pregnancy, which meant that the baby would be born in two months, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a bit of fun every night. Max was always so gentle and caring that she always felt comfortable in his arms.
“Mmm… Baby, what do you have in mind?” she whispered seductively.
“I think you can tell I’m quite hungry,” he said, then sucked a bit of skin between his lips.
“Then let’s have a late dinner…”
“You know damn well that’s not what I’m talking about…”
His hands traveled down her sides, rested on her hips for a second, then one of them went lower to press three fingers against her mound. Avelyn was already creaming herself with desire, her panties wet and ready to be removed. She closed her eyes and pushed her ass against his clothed erection, determined to enjoy every minute of their heated bodies teasing each other. Her pussy clenched, just as hungry for his cock as he was hungry for her sweet juices.
“Why do you always have to wear such long dresses? Don’t get me wrong, I love you in them, but they are such a pain when I want you out of them.”
“Baby, you have to work hard if you want something…” She laughed when he started pulling at her dress in an attempt to sneak his hand between her legs.
“This isn’t working…”
He gave up and turned her around to face him, then fell to his knees an
d pressed his nose against her mound, smelling her through the damp panties and offending dress. He was also taking his time to enjoy the beautiful, delicious body of his wife. Avelyn threaded her fingers through his black hair just as his hands went underneath her skirt, slowly traveling up her legs, briefly caressing her knees before stopping to draw small circles on her inner thighs. She released a sound between a moan and a giggle.
“You’re tickling me…”
He looked up at her and smiled. “I know… But soon I’m going to do much more interesting things to you, so bear with me.”
“Mmm… My love, I don’t doubt that.”
He lifted her long skirt up to her hips and held it there while he started rubbing his nose against her soaked panties. Avelyn moaned when he brushed against her clit, and thrust her pelvis into his face, trying to get more friction. He kissed her through the thin fabric of her underwear and inhaled her intoxicating scent.
“Stop teasing and do something already.” His soft touches and kisses were driving her insane with lust. Her pussy walls clenched with need, and her hard nub throbbed, craving for his wicked tongue and playful teeth. She stopped running her hands through his hair and instead she grabbed her dress and held it up for him. “Here, let me help you with that.”
He gave a short laugh and started pulling down her panties. “So eager… And so wet and ready…”
The panties fell around her ankles and she stepped out of them, spreading her legs wider and leaning back against the cold stone of the tower. She sighed when Max finally latched his mouth onto her wet folds, sucking each of them between his lips and cleaning them thoroughly of the sweet, sticky juices. His tongue dipped inside her pussy for more, and he moaned when her walls clenched again, releasing delicious nectar onto his tongue. Avelyn gathered her skirt around her waist with one hand, the other flying back to his head to press his face harder against her wanton pussy. He thrust his tongue inside her a couple more times, then he went up to swirl it around her pink, hard nub, which was more than ready to explode in a powerful orgasm. Avelyn was so horny that she could come then and there, but she struggled to hold back, wanting to enjoy the softness of his tongue against her clit for as long as possible.
“There… Right there, baby…”
Max swallowed another mouthful of juices then his tongue started flicking against her clit quickly and firmly, as he knew this would throw her over the edge. He felt the muscles in her thighs tense, and he licked her faster, trying to focus on her and only on her, ignoring the painful erection hidden inside his jeans.
“Oh yes… I’m coming! Please don’t stop… Don’t stop, I’m coming…” She released a long moan and her body shuddered with the sheer power of her orgasm. Her clit throbbed under his tongue, and her pussy clenched and unclenched, more juices dripping out of her only to fall on his soft beard.
He licked her clit lazily, waiting for her to ride out her orgasm, and when she finally relaxed, his tongue went lower to clean the juices that had leaked out of her tight pussy. He thrust his tongue as deep as it went, rubbing the insides of her slick cavern. Avelyn moved her hips in the rhythm of his thrusts, enjoying the way his firm tongue fucked her.
“Now it’s your turn, my love…” She pulled at his hair softly, urging him to stand up. He followed her lead, and Avelyn let her skirt fall back over her legs, then rose on the tips of her toes to capture his lips in a deep, passionate kiss. She tasted herself on his tongue, and the thought of his face having been shoved between her legs just a few moments ago made her pussy throb again with desire. As their tongues battled for dominance, her hands took hold of his massive erection, rubbing it through the rough fabric of his jeans before her fingers started working on his belt and buttons. She broke the kiss to whisper against his lips: “I’m going to suck that big cock of yours and you’re going to enjoy every minute of it.” Her hand dived inside his jeans to wrap around his length, and he grunted when he felt the chilly night air on his sensitive skin. She pulled his jeans and underwear down, just enough to release his engorged member, and fell to her knees. She licked at the underside of his cock, and all he could do was throw his head back and moan with abandon.
“Have I told you how much I love your cock?” She sucked the tip between her lips, her tongue teasing the slit and tasting the tiny beds of pre-cum. “So big and delicious… You’re going to give me all you’ve got, okay? I want you to come down my throat…”
He loved it when she talked dirty, and Avelyn knew that. However, she couldn’t talk with her mouth full, so she had to resume to moaning around his length, which she knew would send wonderful vibrations right to his heavy balls. She bobbed her head in a slow, steady rhythm, using one of her hands to rub the base, while the other was kneading his balls and slapping them lightly. Every time the tips of her fingers came in contact with his sack, he grunted in approval and thrust his cock deeper into her hungry mouth. Avelyn closed her eyes and started moving faster, her tongue swirling around the swollen head each time she reached the tip, and her hand coming right after it to stroke the entire length. His moans and heavy sighs told her he loved what she was doing to him. In the past few months, she had become an expert at giving him the best blow jobs.
Tension was building deep down in Max’s balls, and his hand flew to the back of her neck. It blew his mind how she could take him far into her throat without gagging. Practice did make it better, he thought.
“So close… Baby, so close…”
Avelyn moaned around his cock, sending delicious shivers up his entire body, the vibrations raising goosebumps on his skin. His perfect abs tensed and he fisted her hair as he pushed himself deeper into her mouth and started shooting long streams of cum down her throat. She swallowed around him, her hand still rubbing the base of his cock, her intention to milk him dry. She opened her eyes to look up at him, loving the way he kept his eyes closed and his head slightly thrown back. As he towered over her, his skin glowing in the pale moonlight, he looked like a Greek god whose soul had just been enslaved by a mortal woman. She felt the muscles in his thighs tremble as he released the last drops of seed between her lips, and once he was done and his whole body relaxed, she finally let her mouth slip back to the tip and used her tongue to clean it thoroughly. She only let go of his spent cock when she was sure it was perfectly clean.
Max let go of her hair and offered her his hand to help her up.
“That was intense,” he said, drawing her into his arms. “I love you.”
She would have answered with the same words if he hadn’t immediately covered her lips with his. She allowed him entrance and let his tongue explore every crevice of her mouth. They stayed like that, kissing, their hands running over each other’s bodies, for long minutes. Avelyn let herself be carried away by the moment, determined to enjoy it with every fiber of her being. One more week, and they would all have to appear in front of a court made up by the six members of the Council, their advisers, and a couple more representatives of all six factions: humans, wolf-shifters, bear-shifters, fox-shifters, dragon-shifters, and eagle-shifters. These people would form a jury in front of which each witness would tell his or her story. Theoretically, Avelyn was ready. She knew what her story was, and she knew how she was supposed to tell it. They were all ready. All they could do now was wait, try to not let the calm before the storm stress them too much, and hope nothing unpredictable would happen until the trial. It would be even better if nothing unpredictable happened during the trial, either. There were so many things that didn’t depend on them… so many loose ends.
Avelyn rested her head on Max’s chest and breathed in his familiar scent.
“Everything will be all right,” he said.
He had glimpsed into her mind. It was okay, because she had done the same, and he was just as worried as she was.
***
The 4th of September had come too quickly in Avelyn’s opinion. As they were getting ready to enter the courtroom, she was feeling more lost and helpless th
an ever. There were so many people there, and they all seemed to look at her and Max even though they made sure they averted their eyes every time she turned towards them. She pressed a hand to her round belly, and her wild heart calmed down a bit. Dr. Stevens and his nurse were there, just in case she needed them.
“Are you all right, my love?” asked Max. His voice sounded calm and relaxed, but she knew he was nervous too.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” She gave him a weak smile and squeezed his arm harder. She was sure she was already hanging off his arm like a dead weight, but she needed his support.
They stepped inside the courtroom and took their seats in the front row. Avelyn ended up between Max and Rosanna. She was glad the chirpy blonde was there. Her bright smile and round, sparkling eyes always made her feel better. Jocelyn had also been very supportive lately, but the loss of so many werewolves in her pack had made her quite dark and broody. Out of the three packs, the Moon Children has suffered the most losses, especially because they had fought near the gate of Alma Venus, where the rogue wolves and foxes had concentrated their attacks. Val’s death had hit her hard, and Avelyn knew Jocelyn needed time to heal. Yes, her body had healed well, but her heart was still broken.
The members of the Council sat down behind a long desk facing everyone in the courtroom, each having their advisers by their side, except Dimitri Voinom. Max and Karl had expected him to ask at least one of his sons to sit by his side, but, apparently, he hadn’t. It was better this way, of course, since Voinom’s sons never liked the Blackmanes. The Council had the jury to their left. The bear councilor, Zachary Willamar, was sitting in the middle, dominating the entire table and the courtroom. It was clear he would be the one to preside the trial. Somehow, however, what was about to take place wasn’t exactly a trial. Yes, the ones found guilty of breaking the peace treaty would have to suffer dire consequences, as the Council would see fit, but the main goal was to find out the truth and handle things from there. What had exactly happened at Alma Venus Boarding School? How much responsibility did the Blackmanes hold for Sabine Miller’s rampant behavior? It was clear that she had been the one who kidnapped and turned innocent humans into werewolves, but she wasn’t around anymore. She had already paid for her sins. What was left for the Council was to get the whole picture and try to make things right.