Taming the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 4)

“You ruined everything!” The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them but didn’t have the courage to take them back.

“I ruined everything?” She stared at him, dumbfounded. “I ruined everything? How? By telling you that I want to become a hybrid so I can spend the rest of my life with you?”

He looked at her. Well, there was nothing wrong with her logic, at least not if he had been a different person. A whole different man, the man she deserved. He wasn’t.

“Claudia, I can’t do this right now.”

His wolf was pushing against his skin. He held his breath, hoping it would help, but the beast would have none of that. He felt his muscles starting to take a different shape.

“I can’t believe you! I’ve just told you I love you. Do you feel nothing for me? Why did you buy me, then? What are we doing? What’s happening? Tell me, because I’m lost. I’m completely lost, Karl.”

He turned his back to her and headed to the door. It was the middle of the day, but he had to shift. The terrace was his only option. He needed to get there soon.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

Claudia jumped off the bed, naked and still wet, her skin smelling of sex, and ran after him. She took hold of his arm, when he turned around and threw her a death glare. His eyes were dark green, the eyes of an animal, not of a man. She shrieked and let go of his arm.

Karl couldn’t hold his wolf inside anymore. He didn’t even understand what the beast wanted: to run away from her, or to lunge at her and bite her, make her his forever. No, Karl hadn’t appreciated her idea with the antidote, but his wolf was crazy about it. The thought of a mate, a hybrid mate who would give birth to his children and live the long life of a werewolf beside him… his wolf wanted that.

Claudia covered her mouth with her hands and took a couple of steps back when Karl started to shift. His bones snapped, his muscles took a new shape, and fur started sprouting from his pores. Soon, his clothes were torn to shreds, and before her stood a huge black wolf. The animal walked towards her, and she involuntarily backed up against the bed. She knew it was Karl, and she knew he wouldn’t hurt her even though he was very angry for a reason she still couldn’t comprehend, but her instinct told her to stay away from the big, scary animal. She had seen many Blackmane wolves running around in their wolf form at Schloss Blackmane, but this was different. It was as if Karl hadn’t turned because he had wanted to, but because his wolf had literally jumped out of his skin and clothes.

The werewolf sniffed her hair, then sank his muzzle in the crook of her neck.

Claudia was paralyzed. With fear… shock… she couldn’t tell. She closed her eyes and whimpered when she felt his wet nose press against her tender skin. Was he going to bite her? She had just suggested it, after all, so why was she so afraid?

Karl sniffed her again and was surprised to notice that her intense scent calmed him down. He didn’t want to run away anymore. He didn’t want to pace the terrace and sleep on the grass until he got bored of his wolf form. Instead, he wanted to plop at her feet and lie there forever, enveloped in the scent of her skin and of his seed between her thighs. But she shuddered again, and it wasn’t because she was cold or excited. It was because she was scared. He could feel her fear coursing through her veins, and he hated himself for being so wild, so terrifying. That was why he couldn’t let her give up her human life for him. He would hurt her, he knew it. Unintentionally, because he didn’t know how to control himself. He had never known. Using his shifter speed, he stepped away and ran out of the room.

Claudia opened her eyes and exhaled slowly.

“Oh wow!”

She had never imagined her first time seeing Karl in his wolf form would go quite like that.

“I’m such an idiot,” she whispered to herself. “Why did I have to freak out?”

She considered running after him, talking to him and convincing him she wasn’t afraid. She knew who he was and she knew his wolf could be dangerous but would never hurt her. After fidgeting for a while, staring at the open door, she sighed and gave up. She just wasn’t brave enough. Not now. She closed the door and went to take a shower. She was so tired that all she wanted was to sleep and wake up in the morning. She was pretty sure she had had enough for a single day, even though it wasn’t even 6 PM. But she couldn’t confront Karl again today. She couldn’t think clearly, and she didn’t know what to tell him, how to go about it. She was still angry and frustrated he had said “no” without explaining himself. And his scars… She needed to shower and sleep. She was sure she would think differently, more clearly, the next day.

***

Claudia woke up early and hungry beyond belief. She remembered having gone to bed at around 6 PM, waking up at 9, and deciding to go back to bed. She had been hungry then too, but starving sounded better than having to go out of her room and risk bumping into Karl. Although, he would have probably avoided her… And that would have hurt her feelings. It was better for her to avoid him, not the other way around. For once, he had to know that she could get angry too.

She took a quick shower and wandered out of the bedroom. The living room was empty, and she considered going into the kitchen to ask for an early breakfast when she heard noises coming from upstairs. It sounded like a broken cup or plate, then Karl’s muffled curses came. Claudia raised an eyebrow and looked at the kitchen door, then at the stairs that led up to the terrace. Breakfast could wait. She needed to talk to Karl at some point, so why not now? Even though she was hungry, her mind was clear, and the long, good night sleep had helped her make a decision: this was not the kind of marriage she wanted to have.

Claudia found Karl behind his small desk, in a corner of the terrace. His back was straight and all his muscles were tense. He had heard her coming, and he had been waiting for her.

“Good morning,” he said.

Claudia gave him a small smile. “Good morning to you too.”

Karl averted his gaze for a second and cleared his throat. “Did you… sleep well?”

“Very well.”

She walked towards him and took a seat in front of his desk.

“Are you ready to talk about yesterday?” she asked.

She was calm and relaxed. At least, she was trying to be, with her legs crossed and her hands joined on her lap. Karl wasn’t that relaxed. He had barely slept the night before, and still felt uncomfortable in his human form. His wolf needed a break. He needed to run, hunt, and sleep in his wolf form for a couple of days to recharge his batteries. This apartment was suffocating him, and the small garden on the roof didn’t help.