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Avelyn couldn’t believe her ears. She was listening to what Delyse was saying, but the meaning of her words didn’t quite register. She wondered why a wolf-shifter would even ask for the Vulpes catalog, let alone request an interview with one of the students. Could it be about politics again?
“Well, aren’t you going to at least take a shower and change your clothes?” Delyse snapped Avelyn out of her confusing thoughts.
“What? No. Forget about it. I’ll go as I am. I bet he doesn’t even care about how I present myself. It might be just an odd, perverse curiosity he has about the foxes. Maybe he thinks he’ll, I don’t know, get them better if he figures out their brides.”
“That makes no sense. An Alpha doing field research? What the hell, Avelyn? You’re more clever than that.”
Did Avelyn just notice a hint of jealousy in her friend’s voice? “Hey, listen: whatever it is, there’s nothing to worry about. I see no reason why he wouldn’t choose you. The other girls he’s currently interviewing… they don’t even count. You’re way above them and you know it.”
Yes, Delyse did know it, and Avelyn’s words reassured her. However, there was still something nagging at the back of her mind, preventing her stomach to stop churning in uncomfortable anticipation. “What about you?”
“What about me?” and Avelyn was dead serious when she said it. “He’s not interested in me. Whatever twisted goals he has, I’m not one of them.” She was thinking way beyond the fact that wolves never took Vulpes brides out of sheer principle. She was thinking how they always preferred lean, athletic women to warm their beds.
***
When she passed Miss Delacroix’s secretary in the waiting room, Avelyn could feel the woman’s reproachful eyes on her. “Yes, lady, take a good look at me. I’m not wearing any make-up, my hair is a tangled mess, I’m in my flip-flops, and my soles are probably still dirty from walking in the grass this morning.” Above all, she was a fox-bride, he was a wolf-shifter, she knew how to ruin a man’s enthusiasm, he had no idea what he had gotten himself into. “This should be easy.”
She yanked the door open, stepped into the office, and slammed it shut behind her. And then she stood frozen in place, staring open-mouthed at the man leaning against the desk, arms crossed over a nicely sculpted chest covered in a casual shirt and a checkered vest.
“You…”
“Avelyn,” he whispered, a lazy smile on his lips. “It’s such a pleasure to see you again.”
For the smart-ass that she usually was, Avelyn couldn’t come up with a single reply. She was such an idiot. How didn’t she make the connection between the mysterious wolf she had met in the garden and Delyse’s Alpha? She felt like the earth was slipping from underneath her feet and it was all her fault. She had been so focused on her plan of escaping to Italy, so excited about the ID her friend had brought her that morning, so seduced by the idea of freedom, that she completely overlooked the fact that, for the time being, she was still the property of Alma Venus and she was still eligible for being sold. To make things even worse, she had even flirted a bit with the wolf who was now leisurely studying her from head to toe. He seemed very pleased with himself. This caused a mix of anger and frustration to build in Avelyn’s chest, making the skin on her neck and cheeks turn a bright red.
“I’m not sure I can say the same, Max.”
“Oh, you’ve learned my name and decided to give up the whole ‘sir’ thing. That’s most delightful. Would you like to sit down?”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t think this meeting will last long anyway.”
“Why would that be so?”
“Many reasons.”
Max unfolded his arms and contemplated sitting back down behind the desk. Instead, he chose to sit on the sofa that covered almost the entire left wall. One arm spread wide on the headrest, and his right leg brought up on his knee; he felt comfortable and in control. He took his time to appraise the girl in front of him. She was stunning. In the morning, he had only seen her from afar, and then she had left him standing in the middle of the garden, enjoying her little stunt, making a show of ignoring him and his attempts at making conversation. Well, the tables had just turned. Max felt like he had all the time in the world, so he chose to simply stare at her and let her wait for his next words. After all, this was an interview and she had to do things his way. He was pleased to see that she hadn’t changed her dress and hadn’t put on an
y make-up. Her red hair was a tangled mess that hung down her shoulders, caressing the tender skin of her neck, which was now flushed with anger. He smiled. The green dress, although it touched her soles, didn’t leave much to the imagination. Max could see that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and all he could think of was that he felt a strong, sinful desire to pinch her nipples and see them poking the soft material. He shifted a bit, cursing his tight jeans, and looked back to her cute face.
“If you are ready, I think we could begin the interview.”
“Go ahead.” Avelyn was still trying to calm her breathing and the wild thoughts that were running through her mind. On the one hand, she found it impossible to take her eyes off him, but on the other hand, the way he looked at her, with such deep hunger in his eyes, made her shrink in panic.
“What can you tell me about yourself?” Max held her gaze and was pleased to see that, unlike Delyse, Avelyn did not look away.
“Nothing that you haven’t already read in the catalog.” She had no intention of making it easy for him. Any kind of cooperation was out of the question.
“I’m afraid the catalogs only offer some general information about the students. They’re not of much help, if you ask me. So, I’d like to hear you talk about yourself. For instance, what do you like to do? What are your hobbies?”
“Eating. I like eating.” There was silence for a second. Maybe Max was waiting for her to continue, or maybe he was reconsidering this whole interview.
“All right. I have a fine chef at Schloss Blackmane. He makes the best stews and steaks. My wolves go hunting twice a week because Harold never cooks his special dishes unless he has fresh game.”
Avelyn only arched an eyebrow. Silence.
Max changed his position by placing both feet on the floor and resting his elbows on his knees. For some reason, he didn’t feel that relaxed and in control anymore.
“You like reading. Have you finished ‘The Shadow of the Wind’?”
