The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125-1

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“Nika, this… I have a few kittens. That won’t be a problem, will it?” I asked, clearing my throat.

I didn’t quite have the nerve to say it outright. She looked at me and listened.

“My pups will only react to threats. Don’t worry. I’ll leave you a series of commands in writing so you can control them–they’ll obey without protest. And I’ll also tell you about grooming their coats and..”

Nika went on speaking very proudly about her dogs, even after we went inside and I served them coffee. She sat in an armchair and Richie in the other (after inspecting the entire house to verify that everything met his specifications, he praised my father’s furniture and insisted I give him his phone number to contact him). Neither of them wanted to occupy the large sofa where my cats were grooming themselves very smugly. The shepherds merely watched the little felines‘ activities without flinching, seated in a very dignified and obedient pose on the rug.

We had coffee with warm muffins and talked about a bit of everything, but I kept to myself the fact that I had been speaking on the phone with Alexander, just in case they were not aware. I had never seen Nika so calm or so smiling, and I had never seen her look at Richie with so much affection as in the moments when he spoke and she watched him in silence.

It was easy to see that something between them had changed. And I was very happy for the two of them. Or was it only because part of me felt happy that Nika had “gotten over” Alexander?

I felt something like a thorn piercing my insides when that thought occurred to me. Where did I get such ideas? I felt uncomfortable for a moment. What exactly was I feeling glad about? Wherever he was, I should never forget that I was thinking about a man who had recently buried a wife, lost in an unfortunate turn of events. I couldn’t forget not only that, but that for ten years Anya had been his woman and they had loved each other enough that he had wanted to leave everything behind and run away together. That she was the mother of his children. That Anya still occupied a large part of Alexander’s thoughts and guilt. It wasn’t that he was forbidden to me, it was that…

Was I building illusions?

…I needed to cool my head.

Something like that–almost a lifetime together–was not forgotten overnight. I could testify to that. Once again, I felt it was wrong to think about Alexander with such anxiety to see him and be near him.

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wn, as if I had said something rude. And urst out laughing.

k and hoarse as he let out the next ought about it. “Nothing like that! All of ay since we were nine or ten–but Nika s caretaker when he was a child and

1. us. Nika has always thought of Lai as a desn’t love him. A person in love has a Id all like to have: she has too much actually,”

that I had misinterpreted Nika from the

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133

old man forced them. Illya proposed

g anything for or against it. For a time ! er like that,” he continued, in a more

the snowy ground and was stroking lips, and Richie sighed softly as he ps thinking about his own things, and e with me.”

LOCKDRAWD

Vote

nse of smell like mine.” This time he

with his index finger. “I know better cause once I was there too, and it was

ve were talking about, but I understood.

1. nt. I had no escape. It was obvious to s I think the best I could do at confirm what he said, because it was ds and accept it once and for all.

respond to me as I might wish,

at 125-2

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Chapter 125-2

Richie turned to look at me again with a very deep frown, as if I had said something rude. And just when I was about to regret it and apologize, he burst out laughing.

“In love with Lai?” he said, and his voice sounded thick and hoarse as he let out the next laugh–it seemed to amuse him more each time he thought about it. “Nothing like that! All of us have been friends since we were very young–I’d say since we were nine or ten—but Nika has known Lai since they were babies. Hans was Lai’s caretaker when he was a child and later became his mentor–he was the mentor of all of us. Nika has always thought of Lai as a star or something like that; she adores him, but she doesn’t love him. A person in love has a special scent. She is… like that tomboy sister we would all like to have: she has too much wolf inside. Something that doesn’t bother me at all, actually.”

I blushed with embarrassment when I finally realized that I had misinterpreted Nika from the beginning.

I thought that…” I began, ashamed.

aoesn’t matter now. What happened is that the old man forced them. Illya proposed

ka marry Lai, and she helped him without saying anything for or against it. For a time I

wwen believed she was in love with Lai, but it was never like that,” he continued, in a more are measured tone. The German woman had crouched on the snowy ground and was stroking Kit’s back, the dog, with a very beautiful smile on her lips, and Richie sighed softly as he watched her. He remained silent for a moment, perhaps thinking about his own things, and then added, “You don’t worry either. Your secret is safe with me.”

From red, I think I turned burgundy at that remark.

“What are you

“Trust

talking about?”

they won’t notice. Few wolf–men have a sense of smell like mine.” This time he

seriously and tapped the tip of his nose with his index finger. “I know better now you feel; and I’ll keep your secret because once I was there too, and it was

mave continued pretending not to know what we were talking about, but I understood.

aid that a woman in love had a “special” scent. I had no escape. It was obvious to that I felt something more than affection for his leader. I think the best I could do at troment was remain silent and neither deny nor confirm what he said, because it was mt I couldn’t lie to him. I could only trust his words and accept it once and for all.

was in love with an uncommon man who would not respond to me as I might wish.

Sapdet 125 7

Because he was too noble to stain the memory of his beloved wife, probably–and I admired him for such loyalty,

Visiting Sheriff McCord and his kind wife distracted me, so I generally never missed an opportunity to go to their house or invite them to mine.

I felt better in those moments, although the two sides found it impossible to accept each other: my new dogs, Kit and Kim, almost threw themselves at Luke the first time he came after Nika and Richie’s visit. I understood what the wolves meant, at their full intensity: while my little kittens made no impression on them at all, the feline–men drove the dogs mad with rage. There was no way to change that behavior, so before having something to regret, we decided that I would visit them at their house. Neither Luke nor I wanted his wife (about to give birth, with weakened reflexes) near such dangerous animals. Although I know I offered all the apologies possible, I still felt there were no words in the world to express my sorrow for the inconvenience.

It must be admitted that it was embarrassing, even though I explained where the dogs had come from.

One S

night, the plan was to have a venison roast with onions that Kaylee wanted to she became excited like a child when we spent time together, and she asked me he character of feline–men was truly as solitary as the wolf–men insisted on g. To me, Luke and Kaylee seemed like any other couple I had known, eager to make ds. I suppose what led them to trust me so much was the fact that I already knew verything about them, and probably wouldn’t be surprised by anything they did.

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