The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132-1

He obeyed me without a word and sat on his favorite side of the table, near the side door of the kitchen. He looked strangely happy, as if he had just gone through an uncomfortable moment and come out of it unscathed. That was unusual–Alexander always seemed very confident and relaxed around me, around anyone. He always looked as if he knew exactly what he was doing, even when that wasn’t the case.

Kit came into the kitchen, his nails scratching against the floor in a quick tapping sound, and sat beside Alexander. He rested his head on his thigh, in a very submissive attitude. I laughed, thinking that this shy little dog was the same one who bared his teeth every time Luke dared to come over to my house. With a gentle stroke, Alexander rubbed his back and head, and the dog whimpered softly, pleased. He had already told me more than once that Kit and Kim were very good dogs, and that I had done well in accepting Nika’s “peace offering.”

Over the course of the last few years, she and Richie had visited me again, and it seemed that we were fine. Richie was very enthusiastic, almost too cheerful and good–natured. The one I never heard anything certain about again was Ishida. Nika once mentioned that she was always very busy, but never so busy as not to answer Alexander. Of Rex, I learned that he had gotten married and that his baby was a boy. Christian had left his career in the German Luftwaffe (the Air Force) and had already gotten himself a girlfriend from a family of werewolves from the British Isles, the Donovans. Nika was happy for her brother, because that meant he no longer looked at Richie with suspicion, and he even offered to be best man at their wedding. Because yes, she and Richie eventually got married, and they even sent me an invitation to attend. To be on the safe side, I preferred not to go; it felt like an unnecessary invasion into a territory where I had absolutely no

say.

I never had any kind of problems with the Valinchenko, truth be told, or with any other creature. Nor did I ever see Mikhail, Alexander’s brother, in person again.

Either Alexander had done his job well, or I truly didn’t matter that much to them.

“So, are you staying for dinner?” I asked him, as I served him a cup of coffee.

He stopped petting the dog and looked at me.

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to. Yes.”

I couldn’t help but smile in response.

One part of me trembled with excitement. And the other, more than curious, was dying to find out why I suddenly had him in my kitchen, all to myself. The fact that the children weren’t distracting me with all their adorableness and chatter (Sasha spoke quite clearly now, at her two years) only

00

9

O

<

Chapter 130

left room to focus completely on Alexander and nothing but him. I wanted to rein myself in so as not to keep thinking that this might be an interesting night.

And a stab in my stomach filled me with discomfort. Always thinking nonsense.

A while after dinner, I went to lock my pets in the garage so they wouldn’t bother, and moved Kim’s cushion–bed along with her little ones to the warmest spot, next to one of the front tires of my new car. After the explosion of my house and the loss of almost everything I had, I had no other choice but to buy another vehicle, a simple blue truck. The truth was that the only time I touched the eight million that Alexander had paid me to keep silent about his nature and that of his children was when I bought the truck, otherwise… the money was still intact. I didn’t dare to spend it. Besides, I earned well from the sales of my books, and I didn’t need to resort to what was in that account.

Once I was sure that Kit, Kim, their little ones, and the cats were well settled, I opened the vent that circulated heat from the house, and my little friends soon found their sleeping spots. It was a familiar routine for them; they rarely slept in the cabin.

Comments

00

9

LUCK DRAW

Vote

58

2/2

Chapter

Chapter 132-2

When I returned, Alexander had turned on the television and was flipping through the news channels without much interest.

I noticed that the fire in the fireplace was very low.

“… Uff, we’re out of firewood. I’ll go get more, I’ll be right back,” I announced, and took the flashlight from the counter.

“I’ll come with you.”

Naturally, he offered like a good gentleman, and I didn’t refuse. Although I insisted that he put on a coat, Alexander dismissed my suggestion with a low growl from the center of his chest. It always seemed to me that he was underdressed when he went outside into the freezing mountain weather. A plaid flannel shirt and faded jeans could hardly be considered heavy clothing, but that was how he was. I always forgot that he could withstand it very well. And without a doubt, I liked that shirt very much. He looked much better in casual clothes, like an ordinary man and without the businessman appearance that didn’t suit him at all.

We walked around the house and I searched with my foot for some straps in the snow. I had learned to cover the firewood pile with a waterproof tarp so it wouldn’t get wet. I uncovered the pile and began handing some logs to Alexander. He carried them in his arms while carefully observing the surroundings.

“Is something wrong?” I asked him, when his attitude seemed more than striking to me.

“No. It’s nothing. Maybe it’s just a lynx. Have you ever seen one around here?”

I shivered. I straightened up, my back stiff, carrying more logs.

“A lynx as in… a lynx–man?” I ventured, stammering.

“A lynx as in the red lynx or bobcat of North America.”

“Oh. No, I’ve never seen one. Aren’t they elusive? I’ve seen raccoons and squirrels, though.”

Alexander snorted and seemed to return to normal.

“That’s good. Then there’s nothing to worry about. If raccoons and squirrels thrive in the area, and

other non–carnivorous wild animals, it’s very likely there aren’t any large predators nearby. It’s

nothing. It seems that Luke and his wife are the only ‘hunters‘ available, and they only go after the

big and substantial prey.”

“Luke told me there are other feline–men in the city, but he wouldn’t tell me who they are. That

00

9

CO

<

Chapter 132.

they’ve settled here because there are none of yours around.” That answer made Alexander turn to look at me with a stern expression. An unusual glint reverberated in the depths of his deep blue eyes, darkening them; and the growl that came from his throat was truly the most threatening I had heard. “But he assured me they are completely harmless! They only live in this county because he allows it. I’ve had more fun than you can imagine trying to guess if it’s this or that person.”

“Is Luke sure of that, that they’re harmless?”

“… He always says that at the slightest suspicion he has of any of them, he’ll kick them out.”

As he had done with Ajay Singh’s brother. Not to mention that he might be very capable of killing them, since he had a defenseless daughter to protect. I shivered subtly again, with the image of the dead white tiger–man in the trunk of the sheriff’s truck in my mind.

Alexander seemed to calm down, and we headed back to the house.

I have always been very careful with the gravel path that led to the garage, because when those small stones freeze, they are very dangerous. But that night I was more occupied with not thinking about the possibility of bright eyes stalking me from the darkness of the forest, and at some point I stepped wrong and lost my balance. I slipped so fast that I had no time to do anything but feel the impact. I fell sitting on my backside, with all the logs on top of me, and let out a series of groans of pain. For a brief moment, everything was horrible and my spine twisted from pure suffering, mostly because I had put my hands out to brace my fall, and the icy stones bruised my skin. Damn the moment I didn’t put on gloves.

Alexander dropped the logs he was carrying and crouched beside me, grabbing me under the arm.

“Johanna! Are you all right?” he asked, in good humor, suppressing a little laugh. “That was quite a fall!”

Comments

00