Winter's Dawn (46 page)

“Oh hush.” Susie huffed as she turned back to the puppies sitting on the floor. “Say hello to the king.”

“Hello, Your Majesty,” John Jr. and Dylan intoned obediently.

“Hi, Max.” Aubert grinned up at him, using his birth name since he was Max’s half brother.

“Aubert.” He grimaced as he said his name, because he still couldn’t believe his father named his second son after a wolf Max hated as much as he did, but that wasn’t Aubert’s fault and he smiled at his little brother. “What story is Susie reading you?”

“
Peter Pan
.”

Max smiled nostalgically. “I like that story.”

“Leave Sophia.” Susie picked up her book again. “She can hear the next few chapters. Go speak with Adam about his rogue problems.”

“I needed to go over the schooling issue with you. It’s been four years since the start of the puppy-boom and I feel this problem is becoming urgent. I’d like to have schools up by next year.”

“The issue will still be there an hour from now.” Susie waved him off dismissively. “Go do king things. You’re ruining our story.”

Max knew when he wasn’t wanted and left with a low growl under his breath. He walked down the hall to Adam’s offices, which were on Susie’s side of the palace. Not that Adam was the best one to spend time with when Max was already feeling guilty about Susie’s empty den, which had grown into an enormous problem between them.

For years now they’d been happy with just each other, but as the puppies who lived in the palace started to grow older, filling the once somber walls with life and joy, Susie was starting to act like any other female wolf who had the urge to nurture young ones.

She was growing bitter as with each passing running Max denied her the offspring she craved so desperately. He had found a loophole on their first running. When the full moon was high in the sky, her body obeyed him and every time he demanded she not get pregnant.

It had worked for almost five years.

It kept his nightmares at bay, but lately it had started to make his relationship with Susie tense. Before now they had been blissfully happy, enjoying the novelty of being together and seeing their people flourish under their rule. The puppy-boom was such a blessing and they’d been content to watch other wolves have offspring. The second Max and Susie fully bonded, other wolves started to become pregnant. Many on that first running and it hadn’t stopped. Every day more and more puppies were born and their people were overjoyed about it, which gave Max and Susie a huge sense of accomplishment.

They had only five years of peace as rulers.

Now Susie wanted her own puppies—desperately.

Max walked past Adam’s assistant and peeked into his office unannounced. Adam looked up and smiled. “Hi, Max, what brings you to my end of the palace?”

“The queen dismissed me.” Max walked in and closed the door. “She’s holding audience.”

“Ahh.” Adam’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he looked up from his work. “She usually does. I have one of those as well. Danielle rarely has interest in me anymore. She’s always off playing with Aubert or Katrina’s two. Thank the Gods we’re the only red wolves in the palace. If a young red wolf is born I may never see her again.”

Max sighed when he heard the longing in Adam’s voice. “I wonder why the Gods haven’t blessed you.”

“I have no idea.” Adam shrugged. “But I try to hold faith that their timing is perfect. All we can do is keep trying.”

Max ran a hand over the edge of Adam’s desk, knowing he was supposed to be talking to him about the issues in the rogue department, as there had been a surge of attacks recently. Instead he admitted, “Susie is growing bitter.”

Adam set down the file he was reading and gave Max his full attention. “That problem is likely to get worse before anything. Once a female decides she wants puppies it’s hard to distract her from it. It is nature, Maxwell. The compulsion to care for young ones is every bit as strong as the need to mate or survive.”

He closed his eyes and ran both hands through his hair. “Can you imagine what sort of sons Susie and I would create? Autumn holds dominance over death and knowledge. What a horrible combination. It scares the hell out of me.”

“Have you considered you would also have daughters?” Adam asked him softly. “Autumn and Spring Kings need mates, Maxwell. She would give you little queens to nurture.”

Max lowered his hands and looked at Adam, feeling his heart hurt because he shared a soul with Susie. Her constant complaints about wanting puppies were starting to plant seeds of doubt in his mind about his need to hold back the spring and autumn pairs. Susie had been so adorable as a puppy. The idea of having daughters to care for wasn’t as wholly unappealing as it should be. He missed the days of her lost youth. Re-living it again free of the burden he and Susie shared by raising each other was starting to blossom into a dream he didn’t want to deny anymore.

“I’m in trouble,” Max huffed and then arched an eyebrow at Adam. “Let’s discuss your rogue issues instead.”

“Very well.” Adam picked up a file off his desk and handed it to him.

Max read it over, finding that there had been an upsurge of rogue activity on the west coast. He frowned, pondering it. “I wonder why the west coast?”

“I think it’s all those young humans camping outdoors and disturbing the wild wolves’ natural habitats.”

“Hippies,” Max clarified for him.

“Whatever they are called, they’re causing issues for us,” Adam sighed. “Wild werewolves love Southern California because of the temperate climate. Now their territories are being taken over by humans and they’re starting to go rogue.”

“So we’ll take a trip to California and see what we can do about solving this issue,” Max said as he kept reading. “We’ll let Susie shop for her spring wardrobe at the same time. Perhaps it will distract her from the irritation with me.”

“I highly doubt that,” Adam snorted. “But a trip to California is likely in order.”

“Let’s do it immediately. It’ll give us a full week before we have to return for the running,” Max announced as he stood up. “I’ll have Carl take care of travel arrangements.”

Adam took back the file when Max handed it to him. “Very well.”

****

“Do you like it? I was thinking of wearing it for the running.”

Susie held up a sparkling, pale blue dress that glimmered under the dim light of the penthouse suite they had rented in Los Angeles. Max set down his files on the desk he was sitting at and studied it. “It’s quite short.”

“That’s the fashion now.” Susie grinned. “Haven’t you heard of the women’s revolution?”

Max gave her a look. “I’m not sure I like the idea of males seeing quite that much of you for the running. I vote no.”

Susie waved him off. “That sounds like dominant wolf. Maybe you ought to switch to raw.”

Max took a bite of the steak he had room service deliver and savored it. Even after five years, he never got over the novelty of being able to eat normal food now that he had Susie to balance out his hormones. “I’m fine with cooked for another few days. I’ll last until we return home.”

“That’s too bad,” Susie sighed, though there was a hitch of something in her voice that had Max setting down his work and staring at her curiously.

She held up a checkered print skirt. “Mini-skirt. Very stylish.”

Max arched an eyebrow as he eyed the skirt in her hands. “Aptly named. It’s practically indecent. What is going on with humans these days?”

“I like the changes.” Susie laughed. “And their females are starting to wear their hair like we do. Very convenient. Shall I try it on for you?”

He raised his eyebrows, hearing the teasing tone in her voice now. He sniffed the air, uncaring that Susie would know what he was looking for. He closed his eyes when he smelled it, the first signs of her cycle starting despite the full moon being ten days out.

They always started early, but not quite this soon.

He was feeling it too. He’d been cranky all day. Odd.

“Please,” he said as he opened his eyes to look at her once more. “I would enjoy that.”

“Well, okay, then.”

Susie reached behind her to unzip the day dress she had been wearing. She stepped out of it and turned around to lay it on the bed, giving Max a view of Susie in nothing but her bra, panties and stockings. She’d worn fancier garters than she usually messed with this early in the cycle, making him realize this little scene may have been planned.

He stared at the sexy, black lace of her underclothes with a smirk. “Are those new?”

“I bought them yesterday.” Susie stepped into the skirt, pulling it up past her hips. She zipped it up on the side. “Do you like them?”

“Very much.”

“I thought you might.” She smiled and held up her hands, modeling the small skirt that was so short it showed off the edges of her garters and the straps that held her black stockings up. The effect was incredibly compelling with Susie’s hair hanging long and loose down to her hips, strands of it falling over her breasts to hide them from view. “What do you think?”

“We both know you couldn’t care less about my opinion on your wardrobe. I think you’re playing a game.” Max let his gaze run over her for one hot moment. “Are you?”

She wrinkled her nose in guilty admission. “Maybe.”

“It’s a bit early.” Max admired her again, knowing he was already defeated. “Why do you think that is?”

“Who cares?” She shrugged with indifference. “I’ve been smelling you all day, so I know I’m not the only one.”

“No, you aren’t.” Max crooked his finger, beckoning her over. “Come here, Susie Bee.”

Susie walked to him and Max reached for her when she got close enough. He pulled her to him hard enough to make her screech with laughter, but then he leaned in and sucked on one taut nipple through the lace of her bra. Her laughter turned into a choked moan when he pushed the lace aside and bit her.

Max closed his eyes, savoring the first taste of her for the cycle. As much as he enjoyed being free from the constant stress of his hormones being out of control now that he had Susie to help him manage them, he truly enjoyed the first time of the month. That moment when the want initially blossomed between them, making Max and Susie both wonder why they had gone for weeks without being together.

Their hormones coming alive sooner than usual was actually a bad thing when they were both caught up with the issue of setting up werewolf schools. They were never very productive after it sparked, but Max couldn’t find it in himself to be too disappointed.

He fell to his knees, making Susie gasp as he ran his hands up the curve of her back, forcing her to arch into him. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze. “Tell me what you want, Susie Bee, but be nice. You know I’ll get my turn.”

She giggled and reached down to place a finger against his lips. He sucked it into his mouth and her eyes glazed over as she watched. The surge of pheromones that bled off her had Max wavering because he hadn’t had a chance to build up a defense against them this month.

“Your mouth sounds nice.”

Max grinned, because he liked tasting her as much as she enjoyed letting him. He lifted her up, sitting her on top of the desk. Then he ran his hands up her legs and unfastened her garters as he eyed the skirt she was still wearing. “I think we’ll leave it on.”

“You like it,” she said as she smiled down at him. “I knew you would.”

He waggled his eyebrows, but his voice dropped as he tilted his head and looked at her panties. “I’m usually a big fan of the queen being a naughty wolf.”

“Oh, dominant wolf. I can hear him.”

“I bet you can.” He tugged on her stockings, ripping them as he pulled them down her thighs. “Now be quiet and let me do what the queen wishes.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

The California trip wasn’t as productive as Max would have liked. Their cycle sparking several days early was unfortunate and he was at a loss to figure out why. It never started quite that soon.

They didn’t get much done once they got back either. Max and Susie spent most of the time sneaking into each other’s offices and fooling around against whatever flat surface they could find. Everyone knew what they were up to, but hell, it was nature and no one was going to complain.