Winter's Dawn (19 page)

“You aren’t going to die.” She freed him from his tie and then started unbuttoning his shirt. When she undid the buttons down to the center of his chest, she spread his shirt open. “Did you take a few more pills?”

Max fell heavily back against the railing. “They never work for the running parties. I might as well be taking sugar pills. Gods, Sue, I’ve got a headache.”

“More deep breaths,” she told him softly as she rested both of her hands over his rapidly beating heart. “You’re going to have to find some place secluded for a while.”

He groaned. “Why do I come to these parties?”

“It’ll only be a little while longer,” she said, her voice pained. “I’m sure I’ll get my cycle soon.”

“I don’t want you to get it.” Max covered his eyes again. “Then you’ll be stuck running this damn government with me. I don’t want you to dump your college acceptance letter in the garbage like I did.”

“You’re more important than college,” she whispered, cupping his cheek gently. “Thank you for running it all for me, Honeywell. I need you to know I appreciate all your hard work.”

He nodded, still covering his eyes with his hand. “I don’t want to get you pregnant, Susie Bee. I don’t want you to die.”

Her thumb rubbed away the tears rolling down his face. “The hormones are making you emotional. We go through this every full moon. I am not my mother.”

Max wiped at his eyes in annoyance. “Just thinking about getting you pregnant makes me sick to my stomach. I’d rather suffer forever.”

“I am not going to die. You need to stop making yourself sick over this.”

“Gods, I hate the full moon.” He opened his eyes to stare at her in anguish. “Going through this is worse than any horror story.”

“It’ll only be a little while longer,” she promised. “I know it’ll be better once I go into heat. You won’t suffer anymore.”

He stared at Susie in her long, silver gown, admiring the way it clung to her body. Her breasts had gotten fuller in the past several months and they spilled out over the intricately embroidered neckline of her gown. Her shoulders were bare. He reached out to touch them with both hands, running his palms over smooth skin before he traced his finger over the curve of one breast.

“I don’t like them looking at you,” he growled.

“Honeywell.” Susie reached up and captured the wandering hand, squeezing it softly. “You’re playing dominant wolf again.”

“I am the most dominant. I could kill them all. I will if they look at you.”

“Okay.” She gave him a patient smile. “We’re not killing innocent wolves this evening.”

“I want to kill Aubert,” he admitted. “He leaves homeless omega wolves running wild so he can throw parties.”

“Yes, I know.” Susie placed her hand against his cheek, letting her caressing thumb caress it. “But you aren’t allowed to kill him. I told you, no.”

“Why?” he asked in a low, puppy-like whine. “He is the reason so many werewolves have gone rogue here. They’re homeless. They just run wild. They forget that killing humans is wrong. I want to kill him and watch him bleed all over his white tux.”

“What lovely imagery,” she said lightly as she tilted her head to meet his gaze, which had drifted back down to her cleavage. “Maxwell, you need to go and find a seclude place. You are getting dangerous again.”

He shook his head defiantly. “I don’t want them. I want you.”

“Soon,” she promised. “But I want you to go off with Katrina and Serena for a while, okay?”

He frowned, his gaze drifting lower once more. “Tell me what I get for guarding the moon for you.”

“No.” Susie sighed, her breasts heaving. “I’m not playing dominant wolf with you.”

“I am the most dominant,” he reminded her.

“Yes, we all know that,” Susie said, before she reached down and cupped his chin in her hand. “Close your eyes and take deep breaths.”

He closed his eyes and obediently took deep breaths. He was still working on coming back to himself when he heard the terrace doors open. He opened his eyes to see Adam let Katrina and Serena out onto the terrace. Then Adam stood in front of the door, Danielle at his side, and Max realized he had been standing guard for a while.

“I think coming to Paris was a bad idea,” Susie told Serena as she came running up. “We are having a very difficult running party.”

Serena grabbed his chin, forcing his gaze to her. She growled under her breath, “Aubert!” she said, shaking her head. “He started arguing with the king this morning about the new budget.”

“That explains a lot,” Susie sighed.

“How dare he question my authority? I’m the most dominant,” Max told Serena, his eyes narrowed. “I want to kill him and watch him bleed all over that hideous white tux!”

Serena flinched, and turned to Susie. “Let me hand him something sharp and silver. Please, Your Highness.”

Susie narrowed her eyes. “He’s being serious, Serena.”

“Oh, fine.” Serena turned back to her sister. “Kat, come on. Give him the plate. Be good for something.”

Max took the plate of food that Katrina brought and eyed her in her dress, noticing it was nearly identical in style and color to the one Susie was wearing. The only difference being that Katrina’s was short, where as Susie’s was floor length.

He shook his head swiftly in a very wolf-like manner when his gaze drifted to swell of her breasts. “You’re not the queen,” he told her, though it was more for his own benefit.

“He’s really hard on my ego.” Katrina turned her light blue gaze on Susie. “I’m used to being the most beautiful.”

Serena growled and reached out to tug her sister’s long, white blonde hair. “Apologize to the queen for being smart with her!”

Katrina rolled her eyes, but turned back to Susie. “I’m sorry, Susie. You have a lovely gown on. Have I told you that?”

Susie laughed. “You as well.”

Serena growled again, putting a hand to her forehead. “Kat, you can’t call the queen by her first name.”

“She told me I could.”

“Gods, I am going to be so happy when that comes back to bite you,” Serena told her, before she brushed her long hair behind her and turned back to Max. “Eat, Your Majesty. It’ll help you feel better.”

Max stared at the meat on his plate, but then tilted his head to look at Serena, who was also wearing a short, silver gown. He stared at her breasts with narrowed eyes. “You’re not the queen either.”

“How we share blood with that dense French fool is beyond me. What wolf starts a fight with an unmated alpha the day of the full moon?” Serena shook her head. “Why can’t I hand him something sharp and silver?”

“Because he really will stick it in the French President,” Susie growled.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Stop encouraging this.” Susie picked up a piece of meat off the plate. “Eat, Max!”

Max took the meat she offered, chewing it quickly before he dropped the plate and growled. “It’s old. I hate old meat!”

Susie threw up her hands. “I am officially done with him. Don’t return him to me until he’s done playing dominant wolf.”

“I like dominant wolf.” Katrina laughed. “It makes me want to buy Aubert something special.”

“Then have fun,” Susie said as she turned around and walked back into the French Presidential Palace.

Max growled when she left and made a move to follow her, but Serena put a hand on his chest. “Easy, Your Majesty” Her light eyes swirled to silver. “I like dominant wolf too. You want to play some dominant wolf in Aubert’s office?”

He let his gaze drop back to Serena’s cleavage. She wasn’t the queen, but she was the closest thing he had at the moment. He lifted his head back up, studying her silver eyes. “You first.”

“Then come on.” Serena grinned as Katrina gasped in disappointment. “We’ll look for something sharp and silver while we’re at it.”

Chapter Eleven

Late Fall 1960

“And you question my hobby. I am always right!”

Max grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Why, Madam President, I believe you are sounding friendly. What’s in the water up there to makes vicious arctic wolves so easy to pet?”

“Brilliant kings who fire dreadful presidents,” Serena told him excitedly. “Did you know all my omega chapters’ letterhead has ‘Different not better’ stamped on the top of it?”

He felt his face flush and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. They all do that now. It makes me feel sort of dense to see my words stamped on letter head with King Maxwell under it.”

“Dense?” Serena gasped. “You are brilliant. I don’t think any of us realized how truly difficult things had become until you took over and set it all right again. All the wolves who matter love you. Those who don’t are looking for new jobs. I wish I could have seen Aubert’s face when you fired him.”

Max shook his head. “No, you don’t. I nearly stuck something sharp and silver in him. I think I deserve a medal for putting up with him for almost two years. If I had to tolerate another moment with him as the French President, he would have been dead instead of fired.”

“Why do you and the queen keep saying that as if it’s a bad thing? Prejudiced leaders who allow their people to suffer deserve to die.”

“No wolf that’s not rogue deserves to die,” he argued. “He just needs to do some serious soul searching while he attempts to find a way to survive without our government supporting his bad habits.”

Serena sighed. “What’s the matter with you? It’s ten days before the full moon and you are still annoyingly humane.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose my hormones are leveling out.”

“Excellent. I can leave the brat home and hope she finds herself a rich mate,” Serena said brightly.

Max rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t push it. You have to bring her, Serena.”

Serena huffed. “You do realize I have been supporting her for over a hundred years, Your Majesty? Would you want to tolerate Katrina for that long?”

“She’s fine.” Max laughed. “And if it’s been a hundred years, what makes you think a few more will make a difference?”

“She’s a pretty wolf,” Serena moaned. “You and I both know that. The males must smell some sort of pheromone that exudes a desire to divest them of more than their leather pants.”

“Yeah, it smells like the inside of Christian Dior.” He laughed again. “You know she actually carries that scent, right?”

“Are you being serious?” Serena gasped. “She smells like designer clothing stores?”

“I am being dead serious.” Max frowned at the phone. “You didn’t notice that?”

“I don’t sniff my sister.” Serena laughed. “No wonder they all run away the moment the running is over.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I doubt many males know that smell as distinctly as I do,” Max told her soothingly. “I do half my work in designer clothing stores.”

“Speaking of. The brat wants to come down early to finish up her winter wardrobe. Would you mind dragging us along?”

“No, that’s fine. Susie enjoys the company.” Max told her as he leaned forward to look through his files. “She prefers Katrina’s opinions to mine when it comes to clothing. You and I can go over my new plans for these shelters. I’m having a really hard time trying to figure out how to lure these wolves out of the wild. Our kind is too proud for our own good, especially red wolves. I thought Adam was kidding, but they
are
vain. They’ll sleep outdoors and hunt wildlife forever.”

“Yes, I realize that. Offering them housing is not enough. They enjoy running wild. They’ve been at if for too long.”

“Perhaps we can get Katrina to teach them about the joys of the human world.” Max smiled. “She can give running tours of Christian Dior.”

“A good thought, but that would require her to be useful and I long ago learned that is a vain hope.”

“I find her useful,” Max said, his smile growing broader.

Serena snorted. “If you offer to pay her I will have to flee to Greenland and change my name.”

“How about I pay for the remainder of her winter wardrobe?”

“Nope,” Serena said quickly. “Any money that leaves your hands for her benefit will thrust her right into the area of prostitution. I have enough kin to be ashamed of. I don’t need to add her to the list.”