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“No, they didn’t… Max…” She finally raised her chin to look at him, a silent plea shimmering in her blue eyes. How could he read her so well? “I met Jocelyn today.”
Max’s face fell at the sound of his sister’s name. “Jocelyn… Shit. I… she…” He took a deep breath. He scratched his short beard in frustration, and the nagging feeling only grew when he smelled her arousal on his fingers. “I should have been here and introduced you to her myself. Fuck. I’m never here, aren’t I? Now, when you’re just getting used to everything and you need me most.” When Avelyn didn’t say anything, he figured the only way to redeem himself and make up for whatever Jocelyn had told her was to finally give her some explanations. “This period has been hectic. I could work from my office here, but so many people are coming and going, and most of them would never even consider settling for a phone meeting or a video conference… This is what happens when you’re dealing with shape-shifters. They want to be able to study you closely when you talk to them. They want to make sure they can smell your fear, hesitation, or bad intentions at any time. It’s not the same with humans. I can’t have all these meetings here, at the Schloss. Believe me, I don’t like my office in Dunkelstadt at all. I’d rather be here, knowing that you’re upstairs, or down in the garden or the courtyard, and I can take a break whenever I want to come and steal a kiss.”
It was the first time Max seemed willing to tell her about his affairs. It made Avelyn curious.
“So, what do you exactly do when you’re at the office?”
“Usually, I’m not this busy. The construction company I run with Karl practically works on its own. What we’ve been working on for one month now has to do with something else.”
Avelyn had a feeling it was related to the Annual Summit Christine had vaguely mentioned, but she didn’t want to interrupt him because she never knew when he might change his mind and stop talking.
“Avelyn.”
He moved closer to her and took her hands in his. His serious tone drew her attention and turned her curiosity into anxiety. He was going to tell her something important, she could feel it.
“We haven’t gone through the ritual yet, but I want you to be aware that you’re part of this clan now. Whatever I or any of my wolves tell you about the businesses we run or the political actions we’re involved in, you must know that you cannot tell anyone outside the Blackmane circle, under no circumstances.”
“Whom will I tell? I don’t know anyone.”
“You will. After the ritual, you will officially become my bride, and I don’t intend to keep you here at the Schloss for the rest of your life. You’ll come with me to London, to parties and cocktails, and you’ll meet a lot of people there.”
“I understand.”
“So, I can trust you…?”
Avelyn nodded her head.
“All right. In the past few years, the werefoxes have grown stronger. They have increased their numbers dramatically, and Karl believes that they will soon become more numerous than the werewolves and the werebears. This wouldn’t be a problem if there weren’t certain implications that must be taken into consideration. It’s not like the werewolves insist to have the greatest number, because it’s not a competition. I don’t know how much you’ve been taught at Alma Venus about the war and the peace treaty, but there’s one little detail that none of the parties should ever forget: the fox-shifters were the most difficult to convince. They signed it last, and after serious debates. If at least one other shifter faction would have been on their side, I think they would have continued to fight until they got what they wanted.”
“What is that they want?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible that only the oldest fox clans know.”
“What are you trying to do that’s been keeping you so busy over the past month?”
“We’re trying to gather as much information as we can. This is why Jocelyn was gone. She and her pack have been doing some digging and spent the last two weeks in the Urals. The news she brought back is not pretty. There are at least two clans that have been buying human brides for all their male members.”
“It’s something the foxes do. Just like the eagles. It’s nothing new under the sun.”
“Yes, but the wereeagles don’t have clans. They rarely gather under the effigy of an aerie. Also, they would have chosen neutrality during the war if the humans hadn’t attacked them and dragged them into it just because they were shape-shifters. The werefoxes, on the other hand… they were a different story entirely. And now, it seems that for them it doesn’t even matter if an earth member is an Alpha, a Beta, a Delta, or a subordinate…”
“That’s not how they name their ranks…”
“Who cares? I know you were supposed to be a Vulpes bride, and each shifter faction has its own names for its ranks, but this is the officially accepted nomenclature.”
“Established according to the werewolves’ ranks,” said Avelyn smiling.
“I see what you’re saying, but it’s not like that. It’s because our ranking system actually makes sense. I mean, what’s with the foxes and the number of their tails?”
“It’s… complicated.”
“Exactly. Anyway, Jocelyn’s discreet investigation revealed that in the Urals it has come to the point where most fox males have a pure-blood fox bride and a human bride. Considering that a shifter baby grows much faster in the womb than a human baby, then a woman can give birth to one child a year with absolutely no problems. Do you understand the consequences of this rapid birth rate growth in the fox faction?”
“I don’t know…”
“Okay, maybe it’s too soon to talk about consequences, but it’s certainly something that can’t be treated lightly. Why the change? Why now? What is their motive?”
“So, what is your plan?”
