Sold to the Alpha (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 1)

“My son…?” Max stopped in his tracks. Avelyn climbed down two more steps, then turned around, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. “You just said son,” he clarified.

“Oh…”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t, actually.” She gave him a sweet smile. “But I hope.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on the back of her fingers.

“Now, will you move already?” She tugged at his arm. “I’m really hungry.”

He laughed and followed her obediently. Just as they were heading to the door, Kevin came in and, with long, determined steps, closed the distance between them. Max’s brows furrowed in worry. He knew that look on his Beta’s face. Kevin’s clenched jaw and hard eyes told him the first thing he needed to know: the news was bad. Very bad.

“Kevin. What happened?”

The Beta’s bright, green eyes moved from Max to Avelyn, then back to Max. “Maybe we should go to your office.”

“We’re just heading to Dunkelstadt,” said Avelyn. “How about you join us? Surely, business can be discussed over lunch. There’s no need for you two to lock yourselves up in that office.”

“Unfortunately, this is not business, Miss Avelyn.”

Avelyn took a deep breath and squeezed Max’s hand for comfort. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like it was a good idea to brace herself for what was to come.

“Honey, maybe it would be better if Kevin and I talked about this alone.” Max had an uncomfortable feeling the news would upset Avelyn.

“No, it’s okay.” Avelyn’s eyes rose to meet Max’s, then turned to Kevin. “I’d like to hear what you have to say, Kevin.”

Kevin sent another questioning look towards Max, and when his Alpha nodded his head in approval, he took a deep breath and started talking.

“It’s Sabine. It seems that she has… a pack.”

“A pack?” Max’s eyes widened in surprise and confusion. “What are you talking about? Are you sure? How is that possible?”

“I know, it sounds surreal. Ryan and I couldn’t believe it either. Those people she kidnapped in Dunkelstadt and all the other cities and villages up to the northern border… It seems that she actually used them to form her own pack. As you asked us, after the mating ritual, Ryan and I continued our search for Sabine, and that’s how we found out about something that happened during the last full moon, when we were all here.”

“What happened?” asked Avelyn.

“Something… something tragic.” Kevin made a pause, trying to find his words. “A village in Denmark… It was completely ravaged by werewolves. All people dead, their houses burned to the ground, signs of over a dozen werewolves everywhere in the village and around it.”

Avelyn took a sharp intake of breath, her left hand flying to her chest, her cold, sweaty palm pressing against her heart. Max let go of her other hand and took a step forward.

“This is… This is…” He had no idea what he could say. What was there to say? The news was more than bad, it was horrible, and it had hit him like a hammer over the head. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to gather his thoughts. “This is all my fault.”

“No, it’s not. Don’t say that,” said Avelyn, trying to soothe him. It all seemed like a bad dream, and she was so tired to see Max blame himself for all the terrible things Sabine had done. Yes, he had made some wrong decisions in the past, but he was not responsible for the path Sabine had chosen to take. “At least we know they aren’t dead. That’s a good thing, right?” She was trying to see the glass half full, but the moment the words escaped her, she realized it simply didn’t work in this case.

“This is beyond complicated,” said Max. He turned towards her, but his eyes were fixed on a spot above her head. “Yes, this means they are not dead, but it also means that Sabine broke the law.”

Kevin rubbed his throbbing temples. “This is exactly what I was thinking. If anyone makes the connection between Sabine and Clan Blackmane, we are all in trouble. After all, Sabine did belong to the clan until her escape, which means that our Alphas can be considered directly responsible for what is happening now. She is more than a rogue wolf. Apparently, now she is a rogue Alpha, if that makes any sense. A rogue Alpha with a pack of rogue werewolves on her side.”

“What are you saying?” asked Max without turning to face him. “Are you

implying that Sabine has some kind of an endgame?”

“Unfortunately, this is not a mere implication. I think it’s a certainty. The fact that Sabine and her pack were in Denmark during the last full moon indicates that she was probably trying to put some distance between her and the Schloss.”

“This is a good thing…” said Avelyn.

“It is, or was. The problem is that shortly after the full moon, Sabine and her wolves left Denmark and came back south. We are not sure, but it seems that the last time she was seen she had crossed the border back to Germany.”