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“Yes.” Max had to force himself to stand up and walk away from her. He did what she had asked, and stood for one long minute in front of the bedroom door, unsure if he should slip into bed and hug her, or go back downstairs to have a drink with his brother, Kevin, Matt, and Ryan, as he had promised them. He looked at her small frame in the dim moonlight that barely penetrated the heavy curtains. He almost decided to join her in bed and ask her the same question over and over again until she wo
uld tell him what had bothered her, so he could make it all better. But this was Avelyn. She was stubborn and feisty, and she could turn into an impossible little shrew if he insisted on something she didn’t want to share. It was safer to leave her alone for now, and bring the matter up in the morning, when she’d feel better. However, nothing too tragic would happen if he went back to kiss her forehead and tuck her in.
Avelyn closed her eyes when Max pressed his soft lips to her forehead. She sighed and smiled reassuringly, hoping he’d understand he shouldn’t read too much into this. The truth was that she couldn’t bring herself to make a bigger effort to convince him everything was fine. She wanted him out of the bedroom, so she could focus on her own thoughts.
“Good night, my love,” he said.
“Good night.”
“I’ll be back up in a bit. I’ll just have another glass of wine with Karl and the guys.”
“Don’t worry. Take your time, I’ll be here.”
“Take all the friggin’ time in the world,” she thought. She sighed in relief when he closed the door behind him, and shoved the thick covers off her body. It was too hot in the room. Or, was it just her? She sat up and flung her legs over the edge of the bed. With her elbows placed firmly on her knees, she rested her head in her open palms and rubbed at her tired eyes. “Shit, I should remove my make-up.” But she didn’t move. Yes, there was something wrong, and it wasn’t Jocelyn.
In fact, Jocelyn had told the truth. She might be a bitch, but at least she was an honest one. Not like Max, with his stupid “I love you”-s that sounded so fake and artificial. How would he have defended himself in front of his sister if Kevin hadn’t intervened and gotten the discussion back on track? Would he have openly denied that the reason for which he hadn’t asked her about the werefoxes had been, indeed, that he didn’t trust her?
“Avelyn doesn’t need to worry about these things,” she imitated his voice. “Jerk.”
She was losing sight of what she really wanted. “I must see Sabine tomorrow, before I become one of them,” she thought. She hadn’t been down in the dungeons for three days, and she was just realizing her mistake. Every time she saw Sabine and spent one or two hours talking with her, she remembered why she was still here, at the Schloss. She remembered that Max was not who she had thought he was, that he was dangerous and unpredictable, and that her priority was to save herself and Sabine. Unfortunately, the fact that she still slept with him and indulged his little, naughty games every night didn’t help in the least. It confused her. It drove her insane. It messed with her mind and emotions, turning her into a pathetic, depressed child who didn’t know what she wanted anymore. Sometimes, at the end of the day, she felt so guilty and miserable that she even went as far as to ask herself idiotic questions such as “Who am I?”, “Why is this happening to me?”, “What if it’s happening for a reason?”. There were times when she could swear she needed a shrink.
“If he brought me in this state in less than a month, then I can’t even begin to imagine what poor Sabine had to endure in five years.” Five years of being trapped in the dungeon, but how long had she been his bride before that? “I can’t stick around and let him do this to me.” She stood up and started pacing the room. “But I have to. I’ve come this far. Ten days down, around twenty more to go. One month. Just one bloody month.”
At dinner, she had felt accepted and appreciated. Even with Jocelyn sitting across from her, she had still felt like she mattered to them, to the clan. Karl had treated her like she were his little sister, and Matt and Kevin had regarded her as their equal and never missed a “Miss” when they addressed her. She couldn’t say the same thing about Ryan, but he was Jocelyn’s Beta after all. One could never expect too much from the guy. Christine had also been there to pat her on the knee to calm her down and assure her everything was going fine. Yes, she had felt like she belonged to Clan Blackmane. “So, sue me.” She sighed in frustration and went to the table to pour herself a glass of water. “Why couldn’t it have been Karl?” That was a crazy thought. It was another sign she was going bonkers. Karl’s bride instead of Max’s? “Shit, I would have settled for a Beta, really. Screw that! I would have settled for anyone but the deranged asshole I’m mated to.”
The sex was good, though. Actually, if she were to be completely honest, it was getting better and better. In the last three and a half weeks they had learned each other’s bodies, explored every inch of skin, and pressed every erogenous spot. Yes, the sex was sinfully delicious. Every time he threw her over the edge and made her scream his name another question wiggled its nasty question mark into her brain: “What if I’m wrong? What if by some mind-boggling miracle I cannot comprehend, I’ve gotten this whole thing wrong?”
There were too many pieces that didn’t fit. The puzzle was huge, and she felt like every time she was close to making a breakthrough, the pieces were shuffled back into chaotic disorder. Or the model changed. So, yes, Avelyn was feeling rather sick, and it wasn’t the steak she had eaten. Not even Jocelyn and her malicious remarks. It was Max. And Sabine. Sabine and Max.
“What a mind fuck.”
CHAPTER TWO
Lies
Avelyn was sitting on the stone corridor with her back against the door. She knew Sabine was sitting in the same position on the other side. It had taken forever to find a good moment to sneak through the small, invisible door in the library. With so many werewolves around and with Max working from his office on the first floor now, it wasn’t easy to disappear for an hour without the risk of getting caught.
“What do you think about Karl?”
Sabine hesitated. She was usually very eager to answer Avelyn’s questions and give her all the information she could, but there were times when she showed reluctance, even defensiveness. Avelyn sensed this was one of those times. She hated that she had to bring back Sabine’s worst memories, but there was no other way.
“Karl… is someone I don’t want to talk about,” the girl finally said.
“Why not?”
“He did something to me and I just don’t feel like thinking about it. I tried to forget it ever since.”
“Oh my God.” Avelyn was genuinely shocked. “He seemed like such a nice guy.”
“They all do.”
Avelyn made herself more comfortable. She bit her tongue in an attempt to stop herself from insisting. She needed answers, dammit, not more mysteries.
“Max visited me yesterday.”
“He did? When?”
“A little after lunch. He still didn’t mention you.”
