The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66-1

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My heart raced even faster at the idea of standing beside a fierce masked killer. At last, my jaw loosened enough for me to speak.

“… Are you sure it’s Ajay, Luke? I know him, he doesn’t seem like the type who-”

“I know every single feline in this county, Mrs. Grant. This is Ajay Singh. Or rather, he was.” Sheriff McCord replied fiercely, and his eyes then fell on Alexander’s stern face. “So I was right. This is ‘yours.”

I bit my lips so I wouldn’t say something reckless, but Alexander’s voice startled me.

“No, he’s not ours,” he replied with a growl. The ear I had pressed against his chest throbbed when he spoke. “But it seems you know where he comes from. Now, what game are you playing? I’m not buying anything yet. I know your kind is capable of anything to fulfill your purposes. It’s in your nature.”

I shuddered when I heard Luke’s clear, cheerful laugh, and turned to look at him, trembling.

What did he find so funny?

“Well, this is surprising! Dogs who think they’re the good guys in the story. Good thing you move in packs, or I don’t understand how you’ve survived these days with that way of thinking,” he commented once his fit of laughter passed. He hugged his wife closer and nodded his head. His attitude was calmer and more confident now. “No, little friend. I’m not with them. I don’t care what they want. But I warned them that if they caused trouble in my territory, they’d be hunted down one by one.”

“These are our mountains,” Kaylee added, rubbing her gloved hand possessively over her feline husband’s chest. “And we don’t like troublesome outsiders.”

That had been a rushed day in many ways. Too many things were happening at the same time, at such speed that I couldn’t react quickly enough to properly adapt to the situations, and I simply let myself be carried by the current. I think that’s why I still hadn’t had a hysterical attack after realizing that, for a moment, there had been a possibility that that damn panther had been in my own basement for several hours, waiting for the right moment

to attack us.

Richie was furious. He couldn’t forgive himself for not having smelled our sinister feline visitor from the start, but Nika tried to convince him it wasn’t his fault, telling him that his nose was so sensitive that in closed spaces it was more of a problem than an advantage (what a way to motivate him). The smell of gas from the water heater, the smell of his own packmates, mine, the house… she insisted that all of that had worked against him. That was

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strange. From what little I knew of Nika, I’d never seen her be kind to anyone except Alexander. But Richie did calm down a bit when she spoke to him, even if what she said wasn’t exactly flattering. I assumed they were good friends.

And now the local sheriff turned out to be a mountain lion.

Ajay’s situation didn’t make me feel any better either.

Since it was my house, and officially I felt Sheriff McCord and his wife weren’t harmful beings, it was my idea that we continue the discussion inside, where at least it wasn’t cold. It took convincing Alexander, yes, but in the end I got my way. I felt a little worried about Kaylee’s baby, a little one they were eagerly expecting, judging by appearances; and it was impossible for me not to empathize with her and want to take care of her. I could already hear Larry’s voice again, my psychologist, reminding me that projecting myself so much wouldn’t be good for me and would only end up hurting me more, but the main problem was that I wanted to be able to trust someone.

Known people. Close to me. Luke and his wife were known, and I wanted to trust them. Even though they were two dangerous felines, natural enemies of the wolves I sheltered.

I trusted that this way I wouldn’t lose my sanity, because if suddenly everyone around me started being something other than what they appeared to be, I figured I’d end up snapping and going insane. I think the best thing I could do was stay strong, calm, and focused on the main problem: the panther, the dead tiger, and what was coming.

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* Chapter 68-2

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Chapter 66-2

“I have a family, friend. Of course I care about my well-being,” the feline replied, not so cheerful anymore.

“Fine,” Alexander agreed severely. “I understand. But why come say it in person? We didn’t even know you existed. We wouldn’t have bothered you at all. You could’ve called instead of exposing yourself like this.”

“Honestly? I’m not worried about exposing myself to you. I’m worried about the future. In five minutes talking to you, I realized you have no idea what this is about. And that way you’ll never defeat those bastards. You’ll all end up dead unless you change your way of thinking about our species.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes, suspicious.

I thought he was going to growl fiercely at him, but instead he said:

“… What do you have for us that could matter?”

“Information, for starters.”

“Information about what?”

“About us. Those you crudely call ‘cats.” Luke smiled, showing Alexander the prominent size of his inhuman fangs. “You should know that felines work best in pairs. Three is a crowd. Two is the perfect number, if such a thing exists. But it’s hard to find that partner; some don’t even try, and that’s why they prefer to wander alone… I suppose that’s where your people got the idea that we’re a solitary race.” Then he looked at the canines with a certain superiority.” That partner can be anyone – a mate or simply a colleague. But once they’re with you, you’re empowered in ways you never imagined. You only need it to be someone who thinks like you.

”

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