The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98-1

Still pretending to be asleep, I pressed myself a little closer to Alexander’s white, soft fur, and I felt free to touch him, to give him the reassurance of my presence somehow. It was just a small, insignificant brush, without intention, but I could clearly feel his heart beating hard beneath layers and layers of fur and thick skin. I let my fingers slide slowly between the sedated strands of white wool on his abdomen, finding underneath the hard muscles shaped by tension and training. I don’t know if he noticed that I was conscious, but touching him calmed me.

There were many painful things there, and I had the faint impression that more pain was still

to come.

In the end, I did fall asleep. I know because when I opened my eyes again, it was a little darker than before, and I felt numb-not from cold, but from staying in the same position for so long. My cheeks felt like they were burning, and I was very hot.

And the best part: the little sleet storm had turned into snowfall.

Startled, I lifted my head and I think, by inertia, Alexander’s arm tightened around my right side. My shoulder and back wound stung a little, both from his movement and from the effort I had made hours earlier pulling Andre out of the icy water in the small pond. It was strange, but it felt like days had passed since then.

“Damn it, I fell asleep!” I spat, annoyed and with a dry mouth.

Andre was still just inches from me, curled against his father’s body, his eyes still closed. He looked very peaceful, as if nothing were wrong. Alexander slowly rubbed my right arm with his huge hand, and suddenly I remembered everything.

“It’s okay, you were tired,” he replied, and the sound of his voice helped calm my racing heart. “You did well to sleep. It wouldn’t hurt you to eat something either; it’s going to get dark soon.

I pulled away a little from his closeness; I needed space, air, to think. It was getting dark. A groan of pain escaped my throat-it was getting dark! And the felines were far more deadly at night.

Suddenly, I stirred.

“Why did you let me sleep? We should have reached the sawmill by now!” I snapped.

Alexander wrinkled his muzzle slightly, showing his incisors. But he didn’t answer.

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Chapter 98-1

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When I looked up, I ran into Rex. His gray and reddish fur was speckled with white flakes, and his whiskers were frosted on his snout. His mere presence made me pull away from Alexander even faster, and without explanation I sat up and crawled out of the hollow, almost on all fours until I managed to stand again. My head hurt a little, and the skin on my forehead felt tight. Not to mention I had an urgent need to pee. I could have held it, but even if danger might be hanging from a tree, it was imperative to relieve the pressure in my stomach or I wouldn’t be able to walk from the pain. I turned toward Alexander and noticed he was looking at me with a questioning air, as if he wanted to ask why I had moved away from his protection and his warmth, and-

“I know this isn’t the best moment, but honestly… I need to go to the bathroom,” I said, awkwardly.

“Come, I’ll go with you,” Rex offered immediately, and started walking toward a spot between the trees. “Follow me.”

Nika was standing too, rifle in hand, eyes on the surroundings.

Rex and I moved away a bit, and he left me alone when we reached another rocky outcrop so I could do my business. It took me longer to struggle out of the uncomfortable clothes than to empty my bladder, but I managed to do everything relatively fast. As I adjusted my jeans, sweater, and everything else, I noticed the pistol and magazines I had moved from my coat pockets (the one Andre was wearing now) to the pockets of this other coat, which belonged to Rex. I pulled out the weapon and showed it to him along with the magazines.

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On one hand, the thought of what was coming terrified me, of what I might see if given the

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Chapter 98-2

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chance. Was Alexander thinking of nothing but avenging his wife? What about his son’s safety? Or mine, for that matter. And again-could I blame him for wanting vengeance so badly? Of course not. It was only fair. If he could go and take his revenge cold, then let him do it. I suspected and felt my thoughts were out of place again.

On the other hand, I liked believing that Rex trusted me enough to stop addressing me formally, and that was comforting. It was impossible not to feel part of the group when everything began to fall into place little by little and you discovered your role. I was afraid- yes, I’ve said that a thousand times-but I wasn’t afraid of dying, because I myself wouldn’t feel anything once life left me (or so I wanted to believe; I wanted to think that when I went, it would be fast and painless). What worried me was what the others would feel. Or what I would feel if something happened to them.

Alexander and Andre, mainly. Andre was everyone’s weak point. No matter how strong and brave that child was, he was still an infant-a liability.

“Okay. What’s the plan?”

“There’s no hay plan,” Rex replied impatiently.

“… What do you mean there’s ‘no plan’?” I asked, stunned. “Rex, it’s very possible the cats are waiting for us! And we don’t have a plan?”

“I have MY plan, and Lai has HIS,” he explained quietly. “You know? That guy was my best friend, and today I can barely recognize him. I don’t know how he thinks anymore. Lai was never much for violence, but I bet right now he’s reconsidering. I can smell his desire to kill. For now, what I want from you is that you take very good care of the child. Use the gun, the knife. Defend yourself. Lai says you’ve got a lot of wolf inside you, and I believe him. I can feel it on you.” He turned to look at me with those warm hazel eyes that looked golden against his reddish fur, and I swear that was the kindest thing Agent Aguilera had said to me since we met. “I know that sooner or later Lai is going to have to do something, and it’ll be best if his mind is in his body, and not outside it. If you understand what I mean. Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger-just defend yourself and defend the child. And if you think you have to, run with Andre and don’t look back.”

“…I think I understand. If he doesn’t have to think about my safety and his son’s, Alexander will fight.”

“Fighting’ is something we carry in our blood-it comes from the soul. From pride, honor, love. We wouldn’t have been born this way if it didn’t serve some purpose.” He sighed and lifted a hand to his muzzle, smoothing the fur on his forehead and between his ears, brushing away the accumulated snow. “I think Lai is only just realizing that now, and honestly it’s about time he accepted it. To each their own; you can’t stop being what you are in your deepest essence.”