The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89-1

They headed straight for the opening in the surface of the frozen lagoon.

I wished Álvaro would fall in there and never come back out…

And where was Alexander!?

When I finally located him, my heart lurched.

–

He had come out of the water or was trying to.

His soaked form, fur completely flattened and shivering from the cold, was hanging from the edge of the ice. Every time he tried to dig in his claws or brace himself to climb out and escape the icy grip of the water, the ice beneath him cracked a little more.

At least he had the child.

He was holding André firmly under the armpits, keeping his head above the liquid.

“ALEXANDER!” I screamed, when I felt my voice tearing its way out of my throat.

I didn’t waste time.

I ran toward them, trying to circle around the spot where Álvaro and Rex were still fighting, and in that moment I wondered what Nika was doing and why she wasn’t putting a bullet straight through the panther’s forehead…

As if summoned telepathically, I heard her warning shout, and out of the corner of my eye l saw her emerge from the forest with her rifle ready.

Before I could think, Nika was already firing, one bullet after another in a rapid, mechanical succession of echoes that bounced through the entire valley.

The concert of roars from the fight behind me suddenly stopped.

At one point Álvaro sprinted past me like an arrow, and I know that thing that buzzed close to

my ear was a bullet.

I immediately threw myself onto the ice with a terrified scream.

–

That woman honestly! Did she want to shoot me too?

I covered my head until the gunfire stopped, and the next thing I heard was Rex’s voice, booming very close to me:

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“Stay still, Lai! The ice is very weak – it will break!”

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“ANDRÉ IS FREEZING!” Alexander bellowed, with a hollow, deep growl full of anguish and rage. “I NEED TO GET HIM OUT! HE HAS TO BE WARMED UP OR HE’LL GO INTO

HYPOTHERMIA!”

“Where the hell did that shitty panther go?” I heard Nika say.

I crawled across the snow and ice in desperation, using the tip of the knife like a hook to help myself forward. Beneath me, a thousand cracks began vibrating through my body,

threatening to pull me under as well.

I reached the edge of the hole and stretched my hands toward Alexander.

“Give me André!” I said frantically. “Please, give him to me! Give him to me!”

–

He looked at me as if he hadn’t seen me until that moment – his human eyes now a dark crystal blue, furious, wide with fear and frustration.

He wrinkled his muzzle and bared all his teeth before roaring:

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, JOHANNA!?”

“GIVE HIM TO HER, DAMN IT!” Rex shouted back.

André let out a whimper, coughed, and started trembling under his father’s arm.

Alexander released a pitiful whine, like a dog struck in its most painful wound, and instantly flattened his ears.

He obeyed me without saying another word after that, never stopping the canine whimpering that would break even the hardest heart.

Desperate, he fought against the paralysis that must already have been seizing his own muscles, the ice breaking under every attempt to brace himself, and the terror of losing his son in such a horrible way.

What can I say? I myself could barely see anymore – I was about to cry.

Rex was standing not far away, unable to come closer without risking falling into the water himself. He was too heavy to help directly.

“Come on, come on, come on!” I urged, stretching my arms as far as possible.

I’m aware that at that moment Alexander made a terrible effort to lift the child out of the water and place him within my reach.

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1. Chapter 89-1

André hadn’t shifted into his semi-animal form, and the cold was piercing his body.

His lips were blue.

His skin was as pale as his hair.

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<Chapter 89-2

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He wouldn’t stop shaking.

I hugged him hard, teeth clenched, curled into a mound of snow.

“This isn’t enough – I need something else,” I murmured, and immediately thought of my own coat. It was lined with lamb’s wool and suede on the outside.

I took it off and wrapped André in that too, even though I froze myself.

I trusted that my body heat trapped in the garment would have a faster effect.

I pulled the fur-lined hood over his hair and noticed frost forming on his stiffened curls.

My vision blurred. Panic surged.

I started rubbing his body, pressing him against my chest.

“Come on, sweetheart, please… open your eyes. Come on.”

I bent over him, trying to cover him with my entire body, giving him my own warmth.

I know tears ran down my cheeks at some point, because the cold cutting into my face intensified.

I rocked André gently while rubbing his arms and legs through the coat.

Alexander reached us then.

He shoved Rex aside none too gently, catching my attention and forcing me to look up at his

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Chapter 89-2

animal face.

His tail was bristled stiff with rage -or terror.

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His wet fur was already frosting over, his whiskers frozen on his muzzle, but the fury in his eyes was unmatched.

His wolfish features looked deeply disturbed, in an intimate and horrible way, judging by his expression.

He looked at me with a mix of emotions I couldn’t decipher for the second time, then dropped to his knees beside me.

His hands were shaking so badly they blurred before my tear-filled eyes.

I suspect Nika was guarding the perimeter with her massive assault rifle, since I didn’t see her anywhere.

“Give him to me,” Alexander asked, his voice gravely deep and strangled, barely sounding like his own. Anguish tinted his very human, expressive eyes pale blue.

“Give him to me, please…”

“It’s okay, I’ve got him. Your fur is wet – you should cover yourself with something so you don’t get sick too, Alexander. I’ll warm André, just let me-” I started.

“GIVE ME MY SON!”