Taming the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 4)

“What about a Ursi bride and a werewolf?”

Claudia swallowed hard. “I think the result would be similar, but for the opposite reason. Ursi brides are usually too calm and… tame for wolf-shifters. We’re not adventurers and we don’t like to step out of our comfort zone. We’re too… boring.”

Karl turned to her and looked her straight in the eyes. “I don’t find you boring.”

Claudia almost laughed at his attempt of a compliment, then decided this had to be the worst interview she had ever had. Yes, she had put two and two together and came to the conclusion that it was an interview. Now, the question was: did she want to make a good impression? “It doesn’t matter,” she thought, a new kind of realization dawning on her. “It has nothing to do with who I am or what I say. He’s already made up his mind.” Her chest tightened, and the bitter taste of disappointment made her mouth dry. The butterflies stopped flapping their wings inside her quivering stomach.

Karl took a step towards her.

“Claudia, what would you say if…”

She raised her hand and, to her surprise, he fell silent.

“Avelyn asked you to do this.”

It wasn’t a question, but Karl nodded nonetheless. There was no point in lying to her. In fact, he hadn’t planned on it. Still, there was something about her reaction that made his heart sink. She didn’t seem thrilled.

“She’s such a good friend,” Claudia smiled and shook her head. “She’s always looked after me. I don’t know why… Delyse was the Donation, the one who had all the odds on her side, and Amelia was the strong one. I think this has been going on since we were children. Avelyn has always felt the need to protect me.”

“Did it… Does it bother you?” What kind of question was that? Karl told himself this was not the way to charm a woman, but then he had to remember he wasn’t there to charm her. Things were actually going according to his initial plan. Then why did he feel so inadequate?

Claudia fixed him with her dark brown eyes and thought for a moment. Did it bother her? Did it bother her that Avelyn had played matchmaker and asked Karl to buy her from the boarding school? Did it bother her that Karl was probably doing it to get his temperamental, demanding sister-in-law off his back?

“No,” she answered.

A tiny bit of her self-esteem crumbled with that single word. She had nothing against Avelyn, and she was truly happy that her friend still thought about her and tried to help her from afar, but just like any shifter-bride, she had secretly dreamed that a tall, strong shifter would come to the school, interviewed her and decided to buy her because she had taken his breath away and he couldn’t live without her. Just like any shifter-bride who wasn’t allowed to choose, but was only supposed to be on display, ready to be chosen, she had dreamed of a man who would want her for who she was. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be picky. She didn’t have the time for that. If Karl wanted to make her his bride, then she’d accept and thank the heavens that someone took her out of Alma Venus before her time was up.

Karl sat back down in the chair opposite hers.

“I was never married,” he said. “Too busy with the family business and the political scene. My brother, Max, has always been more into getting married, having children, building a family… Of course, it was expected of him given that he’s the main Alpha of Clan Blackmane. His pack and our clan already have three heirs, which has taken a lot of pressure off my shoulders. However…” he paused, looking for the appropriate words. “I believe it’s time for me to take a bride.” He didn’t want to say that was, actually, Avelyn’s opinion. “So, Claudia, if it’s okay with you, I can ask Miss Delacroix to prepare the transaction papers right away and we can leave for London this evening.”

“You haven’t…” her voice chocked a bit and she stopped to clear it. “You haven’t even checked the catalogs.”

“There’s no need.”

She shook her head. “I’m an Ursi bride. There are a lot of Lupi brides here, one more beautiful and prepared than the other.”

Karl stared at her. He didn’t know how to tell her he had already found what he didn’t even know he had been looking for. Or… he wasn’t ready to.

“Why make a rash decision?” she continued. What was she doing? She had just decided to take him up on his offer, and now she was finding arguments against it? “You don’t… You don’t have to buy me just because Avelyn asked you for a favor.” There. It was out. The thing that bothered her most.

Karl leaned forward and forced her to hold his gaze.

“She didn’t ask me for a favor. She simply told me about you, what a wonderful young woman you are, and how you’d make an incredible Alpha bride. I’m not here because of Avelyn. I’m here because I believe this is right.”

“Liar!” she screamed in her head. She made sure he couldn’t read her thoughts in her eyes.

“Claudia, if you don’t want this, tell me now and you’ll never have to see me again.”

Fear and anxiety rose in his chest at the mere thought that she might refuse him, stand up, and walk out of the office. He should have thought better before giving her the choice. What a fool he was! As a powerful, resourceful Alpha, he could buy her without her consent and take her to his apartment in London in the blink of an eye. That was exactly what Max had done with Avelyn, and even though they had had a lot of obstacles to overcome later, they were now the perfect couple.

Claudia studied him for another minute, wondering if she could walk out and never regret it, never ask herself “what if?”.

“If you think this is right,” she said, “then I trust you.”

Karl’s eyes lit up, but he contained his relief. He stood up and headed to the door before she saw any emotion on his face.

“Marvelous! I’ll ask Miss Jones to call the headmistress. This shouldn’t take more than an hour.”