Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

“Yes, of course.” Max rose from the sofa and took a couple of steps towards his desk. He turned to face Kevin. “Send two or three Crescents to take a look at the exits and asses the possibilities. The best option will probably be to collapse the exit tunnels and bury everything under earth and rocks.”

“Yes. Will that be all?” asked Kevin.

“For now.”

“Update Ryan and give the orders,” said Jocelyn, “then go get some rest. We’ll need our best wolves fresh in the morning. It’s going to be one hell of a cluster fuck until we catch Sabine.” The name rolled strangely off her lips and left a foul taste in her mouth. She clicked her tongue, hoping it would go away.

Kevin nodded and left. He was fast and efficient, and Max and Jocelyn trusted him completely. Alone in the office, they looked at each other, unsure what to do next. There was nothing that could actively change the situation.

“Wanna go over this whole crap again?” asked Jocelyn.

“How would that help?” He threw a glance at his wrist watch.

Jocelyn studied him carefully, trying to guess what he was thinking. She knew there were things he didn’t want to say. No matter, she would say them for him. “She’s got some explaining to do after she wakes up.”

“Yeah…”

“Max.” He was actively avoiding her eyes, and she hated it. “Max, look at me.” When he did, she tried to keep her voice calm and her gaze kind. “You need to talk to Avelyn. You need to make her tell you everything. How it started, how she found out about the dungeons, what Sabine told her. Everything. There might be clues in there, there might be something that could tell us how Sabine thinks and what she’s after. No more games, okay?”

“She’s just found out she’s going to lose her baby, Josie…”

“And whose fault is that? No excuses. We need to sort this out, and for that she needs to tell us everything she knows. It’s the only way we can help her. You understand that, right? A human bitten on your watch by a member of your pack. That is a huge breach of the peace treaty. Add the fact that she’s pregnant and in danger of losing the child, and you’ll get all the media on your head. The Council will tear you to pieces, and then move on to me and Karl. This may well bring the end of the clan.”

“You’re going too far.”

“No, I’m not, and you know it. Let’s not take this too lightly. Better think of the worst case scenario so that we can avoid it.”

There was silence for a few minutes. Jocelyn knew her brother needed time to gather his thoughts. He wasn’t out of the initial shock yet. He took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and smiled down at her. “You’re right. Let’s do this. I’ll talk to Avelyn the moment she wakes up. We’ll find Sabine and bring her back and, meanwhile, we’ll see what we can do to save my child. The doctor said there’s a 98% chance she’ll lose it, but that leaves us with a 2% chance for things to work out well. There’s still hope.”

“Yes.” Jocelyn squeezed his shoulder in encouragement, the only gesture of affection she usually used with both her brothers and, sometimes, Ryan. “We’ll sort this out. Together.”

***

Avelyn turned over and snapped her eyes open when she realized she had rolled on her left side. She expected to feel pain in her shoulder and neck, but it didn’t happen. She exhaled softly and moved a bit, testing the waters. Nothing. Her body had healed completely, and even the headache was gone. She sat up and was surprised to see Max lying next to her, his head propped up on his hand.

“Hello, beautiful.”

She gave him a big, bright smile, and snuggled against his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

“Feeling better?”

“Oh, much better. I really needed sleep.”

He took her in his arms and cradled her gently, enjoying the smell of her skin and hair. So unique, so feminine. He felt a pang of longing at the mere thought of having almost lost her. “Totally understandable. After walking through the dungeons for four hours and getting bitten, it’s a miracle you didn’t fall asleep while the doctor was consulting you.”

Avelyn felt the smirk in his tone. “You’re so mean. Don’t joke about that.”

“Hey, it’s the only sane thing to do. Joke about it and move on.” He kept her at arm’s length and looked into her blue eyes. Dark circles were making them seem even bigger, while the pallor of her skin made the color stand out.

“I’m just glad you’re here.”

Avelyn gave him a shy smile, trying to fight the regret which had formed a lump in her throat, making it impossible for her to speak. Would he ever forgive her for what she had done? Should she try to apologize again, or would it make him angry?

Max saw the inner workings of her conflict flicker in her eyes, and squeezed her to his chest again. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I had lost you. I would have looked for you till the end of the world. But you’re here, and that’s the most important thing. The rest of it… we’ll solve step by step.”

“There are things that can’t be fixed.”

“Anything can be fixed, my love. No more lies. We work together, we do our best, and we’ll make it through, you’ll see.”