by Cara Wylde
Every time they were together, Kevin held her hand and kissed her whenever he had the chance. He always made sure she was happy and comfortable, and that was something completely new to Ashley. It felt nice being with a man who truly cared about her. Suddenly, the whole hassle with the mail-order bride agency seemed like a small price to pay to be with someone who treated her so well. But… how was she supposed to tell him she had changed her mind in less than 24 hours?
***
The living room was just as stunning as the dining room. A bar covered almost a whole wall, with different bottles of liquor arranged on a sturdy wooden shelf, and glasses hanging down from a clever support placed under the shelf. A bookshelf covered another wall, and Ashley immediately went to inspect the leather-bound books. The pups were working on a huge puzzle on the floor, while Max and Avelyn were lounging on the sofa. Max had a glass of wine in his hand.
“Did you enjoy the view?” Avelyn asked.
“Oh, yes!”
The redhead smiled. “The Crescent Tower is my favorite part of the castle.”
“Wasn’t that the library, honey?” Max cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes, before I kind of finished reading all the interesting books there.”
“Isn’t your library one of the largest in Europe?” Ashley asked. She couldn’t believe Avelyn could have read that much.
“Yes,” said Max. “Don’t worry, she only read about a quarter of it. She’s very fussy when it comes to books.”
Avelyn punched him in the shoulder. “You could buy some new ones.”
“You buy new books every time you go to Dunkelstadt!”
“Yes, two or three per trip. I need more than that.”
Max rolled his eyes and turned back to Ashley and Kevin.
“Would you guys like a glass of wine?” He stood up, made his way over to the bar, and set two glasses on the counter.
“I would love one.” Ashley said.
Kevin nodded.
Once each of them had a glass of wine, they sat down on the sofa and armchairs around the kids’ puzzle, and got ready for at least an hour of relaxation and light conversation. Max and Kevin started talking about some things related to the pack, so Ashley and Avelyn were left to entertain each other. At first, Ashley was afraid to ask, but she gathered her courage and did it anyway:
“What were things like for you before you became Max’s wife?”
Avelyn smiled and took a sip of wine.
“Things were different back then. Becoming a shifter-bride was the best thing that has happened to me, but I didn’t see it at first. The system was different… Girls who ended up in the boarding schools for one reason or another didn’t have a choice.”
“You… didn’t want to marry Max?”
Avelyn shook her head gently. “No. But it had nothing to do with him. I was young, I hated the system, the peace treaty… everything. I hated that I didn’t have a say in how my future would look like. It took time for me to see what a great man Max was, and to realize Clan Blackmane was where I belonged. It took time and mistakes.”
“Oh.”
Ashley didn’t know what to say to that. She shouldn’t have brought it up. She had hoped Avelyn could explain how the mail-order bride agencies worked, but she had forgotten she was coming from an entirely different generation of brides.
Avelyn sensed her unease and reached over to squeeze her hand in reassurance.
“Don’t worry, things are easier now. Any woman who wants to marry a shifter can join an agency. They also have a huge say in whom they want to talk to, date, or marry. Mail-order brides are free to chat with prospective husbands and see if they’re a good fit.”
“How long do you think the process might take?”
Ashley had almost whispered her question. She had noticed Kevin was staring at her from across the room, and she remembered how werewolves had incredible hearing. Yes, he might have been engaged in conversation with his Alpha, but he had probably been listening to her and Avelyn as well.
“I’d say three or four months would be more than enough time. Maybe even less if you already know the shifter you want to be mated to.”
“Three months…” Ashley murmured, gazing down into her glass of wine. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” she said, raising her head to look at Kevin. As she had expected, he was studying her with a big smile on his face. “I would be willing to do that for you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, but she knew he could hear her.
Kevin was by her side in a fraction of a second. She hadn’t even realized he had moved. When he used his full shifter speed, it all became a blur for the humans in the room. He sat down on the sofa and pulled her onto his lap. Ashley gasped and made sure to set her glass down before she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her insistently, and she responded, even though her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. She broke the kiss gently, and pushed against his chest to put some distance between their bodies.
“There are children in the room,” she whispered.
“Oh, we see our parents kiss all the time,” said Nick nonchalantly.
That made Ashley blush even deeper.
Max cleared his throat to get their attention.
“If you are serious about this, maybe I should let you in on a little secret. I happen to be the main advisor to the Wolf Councilor, and I’m also friends with Monique Delacroix. Monique is the owner of the best mail-order bride agency in Europe. If you want, I can make some phone calls and arrange for the two of you to be mated as soon as possible. No need to go through the system,” Max said, his white teeth flashing as he smiled.
Ashley looked from Max to Avelyn, her eyes wide with disbelief. What they were offering to do for her was beyond generous, and it would help her save so much time and effort. She wouldn’t need to make so many changes to her lifestyle, either. She looked back at Kevin, who was watching her intently. Eventually, she turned to Max.
“I would be forever indebted to you, if you did that.”
“That suits me just fine,” the Alpha said jokingly. “Consider it done.”
He walked over to Avelyn and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead. The sofa had become too small for all of them, so Kevin and Ashley stood up. The Beta suggested they went out for a walk, not before asking one of the servants to find a warm coat for Ashley. The one she had brought with her wasn’t quite fit for the weather, since she had opted for elegance instead of comfort.
They held hands the entire time, and occasionally they would stop for a long, passionate kiss. Ashley could almost feel the happiness radiating off of Kevin, which only served to make her heart flutter and her mind finally accept she had made the right decision, even though it seemed rushed and reckless.
“This is like a dream,” she whispered.
“A pleasant one, I hope.”
She laughed.
“All I ask,” she continued, “is for you to try and be patient with me. I know almost nothing about your culture. If I don’t go to a mail-order bride agency, then I’ll have to learn everything by myself.”
“Avelyn will gladly help you.”
“I… I know.”
They stopped, and Ashley turned to face him and look him deep in the eyes.
“Just… promise me we’ll take things slowly. You know… the mating ritual, me turning into a hybrid… I need some time to get used to all of it.”
“We can take things as slowly as you want, sweetheart. It will take at least a week for the paperwork to be ready, and then we’ll have to wait for the Council’s approval to turn you into a hybrid. They’re the ones who provide the antidote. Even after all this is done, we can still wait for as much as you want. I want you to feel completely comfortable with joining my world. No need to rush anything. I’m just happy to have you here.”
He took her face between his hands and kissed her gently.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, it was a
s if she saw Kevin in a whole different light. The man who was standing before her was not her one-night stand, nor her boyfriend. He was her mate.
“I love you.” The words fell off her lips without her even realizing.
A bright smile lit up his handsome features.
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her again.
THE END
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MORE VALENTINE’S DAY NOVELLAS
Are you looking forward to more Valentine’s Day shifter goodness? Then make sure you Subscribe to my Newsletter to be the first to find out about my next releases! They will all be live on Amazon and free in Kindle Unlimited before February 14, 2017.
Released on January 19, 2017:
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Jocelyn Blackmane is one of the few female Alphas in the world. Even though she is tough and independent, her status doesn’t make her life easy. As all female shifters, she is unable to bear children, so it’s difficult for her to find a mate. When her Beta, Ryan, shows he is interested in her, Jocelyn doesn’t know what to do. A relationship between an Alpha and a Beta would only complicate things.
Coming January 27, 2017:
It’s been ten years since Caleb’s girlfriend passed away, but he’s still heartbroken. His newfound feelings for his best friend, Rosanna, don’t make things easier. However, Rosanna is determined to show him he doesn’t have to feel guilty for moving on.
Coming February 3, 2017:
Matt is the Beta of the Dark Wolves pack. When Valentine’s Day catches him without a girlfriend, he does something reckless: he gets a mail-order bride. Shy, curvy Tessa Forbes is everything he ever wanted in a mate, but is he ready to commit to a long-term relationship?
Coming February 10, 2017:
Sexy dragon-shifter Astrid has never thought she would find a mate in her business partner, James Harington. She belongs to the most ancient and noble shifter species on the planet, and he’s only a human. To say they are an unlikely match would be an understatement.
THE ALMA VENUS UNIVERSE
Lovely reader,
The characters you’ve just met in this book, The Wolf’s Unexpected Mate, are part of a wider series. The characters you’ll meet in my next Valentine’s Day novellas belong to the same wider universe. If you want to know them better, learn about their background, and meet the other characters mentioned in their stories, then please check out my Alma Venus Shifter-Brides series:
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Free in Kindle Unlimited
Dive into the world of the Alma Venus Shifter-Brides! Get four standalone novels at an incredible price, and enjoy the stories of four beautiful, amazing women who are trying to make their own destiny in a world where humans are an inferior race!
The peace treaty between humans and shape-shifters was signed over a century ago. One of the clauses says that humans must provide shifters with young brides to give them heirs and ensure the perpetuation of their species. Today, all over the world, special boarding schools take girls from orphanages and give them the most exquisite education, preparing them to become brides for the enemy. If a bride reaches the age of 25 and no shifter wants to buy her, then she is given two options: serve in a shifter brothel, or starve on the streets. Society would never accept a bride who failed to accomplish her duties.
Sold to the Alpha – Avelyn is determined to regain her freedom and never marry a shape-shifter. When Alpha wolf Max Blackmane buys her, she uses all the tricks she can come up with to escape. Before she knows it, she falls in love with him. But Max has dark things in his past, dark things he keeps hidden in the dungeons under his castle.
The Hidden Alpha – Amelia has always wanted to marry a wealthy shifter and live a simple, normal life. She is bought by Seth, the Beta of Clan Sylfur, for his fox-shifter Alpha, Blake Sylfur. But her husband ignores her, and Amelia falls in love with Seth. Her betrayal might ruin her forever.
Claimed by the Dragons – Delyse has waited for three years for her Alpha, ancient dragon Eric Drekinn to wake up from his hibernation and claim her. When she finally meets her husband, she’s already in love with his Beta, Viggo. What she doesn’t expect is for the two dragons to agree to share.
Taming the Alpha – Claudia is worried that no shifter will ever want to buy her, and when Karl Blackmane shows up, she wonders if he bought her just because her friend, Avelyn, insisted. All she wants is to make Karl happy, but his dark, twisted past threatens to ruin their marriage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cara Wylde loves to write about strong, feisty women and their hot Alphas who will do anything to make them happy. Her books are filled with romance and just a dash of mystery, suspense, and that eerie atmosphere she fell in love with reading too many gothic novels. With a master's degree in Comparative Literature, she can't help but play with tropes and themes from various genres, trying to come up with fresh perspectives on the paranormal characters her readers love so much. Vampires, shape-shifters, demons, witches... Cara will always make sure they get their own twists.
When she's not writing, Cara is reading, planning her next story, or daydreaming. Her idea of pure heaven is a day filled with nothing but her laptop, a huge coffee pot, relaxing music, and a new, exciting project.
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