Maxwell came out of the small bathroom in Adam's office just as Naya closed the door behind her.
"Hair as black as night, skin as clear and velvety as a peach, freckles, which make her even more beautiful and attractive when her face turns red, and I can bet that happens often, and eyes the color of the sky on a rainy day, natural arrogance, typical of a true queen.... Why wait for lunch tomorrow, brother. Take this woman to church immediately!" He said, and sat down in Adam's place.
Adam stared at him conspiratorially.
"I think that's exactly what an Alpha should do with his Luna."
"But... There's always a 'but'."
"I feel a strong attraction to her, something really inexplicable. Strong. But I don't love her like I thought I would."
"Attraction is the beginning of love, Adam. If you had been raised together, you would never have met other women. You wouldn't have felt pleasure with any other woman. That young woman who just walked out the door is your perfect complement."
"I can't see her like that. I... Max, she's just going to be another woman in my bed."
"She's going to be more than that. She's going to be the mother of your children, and from one of them, the future Alpha will be born. She'll be the woman who sits next to you on the throne."
"I really want to think like you, but... She doesn't..."
"She doesn't have golden hair with curly red tips." Maxwell added, interrupting him.
Adam stared at him coldly.
"I was in Avallon."
"So... Is that where you went? I thought you'd come to Alaska when you got mysterious on the phone."
"A man told me that I need to bear a child in the right womb. Maybe it's with Naya. Even if all my instincts say otherwise... I'm going to marry her. I don't need to love a woman to have her in my bed, or in my life."
"Do you know the story of her father?"
"The one who raised her, or the biological one?"
"Luna's biological father, there's a legend about him."
"That the moon fell in love with him and took him away after his daughter was born? They're just urban legends, Max."
"You know what's not a legend, Adam? Genevieve falling in love with a four-year-old boy."
Adam sat down in an armchair.
"I was thinking of getting Genevieve a husband. Thinking that loneliness left her confused. Ian chose and summoned her to be his protector, long before he was born, but he sees her as an irreplaceable servant. He will never look at her any other way. E..."
"She won't get any older, Adam. He might take an interest in her. I don't think Genevieve will take suggestions about a marriage from you."
"I've seen Ian's wife, and she's not Genevieve."
"How did you see her?"
"Do you really think I wouldn't check out Ian's school?"
Maxwell laughed.
"Any of his friends from school? Adam, have you gone mad? They're just kids!"
"Yes. But I felt it. When he's the right age, we'll talk about it again."
"I agree."
"As for Genevieve. She's not in love with Ian. I believed that too, but... Do you know where she is now?"
"No."
"When your wife returns from Avallon, she'll bring with her a surprising story. Maybe she'll talk to you about it."
Maxwell stood up and stopped with his hands in his trouser pockets in front of Adam, who felt uncomfortable sitting down.
"Let's talk about Naya. She's really not just any woman. Her arguments are intelligent and true."
"I still don't understand this... Werewolf tradition. I feel a strong attraction to her, but it's nothing more than a physical desire, which I feel for other women, too. Perhaps a little more intense, I confess. But... I still look at her for something special that makes her different from other werewolves, since she's a Luna. What should I expect from her?"
"Don't expect anything. Don't look for anything special. Just get to know her. You might be surprised by what you discover. People keep little boxes full of surprises and secrets inside them. Strive to uncover Naya's little box."
Adam thought it was good advice, but he hadn't heard the most important piece of advice he'd been waiting for from his brother.
"Were you attracted to her?"
Maxwell laughed.
"Excited by every freckle on her perfect face."
"Yes. She's beautiful." Adam said with satisfaction. If his brother was attracted to her, surely she was perfect.
"Do you accept a second person on your wedding night?" Maxwell asked amused, but Adam knew he was already imagining himself in that situation.
"No, Max. I don't like it. But you can invite her later. I won't mind."
Maxwell looked at Adam in surprise. It was unusual for an Alpha, a werewolf, to agree to share a woman, who would probably be the mother of his children. Something was very wrong, and not even Adam himself seemed to realize it.
"I'll make the invitation." He said and remembered something. "Your wedding is taking place in three weeks, right?"
"I don't see the need to wait that long. I get bored with this oil business. The mafia here is very... It's not very prosperous, and I want to get back to Nevada as soon as possible."
"Does your future wife already know about your plans?"
"She doesn't need to know. I'm going to get married, leave her as CEO of our company, and go back to Nevada on my own. And I'll come back here every week to visit her."
"She can accept that, if she never finds out you're the Alpha."
"So be it, then."
Maxwell looked hauntedly at Adam.
"What's going on, Adam? You know it's practically impossible to hide something like this from her."
"I don't want to think about complications that can't even happen, Max."
"No. What's happening here isn't natural. I'll investigate, but I need to ask you to allow me to bring..."
"No." Adam said and stood up. He went to his desk and pressed the intercom and asked his secretary to bring him a bottle of whisky, then turned to Maxwell. "But I'd like my son, Ian, to be present at my wedding."
Maxwell was thoughtful, before looking at Adam.
"Tomorrow, after lunch, I'll pick up our son."