Ivory Snow
Chapter 1

For the first time in many, many years, Ava walked into the ballroom of the castle. She could have come sooner. She just didn’t want to.

Nothing in her life had turned out the way she planned. And it was all Maria’s fault. It should have been her that was celebrating her daughter’s birthday, the true Princess.

Instead, it was Maria’s daughter.

Maria’s kingdom.

Maria’s mate.

Ava had been close to convincing the prince into choosing her. She knew it. If her know-it-all sister had just gone to bed as planned, Ava would have been the one he turned to when he needed comforting. Not Maria.

Ava stood in the entrance to the large room that was used for celebrations and looked around. On the other side, in the two golden thrones, sat Maria and Alex.

Ava noticed bitterly how they still looked as happy as ever. She was comforted to notice that Maria had obviously never fully gotten rid of all of her baby weight. And, even from this distance, she could see a few gray stripes in Maria’s hair.

Ava smiled to herself, letting the joy that she was still more beautiful than her sister fill her heart. She had chosen her dress well. It was a long royal blue gown, which clung to her still ripe chest firmly, and flowed down her legs.

Maria was wearing a dark red dress. It was not flattering in the slightest.

Why would she wear something so ghastly? Ava scoffed to herself. Maria had never been very good at fashion. Some things never changed. Which of course was further proof that Ava was the one more deserving of the crown.

“My lady, shall we pay our respects to the King and Queen before we mingle with the others?” Dale, her advisor asked softly, placing a gentle hand on her elbow.

Ava sighed dramatically and let him lead her in that direction. “If we must.”

Ava kept her shoulders back and her chin up, walking with all the grace that was her right to carry.

“You won’t let them hurt me again. Will you, Dale?” Ava pouted her bottom lip and held tight to his arm, as though she was a scared little pup.

“Never, my lady. I live to serve and protect you. I don’t care who they are, no one can step on you anymore.”

Ava gave him a demure smile. “You spoil me, Dale. I don’t know what I would have done without you all these years.”

Dale threw her a hidden wink and patted her arm. She gave a giggle that was more fitting for that of a teenage pup than the full-grown Countess that she was.

Still, it had the desired effect.

It hadn’t taken long after she mated with the Count for Ava to learn how to manipulate this male.

Dale and the Count had been litter mates. They grew up together and were best friends. So close in fact, that when Dale realized his one true mate was about to be mated to his best friend, he kept his mouth shut.

Unfortunately for the Count, the pull of a true mate was stronger than that of a friend, a brother. His wolf never forgot that she was meant to be his mate, not even after the pull was dimmed by her mating the Count.

Well, on Dale’s side anyway.

Around their one-year anniversary, the Count began pressuring Ava to give him a pup. An heir. Something she did not want to do. Ava had no interest in ruining her body the way other females did.

While it had been tempting for a time, the thought of having a pup that was more beautiful than Maria’s, it still wasn’t worth the cost. Not for a pup of the Count’s at any rate.

One night, Ava had finally had enough of consistent pressuring.

While sitting in the garden one evening, Dale had come upon her. She sniffed at all the right spots, and even managed to push out a few tears.

“My lady, why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

“No.” She gasped out, and then jumped as he tried to touch her.

She pretended to fear his touch, causing him to worry further.

She cleared her throat and made it look as though she was trying to cover up her mistake by stepping away.

Truly, Ava was a good actress.

Just not good enough to catch the Prince, the real prize.

“No. I’m fine. I just needed some fresh air.”

Dale walked closer. His wolf needed to comfort its mate. His wolf had always tried to convince him that he should have just spoken up to their friend in the first place. The Count loved and respected them.

“Pardon me for saying so, my Lady. But I don’t believe you. I can feel how upset you are. You know I can.”

Thankfully it was dark enough that he did not see the eye roll Ava let slip out.

Did she feel a pull to them? Of course. However, she had ignored them enough that the pull had weakened. With the Count marking her, she could barely feel it at all. Both she and her wolf agreed that Dale and his were not worthy of someone like them.

Using their bond to their advantage was not below them though.

Ava practically threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his neck. She inhaled his scent deeply, something she had seen many mated females do when they were upset.

At first Dale was surprised and acted a little awkward. Once he felt her inhale, his arms wrapped around her and took a sniff of his own. For a year, he had been dying to do this, but he knew it would be bad if he ever tried.

Which had most assuredly been a smart idea, as that one sniff of her raw scent was like a kick to the gut. His knees became weak, and he felt himself falling to her more and more. Just the idea of her returning to the Count after that was enough to make a male go on a killing spree. The more of her fresh, undiluted scent that he pulled in, the stronger her pull on him became.

Dale rubbed a hand gently down the back of her hair and kissed the side of her head. Ava leveled out her uneven breathing, letting him think he was affecting her.

“Tell me, my love. Tell me what happened. I can’t fix it if you don’t let me.” Dale begged in a whisper.

“He... he yelled at me.”

Dale’s body stiffened. “The Count yelled at you? Why?” That was not like the Count at all. He had a mild temperament. It was not like him to raise his voice to anyone.

Ava sniffled again and tightened the grip she had on Dale’s shirt.

“Because I haven’t been able to give him a pup. That’s all he mated with me for anyway. Without providing him with an heir, I’m nothing but the daughter of a baker. What do I have to offer anyone?”

Dale was furious. How could anyone possibly think of her as something so worthless?

“He is just disappointed. I’m sure he didn’t mean any of it. You are the most beautiful creation. You have the kindest heart, the sweetest soul. No one in their right mind could think any less of you.”

Ava worked to keep the grin small. Just to be safe, she pressed her cheek against his chest, keeping he face from his view.

Well, maybe Dale wasn’t so worthless after all. Before tilting her head back, to give him a pleading look, she pushed the smile away.

“This wasn’t the first time he said those things, nor was he the first person. My family was never kind to me. Never as good at baking as Maria. Never as polite and soft as Maria. Never knew my place as a servant like Maria. I never enjoyed baking like she did. I tried. I did. I just couldn’t do it. I never liked being tied to that kitchen.” Ava sniffed and wiped her nose disgustingly with the back of her hand.

“Then she went off and mated with the Prince. There was no coming out of her shadow then. Even here, a hundred miles away, she is still popping up. Maria got pregnant with a pup within a few months of their mating! It’s not my fault my body won’t accept it!” Her voice gave a little crack, which splintered Dale’s heart.

He placed his palm on her cheek, and she leaned into it. Dale’s wolf puffed with pride in his chest. Even the good Count could not take care of her the way they could, the way they were made to do.

“All of that is lies. Lies people tell themselves to make them feel more important. To excuse away what they can’t accept. You are the most beautiful. You are too special to settle for the simple things in this life. You were meant to shine, not be hidden away from the world. So, what if your body will not accept his pup? It was not meant to be his anyway. You were never meant to be his.”

Ava’s eyes widened at the possessive growl lacing his words. She had never heard him speak like that before.

“No male. True mate or chosen, has the right to speak to a female that way. My wolf and I could literally pull his throat out for saying such hurtful things to you. We trusted him to take care of you, in a way we are not capable of, and he failed.”

Ava’s jaw dropped. She was shocked by the turn this conversation had taken, truly shocked.

She bit the corner of her lip seductively, a new idea coming to her. One she hadn’t fully thought of before, mostly because she hadn’t thought it was possible.

Now, though? Maybe it was. She would need to test it first though. Test him.

“You care for me so much?”

Dale slid his hand behind her head and held her tight. “You are my mate. I will serve you and protect you however you will let me. I know you are far beyond my reach, but I will take what I can get. You are mine. No one is allowed to hurt you. Physically or otherwise.”

Ava’s wolf purred. He may not be an alpha wolf, but he would definitely come in handy. She did like this side of him. Maybe she would keep him around after all, even throw him a... treat… from time to time.

“Oh, Dale. You know me so well. What would I do without you?” She leaned in just enough to hint at what he should do next. His actions needed to be his own, well, as far as he was concerned anyway.

Dale greedily closed the small gap, pressing his lips to hers. He growled as her tongue slipped between his lips and hungrily went further. Ava slid her hands around his head and pressed her body against his. She could tell how happy he was by his reaction to her. It wasn’t difficult to feel, seeing as how she was in nothing but her thin night dress.

As with everything Ava owned, her dressing gown was made of the best material and fit her perfectly. Had this been during the day, he surely would have been able to see straight through the dress.

Ava took a few steps back, pulling Dale with her, until her back hit a tree. She wasn’t enjoying it as much as he was, but she knew it was important that he believed otherwise.

Acting as though she had no control over her own actions, she slid her hands down his sides and then slowly up his shirt. She never gave much thought into Dale’s appearance before, his station had pretty much damaged that for her.

With her eyes closed, she examined his muscles.

Dale was buff.

She counted eight firm muscles on his rib cage. Something larger than she thought possible jammed harder into her as her hands moved. In her mind’s eye, she thought back to what he looked like in the daylight, trying to put the pieces together that she hadn’t yet.

Dale was well over six feet and had thick shoulders and arms. He had a strong jawline and a slightly bent nose. Shifters healed generally fast, but if a broken bone wasn’t set properly right away, it would heal deformed. She didn’t care enough to ask him what had happened and why he hadn’t had a doctor set it properly.

His black hair was nearly identical to hers, and his blue eyes shone as bright as the clear sky when he was happy, but as dark as the storm raging when he was upset.

Throughout her growing up years, Ava had played around with some of the males in the village. It was how she passed the time while waiting for the Prince. Most of them barely got the job done. She heard talk among the older females of how it was always better with your mate. The Count was sadly disappointing in that arena.

The realization that the females may have meant a true mate dawned on Ava. Maybe it would be better with Dale.

Ava twisted her head just enough, giving him the hint to move down her neck.

It wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

By the way his hand held her lower back tight, keeping himself pressed into her, she could tell that he obviously knew what he was doing.

Dale made just the right move, eliciting an unexpected moan from her.

That was new for her.

Dale took that as his sign to keep going. He slid a hand down her shoulder, pushing the thin strap of her nightdress down with it. It wasn’t long before one side of her was bare to the world.

He paused, his eyes widening as though he just realized what he had done.

Filled with curiosity and the knowledge that she needed to give him something to hook him fully into her control, she gripped the back of his head again and pushed him down. He was smart enough to know what she wanted.

Ava decided this was already better than what she had had in quite some time. She allowed herself to relax enough to let her body get what it needed. She reached down and began to loosen his pants.

Dale growled and attacked her with more ferocity as he started bunching her dress up to her waist.

Both of them were barely freed from their cages when they heard a voice coming from down the hall.

“Ava? Are you out here?” The Count called, frustration and irritation clear in his throat.

Dale looked into her eyes.

“Don’t let him hurt me again, mate.” She pleaded desperately.

With the new title, a fire lit in Dale’s eyes. “No one will ever hurt you again.” He fixed her dress and slinked into the darkness. “Pull him in here. I will take care of it.”

Interesting. Let a true mate get a little handsy and they were like putty in your hands. Who knew?

Ava turned to face the opening to the garden, right as her chosen mate walked in.

The Count sighed, slightly relieved. “There you are. Come, it is time for bed. You should not be out here alone this late. Your scent, especially at this time will tempt the unmated males. I do not want to put you or them in that situation.”

Ava did not move toward him nor reach for the hand he had stretched out to her.

Technically, yes, this was the right time in her cycle for her to get pregnant. The scent of which called to the wolves in the unmated males, smelling sweeter and more tempting than it normally would. However, what the Count did not know was that she drank a special tea twice a day. One that was guaranteed to keep her from getting pregnant.

The Count came closer, grabbing her hand. This was exactly what she wanted. She wanted Dale to get the impression that his friend was being forceful with her.

“I’m not ready to go to bed yet. It is a beautiful night. I want to stay in the garden longer.” Ava knew full well that the older male did not like staying up late. And as he just said, he didn’t want her out here alone either.

As an alpha wolf, he did not like to be denied or challenged.

He frowned at her. “Ava. It’s time for bed. You need to take care of your body. We need you to be healthy if we are going to have a pup.” He softened his voice and stepped close to her, lifting his knuckles to gently graze her cheek. “I do not want to lose you the way I lost my first mate.”

With what Ava had said earlier, insinuating she was just a replacement, Dale grew increasingly angry with him. Touching her intimately like that pushed his wolf further over the edge. What little piece of him that was still unsure about this action flew out of him when the Count kissed her cheek.

Ava pulled back, stopping the Count’s movement back toward the manor.

“Wait!” She bit the corner of her lip again, knowing it always had an effect on the males. She had no idea why, but she would not question it if it worked. “Maybe fresh air is the key. We can both be more in touch with our wolves out here.”

The Count was torn. He was not of the type to do something so daring. Yet, the thought was appealing. Especially to his wolf.

Ava gave him a playful smile and he let her pull him into the batch of trees. He chuckled softly as she let go of his hand and backed away from him. A game of chase might be a bit fun too. His wolf did love to dominate, and all females loved to be dominated.

He followed her deeper still, until it was nearly pitch black. The trees blocked out the small bits of moonlight. Ava’s nightdress was a soft white, making her look like an angel in the night. Despite the darkness, he could still see her.

He began unbuttoning his shirt, preparing to shift and give chase, when he heard a low growl coming from his right. He only had a small moment of confusion before a large set of teeth bit into his neck.

Dale shifted back to his human form at once, guilt draining down his throat along with the blood of his childhood best friend. A male who had been more brother than friend.

Ava reacted fast, not wanting to give him the chance to rethink what he had just done.

Yes, she could call the guards. They could take him away and have him killed for assassinating the Count. She didn’t think that was the best choice though. She could use someone who was completely devoted to her, and her alone.

Someone she could count on to do the dirty work, without her having to actually tell him too. And this one had already proven he would.

She fell to the ground, shivering with fear, calling to him in a near whisper. “Dale? Dale?”

His head snapped up and he ran to her, scooping her up into his arms.

“You saved me. You protected me. Even though he was your friend, you knew he would hurt your mate.”

The change in his demeanor was immediate. He had done what needed to be done. The Count had changed, he was no longer the good male Dale once thought he was.

The breeze picked up creating a small break in the tree branches, just enough for one beam of moonlight to come through. Ava could see the blood dripping down Dale’s neck and onto his bare chest. She suddenly became aware that he had removed his clothes after leaving her. He was even better than she imagined. Leagues better than the Count had been.

“I would do anything to protect you, my love. I may not be good enough to stand equally by your side, but I will always be good enough to protect you. No one will ever try to hide you or bring you down again. Not as long as I am around.”

Ava wiped the blood away from his lips and leaned in to kiss him. It wasn’t long before Dale, still feeling the adrenaline from the attack, had her on her back in the grass, his shirt lying under her head as a pillow. Right there, next to the bloody mess of his best friend and her chosen mate, she rewarded him.

She let him have her.

Ava managed to convince him that this was not the right time to solidify a bond, as everyone would think he killed the Count so he could have her. If she were to keep her station as the Countess, they would have to keep their relationship a secret.

Once they were done, and she was moderately satisfied, they snuck back into the manor and down the hall. They were both sound asleep when the guards found the Count’s body.

When she was awoken to be given the news, she was appropriately distraught.

Dale held her as she mourned over the next few days, feeling oddly at peace with what happened.

He protected his mate.

He still was, by putting on this act.

He did grieve for the friend he once knew. But that male had been gone long before last night. Besides, his friend was now with the mate and pup he lost; he was happier now. In reality, Dale had done him a favor.

With no evidence to follow. It was believed that a rogue had somehow infiltrated the grounds with the sole purpose of killing the Count.