by A. C. Katt
“I heard everything, even what you didn’t say. I forgot to tell you about the Mate Link.”
“I read it in that damn book.” Frankie noticed the bar and walked over to pour himself a brandy. He held his glass up to René. “You want one?” René nodded. Frankie grabbed another crystal brandy snifter and poured himself two fingers and René four.
“I can’t believe one of us writes those books.” Frankie took a sip of his brandy.
“Yes, as The Alpha Mate told you, Alpha Mate Colin Callahan, Alpha Marc Thierry’s Mate. Alpha Thierry is Number Three. Colin is Jason Jones.”
“Marc as in Acquisitions Marc?” Frankie raised an eyebrow.
“You remembered.” René seemed surprised.
“You’ll find I remember all of what you say, it’s a talent my stepfather used often.” Frankie downed the rest of his drink.
“I’m sure The Alpha will find it useful. Are you hungry? I have some of Meg’s strawberry pie.”
“I’m starved.” Frankie put down his glass and followed René down into the kitchen.
René peered at him. “I’m making you a sandwich and heating up some soup. You’re under the mating imperative. Strawberry pie isn’t going to cut it.”
“You’re probably right.”
René opened the fridge. He brought out a container and put it on the counter. “You like chicken rice soup? I made some Friday night.” René took out a pot and put it on the stove.
“That broth appears rich. I’d love some. Do you make your own stock?”
René laughed. “There was a time I did, but now, I cheat. I use boxed chicken stock, add a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon, and the meat of a whole roasted chicken I buy from the market. I simmer with sautéed celery, carrots, and onion and make a cup of rice and I’ve got homemade chicken soup.” René heated the soup as he spoke and made a thick baked ham and Swiss cheese sandwich. He brought out a large bag of kettle chips and put them in a basket with a napkin and set the meal on the table for Frankie.
Frankie pulled René down to meet his lips and whispered, “I think I’ll keep you.” He kissed René’s lips using his tongue to open his wolf’s mouth. René took over the kiss, crushing his mouth with possession. He pillaged Frankie’s mouth, putting his stamp on his Mate. René continued to use his forceful lips and Frankie knew in no uncertain terms that he belonged to René.
René drew a breath and moved away. “You know we can’t make love until the mating…”
Frankie grasped his wolf’s hand. “Can we fool around?”
René frowned, then slowly smiled. “I think I can hold you while we sleep and not lose it. However, if we fool around, I’ll bite you, and if I bite you, the mating will not be recognized by the pack. I’ll be exiled and become a lone wolf because I won’t give you up, and The Alpha would be disgraced. I know some of the Alphas can fool around, but unfortunately, Betas don’t have the necessary fortitude.”
“Why is it so important that the pack witnesses the bite?” Frankie was truly puzzled. He wanted to understand why this was a problem.
“Every wolf’s bite is unique. When a loup garou makes love, two things happen at the moment of climax. The incisors lengthen so the loup garou can bite and claim his Mate and the knot forms.”
Frankie’s eyes went wide as realization washed over him. “I see, any wolf can bite you, but the knot can only be formed with a Mate. If you wanted to fake a mating, you could potentially bite any wolf you want. Once bitten, no one will deny he’s yours after seeing your Mate mark. But a mark can be faked by taking an unwilling wolf. If you go to the bedroom with witnesses who can verify you weren’t forced, there is little chance the mark isn’t valid. Once bitten, you can’t be marked by another wolf. I think I see how it works.”
“That’s what Chernof planned to do with Vitas. The knot is private and can’t be proved, even if someone watches the wolves make love. Skirting the rules was normal in Russia. Because there was no mating celebration, they wouldn’t have seen that Vitas was unwilling, only the mark afterward. Once given, the mark is visible proof that a mating has taken place. So, we take the mark seriously and go to great lengths to prove its authenticity.” René earnestly wanted him to understand that although he wanted to make love to Frankie, he couldn’t.
Frankie nodded. “Hmm, loup garou also transfer half of the funds to their Mate, that’s another consideration, another compelling reason to validate the mark. I think I’m beginning to comprehend the enormity of the validation the mark conveys. Would it be better for you, if I slept in another room?”
“I’ll be okay, as long as I can hold you through the night. That’s wolf instinct, no one can steal you before the mating if you sleep in my arms.”
“Makes sense. I’m glad it does. I don’t think I could adapt to a culture that had rules just for the sake of having rules.” René gave Frankie what could only be called a wolfen grin. Frankie chuckled and stroked his wolf’s cheek. He’d found his True Mate, but damn if it wasn’t going to be difficult to resist him until they were wed. If anything got in their way…
Chapter Nine
René’s Townhouse
Early Tuesday Morning
Frankie woke up in the exact position he was in when he went to sleep, his head resting on René’s broad chest. His mother was right. He couldn’t remember the last time this kind of happiness filled his heart. Frankie stirred, and René opened his eyes.
“Ma Vie.” René swooped down, and his lips touched Frankie’s. “As much as I love you, we need to get out of this bed. Holding you while we slept without taking you was hard enough. Having you in my arms, barely clothed while we’re awake is untenable.”
Frankie sat up. “How many rooms do we have?” He peered around the room, taking in the art deco furniture, the inlaid parquet floor and art that his eyes had been too tired to see last night.
“I didn’t show you our house last night. I should have, I’m sorry.”
“No worries, I’d rather see it when I’m awake.”
“We have fourteen rooms, not counting seven bathrooms, two of the rooms are suites with sitting areas, the housekeeper’s room and ours. We have four stories plus a walk-out basement. The kitchen is down in the basement as you saw last night, along with the breakfast room, a suite for a housekeeper, a bathroom off the kitchen and one attached to the housekeeper’s room. Now that there are two of us, we need to hire a full-time housekeeper.”
“We probably do. I don’t think the job with The Alpha allows much time for spring cleaning.” Frankie chuckled.
His wolf smiled. “There’s more. The first floor is the living room, dining room, with a half bath under the stairs. We’re on the second floor in the master suite with an attached bath and my study. We have an extra room of the same size that can become yours. We also have a guest room up here. There are four bedrooms on the third floor, enough for us to house our future children, a nanny, then eventually, a governess and a tutor should we need both. The children have a bath. And there are another two attached to the bedrooms. The fourth floor is a half-story that has the playroom and an outside terrace. I grow vegetables up there during the spring and summer, and what I don’t use I give to Martin and Edward and to Meg for The Alpha and The Alpha Mate. The master suite has a soaking tub and a twelve-headed shower, his and his sinks and heated towel bars. We have a small elevator hidden behind the staircase, but I generally climb the stairs.”
“Where do we go to exercise? I saw a gym around the corner.” Frankie stroked René’s shoulder.
“Since neither Martin nor I built a home gym, we use The Alpha’s. It’s as well equipped as an outside athletic club.”
“I’ll come with you if it’s okay with The Alpha. When do we go?”
“We generally go at five every morning, come home to shower and change, and are back at The Alpha’s by seven for breakfast. The Alpha works out at seven and eats with The Alpha Mate in the suite at eight. Once we have a housekeeper, we’ll eat here and b
e at The Alpha’s to start work at eight.”
“Do you go three times a week?”
“No, daily. It’s very important for Martin and me to be fit. We protect The Alpha and The Alpha Mate.”
“What’s your schedule like on a weekly basis?”
“Alpha Mate attends class all day on Tuesday and Thursday, so I’m at NYU. On Wednesday or Friday, he has lunch with the other Alpha Mates at one of their homes. Unless he goes out for something special. Mondays and, outside of lunch, on Wednesday or Friday, he spends the days in his studio. Your time will be taken up in the office inside the house managing The Alpha’s personal affairs.”
“We’ll see each other almost every day for lunch. I like that.” Frankie’s eyes sparkled. He got up out of bed. “May I use the bathroom first?”
“Sure, I’ll nap a bit more.” René slid back down under the covers.
Frankie went into the bath. Twenty minutes later, he came out to the bedroom just as René rose.
“Quite a change from my little box. I told Mom we’d be at her house by three. I warn you, I think Dante is going to be there along with Junior. Junior is particularly unpleasant. He’s perfect for Dante’s business if only Dante could see it.”
“Do you think he knows what Dante does?”
“Junior is lazy, not stupid. He loves Mom and like the rest of us doesn’t say anything to prick her bubble. He’ll probably be a lot less unpleasant when he realizes I’m not going to be involved in the business and plan to work somewhere else. That way, I will no longer be competition for his inheritance. No one was more gleeful that Sal got his than Junior. It was after Sal died that Dante began to pressure me to take over. Junior wants it, I don’t.”
“Can’t you convince your brother that the business isn’t moral?”
“I can’t take the moral high ground if I worked for Dante for ten years. Junior didn’t believe me when I said I wanted no part of it.”
René let out a breath. “I suppose I can see that.”
Frankie turned away. “I’ll go downstairs. If you tell me where the coffee things are, I’ll make coffee while you shower.”
“The beans and the grinder are in the cupboard over the toaster oven along with the mugs and sugar. The cream is in the fridge.”
“Do you have pink, blue, or yellow packets?”
“You don’t need artificial sweetener. Loup garou and their Mates don’t get fat, and neither do our Mates. Your new metabolism will burn what you eat. You can have natural sugar in your coffee. Although if you want to use the chemical stuff, it won’t affect you badly because of the infusion. However, I don’t have any, so we’ll have to buy it.” René grabbed Frankie’s hand, pulled him around, and kissed Frankie hard on the mouth. “I want you so much.” His eyes glimmered with lust.
René stood, naked, before him. Frankie’s eyes feasted on broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and a light dusting of hair on his chest that ran down to a happy trail then to a nicely trimmed nest. His shaft was wide, long and uncut. I’m a lucky man. René’s cock enticed him. He wanted it in his mouth. Frankie was tugged back down on the bed. He claimed his wolf’s mouth with another scorching kiss and stroked René’s body, gliding his hand down to the prize.
René moved Frankie gently aside. “I’ll bite you. Go get dressed and make the coffee.”
“I’ll have your coffee up here when you get out. You take it dark with one teaspoon, right?”
“Yes, Ma Vie, you remembered.” René chuckled. “I knew there was a reason that you’re my Mate. You make the coffee.”
§ § §
René prepared breakfast. They sat in the kitchen and Frankie was eating his second cheese, onion, and mushroom omelet. He had already finished a stack of six pancakes, two servings of home fried potatoes, and a rasher of bacon.
René turned away from the stove. “Your mother sounds interesting. She must be one hell of a lady to engender loyalty and love from such a diverse group of men like your father, brother, and you.”
“She is, you’ll see. I hope Dante does what I suggested, keeping Carmen as a companion to Mom, and hiring a real housekeeper to clean and cook. I know it’ll be difficult to find someone because of his business, but one of his associates must know somebody who needs the work. It could be a man or a woman, so long as they’re willing to do the job, and not coast like Carmen.”
“Maybe, if Don Ferone is there this afternoon, you can suggest that he should hire a man. A man could serve as protection for your mother as well as keep the house.”
“Excellent idea, I like how you think.” Frankie cleaned his plate again and finished six slices of rye toast. “If I’m going to eat like this, we’re going to need a housekeeper because you have better things to do than stand over the stove all day.”
René chuckled. “It was Meg who fed Edward, then later, Sean when the mating imperative hit them. She never left the kitchen. I’ll call The Alpha. He probably knows someone who can come in right away. You know they have to be one of us…we need to be able to speak freely in our own home.”
“I figured as much. Maybe you should call The Alpha now so we can go get the rings and the suits and be back to conduct interviews before we go to see my mother.”
“Good idea.”
§ § §
“Good morning, Pierre. This is René. Is The Alpha available?”
“I’ll check.”
“René…are you enjoying your day off?”
“Yes, Alpha, are you?”
“It’s not often I get to spend time with my Mate during the week. I relish every moment. What can I do for you this morning?”
“Frankie and I need a housekeeper, immediately. I’m trying to keep him fed. He’s eating even more than I remember The Alpha Mate and Edward did.”
“That’s because he’s older. He needs to maintain an already fit body. A man eats more food than a boy. At the time of the mating, Edward was only twenty-five, just like Sean. Frankie’s thirty-three, he needs more fuel. A man is more susceptible to pheromones.”
“Yes, Alpha. Maybe Frankie and I can interview someone between noon and two. We have to be at Frankie’s mother’s house at three.”
“What if I can only find a couple?” The Alpha asked.
“I’ll hire a couple if that’s what I have to do. It’s not like I can’t afford it, Alpha.”
“I’ll call Murphy. What are you doing this morning?”
“We have an appointment with Mr. Blanc at nine and Mr. Abbott at ten.”
“Alpha Mate and I will come with you. Pierre will drive.”
“Yes, Alpha, thank you.”
René got off the phone and rolled his eyes. “We’re going to have company shopping. The Alpha has decided to come.”
Frankie smiled. “Edward did tell me that Alpha La Marche could be a steamroller. As far as rings go, I’m all for plain gold bands. At Mr. Abbott’s, I don’t mind if The Alpha picks out the suits. I’ve always worn Italian suits off the rack. I wouldn’t know what constitutes a well-tailored English suit. I was going to depend on you.” He put his arms around René and hugged him. “I don’t know how it happened so soon, but I’m sappy about you.” Frankie nuzzled René’s neck.
René took a deep breath. “You’ve become a walking challenge to my honor. I can barely keep my hands off you.”
“I know, and it makes me happy. I’ve gone so long without anyone. I did nothing but one-nighters, I’m ecstatic to have found you. I love you. I want you to believe me. I didn’t think that it was possible to love someone so much, so quickly, but I love you.”
“And I adore you, Ma Vie. You don’t mind that The Alpha is determined to dress you?” René seemed sheepish, it seemed he was honestly afraid of how Frankie would react. René already knew to tread lightly on his independence. Frankie was glad his fiancé already realized that he treasured the independence for which he had fought so hard.
“He wants me dressed in a particular manner. It doesn’t matter how, to me. I’m gl
ad that The Alpha had enough faith in me to hire me. As far as how I appear to the world, the only person I’m worried about impressing is you.” Frankie kissed René with longing.
“I think you’d be stunning in rags.” René glanced over at the clock. It was eight. “We need to get dressed to go out. Pierre will be here for us in about thirty minutes.”
“What should I wear?” Frankie didn’t want to offend The Alpha, but all he had was casual clothes and his Italian suits.
“We’re going out with The Alpha. Wear a suit and tie. You’ll need the dress shirt to be fitted anyway. Mr. Abbott has custom shirts, but we have to go to Lobb for custom shoes.” Frankie opened his suitcase to choose a tie. He thought he might have heard wrong when René had said custom shoes. That was a waste of money he’d deal with later.
§ § §
In the Limousine
Pierre picked them up at eight thirty, and they climbed in. The Alpha was in the limousine with Martin, but The Alpha Mate was nowhere to be found. An Enforcer, Didier, sat in the front with Pierre. René let Frankie in first, and Frankie sat next to The Alpha. Martin had the window on the driver’s side, and The Alpha sat beside him. René wound up next to the window on the passenger side, his accustomed place, only this time he protected his Frankie rather than the Alpha Mate.
A Navigator with six Enforcers rode behind the limousine with another in front. “The Alpha Mate?” René turned his head. “Why so much security, Alpha?”
“I got word after I spoke to you that two of the members of the old Russian Council, Klim Leontiy Prokhor, the former Second, and Boris Pyotr Mikhailov, the former Fifth, escaped loup garou custody just after their plane landed in Russia last week. They sought refuge with the Russian Oligarch, Arkady Viktor Kuznetsov, an arms dealer. Kuznetsov has them in a villa outside of Moscow that would be difficult for our people to get into without spending a human life. Our spies tell us the two Russians are coming to Manhattan because New York is an open city. I don’t want The Alpha Mate unnecessarily out of the house until we can apprehend them. They intend to attempt to challenge me and take over the Council.”