by Amanda Jones
The moment they got out of the plane, all eyes turned on them. The court was filled with a dozen werewolves, some in their human form, others in their wolf form, as if they had been expecting them. Their curious gazes made Avelyn feel apprehensive, but she still refused Max’s arm when he offered it to her. Yes, it was true that the castle was beyond anything she could have ever imagined and that the benches scattered around the court, each guarded by a beech tree, looked like the perfect reading nooks, but that didn’t change the fact that this place had just become her prison. And she wasn’t about to give anyone the impression that she was going in of her own accord. Max sighed in defeat and motioned to the main entrance, then he took her bag from Caleb and told him he and Daniel were free for the time being. As they made their way between the wolves, everyone greeted Max, but not one of them said “hi” to her, or at least nodded their head in her direction. She immediately understood she was not welcome here. Of course she was not. She was a Vulpes bride. It was as if Max had brought a lifetime enemy into their home. He guided her up the stairs to the third floor, where their bedroom was.
The room was just as impressive as everything else in the castle. It was as large as an apartment, with a king-sized bed in the middle, a desk and a comfortable office chair right under the tall windows, and a long sofa on the right wall, with a glass table in front of it. On the table and the sofa, Avelyn could see some books and papers that probably belonged to Max, but the desk was clean. A dressing room and a bathroom were attached to the bedroom, and Avelyn had to admit that the luxury impressed her. However, she wasn’t about to openly declare it. She stepped inside the room and stopped in the middle. She looked around her, then turned to Max and waited for him to speak.
“Well, what do you think? Do you like it?”
“A hotel room would’ve been just as good,” she answered.
He was almost sure she was faking it, but it still hurt. He placed her bag on the floor.
“You can put your clothes in the dressing room over there.” He pointed to the door on the left, next to the bathroom. He didn’t know what else to add. Except the question about the number of rooms, she hadn’t said anything from Myrtle Valley to the Schloss, and he ached to hear her soft voice. She took her bag and started unpacking, sorting her clothes on the bed. He watched her slow, graceful movements and admired her ass as she bent over the clothes. He felt the urge to go to her and hug her from behind to feel that firm flesh underneath her jeans against his crotch, but he kept himself in check. Her attitude and her refusal to talk to him were clearly defensive, and he had to convince himself that she needed time to adjust. After the defeat she had suffered, her wounds needed time to heal. Pressing his erection against her ass was not the best way to gain her trust.
“All right, then. I have a couple of things to sort downstairs, so I’ll see you later. I’ll ask Christine to bring you your lunch.”
“Who’s Christine?”
“She’s the one who’s going to take care of you. You know, bring you your meals and keep you company from time to time. If you want her around, of course.”
“Bring my meals and keep me company?” Avelyn turned around, disbelief sparkling in her blue eyes. “What is this? The only thing that’s missing is for you to tell me that I’m not allowed to leave the room.”
“You’re not,” said Max.
Avelyn’s neck and cheeks turned a bright red, and she clenched her fists to stop herself from jumping at him and clawing his eyes out. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. I don’t think you gave up your plans of running away, and after what happened last night, I can’t take any chances with you. You’ll stay locked up in this room until you start acting more reasonably.”
“Start acting reasonably… start acting…” Avelyn made a wide gesture with her hands, the only way she knew how to show frustration without hurting the idiot in front of her. “Who are you to talk about being reasonable? You stole me from Alma Venus, brought me here against my will, and now you’re lecturing me about reason?”
“I didn’t steal you, I bought you. It’s called business, Avelyn.”
“Business?”
“It’s how things work in this world. You were educated to be a shifter bride and I bought you. End of story.”
Avelyn’s body started trembling in fury, her temper flaring up. “Get out!” she screamed, releasing all the pent up anger in her chest. “Get the fuck out!” She would have thrown something at his head, but nothing appropriate was within reach.
What Max did next surprised both of them. He took three huge steps towards her, and, to Avelyn, his movement was a blur. He grabbed her arms forcefully, pressed his whole body against hers, and spoke right in her face, his voice low and threatening.
“This is my home. You don’t get to order me out of my own bedroom. You will have to learn how to behave. How to respect me and obey me. New life, new rules, young lady. You will do as I say and stay in this room until I decide that you’re capable of acting decently enough to go around and interact with the members of my clan. In the state you’re in now, you’d just be an embarrassment to me, but especially to yourself and the institution that raised you differently. Do you understand me?”
Avelyn tried to shrink away from him, but she couldn’t move. He was incredibly strong, and his fingers dug deep into her arms, leaving white marks on her skin. She looked straight into his eyes, challenging him.
“Do you understand?” he repeated, emphasizing each word with a gentle shake of her upper body. At least, he had the impression that he was shaking her gently. To Avelyn, it seemed like she was being tossed around in a roller-coaster. The sudden movement made her bit her tongue involuntarily, and she felt blood in her mouth. Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she clenched her teeth and struggled to keep her eyes dry.
Seeing that she had no intention to answer him, Max let go of her arms and she fell on the bed, on top of her clothes. He cringed when he saw the white prints his fingers had left on her delicate skin. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, but he noticed how her expression denoted pain. Had he really hurt her? He wanted to sit beside her and gather her soft body into his arms, tell her that he was sorry. Instead, he took a step back. She would have rejected him anyway.
“Good. I’ll send Christine with your lunch.”
***
Christine found her lying in bed, tears streaming down her face. After Max left, she had no power to get up and finish sorting her clothes. Instead, she had pushed her body up on the pillow without even taking her shoes off and let the tears flow freely. The taste of blood in her mouth was still present, and the left side of her tongue burned with pain. She hated this place and she hated Max. She couldn’t believe that the day before she had flirted with him and felt slightly sorry that she had refused him and did everything in her power to make him choose someone else. Yes, he was hot and handsome, and that expensive suit he was wearing had made it hard for her to look anywhere else during the car ride and the flight to the Schloss, but that didn’t change the fact that his personality was crap. She cursed herself for her naivety and the undeniable attraction she felt to him. She knew enough about shape-shifters to not allow herself to hope that one of them would change his attitude towards human women. Avelyn’s body stiffened when she heard the door open and then close. Soft, careful footsteps approached the bed, like the person was afraid not to scare her away. It must have been that Christine woman Max had told her about. She didn’t feel like turning around to see for herself.
The woman fumbled with the things on the nightstand for a bit, and Avelyn thought she heard her setting the food tray on it. She felt the edge of the mattress sink under another’s body weight. Avelyn tried to stop her tears and calm her heavy breathing which made her shoulders shake, giving away the state she was in.
“Miss Avelyn?” It was almost a whisper. Seeing that the girl didn’t even budge, the woman tried a second time. “I’m Christine. You have a beaut
iful name, you know? It’s the first time I hear it. It sounds like it has Latin origin. Does it mean anything?”
Avelyn didn’t move. She listened to the soft voice, trying to guess how the person whom it belonged to looked like. It didn’t sound particularly young, nor particularly old. Then, she felt a small hand touch her shoulder, and her body became even more rigid, if that was possible. The hand started rubbing up and down her arm, and Avelyn realized the repetitive motion calmed her down.
“I brought you lunch, but you already know that,” the woman continued. “All this is new to you, I understand. And Max understands it too, I assure you. It will get better if you give it time.”
That was exactly what Avelyn needed: a comfort speech. She would have rolled her eyes if she had any energy left, but Christine’s gentle strokes on her shoulder and arm were making her sleepy.
“He would have told this to you himself, if he weren’t in such a hurry to talk with his sister,” Christine chuckled a bit when she said the last words. “That girl can be a handful.”
“Max has a sister?” Avelyn’s curiosity got the best of her. The silent treatment she had decided to give Max prevented her from asking him questions about himself. She wanted to let him know that his person didn’t interest her in the least, but she couldn’t lie to herself. To a certain extent, the man fascinated her, and she would have loved to bombard him with questions if he weren’t the arrogant, possessive ass that he was.
“Yes. He has a sister and a brother. Jocelyn and Karl. Hasn’t he told you anything about the clan?”
“No…”
“Well, Clan Blackmane is the second most powerful werewolf clan in Europe. Max has three packs under his command, which is very rare. Usually, an Alpha doesn’t have more than a pack. Wolves are very territorial, you see, and Alpha siblings rarely accept to unite their packs under the effigy of the clan they belong to. But Max, Karl, and Jocelyn have always been very close, so, when their father announced his retirement and decided to live the rest of his old years in the Alps, the children vowed to never tear the clan apart. They divided it into three packs, each under an Alpha’s command. Max has the Crescents, Jocelyn rules with an iron fist over her Moon Children, and Karl over the Dark Wolves.”
“And all of them live here, at the Schloss?” Avelyn couldn’t help thinking back to the cold welcome she had received when she stepped out of the plane. The thought of having to deal with two other Alphas aside from Max terrified her.
“Only Jocelyn. Karl took his pack to London soon after the peace treaty was signed. He’s a diplomat, and, believe me, out of the three, he was the one who surprised me the most. That young lad wasn’t made to wear a suit and sip champagne at fancy parties. He was made to run wild in the heart of the mountains.”
Avelyn could feel the smile in Christine’s voice. She talked about the three siblings with such love and kindness that she could almost convince her they were normal people. Her curiosity took the last of her resolve away, and she turned to see the woman’s face. She had to know whom this motherly voice belonged to.
Christine was an old woman. She was short and so thin that Avelyn could swear a single gust of wind could easily blow her away. Her gray hair hung down her shoulders in thin, coarse wisps, and the wrinkles on her face made the skin look like a chaotic map of rivers separated by narrow banks. Avelyn was sure she was hundreds of years old, which was not far-fetched given that werewolves could live up to 500 years. The woman smiled at her, the wrinkles around her dry mouth becoming deeper.
“Ah, I see why Max was so excited about bringing you home. You’re a beauty.”
Avelyn managed a smile, the first one in what seemed like forever. “Tell me more about the clan.”
“Later, my dear. You have to eat now.”
Christine grabbed the tray on the nightstand and placed it across Avelyn’s lap. She lifted the lid off the plate and the room was invaded by the smell of stake and steamed vegetables. Avelyn’s stomach rumbled, reminding her how starved she was.
“I’ll run a hot bath while you eat. Then, you need to get some sleep. I can’t stand to see those deep, dark shadows under you pretty eyes.”
Christine stroked her cheek and Avelyn didn’t pull away. For some reason, she felt she could trust the old woman.
The food was delicious, and the hot, scented bath was even better. To say that she loved the bathroom was an understatement. The moment she had stepped on the warm tiles, the room took her breath away. It had the biggest tub she had ever seen, all made of crystal. The design of the whole bathroom was exquisite, and the dominating colors were golden and red, which gave off a feeling of warmth and safety. Of course, the tub faced the tall window on the right wall, and the sunlight made the soap bubbles which were threatening to spill over the rim shine like diamond dust. Avelyn was now submerged in the hot water, the white, rose-scented bubbles rising up to her chin. She felt her body relax, all the aches in her legs and feet from walking the other night being slowly soothed to a dull sensation she didn’t quite mind. She was so sleepy that she could barely form coherent thoughts, so she gave up thinking of anything. Max, the Schloss, Jocelyn, who lived somewhere in the castle, the fear that no one would ever accept her, the constant reminder that she didn’t need acceptance, anyway, because she had no intention to stick around… all these would have to wait, because Avelyn’s mind refused to function on a full stomach and surrounded by hot water.
When she felt the water grow cold, Avelyn made an effort to wash her hair and get out of the tub. She dried herself as well as she could with the huge towel Christine had given her, and then she wrapped herself in a thick, fluffy bathrobe. All she could think of was the bed and the soft covers she would sneak under. She left the bathroom as it was, thinking that someone would surely take care of it later. With slow, lazy movements, she closed the door behind her and took a second to enjoy the way the pelt covering the bedroom floor felt under her toes. She got bored of that and strolled over to the bed, ready to drop her bathrobe and plop herself on the pillows. She stopped when she heard a faint movement coming from the sofa.
When he heard the door to the bathroom open, Max put his papers down and took his time to admire Avelyn as she stepped inside the room, her body so relaxed and heavy with sleep that she could barely keep her eyes open. He saw her wiggling her toes in the soft bear pelt on the floor, then walking lazily to the bed, and reaching for the belt that kept her bathrobe wrapped around her. Then, she felt his presence and the spell was broken.
“You startled me,” she said.
Max was glad that her first words hadn’t been an insult or a not-so-kind invitation to get the fuck out of the bedroom.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were fine and had everything you needed. Then, I realized you were taking a bath, and I thought I would wait for you.”
Avelyn tightened her belt and sat down on the bed. It seemed that Christine had taken care of her clothes and smoothed the sheets. She started combing her wet hair with her fingers, untangling some knots and making it flow in wide curls over her shoulders.
Max was mesmerized by her delicate movements. He knew that she had no intention of making them look seductive, but that was exactly how they looked like. He could barely see a patch of creamy skin where the bathrobe was slightly parted on her chest. He would have loved to see her bare feet and her small, cute toes, but the fact that he was on the other side of the bed prevented him from seeing anything below her knees. His fingers ached to sink into her red hair, and his cock hardened when she moved ever so slightly, adjusting her position and causing the bathrobe to reveal more skin on her chest.
“You have no idea how hard it was for me to wait here while you were bathing.” The words had come out low and husky.
Avelyn’s movement ceased, and she watched him with curious eyes.
“The thought of your naked body in the hot water…” His green eyes sparkled with something that could be called hunger. But it was another kin
d of hunger. He rose from the sofa and approached the bed carefully, his palms slightly raised in front of him in an attempt to show her that he meant no harm, that he would stop the moment his proximity made her uncomfortable. He couldn’t chase away the image of the white marks he had left on her arms. He stopped at the foot of the bed. “I want to hug you so badly.”
