Winter's Dawn (17 page)

She leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Love you too, Honeywell.”

Chapter Ten

Spring 1959

Max pulled his car into the large garage at the Winter Palace as they arrived home from school. He hadn’t pulled his keys out of the ignition of his convertible before the doors burst open and several male werewolves ran out.

Susie rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”

“The French President has called for you three times,” Carl, Max’s assistant said quickly. “They had a huge rogue uprising and their exterminators aren’t able to handle it. He is worried the human government will get ahold of it.”

“I’ll ask Adam if he’ll go up and help,” Max said as another male on his staff opened his car door for him. “Thank you, Jasper. Will you do my homework for me?”

Max handed him his bag and Jasper nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“He was rather adamant you come up,” Carl argued as Max walked around the car and opened Susie’s door. “He would be willing to host a large running in your honor.”

“I should say,” Max said in incredulously. “A week before the full moon and he wants me to fly up there to fix a problem he should be able to handle on his own. Gods, Carl, have I told you how I detest his incompetence?”

“A few times, yes, Your Majesty.”

Max ran a hand through his hair in frustration before he turned to Susie. “Do you want to go to Paris this weekend?”

Susie shrugged. “Sounds good to me. I can get my summer wardrobe fitted while we’re there.”

“Fine,” Max agreed before he turned back to Carl. “Tell him that we were going over there anyway to purchase the queen’s summer wardrobe and I will meet with Paris’ Head of Exterminators. What’s his name?”

“Claude, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll meet with Claude. We’ll bring Adam. He and I will go rogue hunting with Claude and see if he needs to find a new job.” Max walked through the door when another male on his staff opened it for him. “Make sure he knows we’re going over there for her, not to deal with his issues. We’re there. I’ll help him, but it’s because the queen already had plans.”

“Very good, Your Majesty.”

“And you know, Carl.” Max turned back as Carl followed him down a hallway in the servant’s quarters. “You might want to tell him it’s not a great plan to be adamant with me about anything. If he were competent, it’d be fine. He’d have a right to be adamant, but he’s not. I better be really impressed with the running he’s putting on.”

“I’m sure you will be, Your Majesty.” Carl smirked. “You can’t say he doesn’t know how to throw a party.”

Max laughed. “True, he does know how to throw a party. None of his omega chapters have any funding because he thinks he’s better than them, but he can blow his funds on parties. I’m still furious about the Cannes Omega Chapter losing their building because of lack of funding.”

“Yes, I know, Your Majesty.”

“Gods, save me from incompetent presidents. Why can’t I fire him?”

“Because he’s your cousin, Your Majesty.”

“And that means what to me?” Max turned back to glare at Carl again. “Being related to me somehow gives him an excuse to be an asshole? I hate that wolf.”

“Yes, I know, Your Majesty.”

“He thinks he’s better than everyone because he’s a beta of the royal alpha line. Why do all these beta wolves think they are so much better? If you do the numbers, omega werewolves pay nineteen percent more taxes than beta werewolves because they are that more successful in the human world. Betas are too busy walking around being impressed with themselves, especially royal betas like my father.” Max stopped and shook his head. “They don’t understand. These levels don’t make one superior to the other. What do I say about the barking levels, Carl?”

“There is no better. Just different.”

“Just different,” Max reiterated, before he turned back to Susie, who had been following them. “Do you think being an alpha is better than being an omega or beta wolf?

Susie snorted. “No, I’d love to walk a mile in an omega’s shoes.”

“You and me both,” Max agreed. “Are you going to do your homework in my office?”

She grinned. “Sure.”

“Good.” He smiled back at her before he turned around to one of the males behind him. “Can you find me something to eat? I am starving.”

“Venison, Your Majesty?”

Max rubbed at the back of his neck, tilting his head to look up at the ornate ceiling of the main hall. “Mmm, no, I think I want—” He turned to look at Susie, frowning. “What do I want?”

“You like rabbit meat,” she suggested.

“Yes, fine.” He turned back. “But it has to be fresh. That day old stuff is dreadful. If the rabbit meat isn’t fresh then surprise me.”

“Very good, Your Majesty.”

“What else?” Max asked Carl as they arrived at his offices.

“The Roman Beta Chapter called. They had several issues to go over with you,” Carl said, flipping through the folder in hands.

“Why am I dealing with Italian beta chapters?” Max asked. “Don’t I have an Italian President? Isn’t that clearly his territory? Forget it. Give it to my father. In fact, go through all those notes. Anything that isn’t directly from a president, give to my father. I don’t even want to hear them.”

Carl continued to flip through his files for a few moments. “Then all I have left is the Canadian President. She called because she is upset about some funding issues for her omega chapters. She feels they are lacking.”

“Yes, I know that issue.” Max searched through the folders on his desk. He found what he was looking for and handed to Carl. “Give this to my father too. If he alters my budgets again I am going to be livid. Speaking of kin I’d love to fire.”

“Should I tell him that, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, tell him that,” he said as he turned back to Carl and winced. “Only leave out the firing part.”

“I had planned to, Your Majesty.”

“You’re good at making my words much more palatable.” Max grinned at him. “Have I told you I appreciate you?”

Carl smiled. “A few times, Your Majesty.”

“That other idiot leaving fourteen messages for me at school ended being the best thing that could have happened.” He reached out and grasped Carl’s shoulder, shaking him lightly. “You are a godsend. I worship the ground you walk on.”

“I don’t think alphas are supposed to say that to omega wolves, Your Majesty,” Carl said, still smiling at him.

“What are you talking about?” Max turned back to look through the new files on his desk. “Susie and I want to walk a mile in your shoes. We want to walk many miles.”

“A lifetime of miles,” Susie added as she settled herself at another desk in the corner. “Carl, can I have something to eat too? Only cooked with more selection.”

“Have afternoon tea,” Max suggested as he picked up one of the files and thumbed through it. “With scones and sandwiches, you like that.”

“Yes, I’ll have that.” Susie gave Carl a smile. “I don’t like the little turkey sandwiches though. I’d rather have cucumber, chicken salad, and—”

“You like ham.” Max frowned at the papers in his hand.

“And ham,” Susie said decisively. “Max, do you want something to drink?”

“Huh?” He looked up from the file. “Oh, yes, only not tea.”

“He wants whiskey,” Susie added. “If he starts now he can drop sometime around midnight.”

“If I’m lucky,” Max snorted, before he turned back to Carl. “Can you have Jason get Serena on the phone for me before you go to my father’s offices? Her funding still hasn’t been released. She’s going to have my ass.”

“You’re using sarcasm?” Carl asked hesitantly.

“Somewhat.” Max winced again. “I need to talk to her anyway about Paris. And have them get our French estate ready. Susie and I are not staying with Aubert. It’ll be bad enough going to his running.”

After Carl left, Max pulled off his jacket, tossing it over his desk. He accidentally ripped his tie in his haste to get it over his head. He lowered the temperature in the room to the point that he could see his breath and still he was hot.

“Gods, the only thing worse than spring is summer. I am really dreading it, Sue,” he whined as he sat down at his desk.

“Only two more weeks,” she hummed, not looking up from her work. “And we’ll be in our own personal hell.”

“Once we get out of school do you want to go stay with Serena for a few weeks? She’s hosting the first royal running of the summer. We can just go up early and enjoy me finally graduating in a cooler climate.”

“Do you even have to ask?” she snorted. “You’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming out of Canada once you get me there. If she’s not careful I’ll let her adopt me.”

Jason peeked his head in and shivered when a wave of cold air hit him. “The Canadian President is on the phone, Your Majesty.”

Max picked up the phone, and didn’t even get a word out before Serena snipped, “I don’t want bad news, Your Majesty.”

Max rubbed at the back of his neck. “The queen wants you to adopt her. That’s not bad news.”

“She loves me for my climate,” Serena said with a laugh.

“Yes, well, we both love you for that.” Max leaned back in his chair. “The funding still isn’t fixed. I’m sorry.”

“Gods be!” Serena screeched loud enough that Max held the phone away from his ear. “Will you stick something sharp and silver in your father for me?”

“That could cause a public relations problem,” Max said, before he sighed. “I’m working on it. I’ll have it fixed before the running, I promise.”

“You better! Why should I have omega wolves running wild when there are more than enough funds to help them? Do you know what happens when wolves run wild for too long?”

“Yeah, I know.” He rolled his eyes. “I get to stick something sharp and silver in them to work off frustration.”

“Why do beta wolves get more?” she asked. “How is that fair? That is not fair, Your Majesty. It makes me angry!”

“It makes me angry too,” he said in a low, menacing voice. “I didn’t know he did that, and trust me, he knows how mad I am about it. I’m still not speaking to him over it.”

“Gods, I didn’t need this,” she moaned. “You are king. He should not be overstepping you. I personally saw you take dominance that night at the running. That means you rule our people now, not him and he needs to keep his pencil off your budget.”

“Serena,” Max growled, feeling more than a little irritable. “You know how hard it has been to transfer everything from his hands to mine. I’ve got presidents all over the world crying over his loss and its taking huge amounts of restraint not to kill them all. So you probably shouldn’t encourage my anger.”

“You’re assuming I have a problem with you killing them,” she replied back smartly. “If they are crying because they don’t get to be spoiled, prejudiced leaders with unfair budgets they deserve to die.”

He laughed. “Arctic wolves are vindictive wolves.”

“With sharper teeth and thicker fur,” she added. “Keep me away from your father at the running. Black wolf sounds tastier than venison to me right now.”

“Ah, well, you aren’t going to be seeing him at the running.” Max rubbed at the back of his neck again. “Now ask me to tell you the bad news.”

“If you say you are going to bail Aubert out of his rogue problem and force me to go to France I am going to stick something sharp and silver in
you
!”

Max glanced up, seeing that Susie was totally engrossed in her homework. “Can’t you just bite me instead?”

Serena let out a low wolf growl, before she yelled, “I hate France! And I hate Aubert even more!”

“You’re stroking me the wrong way,” Max snapped at her. “Behave. I’m in a bad mood. I hate him as much as you. We’re going to France. If you don’t let your fur settle I’ll make you stay with him instead of with me and Susie.”

She was quiet for a moment, before she huffed. “Wow, you are in a bad mood.”

“Yes, I am. I really do not want to go to France. The only reason I agreed is because I have no more rogues to hunt around here.”

She laughed. “You could probably drive ten hours in any direction and not find one. They all relocated to France, because Aubert is too busy spending funds on his bitch’s parties.”