Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

Avelyn saw anger flash into Max’s eyes. She could also feel the tension between him and his sister. Karl simply looked at them, and then fixed his eyes on Avelyn. She couldn’t hold his gaze, so she turned to Christine, who had resumed eating her steak.

“Because it’s true, obviously.” It seemed that Jocelyn had no intention of backing down.

Max squeezed the corners of the table, as if he was struggling to stop himself from pouncing on the she-wolf. Avelyn dared to touch his arm in an attempt to calm him down. However, she knew there was nothing she could do if he suddenly decided to teach Jocelyn a lesson, given that he was the main Alpha, and Josie was, in a way, his subordinate. She felt his muscles tremble under her small hand.

“That is a lie, and you know it,” he said between clenched teeth.

“Is it, Max? Is it?”

“Okay, okay, this isn’t helping anyone.” They all turned to Kevin, surprised to hear him speak for the first time since he had sat down at the table. He set his elbows on the table and rested his chin on the back of his joined hands, leaning in to see Avelyn over Christine’s small frame. “Do you know if there’s any Inari who can actually use his tails to produce electricity as a weapon?”

Avelyn felt like she could lose herself in Kevin’s deep, kind eyes. “No…”

“What about that five-tailed Inari in Alaska?”

“I don’t know… I don’t think so. What I’ve told you is based on legends. I mean, everything is true, but it seems that, for some reason, in time, the fox-shifters have lost their ancestral abilities.”

“So,” Kevin turned to Karl and Matt. “Does this change anything?”

Karl took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, arms folded over his chest. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I was hoping Avelyn’s knowledge about their culture would hint to any possible answer as to why they have started to take so many human brides in the past few years.” He turned to Avelyn. “Tell me, only Inaris can have more than one tail?”

“No. A Yako, which would be the equivalent of a Beta, can also grow more tails. Also a Ninko, which would be the Delta. Technically, fox-shifters can grow new tails based on their knowledge of the ancient texts, their wisdom, and their determination to evolve. However, it takes an awful lot of time and energy.” A fleeting thought crossed Avelyn’s mind, and she laughed. “It’s probably easier to procreate as much as possible until one of them finally gives birth to a nine-tailed pup.”

No one at the table found her joke funny.

“A Kyubi,” noticed Kevin.

“Yes,” said Avelyn. “A Kyubi can only be born, not made. An Inari can grow up to eight tails by himself or herself, but a Kyubi is simply born with nine tails and the ability to create lightning.” Then it struck her. “Wait.” She turned to Max, who had calmed down and was listening to her with wide eyes. “You told me the werefoxes are now buying human brides for all the members of their earths.”

“And you’ve just said that any fox-shifter, regardless of his or her rank can grow more tails,” he completed her train of thought.

“That explains it,” said Jocelyn. “The more children they have, the more chances of giving birth to one of those Kyubi things.”

“But why?” added Karl. “This is the damned question we need to find an answer to. Why?”

***

“You were wonderful! They all loved you!” Max lifted Avelyn off the floor and spun her a few times, a bit faster than human speed. He put her back down and laughed when she lost her footing.

“Yeah, well… I still have to work at making Jocelyn like me.” She rubbed her forehead, trying to chase away the dizziness. She felt a bit sick, so she untangled herself from Max’s arms and strolled towards the bed. She sat down and started removing her clothes.

“Here, I’ll help you with those. I think my lovely, gorgeous bride deserves a treat.”

Avelyn smiled, but shook her head and pulled away when he reached for the zipper of her dress. “As good as that may sound, I think I’ll pass.”

Max was taken aback. It was the first time Avelyn refused him. Or, maybe he misunderstood her?

“What’s wrong?”

Avelyn cringed at his serious, slightly confused tone. She really didn’t feel like dealing with him right now. “Nothing, I just don’t feel very well.”

“Okay… I can give you a massage, what do you say? Or I can rub your feet…” He took hold of her feet and removed the black high heels, but Avelyn stood up before he had the chance to even touch her soles.

“No, thank you. I want to lie down and try to sleep. The dinner went very well, indeed, but it was exhausting.”

“All right…” Max hadn’t moved from where he was kneeling in front of the bed. He watched her as she unzipped her dress and let it slide to the floor. She went to the dressing room, found a large T-shirt, and threw it over her bare skin. She strolled back to the bed, but didn’t even touch him before sneaking under the covers and making herself comfortable. His wolf senses sharpened, trying to catch the smallest clue that could tell him what was happening. There was something wrong, and she didn’t want to tell him. Maybe Jocelyn had truly managed to ruin her evening? Could it have been Ryan, who had only grunted and mumbled and refused to even look at her over the table? He had no idea. She went to her side of the bed. “Baby, are you okay?”

Avelyn let him caress her forehead, enjoying the warmth of his big hand. “Sure. My stomach, though, not so much. Could you, please, turn off the light?”