Chapter 65 Max
MAX
Christmas morning without his parents didn’t feel right, but Max’s mom had promised that they would fly up for the new year and visit. Marcus had invited them to come earlier, but they had decided to give Max some time to get to know his new pack without having to play host.
“There will be many Christmases,” his dad had said, looking happy for him.
Max was drawn out of his musings by Warren looking through his presents like an overexcited five-year-old. They were in the living room, and William, Steve and Steve’s mates had joined them to exchange presents.
There would be a larger celebration later in the day for the whole pack.
Marcus’s mom would not be joining them. She was in Anchorage, going to a series of galas and Christmas parties. Max had met her briefly, and though she had been polite, she hadn’t been particularly welcoming.
He was glad she was elsewhere.
“Keys, keys, keys,” Warren chanted, rummaging through his stack of presents and shaking the boxes in search of the gift he was most eager for.
“Keys to what?” Dylan asked, looking amused. He had a stack of presents of his own, but he was paying them no attention. He was far more interested in the plate of cookies that August had brought him.
Warren hadn’t been successful in showing him how to feed properly, but Dylan didn’t seem bothered by the failure.
Looking around the room, Max wasn’t quite sure what to make of his in-laws. Steve was okay, but Ryker and August were scary. He kept feeling like they were about to beat him up. Marcus insisted that the feeling would go away once he just figured out his place in the pack hierarchy.
Harland agreed with him.
It was fine. Max would work on the whole fighting thing – he did want to be a better werewolf – but he wasn’t in a rush.
“Nothing!” Warren said, finally finding a little box that rattled when he shook it. He tore it open, making a frustrated sound when the ribbon wouldn’t come off without the bow being untied or cut.
Max knew that the box had keys to a new car in it, and the idea that Warren would open his gift and be disappointed by a new Lexus was hilarious.
The keys to the chastity cage were in the big box, nestled in a series of ever-smaller boxes like a Russian nesting doll.
Harland had a very childish sense of humor sometimes.
“What is it?” August asked when Warren finally got the box open and found the keys to his new Lexus.
“Keys to a new car,” Warren said, looking hilariously crushed. He tossed the keys aside and reached for another box. Max reached out his foot and tapped the correct one, making Harland frown and Warren grab it like a man possessed.
When he unwrapped the first box and found a second, just slightly smaller box inside of it, he looked ready to murder someone.
He jumped up and stormed toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Marcus called after him, laughing.
“I’m getting a knife!”
Five minutes later, Warren was broadcasting a detailed blow-by-blow of himself jerking off in the bathroom.
Harland and Marcus both jumped up, and with a laugh, Max followed.
Marcus’s brothers and their mates didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
Thirty minutes and four orgasms later, the four of them walked back into the living room, considerably more relaxed.
William was standing by the table, all by himself. He was eating one of Dylan’s cookies and watching them as they streamed back into the room.
“You set off a chain reaction,” he said, nodding at the empty living room.
Max blushed and went to sit down, not saying anything. He would never get used to how open werewolves were about having sex with each other. It made sense, given how good their sense of smell and hearing was, but for someone raised by humans, it felt brazen.
“I wish I had a boyfriend,” William complained, eating another cookie. “Or a girlfriend.”
“You’ll find someone,” Marcus said, walking over to him and giving him a one-armed hug. “You just need to fix your personality first.”
William punched him and Marcus responded by turning the hug into a headlock.
Max kind of wished that he was a beta, like William. It would be nice not to have other alphas wanting to fight him all the time.
The only time William got into fights was when he provoked his brothers.
“Be nice to William,” Warren scolded, going back to his pile of presents and sitting down next to it on the floor. “His personality is great.”
“I’m awesome,” William agreed. He’d gone limp, waiting for Marcus to release him. After a second of proving his point, Marcus did.
Warren picked up the keys to his new car and studied the little fob and looked up at Marcus. He grinned, looking embarrassed.
“Did you seriously buy me a new car?”
Marcus walked over to the couch and sat down, nudging Warren’s thigh with the tip of his foot. “You need it. Now you have something to drive when you’re staying here.”
Max, with his own piles of presents, had a similar little box from Marcus. He reached for it and removed the wrapping, unveiling the keys to a new truck.
“Thanks,” he said, grinning.
“I checked with the fire station in Fairbanks and there’s a spot for you, if you want it,” Marcus said.
“You did not,” Harland growled, not giving Max a chance to accept or decline the offer.
“I did,” Marcus said, narrowing his eyes. “If the two of you are going to be spending half your time here, he should have a job. He likes to work.”
“I know,” Harland said. “Which is why I got him a job with the forest service as a wildland firefighter.”
Max sat down next to Warren, watching Marcus and Harland prepare to square off. It had been a whole day since their last fight, and Max had begun wondering if they were taking a break for Christmas.
Apparently not.
“Who do you think will win?” Warren asked, opening another present. It was a PlayStation.
“It’s going to be a tie again,” Max bet. He reached over and looked through the games that had come with Warren’s new console.
Marcus and Harland launched themselves at each other, met in a grapple, and started rolling around on the floor.
After a moment, it became clear that this would be one of those times where neither one of them would give up and call a truce.
“Do you think they’ll ever get bored?” Warren asked when five minutes had passed and Marcus and Harland were still on the floor and trying to strangle each other.
Despite what it looked like, both alphas were enjoying themselves immensely. Their feelings across their mating bonds were happy and excited, without a trace of animosity or bad feelings.
“Probably not,” Max said.
“Get him!” William cheered when Harland managed to get his legs around Marcus’s waist and put him in a headlock.
Marcus’s answering glare made William laugh, safe from retaliation as long as Marcus was occupied.
“I think Harland might have this one,” Warren mused. Marcus was turning red, Harland’s arm across his throat cutting off his oxygen.
At Warren’s casual comment, he seemed to get a second wind. He wrenched himself out from the trap of Harland’s arm, and then the two of them were back to rolling around on the floor.
Steve and his mates reentered the room, looking rumpled and happy. They stopped in the doorway to watch Harland and Marcus on the floor next to the Christmas tree.
Max glanced at them, his nose wrinkling at the scent of sex and lube, and then did a double-take at the fading imprint of a boot print on Dylan’s cheek.
It looked like someone had stepped on him.
Max had gotten the impression that Steve and his mates were pretty kinky, but this was way too much information.
“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding,” Dylan said, moving into the room and keeping his distance from the grappling alphas. He sat down on the couch, a happy grin on his face. “They’re really going at it.”
“I told you,” Warren said.
“Truce?” Harland asked, his voice pitched low.
“Truce,” Marcus agreed.
They separated and rose to their feet, and then spent a second fixing their disheveled clothing. Marcus’s shirt was torn, and there was a huge flap ripped out of the back of Harland’s leather pants.
Marcus turned to them, acting like he hadn’t just wrestled his mate all over the living room floor. “Let’s finish opening presents so that we can have breakfast, and then we can all go for a run.”
“I’m going to stay inside and watch Christmas movies,” Harland countered.
They glared at each other.
“I want to watch Christmas movies,” Dylan piped up, making everyone look at him.
“Me too,” Warren added.
“I want to go for a run,” Max said. He didn’t like fighting, but running with his packmates was the best. “Can I invite my brothers?”
Max was slowly but surely getting to know his brothers. To his surprise, his absolute favorite was Dave, even though he was a complete and utter bitch.
“Of course,” Marcus said. “We can make it an open-invite thing.”
“Great,” Ryker said, walking over and sitting down on the couch and pulling Dylan onto his lap. “It’s decided. Now, everyone, open up whatever presents you have left so that we can go eat breakfast. I’m starving.”
He nuzzled Dylan’s neck and made him burrow back into his embrace.
Watching Ryker hold his omega like that made Max itch to pull Warren onto his own lap and do the same. He glanced down at him, but Warren was busy looking at an enormous book that someone had gotten him.
Max did a double-take.
That was a coffee table picture book featuring werewolf actor and member of Marcus’s pack, Brock Heeler.
The cover featured the alpha seated in an armchair, slouched indolently with his thighs spread wide apart, his legs clad in a pair of leather pants.
The top button of the leather pants was unbuttoned to show off the top of his bush, and his bulge was obscene.
He looked like sex on a stick.
“Thank you, Dylan,” Warren said, flipping through the book shamelessly. “I love it!” He glanced up at Marcus, who was glaring at the book, his amusement clear. He knew exactly what he was doing and that he would be paying for it later.
That was probably most of the appeal.
“Poor Brock, he’s never going to be allowed home at this rate,” Steve said, chuckling.
“I should make a book of you guys,” Warren mused, still flipping through the book. He looked up at them. “Would you pose for me and wear costumes and stuff?”
“Of course,” Max agreed. Marcus and Harland also nodded.
“Nice,” Warren said, smiling to himself and closing the book. He put it away and looked up expectantly.
Max looked around. Everyone was done opening their presents. “Breakfast?” he suggested.
“Breakfast,” Marcus agreed.