“Only an hour to fill out some papers, sign a contract, and turn me into your property,” she thought. “How miserable that sounds…” That was what being a shifter-bride meant, and Claudia told herself it was why the situation didn’t bother her as much as it should have. It had nothing to do with Karl Blackmane’s wide shoulders and tight butt. He held the door for her and she walked out of the office.
“Does that give you enough time to pack your things?” he asked. “If you want, I can stay in Myrtle Valley tonight, rent a hotel room, give you more time to get ready.”
“Oh no, it’s fine! I will admit I have more clothes than I probably should, but it won’t take me more than an hour to sort everything out.”
“All right.”
He stopped in front of the secretary’s desk as Claudia made her way towards the stairs, walking backwards.
“I’ll see you here in an hour?”
“You bet.”
She smiled, but even she could tell it was fake. She turned around and ran up the stairs. “Bummer, I forgot my books,” she thought. “They’re not mine anyway. I hope my dear future husband has ‘Gone with the Wind’ in his personal library. I hope he has a personal library.” She reached her room, threw the door open, then locked it behind her. She walked to her bed, sat down and started crying.
CHAPTER TWO
The Dark Wolves
Claudia didn’t have many friends to say goodbye to, so it was easy for her to walk out of the medieval building of Alma Venus, follow Karl down the cobblestone alley and get into his car. The only one she truly cared about was Miss Delacroix, but she knew the old headmistress didn’t quite appreciate emotional displays, so Claudia kept her tears at bay.
The whole trip to London, however, she couldn’t help but fall silent and think back to her childhood, to all those precious moments she had shared with her roommates. Ex-roommates. Unsurprisingly, Karl wasn’t very talkative either. He busied himself with some files and made some short calls while Claudia stared at the fields and cities flashing by. Even though they shared the backseat of the car, it felt like they couldn’t have been farther apart. Karl didn’t make any gesture to engage her in conversation, and he didn’t even touch her. Claudia curled her hands into fists and placed them on her lap. It was a good thing he didn’t talk to her, after all. She wouldn’t want him to notice her hesitation, to figure out she was having doubts about her choice. Or… had it really been her choice? If she had said “no”, would have Karl respected her wish and looked for another bride? Claudia smiled to herself. “Whatever happens from now on,” she thought, “I must keep in mind that he’s Max Blackmane’s older brother. And Max didn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
They arrived just in time for dinner, and Karl led her into his apartment while the driver took care of her luggage.
“This way,” he said, and opened the door for her.
“It’s awfully quiet,” she noticed.
“It’s one of the best parts of London.”
Claudia was, in fact, thinking that it was strange there were no m
embers of his pack in sight. It was also strange that he was living in a modern, luxurious apartment in the heart of the city when werewolves were known for their love of nature and history. On the other hand, Karl was a diplomat and the main adviser of Councilor Voinom, the representative of the wolf faction. He would have loved to live at Schloss Blackmane, in the Black Forest Mountains, but he was needed here with his pack, the Dark Wolves. His brother, Max, and his sister, Jocelyn, were at Schloss Blackmane together with their own packs, the Crescents and the Moon Children.
“My Beta and my two Deltas will join us for dinner,” Karl said. “I think we both have half an hour to change and prepare.”
Claudia nodded. She would have said something, but she was too busy gaping at the ridiculously expensive room she was in. The apartment was large and well lit. It had a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms and balconies. Karl made sure to give her all the details and show her around a bit. The cook and her two assistants were making pure magic in the kitchen, because Claudia’s mouth started to water the moment she caught the delicious smell of soup, teriyaki chicken, and steamed vegetables. The three women greeted her and turned back to their work.
“We’ll have dinner on the terrace,” said Karl as he walked her to what Claudia knew was their bedroom. “It’s on the roof and you’ll love it. At least, I hope you will. It’s my favorite place in the house, and that’s why I improvised a small office for myself there.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll like it.”
“I rarely work from home, though. So… don’t worry, you’ll mostly have the terrace all to yourself.”
He smiled awkwardly, and Claudia tried to laugh. Yes, she had just been thinking that if Karl had his office on the roof, she preferred to stay away from it. She furrowed her brows at the thought. She had just gotten here, this was her new home, and she was already thinking she needed to stay out of his way. Why? She liked him, she was attracted to him… The idea that they would be sharing a bed in only a few hours didn’t scare her, yet she felt like she should make herself as small as possible and try not to bother him at all. It was probably his cold demeanor.
Claudia entered the bedroom and saw her bags had been neatly placed at the foot of the bed. She was surprised by the impersonal way in which the room was decorated. It was impeccably clean, which was amazing, but it lacked that personal touch that usually told about the person who slept there. “Maybe he used to sleep in the other bedroom and kept this one for when he’d bring a bride home,” she thought.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
She turned to him and made sure to smile. “Oh yes! It’s perfect.”
“Good. Good.” He paused and looked around, as if he couldn’t decide whether he should leave or spend a couple more minutes with her. “I’m glad,” he eventually said and headed to the door. “See you upstairs.”
“I’ll be there! I’ll just take a quick shower, change, and…”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence, not that it was too important. Karl was out of the bedroom in a blur, the door closing behind him. Claudia raised her brows and shrugged.