Chapter Two
“Wilhelm?” Gunther, Wilhelm’s beta, knocked as he spoke, then poked his head inside Wilhelm’s office door.
“Yes?”
“Leanne Hendricks has called three more times in the last hour. And Bonnie, the housekeeper, is on hold.” He stood in the open door, a helpless expression on his face. “What would you like me to tell her?”
Wilhelm took a deep breath through his nose. Leanne was his brother’s full-time nanny. He’d spoken to her two hours ago when she’d called complaining that today was to be her day off, but Wilhelm’s brother and his wife hadn’t returned home when they said they’d be there. And Leanne apparently didn’t get paid enough to sacrifice her plans on her day off because Wilhelm’s brother couldn’t stick to a schedule, or so she’d told him at least three times. And then he’d had Gunther screen his calls.
“I tried calling his cell,” Wilhelm said. “I left a couple of messages on both his and Carol’s phones. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
Wilhelm hadn’t been surprised that neither Halgar nor his wife answered his calls. He hadn’t spoken to his brother in more than three years. Wilhelm had tried contacting him when the twins were born to offer his congratulations, to mend things between them, but he’d been forced to leave messages then, too.
He and his brother, Halgar, weren’t on the best terms for a long time—ever since he became the head of the clan. Unlike others, the Wuldercats alpha didn’t inherit his position; he was chosen by the clan members for his strength, personality, and the ability to lead. In their time, Wilhelm and Halgar were both competitive rivals. He’d said some things he shouldn’t have, but Halgar had done some things he shouldn’t have. The night Wilhelm was coronated as alpha, their relationship fractured forever. What could Wilhelm do about any of it if Halgar wouldn’t even hear him out?
Wilhelm rubbed the bridge of his nose and suppressed a growl. A massive headache was lurking not far behind. “What does the housekeeper want?”
“Just to tell us that she’s afraid the nanny might actually leave, and that she’s really concerned that no one’s heard from them. She says it’s not like Carol to ever be late for anything.”
“My brother’s the opposite. Maybe he’s the hold up.”
Someone yelled for Gunther from the next room, so he turned and spoke in hushed tones before facing Wilhelm again.
“Leanne’s on the phone now demanding that someone come to watch the twins. She says she’s leaving in an hour.”
Wilhelm leaned back in his chair. If things were different, he supposed it wouldn’t be much of a hardship to go and stay with the cubs until his brother finally showed up. As it was, Halgar wouldn’t speak to him, let alone think it was fine if he babysat. And Wilhelm didn’t know anything about taking care of babies. He’d never wanted children of his own, and had never been allowed to even meet his niece and nephew. He simply had no business getting involved in his brother’s life now, especially not over something like them being a couple of hours late arriving home.
“Tell her if she leaves those babies alone, I’ll file charges against her.”
“What charges?”
Wilhelm threw his hands up. “I don’t know—abandonment! Reckless endangerment, whatever. If she was left as the responsible party, then no matter how late they are, leaving babies unattended surely breaks some law, doesn’t it?”
Gunther grimaced a little, revealing his incisors. Someone else yelled for him, so he turned. “I’ll take care of it,” he said quickly to Wilhelm before closing the door.
Wilhelm looked at the papers scattered across his desk, and thought maybe he’d go back to Bonbon for some tea before lunch. Maybe there’d even be a pastry or two left from the morning crowd. He thanked the universe for his tiger constitution. If not for that, all the pastries he had for breakfast, and the occasional box of them he bought for the office, would have his six-pack looking more like a gallon jug.
The truth was that even if Juliette Crabtree made the world’s worst food and tea that could make the British gag, he’d still stop there every morning just to start out his day seeing her face and that sly smile she gave him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.
Ah. Juliette. The Subzero Queen.
Juliette’s wavy, auburn hair, usually pulled up into a bun when he saw her, wasn’t half as curvy as her body. He longed to run his hands from her hair to hips and show her how much more delicious he found her body than even the finest delicacies she sold in her shop. She’d always quickly refused his offers of dinner, drinks, even business lunches to discuss her shop and possible expansion. She’d earned the nickname he’d heard some people had given her. When she’d dealt with anyone else on his property management team, she was apparently as cool and businesslike with them as she was with Wilhelm.
But beneath her perfect mask and aloofness, her eyes and the curve of her mouth gave her away. Tigers were creatures of passion. Wilhelm was sure she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but for some reason she wouldn’t allow herself to express it. He had heard about Juliette’s past and thought it might be the reason she was nicknamed as Subzero Queen. He might never get to taste Juliette’s full lips or feel her purr against him, but he was miles away from giving up trying.
Failure wasn’t a word found in his dictionary.
The harder the fight, the sweeter the reward. That was something his father had taught him about business, but Wilhelm believed it applied to love, too.
He stood, ready to tell Gunther he was heading out for lunch, when someone knocked on his door. He remained standing, determined that he was going to leave, no matter what. “Yes? Make it quick, I’m on my way to lunch.”
Gunther opened the door, and Wilhelm’s hackles rose. He’d never seen his beta so pale. Gunther closed the door behind him and approached the desk.
“Wilhelm . . .”
“What is it? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“It’s your brother. . .” For a moment, Gunther seemed lost for words.
Wilhelm sat. His guts told him something was amiss, his hands splayed on top of his desk, and in mere seconds his entire world came crashing down.