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“Yes, I am.” Max rose to his feet, pushed his office chair back, and fixed his beautiful bride with his green, intense eyes. “You will be safe there. Sabine has no idea where Alma Venus is and, as far as I know, she has never even been anywhere close to Myrtle Valley. I will have Caleb and Daniel guard you while you’re there, and once I know you are all right, I will get back here and settle this once and for all. Maybe Christine will manage to talk Sabine out of whatever she’s planned, maybe not. Either way, I want you far away from her and her pack. When you come back to the Schloss, I want you to feel safe. This is your home, and this is where you will give birth to our son. I will never let anyone else drive you away from here.”
There was complete silence for a couple of long minutes. No one expected Jocelyn to be the one to break it. “Okay, let’s do this!”
“Oh, one more thing,” said Max, turning to his sister. “I think it’s time to let Karl know about what’s happening here. If this goes south, I’d rather have the Dark Wolves by our side. Josie, please call him and tell him he needs to come back home as soon as possible.”
***
Even though she
had been packing her things for over half an hour, Avelyn hadn’t made much progress. She would stop to contemplate every little thing and piece of clothing before placing it into her suitcase, but not because she was trying to decide if it was going to be appropriate for the June British weather, but because she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the fact that she was going back to Alma Venus. With a heavy sigh, she dropped on the bed, next to her suitcase. She was clutching the flowery summer dress she had bought from Dunkelstadt during one of hers and Rosanna’s shopping sprees, but she wasn’t aware of what she was doing. She looked around the room and tried to imagine how she would sleep that night, in her own bed, sharing the dorm with Delyse, Claudia, and Amelia. She was sure Miss Delacroix wouldn’t give her a room of her own just because she was the wife of an Alpha werewolf now, and she didn’t want that anyway. She smiled thinking of her friends and how they used to snuggle in one bed and talk about little nothings until late at night. Amelia never joined them, and she had always made sure to complain about the noise, an insignificant inconvenience that never stopped Avelyn, Delyse, and Claudia from doing the exact same thing at least once a week.
Avelyn checked the time and realized Max would be up soon, to see if she was ready. She put the dress in the suitcase then reached over to the huge jewelry box she had placed on her nightstand earlier. Opening it, she wondered if she would need any of those fancy earrings and ridiculously expensive necklaces back at the boarding school. They were all gifts from Max, and Avelyn would wear them once in a while, when she went out with Rosanna or Val, or when Max made time to take her to lunch or dinner in Dunkelstadt. Otherwise, if there was no special occasion that required a sophisticated outfit, Avelyn preferred to settle for the rainbow moonstone bracelet which had belonged to Max’s mother. She rummaged through the jewelry box carefully, then pulled out two pairs of earrings and a thin golden necklace that went well with them, and decided it was enough for a couple of days at Alma Venus. She stood up, put the jewelry box back in its place, then went to the dresser to throw a last glance through her clothes. She would have to get some new clothes because it had become more and more difficult to fit in her old ones. As her pregnancy progressed, she had a hard time choosing her clothes every day, and she had discovered that some of her larger dresses had become a bit tight around the waist. But, with the madness of the past few days, Avelyn hadn’t found the time to go shopping, and Max wouldn’t have probably let her out of the Schloss anyway.
“I should have asked Rosanna or Val to go shopping for me,” she said to herself. “Oh well…”
Avelyn went back to her suitcase and closed it. For long minutes, she stood like that in front of her bed and her luggage, thinking what a weird sensation it was to pack her things again. Last time she did this, she had been equally scared and excited. She pictured herself back in her old room, at Alma Venus, in front of another suitcase, filled with other things, clothes she hadn’t worn in a while, as she now had so many dresses and shoes that she didn’t have to wear the same thing twice. Back then, she was a young woman with so many dreams and hopes, and with a daring plan that was supposed to give her back her freedom. Now, after just a couple of months, Avelyn was a wife and a future mother. She still had dreams and hopes, but they were completely different from the ones she had when she was still an Alma Venus student. Now, all she wanted was a peaceful life with her beloved husband and their child, be it boy or girl. A few weeks ago, she would have given anything to be able to leave this castle. Maybe, she would have even preferred to go back to Alma Venus if that meant being far away from Max and the demons of his past. But things had changed. Now, Avelyn felt that leaving the Schloss for Alma Venus was like some kind of defeat. The she-wolf who had tried to take her happiness away from her, to make her undesirable to her Alpha, to leave her barren, was driving her out of her own home and forcing her to seek shelter far away from her own clan.
“Avelyn Blackmane…” she whispered. It felt weird. Her name rolled down her lips in an oddly satisfying way. Yes, she was Avelyn Blackmane, a whole different person from the Avelyn who had left Alma Venus in tears. She was no longer an abandoned child, a naïve girl raised and educated to become a shifter bride. She was going to Alma Venus as the wife of an Alpha werewolf and the mother of an Alpha heir. She couldn’t wait to see Miss Delacroix’s face and lock herself up in her old room with Delyse, Claudia, and Amelia so they could chat until morning. The sound of footsteps approaching the bedroom drew her out of her reverie.
Max entered the room, closed the door behind him, and pressed his chest against Avelyn’s back before she even had time to turn around.
“Are you ready?”
Avelyn leaned back in his embrace, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Yes, I think I am.”
Max knew her well enough to realize there was something wrong with her. “What’s wrong, baby? Are you nervous?”
Avelyn stretched her neck to leave a chaste kiss on his cheek. “A little. It’s just that I never thought I would see Alma Venus again. Do you really think this is a good idea? I mean… I really do want to see Alma Venus because it was my home for so many years and all of the friends I ever had are still there. At least, I hope they’re still there. Is that selfish of me? To wish that Delyse, Claudia, and Amelia haven’t been bought and are waiting for me at the boarding school?”
“No, I don’t think that’s selfish. It’s only normal to want to see your friends again. And I can assure you that Delyse is still at Alma Venus.”
“How can you be so sure? Delyse is gorgeous and so intelligent. I wouldn’t be surprised if she found her Prince Charming since I last talked to her.”
Max smiled, but Avelyn couldn’t see it from her position. He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling I have. She’ll be there.” He hadn’t told her about the agreement he had with Delyse’s brother, James Harington, as he didn’t want her to worry. Knowing her, Max was sure she would feel guilty for having been chosen by the Alpha werewolf who was supposed to marry her best friend. Avelyn would have only blamed herself for stealing Delyse’s future if she had known Delyse had been unable to find a suitor to please her father. He was sure Delyse would tell Avelyn about the long discussion between him and James, but he also knew the girl would know how to explain everything to Avelyn so that his wife would never feel guilty about anything. Max still had no idea how he would hold his end of the bargain, but he would figure something out. For now, he had to deal with Sabine and her pack, and when this would be over, he had every intention to find Delyse a good husband with the sort of political influence Councilor Harington desired.
“Okay, Mr. Blackmane. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good. Now let me take your suitcase. Caleb and Daniel are waiting for us on the runway.”
“Wait…” Avelyn turned around and cupped his cheeks in her small palms. She looked him in the eye, and Max knew what she was going to say was very serious. “I just wanted you to know… I am beyond happy that you’re taking me to Alma Venus and I will get to spend a couple of days with my friends, but I can’t wait to come back home when all this is over.”
Max covered her hands with his own and smiled brightly. “I promise you that by the time you get back home, Schloss Blackmane will be safe for you and our child.”
***
Stepping on the cobblestone alley felt strange to Avelyn. Max was right by her side, his hand placed tenderly on her waist, guiding her towards the entrance. She could hear Caleb and Daniel walk behind them, and she thought of how grateful she was they were all there with her. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and the nervousness and anticipation had left her mouth dry. If anyone had told her she would be so anxious to come back to the boarding school, she would have laughed in their face. The imposing building intimidated her even now, and she realized she still felt like the little girl she once was, when she would look up at the tall, majestic architecture and feel small, abandoned, and alone. This was why she was so incredibly grateful that a part of her new family was now here with her. Miss Delacroix and her secretary, Mrs. Jones, were waiting for her on the steps. Delyse and Claudia were behind them, but Avelyn didn’t see Amelia anywhere in sight. However, it wasn’t like she expected to see her, as they had never actually been friends. Avelyn took the last few steps and greeted everyone with a feeble “hello”.
“Avelyn, it’s so nice to see you again,” said Miss Delacroix with a smile. The headmistress hadn’t changed much, but Avelyn was sure she could see a few new wrinkles around her eyes. “Mr. Blackmane, welcome!”
“Miss Delacroix, thank you so much for having us and for accepting to accommodate Avelyn for a couple of days.”
“It is my pleasure, so don’t even mention it. Actually, it’s the entire school’s pleasure. Avelyn’s friends and former colleagues could hardly wait to see her.”
Delyse and Claudia couldn’t agree more, as they had been bouncing on their feet since Avelyn had walked through the tall iron gates of Alma Venus. They had greeted her with slight nods and enthusiastic smiles, but hadn’t dared to say anything before Miss Delacroix finished with the usual pleasantries.
“You see, it’s very rare that a former student visits the boarding school after having been sold and having become the wife of a shape-shifter. Actually, I’m not sure it has ever happened before, although I might be wrong.”
