Wolf's Ascension (13 page)

“You didn’t kill a person. You aren’t human and neither was she. She lived according to Pack law. Law she broke several times today alone. You enforced it. That’s what a true leader does. It’s easy to lead when things are good but if the Pack doesn’t obey the rules, things happen and can get out of control very easily. It’s the job of an effective leader to keep the Pack safe. Sometimes that means discipline. You showed them tonight that you’re willing to fight for them. For what’s theirs, and that you’re willing to kill for them too.” He kissed her forehead.

“They’ll hate me.”

He laughed, squeezing her to him. “Listen. Do you hear them?”

She listened and heard laughter and loud talking. All joyous. “Yes.”

“And does it sound like they’re celebrating you or hating you?”

“Celebrating. Andreas?”

“Yes, little wolf?”

“Don’t you think you’ll get tired of being so much wiser than me?”

He laughed again and stood up, bringing her out of the bed with him. “You’re wise beyond your years. You didn’t grow up in this world, I did. It’s only natural that I’d know more than you. But I give you six months until you’re smarter than I am about all of this.”

She went into their bathroom to clean up a bit and came back out just as he walked into the large closet and brought back a red bundle. “This is for you. To wear when we go downstairs.” He handed it to her and it unfurled in her arms.

She held it before her in wonder. It was red silk. A robe with slits on each side to her upper thighs. Black fabric-covered buttons lined the front and embroidered wolves circled the mandarin-style collar. It was breathtaking.

Gasping, she held it to herself and squealed, jumping up and down with girly delight. Much to his amusement.

“I like that. Do it again. Your breasts are even more attractive when you jump around,” he said, grinning.

“You sure it’s not too much for your heart, old guy?” She smirked at him and slipped the robe on over her head, fastening the buttons that ran from her waist to the throat. The sleeves were long and bore the same embroidered wolves along the edging, flaring at the wrist.

He stood back and smiled. “Beautiful for such a smart-ass. Drew created it. He’s a clothing designer. I have one, as well. It’s blue. Or, Drew said, it’s ‘royal blue.’ Fitting, no?” Turning, he pulled his robe out. It didn’t have the thigh slits and the sleeves were shorter but the blue was perfect for him.

“You look like a pasha. Very handsome.”

Smiling, he brought her to him, kissing her passionately.

“If you keep this up, I’m not going anywhere other than back to bed. And I want to. I want to keep you in here all night long, making you come over and over. Damn this whole being-king business.” Smiling ruefully, he straightened up, letting her go.

“You can make me come over and over after the party. Nice erection,” she teased and walked toward the door.

“All for you,” he said huskily as he joined her.

Out in the hall, Laurent enjoyed a glass of wine as he stared down at the crowd below. He turned to her and bowed. “My queen. You look beautiful.”

She rolled her eyes at him. All of the “my queen” stuff was getting old. “Thanks, Laurent. You don’t look so bad yourself. Naked becomes you.” Winking, she swept past him.

“As it does you,” he returned and then grunted when Andreas slugged him on the arm.

Kari went downstairs to greet everyone. Approaching Drew, she kissed his cheek. Gesturing to the robe, she grinned. “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. Thank you so much for creating it.”

“When Andreas told me about you and then showed me a picture, I just saw you as an empress. The silk had been sitting in my workshop for two years, just waiting for the right person. One of the women who does embroidery work for me took one look and suggested the embroidered wolves to line the collar and the wrists, the major blood points.”

“Wow. I’m even more touched that so much thought and care went into this. Does she know? Is she a wolf too?”

“No. Just a very wise woman.”

“Where on earth did you get my picture anyway?”

“Uh.” Worry crossed his face, making Kari suspicious. “I don’t know. You were sitting near a fountain in an outdoor café of sorts. Your hair was free, you had on lavender. A pretty skirt and blouse.”

She patted Drew’s arm reassuringly.
Andreas
. Turning and scanning the area, she found him lounging on the couch, like the pasha he so resembled. Of course, she wasn’t surprised to see him surrounded by other males from the Inner Circle. “Please excuse me, Drew. And thank you so much again.”

He smiled, touching his hand over his heart. “I’m honored that you find it to your liking. Come by my shop anytime. I’d love to make you other items.”

“I’d like that too.” Her sincere smile for Drew turned into a glare as she turned to face Andreas and make her way over to him. Oh, he was in big trouble.

“Uh-oh,” Sean said as he caught sight of Kari making her way over to them. Of course, she had to stop every few steps to greet someone else.

Andreas looked up and saw her face as she glared at him but the glare transformed into a beautiful smile as she turned to face one of the Pack, who rubbed his cheek along her thighs while his partner kissed her hands.

“You’re obviously in trouble.” Laurent grinned.

“I haven’t done anything,” he said defensively and then glared at Sean. “You take an awful lot of joy from this. You’re next, you know.” Andreas was glad he had so many people around him, his little Mate looked spitting mad. Whatever it was, he was sure he’d hear an earful.

“She’s quite delicious, Andreas. Does she have a sister?” Carey asked, watching Kari weave her way toward them, her legs showing with each stride. Despite the fact that many of them were naked or nearly so, the effect of the brief flashes of Kari’s bare skin was quite sexy.

“She has a brother. He’s human. Stop ogling my wife,” Andreas growled. A look around the room showed that many males watched his Mate. Even the mated ones watched. Hell, even the women watched her. She exuded a thick kind of sensuality. She also had an inherent maternalism. Add that to the musk of the sex they’d had earlier and the fact that she was their queen, and she made the perfect wolf girl. Aside from annoyance and a mild jealousy, that she was so desired turned him on. She was his and others wanted her.

There were times when a female who was mated might have a sexual interaction with a male not her Mate. At the Gathering tonight he’d seen Perri with Sean and Luna with Laurent. He’d slept with Perri himself a few times in wolf form and once in human form before she’d married Devon. He had the feeling that Kari didn’t know that though, and there wasn’t any way he’d be telling her any time soon.

He knew for sure that he was glad that for the most part, the wolf king and queen, once mated, didn’t step outside their relationship. He wasn’t sure he could imagine seeing her with another male and he felt so deeply about her he felt no desire for anyone else.

Finally Kari made it across the room to where Andreas held court. What should have taken thirty seconds had taken half an hour after she’d had to greet everyone and accept congratulations, including a special thank-you from Jade for the way she’d dealt with Johanna.

She kept walking and the huge men lolling around at Andreas’s feet simply rolled out of her way. Coming to a stop when she reached him, she put her hands on her hips.

“Skye, stop looking up my robe,” she snapped and he laughed, reaching out to caress her leg. Rolling her eyes at him, she turned to look down at Andreas.

“Is something wrong, little wolf?”

“You want to tell me how a picture of me taken without my knowledge ended up in Drew’s possession?”

Oops. “Oh, that. Well, you remember that I told you that I saw you at the convention center and then I tried to find out all I could about you? Phillip and Michael watched you to keep you safe. Sometimes they took photos of you. You knew I found out about your childhood.”

“Pictures of me? Through some sort of telephoto lens? Like a stalker? How many pictures do you have and what sort of pictures are they?”

Busted.
He didn’t dare look at Phillip, who’d taken several pictures of her in her apartment, two of them with her in states of undress. It had been more to see what sort of body she had, to assess her breeding ability, and she
so
wouldn’t understand that. It
did
seem sort of bad when he thought about it.

“Why do you look like you swallowed a bug?” she accused.

Skye wheezed with laugher. Sean joined him. Oh, the two of them had trouble coming to them, too, when they found the right woman. He couldn’t wait.

“
Cherie
...”

“Don’t you start with all your French love words. Tell me now. Are there naked pictures? Do you have any of me changing at the gym or out on dates?”

“Dates? You went out on dates and did things you didn’t want photographed?” he asked, sputtering.

“Don’t you change the subject! Answer my questions.” She looked at him imperiously. It would have been more effective had he not met her eye to eye, even though she was standing and he was sitting.

“You do, don’t you? You pervert! I want them—every last one—to be destroyed. Oh!” She looked down at all the men around Andreas. “Have you all seen them too?”

That sobered Sean and Skye quickly and Phillip just looked at the ground, trying very hard to be still and hope she didn’t notice him.

“Well?” she demanded.

Andreas started to say something but she held up her hand to tell him to be quiet. “These members of my Pack were going to answer a question their queen just asked them,” she said very softly.

Now, Andreas knew enough about women to understand that they were far more dangerous when they got quiet than when they were loud. In fact,
damn
, his mother snapped to attention at Kari’s tone and hurried over, concern on her face. Well, maybe she’d step in and save him from his tiny Mate.

“Andreas! What have you done to upset Kari?” Jade demanded. So much for thinking his mother was going to save him.

“He’s got naked pictures he took when he was spying on me. And it appears that all of this lot has seen them.” She gestured to everyone seated around Andreas.

Jade looked at Andreas. “Is this true? Son, you invaded Kari’s privacy when she was naked and showed the pictures to your buddies? It’s like tenth grade all over again.”

Everyone nearby groaned at that, along with Andreas, and Kari started to grin. “So wait, this pervert thing has a long history?”

“Oh, let me tell you. Come on, let’s get the girls and go grab a bottle or two of wine and meet over in my cabin. I’ll tell you all about it,” Jade said, laughing.

Kari started to follow her out, but turned back to Andreas. “I’m waiting. Go get those pictures and give them to me so I can destroy them.”

He stood up and approached her, eyes down. He tried to hug her but she stepped away from him. He whispered to her, “I just used them because I couldn’t have you.”

She leaned in and whispered back, “And you won’t be having any more of me if you don’t give me those pictures.”

Andreas sighed. “Phillip, please bring me the folder so we can put my beautiful queen’s mind at ease.”

She spun to face Phillip. “You too?”

“I’m sorry,” he said and sprinted into Andreas’s office. Moments later, he came back out and handed Kari a folder.

Her face colored when she opened it and saw the pictures. There were a few of her walking around in underwear and no bra as she was getting dressed in the morning, and one of her in a towel. “You perverts! What, were you in a tree across from my apartment complex or something? Did you all have a good time? Did I pass muster?” She wasn’t really mad anymore but she planned to make Andreas pay just the same.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Kari. We’d all be very lucky indeed were we to find Mates as luscious as you.” Sean tried not to smile.

“Hmmph. That Eddie Haskell routine won’t work on me, Sean.” She tossed the pictures into the fire and handed the folder back to Andreas. “This is going to cost you, you know. I love clothes but I didn’t really make enough to buy what I liked until just recently. Now that I have to leave my job, I think a new wardrobe might make me more inclined to forgive you and let you back into my bed.” Grinning wickedly, she spun, walking out of the room, making sure to put extra sway in her hips. She wanted Andreas to get a view of her ass and her loose breasts jiggling. She got to the door and looked back over her shoulder.
Yeah, he’d seen
.

Andreas threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll toss a nice two-or three-carat wedding ring in there too, little wolf.”

“Okay,” she said, flouncing off, Phillip in her wake.

Andreas turned around and growled at the laughing men he faced.

* * *

It was after 3 a.m. when Andreas and Kari were finally able to climb the stairs to their room. Even at that late hour, there were still people talking and snuggling all over the place, drinking and playing cards. Sean and Ryan smoked nasty-smelling cigars out on the deck.

“I’m going to have to go to Seattle and clean out my apartment and give notice at my job. We need to work out how this company you’ve acquired for me will be run and where. I also have to deal with Jack. I certainly can’t tell him I’m a werewolf.” She snorted. “But I do need to tell him I’ve moved and quit my job. I have no idea what to tell him about you. He’s going to think I’m crazy for moving in with some guy I met a few days ago.”

“I’m not some guy, I’m your Mate.”

“According to Pack law, yes. But according to human law—the law I’ve lived under my whole life, the law that Jack lives under—you’re some guy I’ve shacked up with.”

“It’s more than that. You insult the bonding,” he said, angry.

She sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. It came out wrong. I respect that and I do consider you to be my husband according to Pack law. But part of my life is in the human world, with Jack. I don’t know, I guess I’d feel better if there could be some kind of human marriage ceremony too.”