The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 25

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“Your brother sent him here on one of his planes to Boston. He’ll land there tonight and almost immediately take another plane to Omaha, then he’ll drive the rest of the way.”

Alexander frowned with a truly angry expression.

“You told my brother?”

“No, no! Of course not. But we needed his resources-Hans asked him as a special favor. You’re dead and you have nothing in your name, remember?” the agent sighed, with something like uneasy apprehension. He licked his lips and continued. “Hans should be here by early tomorrow morning. But I warn you, he’s coming with Nika and Christian. Even if you didn’t say anything about them, he insisted on bringing them.”

Texpected it. After all, they’re part of the team.”

Toshi and Richie are flying here-same method, but they’ll make a stopover in Wichita, Kansas. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do anything about Ami and Milo; they’re determined not to take part in this. They’re idiots. They know their first duty is-”

Aguilera stopped, and his eyes flicked back to me in a fleeting gesture. Alexander realized what his comrade didn’t want to say out loud, because he smiled as he answered:

“You can speak. There’s no point in hiding anything she knows.”

“Knows what?” the agent asked, playing dumb.

“…Johanna found me in the snow, with the children. I told you I was shot. How do you think I

crossed Canada on foot, with two children, in the middle of winter? It wasn’t like you see me now-

I needed my fur coat. And my son did too.”

“Wait-how old is this child? Do you mean that…?”

“Andre is seven years old. And yes. He can transform. Johanna knows-you can speak.”

Agent Aguilera’s eyes widened as he looked at me, then he looked again at Andre and the dignified

firmness with which he sat upright beside his father. He looked back at me. His hazel eyes

swallowed so much light in his enormous disbelief that for a moment they seemed more yellow

than hazel.

I smiled a little and shrugged, because I couldn’t think of anything else to do.

“…You mean she’s seen you?” the other asked, growling.

“Agent Aguilera, if you mean that I’ve seen a giant white werewolf with a wolf child, then… yes,” I explained, and the policeman paid attention to me again, with an almost spasmodic nod of his head. “I’ve seen them. Andre appeared at my door two nights ago, transformed into his… other

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Chapter 25

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form, and guided me to Alexander. I couldn’t refuse to help them-they had the baby with them and he was badly injured. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Kill him? Call the police, the park rangers?” Aguilera challenged me. “Run?”

“You too?” I replied, offended. “Come on-there was a baby crying, for God’s sake! I couldn’t leave them there, it was… inhuman.”

My answer seemed to please the federal agent, because the serious expression on his face softened. I crossed my arms, a bit defensively. That man made me nervous; his attitude brought out the worst in me, and that was without even knowing him.

So different from what Alexander and his children stirred in me.

Alexander’s presence had come to calm me (of course, I felt very calm at his side, only because part of me wanted to trust that he would protect me, just as he had promised) because HE was in control of the situation. One only had to observe his bearing carefully to realize his supremacy over

the newcomer. Sitting on my sofa, surrounded by his children, he looked like a king. He had an aura … I don’t know how to explain it, but he looked magnificent and supreme, dignified, in some spiritual sense. And Agent Aguilera was almost his vassal, eager to render him honor. It fascinated me-a power struggle begun and ended in a second. You really had to read between the lines to

understand it.

I felt like I was missing SO MUCH, for not knowing..

“Do you trust her?” Aguilera insisted, speaking to Alexander.

His tone was ironic. Alexander looked at me for a moment, calm. He ruffled Andre’s hair a bit, and finally turned back to his companion and answered in a way that left me open-mouthed and, at the

hand me the little one so easily.

That is, it pleased me to know that they trusted me instinctively.

Or perhaps I was growing fond of those little creatures.

I headed to the kitchen and Andre followed me. The boy sat at the table and I set about looking for yogurt, cereal, cookies, and some fruit while holding Sasha against my chest. She was very happy playing with the drawstring of my hoodie and put one end into her mouth every time I took it away from her with a sweep of my hand. I insist that I didn’t know much about children back then, but it seemed to me that Sasha was a big baby-somewhat heavy and very active. I wondered how old

she wa

she looked older than six months. Her cheerful laughter filled my ears and made something warm spill through my whole body, something pleasant. She started gnawing on my shoulder with her bare gums, immensely amused, making it clear that there was indeed canine

blood in her.

She was drooling on my sweater, but I couldn’t scold her for being so adorable…

From there, I heard some of the conversation taking place in my living room. Neither the agent nor Alexander spoke very loudly, and it was hard for me to follow them, but I managed to understand quite a bit of what they said while I made breakfast for the children:

“…you look like shit,” Aguilera said to his colleague, familiarly.

“And you look like an FBI agent,” Alexander replied, with sarcasm.

“Don’t I? Who would’ve thought it-me, making it to the Bureau…”

“Special agent. I always knew there was something very ‘special’ about you.”

“Oh, shut up,” the agent’s laughter was heard, and then his serious tone as he said, “No, seriously- you look like shit, Lai. You were shot. I can smell it from here, it’s infected and you haven’t had it treated properly. Are you sure you feel all right? I can’t believe you’re still standing after everything you told me-you’re a goddamn bull, son of a bitch

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The air got stuck in my lungs when I heard that.

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