Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

“What?” Avelyn drew back in shock and stared at the wooden door. She hated it. “Can you open this door?”

The girl laughed. “No. It’s locked and I don’t have the key. Christine has it.”

“Christine? I can’t believe this. It’s so wrong, so wrong and fucked up. What do you mean you were his bride once? For fuck’s sake, don’t mess with my head.”

Sabine’s laugher intensified, even though Avelyn could tell it was a sad one. Tears were probably still running down the girl’s cheeks because she heard her sniff her nose every few seconds. “I am messing with your head? You’ve no idea what they did to me.”

“What? Sabine, please tell me. I will get you out of here, I promise. I’ll talk to Max, he’ll understand. I can’t believe he’d do something like this… lock his ex-bride in the dungeons. No, never.”

“You’re so naïve, aren’t you? Did he even tell you about me?”

“No…”

“Of course not. He didn’t want you to know. Avelyn…” Sabine got closer to the door, as if she wanted to tell Avelyn a secret. “He locked me down here and forgot about me.”

“Shit…” Avelyn changed her position, pressing her back against the door. She massaged her temples with her fingers and pulled slightly at her hair. The sharp stab in her temples announced the beginning of a headache. “No,” she repeated. “Max would never…”

“He would, and he did.”

“How long have you been in here?”

Sabine gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know for sure, I lost count.” She stopped to think for a long minute. “Five years, maybe? Six?”

“Oh God.” She had been stuck in a room for one week, and by the end of it she had felt like she was going insane. Another week, and she’d had jumped off the window. “Why? Why would he do this to you?” Her mind was trying to find an explanation, but nothing she could have ever come up with had the slightest chance to make sense.

“I don’t know… I guess I wasn’t good enough for him. I guess he got bored.”

“This is crazy.”

Sabine laughed bitterly. “I like you,” she added. “Avelyn, will you come visit me again?”

“Visit you? I’m getting you out of here.”

“You can’t.”

“What do you mean I can’t? I can do whatever I damn want to do. I

’m gonna go up there and talk some sense into that bastard. I can’t believe I fell for his bullshit.”

“No, please don’t tell him. Please don’t tell anyone you know I’m here and you talked to me. They’ll do the same thing to you. All of them.”

“What?”

“Max’s wolves didn’t want me. They told him to get rid of me, so he did.”

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.” Avelyn knew quite well Max’ wolves didn’t like her either. And Jocelyn? Had she had anything to do with this?

“Avelyn, promise me you won’t tell anyone, and I won’t tell Christine either. Just come visit me once in a while, and we can be friends. Please. I want you to be my friend. I haven’t had a friend in years, and Christine… Christine is with Max. She’ll do anything he says.”

“I’m your friend, Sabine.” Avelyn turned to face the door and pressed her hands against it. “If you don’t want me to tell anyone, then I won’t. But I will get you out of here. I will get us both out of here.”

“You can’t. Or, at least, you can’t take me with you. Only Max and Christine have the key to my room.”

“You call this a room? It’s a bloody cell. A fancy one, but still a cell.”

“Please don’t get angry with me.”

“I’m not angry with you. God, no. I’m angry with them. I will get the key from Max. You’ve no idea how easy it will be.”