“No, but I’m getting there.”

Simon pointed discreetly towards the workshop’s front window. “Incoming.”

Max gritted his teeth just as the door opened.

“Max, how nice to run into you!”

Soft, perfumed arms tried to circle his neck. In a swift move, Max glided away, turning to face the woman who’d tormented him since his return to Halle. “Livia.”

It wasn’t a greeting; it was a warning. Her eyes flared briefly with fear before she laughed it off. “I just wanted to remind you about the masquerade party over at Marie’s. You’ll be going, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

Livia frowned, her expression turning hard and calculating. “Most of the Pride will be there.”

Max nodded; as Alpha he was well aware of that. Marie’s father, the old Alpha, still held the annual masquerade at his house just outside of town. It was his pride and joy, that house, and he loved to entertain. His daughter, safely mated to Jamie Howard, acted as his hostess since the death of his mate some four years ago. Human and Puma mingled at the masquerade, the humans totally unaware of the Pumas in their midst. The Pride did its best to make the event a night to remember, for both races, and Jonathon Friedelinde did an excellent job of that. It was also the event at which an unmated male could unofficially signal his interest in a female. Hence Livia’s interest in his attendance; if she could get him alone long enough, get him to signal in some way that there was a spark of interest, she could force him into a declaration he didn’t want to make.

“Who are you taking?”

The question was asked with a seductive coyness that nearly made Max shudder. He suppressed it; he couldn’t afford a sign of weakness. “At present, no one.”

The chill in his voice should have made her back off. Instead, the stupid woman took it as a challenge.

“Oh?” Her lashes fluttering coyly, she reached out with one manicured finger. When her blood red claw touched his chest, Max snarled a warning, his eyes flashing gold as the Puma warned her off.

With a gasp she backed away. Her head dipped in submission, an instinctive response to the Alpha power Max now exuded. It surrounded him in an unseen cloud, forcing all before him to do his will. Max rarely found himself in need of it, but today she’d pushed too far. She slowly backed away from him as a growl rumbled in his chest. He kept it going until she was completely out of Simon’s workshop, pissed beyond belief at her persistence.

“Okay, I gotta admit, that was probably more effective than ‘Fuck off, you skanky ho’. Think she got the message?”

And that was why Simon was his Beta—he’d flinched but stood his ground, something none of the other Pumas could do. Their reactions were more akin to Livia’s when he chose to exercise his power.

He was also one of the few people Max trusted completely. If anything were to happen to Max, Simon would become Alpha.

Max turned with a laughing snort to answer his buddy’s question when Simon’s phone rang. His Beta punched the speakerphone button, still grinning at Max. “Hello?”

“Simon?” The voice on the other end of the phone drawled Simon’s name with an amused authority that had Max’s eyebrows rising into his hairline. He waited for Simon to put the woman in her place.

Simon rolled his eyes. “Hey, Emma.”

Max blinked. Emma? Emma Carter?

“Your stained glass Madonna is late. Reverend Glaston is getting antsy.”

Max blinked again. That sexy voice was Emma?

“I’ve been…distracted.” That last was said with a quick glance at Max. He’d been the one keeping

Simon busy. As Beta, Simon took care of a great deal of Pride business, something Emma wouldn’t know about.

“Well, could you please ask your distraction to go home so you can finish the reverend’s window?”

Her tone of voice raised Max’s brows back into his hairline. His Beta’s reaction had his jaw nearly dropping open.

“Emma,” Simon nearly whined, “I’ve been working night and day, here. Give me a break!”

Emma?!? Plump little wallflower Emma?

“Just who have you been working, Simon Holt?”

Emma, who couldn’t look him in the eye, making double entendres?

“No one, damn it! I’ve been working on…other things.” Again, Simon shot Max a quick, furtive look.

Emma? Emma had his Beta shaking in his sneakers?

“Well, get your thing back under control and finish the reverend’s window, okay?”

The irreverent authority in her voice stirred his interest. A vision of a dark-haired girl in a sunset colored prom gown flashed through his mind.

“Damn it, Emma!” Simon sighed, leaning back against his workbench. “Where’s Becky?”

The entreaty in Simon’s voice barely registered. Max was waiting to hear Emma’s voice again.

“Oh, no, don’t think you can get out of having that window finished today by sweet-talking Becky. I’m on to your tricks, buster.”

Simon winced. Max’s cock twitched.

Emma?

Hmmm. Emma .

“Okay, okay. I’ll have the damn window done today. Anything else, Little General?” Simon’s shoulders were quaking with laughter, his voice filled with respect. Max frowned at the affection in his Beta’s voice.

“Mm-hmm. Becky and I will be going to the masquerade. Just thought you’d like to know.”

Emma would be at the masquerade? Suddenly he was dying to see her. How had she turned out? Was she as sexy as her voice implied?

“Oh, yeah.” The purr in Simon’s voice had Max frowning. The small, predatory smile had his eyes flashing gold in protest as a wave of possessiveness rose inside him. The owner of that voice was his .

“Mm-hmm. See you later? With the window?”

“Count on it. Bye, Emma.”

“Later, Simon.”

Simon hung up the phone, that sexy smile still on his face. When he turned back, Max had himself back under control, merely raising a brow at Simon.

Simon flushed. “What?”

“When are you delivering that window?”

Simon looked over at the window waiting for its finishing touches. “Probably just after lunch. Why?”

“I’m going with you.” Max grinned.

Simon straightened up, frowning slightly in confusion. “Why? I thought you had some other things to deal with.”