Bridenapped: The Alpha Chronicles Read online

  “We need to talk about coordinating the media campaign for your marriage.” At her surprised look, he continued. “There are numerous news agencies interested in the story of the bridenapping. A number of members of the Alpha Congress have suggested that we grant interviews to the human media. They’re always seeking ways to improve werewolf-human relations, and to that end, this newer generation is pushing to reveal more about our world.” He didn’t look as if he thought much about the idea.

  In this particular case she agreed with him. How ridiculous would that be – to do interviews about a marriage that she was going to find a way to escape, one way or another? Not happening.

  “I’m not interested,” she said firmly.

  Taddeus raised an eyebrow. “It is not entirely up to you. Kristofer agrees that it would be helpful to the pack.”

  “Kristofer agrees that I have no choice in the matter? That doesn’t sound like him.” She had to admit that for the most part Kristofer had been incredibly accommodating to her wishes.

  “Well, no, since I just found out your feelings on the matter, he and I have not had the opportunity to discuss-”

  “No thank you,” she said coolly. “As you know, I did not consent to this bridenapping. My family and your pack still have ongoing legal issues, and they would be deeply hurt and offended if I were to appear to endorse this charade.”

  “As I said, it’s not entirely up to you. The good of the pack is the highest priority.”

  “I doubt you’d like the kind of interview that I’d give if I was coerced,” she said with a pleasant smile.

  His face flushed angrily. “I see.”

  “Please feel free to go tattle on me to Kristofer. It’s obvious that I’m not your ideal choice of Alpha Queen. Maybe you can talk him out of it.” If only, she thought.

  “The Beta does not dictate the Alpha’s choice of a bride.” He stood up, inclining his head and making a sort of half-bow, his steel gray eyes sparking with resentment. “Milady.”

  Caitlin went off to find Elzbetka, who was waiting for her in the foyer.

  There was a car waiting outside for them, idling in the driveway by the front steps. The uniformed chauffer nodded respectfully and bowed his head as Frank held the back door open for Caitlin.

  “Milady,” he said, as Elzbetka slid into the front seat next to him.

  “That’s my name, apparently. Or you could call me Caitlin,” she said as they drove towards town.

  Elzbetka twisted around in her seat, and her smile did that thing where it tightened to the point where it looked painful. “I would be happy to assist milady in reviewing the protocol section, which lays out very specifically how the Alpha Queen addresses her various subjects based upon their clan and social standing,” she said.

  “Oh, that won’t be necessary, since I plan to ignore it completely,” Caitlin said cheerfully. “Hey, Frank, does this limo have a mini bar? It does? Sweet. I could use a little nip of something. Brandy works for me.”

  She wasn’t normally the kind of girl who drank before noon, but if she was going to have to spend an entire morning with Elzbetka, she’d make an exception.

  They toured the center of the werewolf village, with its charming brick-lined main street crowded with little shops. There were 29th century style street lanterns and flower beds. Wolves and cubs strolled nonchalantly among pack members who were in human form. Some of the wolves carried dangling baskets or bags in their mouths.

  Then they drove past the town hall and the business district, and they stopped by the town’s recreation center, which was located next to a huge field. There was a giant raised stage in the middle of the field, with a gazebo.

  “That is where the wedding will take place, weather permitting,” Elzbetka said, with a frown pinching between her brows. “If the weather is bad, the wedding will take place inside. We will be meeting here on a daily basis to begin the wedding planning. Because of the bridenapping and the tradition of marrying by the next full moon, we’ll have to speed things up considerably, but it’s all right, since we have our own tailors, chefs, and catering staff who will be entirely dedicated to your needs.”

  She glanced at Caitlin expectantly.

  “Peachy,” Caitlin said, for lack of anything better to say. “I’ll call Lottie and Paige so I can see when they can meet me out here for the planning meetings.”

  “Your friends are not included in the wedding planning.” Elzbetka’s voice rose a full octave as she said that.

  “Actually, yes. They are.” Caitlin took another sip of brandy, a rather generous one. Elzbetka turned away and scowled out the window as they drove, her lips pressed together into a thin angry line.

  They kept touring, going through some of the residential districts. “That’s where the medical personnel live,” she said. They came to another neighborhood. “That’s the artisan’s village. Carpenters, artists, and the like.” They passed right by another neighborhood, with much smaller homes. The homes were still attractive, each little adorable cottage set in a lush garden bursting with colorful blooms. “Cleaners village,” she said dismissively.

  I really, really, really do not like you, Caitlin thought.

  Frank raised an eyebrow as he saw Caitlin’s grimace of distaste. “More brandy?” he asked, reaching for the minibar.

  “No, thanks, I’d better not.” Caitlin managed a half smile. Frank might not be so bad after all.

  It was getting close to noon, so they drove back to the town center to meet with the mayor. Caitlin walked up the steps to town hall, which looked almost exactly like a human city’s town hall with its broad white marble steps and boxy brick design. There was a big cement seal on the front of the building, featuring a werewolf changing into a man.

  After she was introduced to the Village Council, which involved a great deal of bowing and scraping on their part, Frank led her out back to an area with café tables and chairs, where Mayor Klinghoffer waited. Elzbetka went off to take a lunch break and probably stick pins a voodoo doll with Caitlin’s likeness on it.

  Mayor Klinghoffer flashed his big chiclet-teeth smile at Caitlin as she walked up. He was a blandly handsome man, wearing his usual pastel colored suit, blond hair slicked and gelled into place with a sharp side part.

  Caitlin didn’t bother to hide the distaste on her face as she approached the mayor.

  “Let’s skip the pleasantries, shall we?” she said, sitting down across from him. Frank hovered nearby, at a discreet distance, watching them.

  Mayor Klinghoffer’s smile vanished. “Very well. As soon as your situation became public, my office was contacted by numerous television stations eager to cover the nation’s first 21st century bridenapping.”

  She nodded. “I’m aware of their interest, yes. How does this affect my family?”

  “There is considerable financial benefit to the town if you cooperate. And your family has the potential to reap the benefits as well,” the mayor said. “The media would love to interview them, and they would be rewarded quite handsomely.”

  “My family would never cooperate with such a venture.” She looked him in the eye. “And I’m sure that you personally are at the top of the list of those who will benefit from this financial venture. You’ve already worked out deals with all of the media outlets, haven’t you?”

  He flushed, looking angry. “Whether it will benefit me or not, you can’t deny the vast financial windfall for our town, with all of the publicity we’re getting.”

  She shrugged. “You don’t need me for that. The bridenapping already happened.”

  “So you don’t intend to cooperate.”

  “Did I stutter, Mayor Klinghoffer? You betrayed my family, who’ve lived in this town for generations, so you could kiss up to the Verhold Pack. You did it without a second thought. I’m not lifting a finger to help you get even richer.”

  “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Your family never had any civic spirit.” He reached his briefcase and slid out a table
t computer. “That’s why I brought this,” he said, with a glance at Frank, who was standing a respectful distance away but still watching them closely.

  She glanced down at the screen and sucked in a quick, shocked breath. The screen showed a photograph of a property deed, with a wolf paw stamp on it, and a scrawled signature underneath it. The deed to her family’s property.

  “That is our deed. The one that nobody could find.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  She leaned closer to stare at it. “And it’s authentic.” The wolf paw stamp proved it.

  “It most certainly is.”

  “Where did you get that?” she demanded angrily. “Town hall. You have access to those records. You took it, so you could get in good with the pack.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. It really doesn’t matter. If you cooperate with the media outlets who are seeking your attention, then I will return the deed to you on your wedding day.”

  “Given that you’ve just proved that you’re a slimy, untrustworthy sack of toad barf, why should I believe that you’d give it back to me?”

  He shrugged, not the least bit put out by her opinion of him. “Well, if you didn’t, you could back out of the wedding, which would cause me considerable financial harm.”

  “That’s not all that I could do.” She slid her hand into her purse and quickly pulled out her cell phone, then tucked it away again. “I have this set to record. If you screw me over, the entire world will know.”

  All traces of the genial, friendly politician vanished. “You treacherous little bitch,” he snarled. He made a move as if to grab it from her, and she leaped to her feet. Frank swiveled their way, and his eyes glowed a terrifying yellow. He let out a long, loud growl.

  “Go ahead, try it,” Caitlin taunted him. “Attack the Alpha Queen in front of him.”

  The mayor glared at her, but settled back in his seat as Frank stalked over to them.

  “You all right?” his voice rolled out in a snarl, and his fangs briefly descended.

  She nodded. “For the moment.”

  The mayor managed an ingratiating smile. “Everything’s just great here. Isn’t it, Caitlin?”

  Caitlin didn’t answer. She sat there stewing, and considered her options. She’d tell her aunt and uncle about it, of course, and they could tell their lawyer, but without the deed, she had no proof. The mayor would deny everything, and it would be his word against hers. Even with the recording, he could pretend that he’d lied, in order to get her to help out the town by cooperating.

  She needed that deed. And if she agreed to go along with the media blitz, that would at least buy her some time.

  “Fine,” she gritted. “I will grant interviews to the media.”

  He immediately broke out into a huge, beaming smile. “I knew you’d want to help out your home town. You Bellefonts are among our finest citizens, that’s what I’ve always said.”

  She shook her head disbelievingly, then glanced up at Frank. “I believe the mayor was just leaving.”

  “Good thing,” Frank said, his lip curling. Another growl escaped him, and the Mayor’s smile wilted a bit.

  “Kristofer wants to see you,” Frank added, as the mayor hurried from the room.

  The lake was a vast and silver, a flat mirror for the fringe of green trees that pressed up against its shores. Under the water a ripply, wobbly world was reflected back up at them, with white clouds floating in an endless blue sky.

  Kristofer was waiting for her by a wooden dock, standing next to a large rowboat which was fitted with comfortable chairs. He’d brought a picnic basket with a red and white checked blanket, she saw.

  “I’m going to take you to one of my favorite places here,” he said, as he helped her climb into the rowboat.

  Frank unmoored the rowboat, and Kristofer began rowing. She settled in her seat and watched the muscles of his biceps bunch with each stroke.

  The sun bathed them in golden light, and the gentlest of breezes cooled her. The further they got from the shore, the more silent and peaceful it became.

  They were rowing towards a small island in the middle of the lake, she realized.

  “I like it here because it reminds me of home,” he said. “We had a lake just like this on our pack lands.” She realized she heard the faintest hint of homesickness in his voice. It must have been hard for him to drop everything, leave his entire life behind and move to a foreign country, she realized. Despite all the privilege that came with being an Alpha, there were obligations and sacrifices too.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” she said. He paused in his rowing, letting the boat drift.

  “Isn’t it though?” He opened up the picnic basket and pulled out two frosty cold beers. He quickly uncapped them and handed one to her, then took a long pull on his. She followed suit, relishing the mix of sweet and bitter.

  “Excellent,” she said, looking for a label on the bottle. She didn’t see any.

  “Our own brew. We make it here,” he said. “How was your first day so far?”

  “Different. I mean, the pack property is stunning. It’s really weird getting used to people bowing and curtsying and addressing me as if I’m royalty.”

  His lips twitched in a smile of amusement. “You are royalty.”

  “Was it strange, growing up with everyone deferring to you?” She couldn’t imagine it. Few humans could.

  “I don’t know any other way of life,” he said. “It’s not quite as easy as it looks to an outsider. The Alpha is deferred to, but he has to earn it, to be worthy of it, and if he isn’t, he won’t be Alpha for long. He’s the leader of his pack. He has to learn to be a leader who is both fair and strong. He has to excel in every area, from physical combat to business. I began my training basically as soon as I could walk. What about you? What was your childhood like?”

  “My parents were very close. My father passed away from a heart attack a couple of years ago. I’m close to my aunt and uncle and nieces.”

  “I am sorry for your loss. What about your mother? She lives with you, as I recall.”

  She winced. After all this time, it was still hard for her to talk about. “She’s…we think she has some kind of dementia. She started getting sick a few years ago, and doctors haven’t really been able to determine a cause. I don’t like to dwell on it, really.” Worry cramped inside her as she thought of her mother, and her family’s uncertain future.

  He nodded. “Fair enough. Did you enjoy growing up here in Lakeville?”

  “For the most part. Once I hit high school, there was a fair amount of teasing about my weight.” She kept her tone light, but the sting of those taunts and pranks still jabbed at her to this day.

  He frowned in genuine puzzlement. “I don’t understand that. Werewolves have always valued fuller figured women. We view them as healthier and more fertile.”

  He said it with utter sincerity. She had a feeling that this was a man who never felt the need to lie. She was starting to question a lot of her assumptions about him. Was it possible that he hadn’t chatted her up in an attempt to gather intel about her family’s land, on that first night that they’d met? Or was this charm offensive part of some other con that he was running on her? For the life of her she couldn’t figure out how he’d benefit from bridenapping her. He’d already taken everything that her family had.

  She took another long sip of ice cold beer, and settled back in her seat again.

  “What about your parents?” she asked.

  “My mother and father are coming out for the wedding. You’ll meet them then. I already sent them pictures of you, and they congratulated me on my good fortune.”

  Dear. God. Did he have to be so sweet and nice and charming?

  “Where did you get pictures of me?” she wondered.

  “I have my ways.” He grinned devilishly. “As you know, I’ve had my eye on you for a while.”

  His gaze roved over her slowly, appraisingly. It was almost like a physical
caress, and she couldn’t help but remember what it felt like to have his hands moving over her body.

  Quick, change the subject, she thought.

  “Taddeus was the old Alpha’s son, but he wasn’t chosen as Alpha. They chose you,” she said. “Why was that?”

  Kristofer’s expression grew somber. “It’s best if you don’t speak of it in public, but there were a number of complaints about him to the Alpha Congress, so he was brought before them for a formal review. They didn’t release the reason for his rejection, but I suspect it was leadership. He’s known as a fierce fighter, and he’s got a good head for business, but he has an imperious manner and is not well liked by most. There are some hard core old school types who do like him here, but they’re in the minority.”

  “You named him as your Beta.”

  “Tradition,” he said, which seemed to be the final answer to everything here.

  She leaned over and trailed her fingers in the water. “When I was younger, I thought I could see women who lived in the water, just below the surface. Beautiful women, who I could talk to. I could hear them singing.” The memories were so vivid that she frequently thought she must have she’d seen something like that in a movie that she just couldn’t remember.

  “Your lake must have had nyads in it,” he said, with an expression of interest.

  “Nyads? Like from the Greek myths? You think they’re real?”

  He laughed. “I know they’re real. Some lakes have them; this is one of them. Just like dryads, tree spirts, are real. Some trees are inhabited by a human spirit.”

  “Why wouldn’t other people be able to see them, then?”

  He leaned back in the boat, soaking in the sun. “Humans have spent centuries rejecting the magical and the mystical, and embracing the rational. You don’t let yourselves see the magic around you. The only reason that you accept werewolves is because we’re right there in your face, and you can hardly deny our existence.”

  He glanced over at her. “Also, not all humans can see nyads or dryads. To see them, you’d have to have a trace of magic in your blood as well. That’s maybe ten percent of the human population.”