Page 17 of Curvy Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #4)

After marinating in my own self-doubt for far too long, I finally decide to go down the hall and see what Xavier is up to. Night has fallen outside the cabin. The darkness seems so absolute, it’s impossible to penetrate it with any light, and it’s freaking me out.

Ivan and Hector are still outside, standing close to the windows. I wanted to close the drapes, but the idea of them being out there and not seeing what was happening felt worse than leaving them open.

When I reach the door of the study, Xavier is looking towards it, waiting for me.

“Did you find anything?” I ask.

Xavier nods. There is a haunted look in his eyes, and his body is taut with tension. I’m guessing this ride down memory lane wasn’t a pleasant one.

“Was it helpful?”

Xavier sighs. “Yeah. Some of it. Come on, let’s go back to the living room and talk about it.”

I watch Xavier come towards me, and I’m struck by the aura of seriousness that surrounds him. Even though he lost a lot of his lighthearted nature after becoming alpha of this place, he looks like a different man altogether.

He keeps his brooding look as we make tea and take one of the gift baskets to the fire, sitting down in front of it on a big, soft rug.

A carpet picnic in front of a roaring fire while icy storms blow down from the mountain… this could be so romantic otherwise.

Xavier sighs, looking into the fire. His eyes look bright and deep, as if pathways have opened up in his mind that were previously unimaginable. Whatever burden he now bears, it’s changed him, and it scares me a little.

“I think only the men are left outside now,” I say, trying to start the topic lightly. “The women are gone.”

“Yes, they would be,” he says, as if that explains everything. When he keeps staring into the fire and doesn’t talk, my anxiety intensifies, making my stomach twist so badly, I have to put down my cake.

“I’m trying to be gentle right now, but I really need to know what you found,” I say. “Unless you want me to read the journals myself?”

“No,” he answers quickly. “They are complicated and not easy to navigate. Also, it’s pretty personal.”

“Well, you better give me the rundown, then,” I reply. “I’m guessing it must be pretty bad.”

He nods. His face is drawn and thoughtful, as if he’s deciding what he should tell me. It makes me suspicious that he isn’t going to reveal the whole truth.

“I banged on the door a bit more,” I say. “But they won’t even talk to me. I got a bit upset thinking about Dove, and lost my shit at them, but they didn’t even turn around.”

“There was no hope for Dove,” he blurts. “Not once did it get her. It’s tragic, I know, but going after her would have led to a mass slaughter and only increased the danger. We have to be so careful here.”

Seeing the determination come into his eyes scares me even more. There is a sense of duty, a balancing of the cosmic scale.

He will spend some lives to save others… what the fuck happened to him in there?!

“Once what got her?” I mutter, my voice thin and trembly.

“I don’t know,” he says, shaking his head. “Father never specified. He called it many things—a beast, mostly. But it took my mother, and this made the creature very strong. They had to shut down the town and try to starve it, to make sure it couldn’t take anyone else.”

Realization dawns on me, and the cold terror that already lives inside my bones swells, making my blood race.

“That’s why they locked us up,” I say softly, and Xavier nods.

“They are putting themselves at risk out there. I don’t know the exact details of how it hunts, but it seems like young women are more vulnerable. That doesn’t mean men are safe, though.”

“But how do we get out of here?” I ask, panic creeping into my voice. “It’s going to just sit in the woods forever, isn’t it?”

Xavier looks away, and I get the feeling he’s wondering how much he should tell me. I don’t like it.

“The rules!” I exclaim. “All those bogus, creepy rules about not being out when it’s fully dark, like the new moon. It’s all about this thing, isn’t it?”

He nods. “Yes, Mabel. That’s what it’s about. Apparently, the rules kept it in check… until it got my mother.”

Xavier’s voice breaks a little, and I don’t want to push. I can see he’s feeling damaged and broken. The more he finds out about his family, the worse it seems to get. But I still need answers.

“What happened after it got your mother?” I ask. “Why didn’t it destroy the town if it was so powerful?”

“They locked down,” he answers. “Apparently, there are bunkers under the buildings, and everyone hid from it. My father stayed up here in the cabin because this place is fortified against it. He said the thing needed his power to get out to Lycan Pass, and if that happened, it would kill every wolf in the Range.”

“What?” I whisper, my throat closing in shock. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s that powerful. It could wreck every single town. All the isolation here over the years was Valentine Creek protecting the rest of the Range.”

My mind swirls with the idea of a creature so powerful, it could wipe out every wolf I know. Then part of the story suddenly sifts up to the surface and becomes the focal point of my fear.

“Xavier,” I croak, my voice rasping in my throat. “When you said locked up in bunkers, what did you really mean by that?”

“The whole town literally went underground. I’m not sure how long for, though. My father was trapped up here for around twenty years.”

My emotions peak so hard, it feels like I stood up too fast after ten shots of tequila. The room spins around me, and I’m really glad to be sitting down.

“Twenty years?” I choke out.

“Oh, Mabel, don’t worry.” Xavier takes my hand. “I don’t think we’re in full lockdown mode. Not with the men still outside. If it was that dangerous, they wouldn’t be here at all.”

I try to focus on the warmth of his hand on mine, and his soft voice, but my mind is racing, the frantic beating of my heart forcing hot blood through my body, making me ready to fight or run.

“‘No safe passage for a luna…’” I whisper. “That’s what they said. It has something to do with me. And it took your mother!”

“There’s nothing in the books specifically about that,” Xavier says firmly. “So don’t worry. I think the elders were just taking every precaution. Everyone in this town has learned to be completely selfless so they can hold back the creature.”

I frown, examining him for evidence of lies. I don’t know why, but I feel like he’s not telling me the whole truth.

Is anyone going to? Will I get locked up here, waiting to die, not even knowing what this thing is?

A shudder runs through me as I think of my entire life lived out in this cabin, never going beyond its walls.

A screaming panic rises in me, powerful enough to drive me from my seat and send me bolting around the cabin, clawing at the walls as I dig for a way out.

But I’m frozen in place, numb with shock.

Xavier squeezes my hand, and my terror increases.

To be locked in, preyed upon by a horrific supernatural force, that’s one thing. But to be trapped with Xavier!

It hits me like a physical blow that now that we’ve consummated our union, the contract is binding, and we’re stuck together. Even if we could get out of here, we’re mated for life.

That doesn’t mean I forgive him, or that I want a relationship with him. He’s still the jerk who dumped me the morning after I gave him everything I had! No matter what he was going through, he didn’t have to do that.

Hot tears run down my cheeks, and I sniffle miserably. At this point, my life feels like a succession of shocking mistakes, each one worse than the last.

If I hadn’t given in to him just now, no one could have stopped me from leaving. Now I’m bound here, forever, no matter what.

“Mabel,” Xavier says softly, holding out his arms. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” I snap. “Nothing about this is okay! I’m trapped here, with you, and I don’t know what I’m more scared of—the thing outside, the crazy townsfolk, or you!”

“Me?” he asks, blinking with surprise. “What am I going to do?”

“Nothing you haven’t done already,” I say bitterly.

Realization dawns in his eyes, and he nods. “Yeah. I understand.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Okay, I don’t. I can’t possibly. It was a shock to get matched with you—I really thought I’d never see you again.”

“And you didn’t want to see me, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” he replies, not realizing how devastating those words are to me. “I felt I could never apologize properly for what I did, and it was better to go our separate ways.”

I stare at him in disbelief, realizing that these words are supposed to be comforting.

Can he hear himself talk right now?

“It wasn’t any fun for me, either, seeing you in that rose garden.”

“I could tell,” he says. “I don’t blame you for being upset. I took out the contract because I thought that way, no one would get hurt.”

“Fucked that right up.”

“Mabel,” he says firmly. “You chose to come here.”

I want to yell at him, but he’s absolutely right. I decided that one week with him was better than inconvenient legal requirements and a hefty bill from my attorney.

How ridiculous that sounds now!

“False pretenses,” I answer. “I didn’t know I’d be food for some ravenous ancient evil.”

“Well, neither did I. I lived here for six months and had no problems. The others really thought the danger had passed.”

I look over at the dark windows, seeing the faint reflection of Ivan’s back against the glass. Not so long ago, seeing them out there scared the fuck out of me. Now I’m glad they’re protecting us.

“Xavier, we’re bound together now.”

“Yes.”

“That means you have to make the best possible decision for me, at all times.”

“Yes. And I will, I promise you.”

“That means you have to get me out of here.”

“What?”

“You know it’s true. I’m in all kinds of danger here. If we are truly mated for life, then I’m your priority. At the first opportunity, you have to get me out of danger. Out of this town.”

Xavier stares at me, his eyes full of turmoil. Eventually, he reaches for my hand and squeezes it firmly.

“You’re right. My mate is always my first consideration. I can’t do anything to help the people in this town unless I know you’re safe, back home in Cyan Lock.”

Hearing him say those words relaxes me completely. My muscles suddenly go loose, and tension eases out of my joints.

“You mean it?” I say. “You’ll get me out of here, no matter what?”

“I swear it,” Xavier states. “I’ll protect you and get you home.”

I reach out and hug him—could almost kiss him, but stop myself just in time.

I haven’t forgiven him, no way. And I’m not about to jump into his pants again. But if we have to be bound together, at least I know he’s finally on my side.

We get some pillows and blankets, setting up a bed in front of the fire. I don’t curl up next to Xavier, and I make sure there is plenty of space between us as we settle down to sleep.

But when he reaches for my hand, I don’t pull away. Instead, I let the warm touch of his skin comfort me, and it allows me a small glimmer of hope that we might have a future.