Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

The ride to the adventure park didn’t take long, but once they got there, they lost track of time. Caleb took the coach’s place and showed the girls how to hold the bow correctly, how to aim and release the arrow when they felt ready. Avelyn found it difficult, because the new type of exercise really took a toll on her arms and upper body. She had never thought it could be so hard to pull the string of a bow and hold it firmly against her cheek without having her hands tremble like mad. It took her almost an hour to actually hit the target. Val and Rosanna did better, but only because they had werewolf strength and their arms didn’t go numb after shooting ten arrows. Avelyn had to take short, frequent breaks, but she was determined to practice until she hit that offending point in the middle of the target. She got frustrated, laughed with the others at her failed attempts, and accepted to take a longer break for a huge glass of lemonade. When her phone buzzed in her pocket it was almost dark.

“Hey, guys! I think you’ll have to return to the Schloss without me.”

Rosanna’s brows disappeared under her long fringe. “What do you mean?”

“Max just texted me. Something about dinner in Dunkelstadt.”

The blonde werewolf jumped in excitement, as if she was the one who had just been asked out on a date, not Avelyn. “That’s so romantic! Max is like this old-fashioned lover who takes his lady out to dinner, brings her blood red roses, and declares his love under the pale moonlight.”

Avelyn, Val, and Caleb stared at Rosanna in bewilderment. There was no point in gracing her with a reply.

“Right, so… Caleb, will you drop me off at…” she checked her phone. “… Symphonie restaurant?”

“Oh! So fancy! So fancy!” Rosanna was still in her child-mode.

“Sure thing,” said Caleb.

***

Rosanna had been right about the roses. And the romantic dinner. Avelyn took a small sip of the old, expensive red wine and wondered if she should expect a love declaration. Max smiled at her from across the table.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“Nothing. I… you took me by surprise. I didn’t expect all this.”

“What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t take you out for dinner once in a while? I have to make it up to you for the past month.”

Avelyn laughed and lowered her eyes seductively, her long lashes throwing a gentle shadow on her white cheeks. When he had texted her an hour ago and asked her to meet him at the Symphonie restaurant, Avelyn had realized she looked like hell. After a day spent shopping, walking, and trying her hand at target archery, it was safe to say she didn’t exactly look sexy. Thankfully, Rosanna and Val had come up with a brilliant idea. Caleb drove them back to the city, straight to the mall. Avelyn chose the classy, dark blue dress she had bought earlier, and a pair of black pumps. Rosanna and Val had helped her change her clothes in the bathroom, fix her hair, and apply some light make-up. Their little adventure had been so awkward and out of place that they had giggled and made jokes the entire time.

“You look amazing.”

“Thank you. Like the dress? You bought it for me.”

“I… don’t remember buying it.” Max furrowed his brows in confusion, studying the dress and how it barely touched her knee. Then he understood and laughed. “Good one! I love it! You have better tastes than me.”

“Caleb helped a lot. He has an eye for colors and the best cuts for certain body types.”

“Are you serious? Caleb? I had no idea.”

“Yeah, he’s quite awesome. He’s good with a lot of stuff.”

Max admired her from head to toe, loving her cheerful smile and pleasant mood. He could see she was happy, and he loved seeing her this way. “I’m glad you had fun today.”

“It was great. I’m sorry you couldn’t come with us, though.”

“Couldn’t help it. Karl is leaving on Friday and he wanted to go through the reports again. I almost know them by heart.”

“Any progress?”

“Not yet. Your insight helped, though, and we’ve decided the next step is to investigate the Alpha werefox in Alaska. The one you’ve told us about.”

“Right. It sounds like a good plan.”

“Karl is flying there next week.”

“I thought Jocelyn was doing the field research.”

“I need her here. If I am to work from home, I need someone to replace me in Dunkelstadt.”