by Cara Wylde
Blake studied his bride for a moment, then a second knock convinced him he had to answer the door. He already knew who it was. He could smell Seth’s trademark scent from miles away.
“Come in!”
Seth entered the room, greeted Blake and nodded towards Amelia. He had just showered and his blond hair was slightly wet. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything. Elena told me you guys are playing chess and I just couldn’t stay away. I had to know if you’ve finally found your match.”
Blake motioned for him to sit down. “Oh, you’ve no idea. Amelia just kicked my sorry ass.”
“Wow!” Seth turned to Amelia, his eyes filled with pride. “Please tell me you can do it again. I have to see that! Roman too.”
He had just finished his sentence when there was another knock on the door and the old Inari came in without waiting for an invitation. His sensitive ears had caught their conversation from down the corridor. “I knew Seth would know exactly what kind of woman you needed.” He chuckled and winked at Amelia. “You remind me of my late wife, sweetheart. She could kick my ass all right.”
Amelia smiled awkwardly. Her heart was still pumping too much adrenaline into her veins, making it hard for her to regain her composure.
“I see you’ve already started a new game.” Roman Sylfur sat down slowly in the nearest armchair, his eyes locked on the board, as if he was waiting for some sort of magic to happen.
“Yes, but Amelia was just telling me something.” Blake turned to her. “Go on…”
“Shit,” she thought. “What now? You’re stupid, so stupid…” Seth shifted in his seat and cleared his throat, drawing her attention. Roman’s eyes moved away from the board, where nothing was happening anyway, and locked on her. “I… I don’t know.” She struggled to find her voice. “Maybe this isn’t a good time.”
“What’s this all about?” asked Roman.
“We were talking about shifter-brides and boarding schools,” explained Blake. “It sounded important, and if it has to do with the system, then we all want to hear it.”
Amelia didn’t appreciate his encouragement. Now there was no way she could back down without raising suspicions. The three men in front of her were bounded by family and friendship, and if one of them thought what she had to say could affect the clan, then they would insist until she confessed everything. But that was insane! She couldn’t possibly look Blake and Roman in the eyes and tell them she had just slept with Seth. A shifter-bride cheating on her Alpha with his Beta - that should have been punishable by death. No, she had to come up with something else, something good enough to cover her stupidity for now.
She took a couple of steps towards the window and stopped to look at the pale crescent moon for a long minute. This wasn’t easy. But it was okay. It wasn’t supposed to be easy. “It’s actually a good thing you’re all here now. I’ve been thinking of telling this to my husband, but it’s even better if you all hear it.” Their silence indicated she had gained their attention. She wondered if Seth was boiling with fear and anxiety now, but she didn’t want to turn around and find out. “Yes, the boarding school system is not the best even if it managed to consolidate the peace between humans and the shifter factions, but it’s not that bad either. For many of us, shifter-brides, it was a life saver.”
“A life saver?” asked Blake. There was a hint of incredulity in his voice, and Amelia couldn’t understand why he cared so much. He was an Alpha fox. If anything, the peace treaty and the system it had established worked in his favor.
“Please, let me finish and you’ll understand. This isn’t easy.” She made another pause, waiting to see if anyone had anything else to add. When she was sure no one would interrupt her again, she continued. “You already know I’m an orphan because it was in my file, and Seth studied it carefully before interviewing me. But the profiles shifter-brides get in their House catalogs never mention the details of their past. I’ll make it short. My parents were murdered when I was 3 years old. The investigation didn’t lead anywhere, so to this day I don’t know why they were killed while my life was spared. I remember that night too well: two people broke into our home and shot my parents in their sleep. One of them… a man, I think… checked my bedroom, saw me shaking under the covers, but simply left me there and closed the door. Having no other relatives, I was placed into an orphanage. The living conditions were horrible, the food was disgusting, and all children had only two changes of clothes. The teachers didn’t even pretend they were doing their job, and when Monique Delacroix, the headmistress of Alma Venus Boarding School, bought me from the orphanage and took me to Myrtle Valley, I didn’t even know how to read and write. I was 8, a wild little thing, dirty and underfed, with no hope and no future, but Miss Delacroix saw something in me and took me in. I was the only girl she bought that day, and while I felt sorry for the friends I was leaving behind, I was determined to make the best of the chance I was given and become a worthy shifter-bride. There was nothing waiting for me out in the world, and I knew I had to leave my past behind and focus on my future.” She finally turned towards the three men who could have been her new family if she hadn’t screwed up so royally. “I wouldn’t have been here if it weren’t for Alma Venus and for the headmistress who decided I was worth the investment.” She looked at Blake. “When Seth bought me for you, he helped me pay the boarding school back for the education and upbringing I received there, and for that I must thank Clan Sylfur. So, I don’t want you to ever see me as a victim of the system or the peace treaty. I’m not. It was my choice to be here, even though it might not look like it. I want to be here. I worked hard for this.”
“I… I’m sorry. I had no idea about your parents.”
It was Blake who spoke, and Amelia cursed her heart for wanting Seth’s compassion, not his. Maybe she should have told Seth on the boat. But, if Blake’s eyes were filled with sadness and regret, Seth’s were sparkling with anger.
“Just say the word and I’ll reopen the case,” the Yako said. “We can’t let those bastards get away with something like this.”
Amelia sighed. “It was years ago…”
“How many? Twenty? They’re probably still out there, enjoying their petty little lives while you had to grow up among strangers and deal with the loss of your parents.” Seth stood up and started pacing the room. “You should have told us earlier, the second you got here. Blake, what do you think?”
Blake looked at his father, but the old Inari didn’t say anything. It was obvious he was letting the young men of the clan decide, and it made sense. It was a matter of time until his son would take his place, and he had to get used to leading and making hard calls.
“I agree. We can’t let this go.”
Amelia stepped away from the window. She had opened this old wound to cover the humongous mistake she had made, not have them start an investigation. This was wrong. So wrong. “It was a long time ago. I’ve made my peace with what happened.”
“But you shouldn’t have!” Seth was seething with anger.
Blake, on the other hand, was calmer and more calculated. “Don’t you want to know?” he asked her gently.
The care and concern she saw in his eyes disarmed her, and it took her a couple of minutes to calm down and put her thoughts in order. “I do… I do want to know.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Blake
His hot, wet lips on her neck made her shudder. His hands were squeezing her butt possessively and her body responded against her will.
“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
She couldn’t believe how good his breath felt on her skin. Her palms were still on his chest, meekly trying to push him away. “I didn’t want to.”
“What’s wrong, my love?”
“Don’t…” He bit her neck and she moaned, then swallowed hard and pushed again against his chest. “Don’t call me that.”
He finally got the point and looked her in the eyes. “What’s wrong? There’s something wrong and you don’
t want to tell me.”
She disentangled herself from his arms and put some distance between them. The fact that he was in her room made her very uncomfortable. Even though Blake’s room was at the opposite end of the corridor, she couldn’t know how sharp a fox-shifter’s hearing was. She smoothed down her clothes.
“Of course there’s something wrong!” She turned away, ignoring the hurt she saw in his eyes. This had to stop. Seth had to leave her alone and she had to at least try to get over him. It didn’t help that he was looking at her with those big, puppy eyes.
Seth sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He had hoped she would play along, given that Blake was clearly not interested in her, but it seemed that Amelia truly was one of a kind. Of course she was. Last night she had told them how much Alma Venus had meant to her. She was one of the few shifter-brides who didn’t have a vendetta against the peace treaty and all shape-shifters, and that made her loyal to her Alpha even though she felt nothing for him and their marriage had not been consummated. “And would never be,” he thought. He couldn’t live without her, he couldn’t sleep at night without her warm body pressed up against his. He couldn’t stand seeing her so distressed either. How could he tell her there was nothing to feel guilty about without revealing everything about Blake Sylfur? He rubbed his temples in an attempt to chase away the impending headache. This couldn’t go on like this. Blake had to man up - “Man up… what a joke,” he thought. - and tell her the truth. They had to take things further anyway, and by now they were all convinced Amelia was the right choice for their insanely weird plan. No one knew how much time Roman had left.
“Baby, come here…” he begged.
“No.” She resisted the urge to turn around. If she saw his handsome face and tight body, she wouldn’t be able to help it. His raging erection was so visible underneath his leather pants that instead of asking him to leave, she would have probably fallen to her knees and taken his cock out to give him one hell of a blow job. Her pussy throbbed with the need to be filled, and Amelia cursed her weakness.
He took a couple of steps towards her and tried to hug her from behind, but she jumped as if his hands had just burned her skin.
“Look, we can’t do this anymore, we just can’t. It’s not fair.” She turned around, determined to keep her eyes fixed on his face and not let them roam over his body. “Yesterday I cheated on my husband, Seth. Do you comprehend that? Can you at least bother to make an effort to wrap your mind around it? He is the son of your Inari! He will be your Inari when Roman will be too weak to rule over the clan!”
“Amelia…” He didn’t know what he could tell her, so why was he trying?
“No. We must tell him. He cares so much about us. If you won’t tell him, or if we won’t do it together, then I’ll do it alone.”
“Okay, stop right there. We’re not telling anyone anything. Not just yet.”
“What do you mean not just yet? What universe do you live in? He will send me back to Alma Venus, I know that, but I don’t care. I love you, Seth, but I can’t do this. It makes me feel too miserable, too filthy and worthless.”
“Please don’t say that…”
“How can you be so calm? Don’t you feel even a little bit guilty?”
Seth sighed, lips pursed and jaw clenched tightly. What had he expected anyway? He had been such a dumbass.
“So you have nothing to say to that. Nothing.” Her eyes grew wide with surprise. How could he be so insensitive? Had she judged him wrong? Maybe he wasn’t the man she had thought he was. “I see…”
“I’ll fix this.”
“Will you, Seth? Will you?” She almost screamed at him, hands flailing in wide, exasperated gestures.
“Trust me…”
“Trust you? I don’t trust you. In fact, you know what? I don’t want you here. Get out of my room!” She went straight to the door and opened it for him.
“Amelia…”
“Out!”
His shoulders slumped in resignation. For now, there was nothing he could do but listen to her. Telling her what she needed to know was not his call. It was Blake’s. Unfortunately, he knew his friend and future Inari well enough to remind himself Blake could never be rushed.
***
The room was too small, she couldn’t breathe properly. She opened the window to let in some fresh air, but it didn’t help. Since Seth had left, she had been pacing relentlessly, her mind working on finding a solution. But there was no other solution, and she knew it. She took a deep breath then headed to the door with big, determined steps, threw it open and started down the corridor towards Blake’s room. She almost ran, not giving herself time to reconsider, time to change her mind. Her hand shook as she knocked on his door.
“Come in, Amelia!”
Of course he had heard her, maybe even smelled her from behind the door. Could he also smell her fear?
Blake closed the book he was reading, rounded his desk and came to greet her. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the look on her face. “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you all right?” He closed the space between them and took her pale cheeks between his cold palms. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
Amelia flinched away from his touch. She couldn’t stand his hands on her face, his deep purple eyes filled with worry. Everything would change after she told him what she came here for.
“I need to tell you something, and I need to do it right now. Promise me you’ll listen to everything I have to say, and then you’re free to do what you must.”
Blake huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. This was it. It couldn’t wait, could it? Damn his Yako for forcing his hand like this.
“All right, all right, calm down,” he said in a low, serious tone. “Here’s what we’ll do: you listen to me first and then I promise I’ll listen to you.”
“What are you talking about?” What was even the deal with these people? Had all Sylfur fox-shifters fallen on their heads when they were little? “Blake, this is important!”
“I know it is, that’s why I’m going to be the first to talk.”
“I just… I don’t… Fine.” She shook her head, but gave in. After all, he was still her Alpha.
He turned around and she looked at him curiously. There was something about him today, something that hadn’t been there before. She studied his tall, athletic frame, narrow hips and slightly thin arms. He was wearing a gray shirt and an old pair of jeans, and Amelia realized how different Seth and Blake were. While Seth liked to wear tight clothes which emphasized his bulky muscles, Blake always went for loose jeans and shirts which hid the assets a woman would usually find sexy in a man. Maybe if he dressed differently, then Amelia would find him more attractive. “It’s too late now, anyway,” she thought. He didn’t seem to be doing anything, just thinking, so she was about to lose interest. She opened her mouth to insist he should let her talk first, when she realized he was unbuttoning his shirt. Her heart sank and she panicked. Surely he didn’t want to… Not now.
“What are you doing?” When he didn’t answer, she switched her weight on the other foot and eyed the door. “Blake, I really don’t think this is a good idea…” His silence was killing her. It seemed she had a special talent of ending up in weird and inappropriate situations. He started pulling his shirt off his shoulders, and Amelia realized she couldn’t look away. Was it curiosity? The shirt revealed the upper half of his back, and she gasped.
Blake let his shirt fall at his feet and turned around. He smiled when he saw Amelia wasn’t looking at his face, but at the thick cloth strips tightly wrapped around his torso. He reached for the pins which kept the entire thing in place and undid them one by one, then started unwrapping the cloth. By now, Amelia’s eyes were as wide as saucers and he couldn’t blame her. She couldn’t blame her.
“You’re…” The words died on Amelia’s lips. She felt her mouth dry and she swallowed hard before trying to speak again. The long, white layers of cloth pooled around Blake�
��s ankles. “You’re a woman.”
Her medium-sized breasts looked strange on her strong, well fit body. It was clear Blake had been working out for years to build up the muscle mass necessary to hide her feminine curves. Amelia didn’t need him… her… to take her jeans and underwear off to further prove that the fox-shifter standing in front of her perplexed eyes was, in fact, a vixen.
“Why… How?” Amelia finally looked up into the woman’s eyes.
Blake sighed. “It’s a long story and I couldn’t tell you the truth until I was absolutely sure you’re ready for it.”
“Are you…?”
“What?” Blake’s eyebrows rose in confusion.
“I mean… do you like women?”
“Oh, that!” She started laughing. “No, I’m very much straight. As straight as I can be.”
“Then why…?” Amelia lifted her hands in front of her, palms up, as if to show she was at a loss for words. She had been trying to form one complete, coherent sentence for the past five minutes and failed epically. She felt as if she was slowly losing her ability to speak. Sounds. She had regressed to sounds.
“The only people who know I’m not a man are my father, Seth, Aaron, and Elena. And now you.”
“Seth knows… Seth knows…” It all started to make a bit of sense now.
“Of course he knows. He’s going to become my Yako, so he needed to know this small, insignificant detail. Anyway, we all grew up together… Seth, Aaron, Elena, and I. When I was born and dad made the decision to lie to everyone and tell them I was a boy, he also chose my friends and future supporters. The only ones who were in on his stunt were his old Yako, Seth’s stepfather, and his two Ninkos, two loyal fox-shifters who had taken human brides. Yes, Aaron and Elena are their children. Everything worked out better than expected. Until I grew up and hit adulthood…”