Miracle Wolf for Christmas (2 page)

“It’s
not much farther,” she added.

Geez,
how on earth had he ended up in this car? Maybe he’d bite or wrap his paws
around that neck of hers. Kent glanced at the clock on the dashboard. They’d
been driving for at least forty-five minutes. How the shit was he going to get
back to his car? Tomorrow when he didn’t show up at Nick’s place and his cousin
didn’t get an answer on his phone, they’d send out a search party. But just how
the hell would they find him at wherever it was she was taking him? Shit, going
for a run in the middle of nowhere had been a bad mistake. Getting hit by this
looney woman, a tragic event. Didn’t humans believe the holidays were time for
miracles?
 
If he could get out of this
car, he’d believe in them too.

“Oh,
I love this one,” she said, turning the radio up even louder.

Kent
buried his head under his paws and whimpered.
Worst fucking Christmas ever.

With
his sharp hearing, and despite the racket in the car, he was able to hear the
indictor ticking. She was turning left. He peeked out the window. They were
still miles from nowhere, but up ahead was a building with some lights on out
front. She turned down the radio, sounded the horn, and then turned off the
ignition.

Kent
took another peek and zeroed in on the nameplate by the door.

Glacier Area
Wildlife Research Center.

The
word research had so many connotations, especially when humans were involved. Thoughts
of being experimented on, shackled, and maybe having drugs injected into his
veins flashed through his mind. Maybe he should shift and run. Maybe she
wouldn’t notice, but now another human was in the picture. A man in his early
forties walked toward her car.

“I
didn’t think you were ever going to get here,” he said.

“I
know. I had a little mishap on the way. I hit a wolf and I have him on the
backseat. I think he’s got an injured leg. You think you can take a look at him
before you go?”

The
man looked at his watch. “Sure, what’s another thirty minutes or so?”

“Great.”

“I’ll
bring a cart and we can get him loaded onto it.”

A
cart. They were going to put him on a cart like he was a piece of meat.

The
woman got out and opened back the car door as far as it would go. “There, you
see Mr. Wolf, help’s on its way.”

I swear if you
call me that name once more, I’m going for your jugular.

The
man wheeled out some contraption on wheels and together they lifted Kent out
and placed him on top of it. They’d placed a blanket on top and already it was
making him itch. He just hoped it wasn’t flea infested.

Geez,
his leg was aching now. Not quite as bad as his ears from the deafening music
and singing, but still not pleasant. The snow fell on him and he blinked the
flakes away as he saw lights ahead, and then he was inside.

Animals—real
wolves, bears, you name it—were around here someplace. He could hear each and
every one of them talking. Maybe he’d let them all out, let them go free. No
more being experimented on by these crazy humans.

“Let’s
take him in here. Well, that’s assuming it’s a him,” said the man, holding open
a door. He turned on some overhead lights and Kent saw a metal examination
table. “Okay, on my count of three, we’ll lift the wolf up and onto the table.”

They
picked up corners of the coat she’d laid him on and up in the air he went, then
down on the cold table.

The
man turned him over. “Oh yeah, he’s male all right.”

“Wow,
I don’t think I’ve seen a wolf with that big of a…”

She
stopped and turned red.

Oh yeah, baby,
it’s impressive, isn’t it? You should see what it’s like when I’m in man form.
That would really knock your socks off.

“Definitely
alpha of his pack with a dick and balls like that,” said the man. His hand hovered
pretty close to Kent’s prized possessions.

Don’t even think
about it, buddy. Touching these babies is strictly for the females.

“They
are starting a program where some of the wolves will be neutered,” he said.

Definitely don’t
even think about that unless you want to spend Christmas in the ER.

“He’s
too beautiful for that,” said the woman. “Can you imagine what gorgeous pups
he’d produce,” she said.

Maybe
he’d wronged her after all. She clearly was intelligent.

“If
you say so. Let me look at this leg.” He pulled and pressed it. Kent yelped.

“You
think it’s broken?” the woman asked.

“Could
be. I’ll have to X-ray him. You want to get something to put him out?”

Wait a minute.

“No,
I don’t think we need to. Look, he’s really calm.” She stroked his head. Kent
had to say he enjoyed her touch.

“Okay,
if you think so.”

The
man walked over to a table, slid a plate under Kent’s leg, and then bought over
an X-ray machine. The woman moved away and then was back after the man had
taken the snap.

If
his leg was broken, it could mean he’d be here for some time. He’d be spending
Christmas in this crazy place.

“I’ll
just go develop this. Do you want to stay with him or should we put him in a
pen?”

“I
think he’s fine here. I’ll stay with him. Maybe he’d like to hear me sing some
Christmas tunes.”

Fucking hell no.

“Wow
that’s strange behavior.”

“What
is?” she asked.

“In
all the years I’ve worked with wolves, I’ve never seen one stick his paws over
his ears like that.”

****

Axel
had finally left ten minutes ago. She hoped his family wouldn’t be too angry
about his late arrival home. The good news was that the X-ray he’d taken of the
wolf’s leg had revealed nothing broken, but Axel suspected it was badly
bruised. Ally was happy to hear that she hadn’t done anything to the wolf that
wouldn’t heal in a few days or more. She still felt bad about hitting him, but
with some rest at the Center, he should be able to be released in three or four
days. At least he got to be inside for the holidays and out of the snow.

Ally
brought in the rest of her stuff from the car and settled down for her
Christmas alone. Well, not quite alone. She had all the animals. The wolf
they’d put in enclosure close to her desk and work area so she could keep an
eye on him.

She
glanced over at him. Oh those beautiful eyes of his, and he seemed to look at
her like he was checking her out or something. How weird was that? She unloaded
the groceries and made sure she put her turkey dinner in the fridge so it was
defrosted and ready for her to eat the next day.

Next,
Ally put the electric kettle on. She’d make herself some hot chocolate and she
might even cover it with those mini marshmallows she loved so much. She always
kept a package of them in the bottom drawer of her desk. She unloaded her
Christmas gifts and placed them under the tabletop tree she, Axel, and the two
interns had decorated. She fingered one of the gifts, but willed herself not to
cry.

It
was too quiet in here. When it was silent, it was when she thought about him
and what she’d lost. It’s why she played music. It was why she sang. It took
away some of the pain.

Music,
that’s what this place needed. Christmas music so loud it rocked the walls and
shook the floor.

Chapter Two

Kent
woke from a dazed sleep. The man named Axel had injected him with something
that had made him sleepy before he’d checked out his leg. He glanced down and
saw it was bound and in a splint.

Oh no, that
fucking Christmas music again.

He’d
thought it had been just a bad dream, but it was echoing throughout the whole
place. Even shaking the metal slats in front of him. Wait a minute, metal
slats. He was in prison.

Kent
looked up. He was in an enclosure and sitting on straw. Something was hanging
around his neck. Just what the hell was it?

Straw
of all things. Maybe he could shift and figure out how to open this cage and
get the hell out of here.

“Let
it snow…”

It
was the human again, and she was singing at the top of her lungs.

Damn,
when would she go away?

He
watched as she poured hot water into a mug and stirred it. Next she sprinkled
on marshmallows and popped a few into her mouth before putting the bag in the
desk drawer.

Gifts
sat under a tree by a bookcase. If he wasn’t mistaken, she was going to spend
Christmas here. He was going to be spending Christmas here, too.

Kent
tried to move to get more comfortable. The noise made her turn around and look
his way.

“Ah,
you’re awake.”

At
least she had the decency to turn down the music before she walked over to
him.
 
She knelt in front of the
enclosure. It was the first time he’d gotten a good look at her. Yes, she was
very pretty. Well, for a human. Cute eyes that had somewhat of a sad look to
them. Full pink lips. Yes, quite kissable. If you were the type who liked
locking lips with humans.

“You
feeling okay? I’m so sorry I hit you with my car, but you’re going to be just
fine. Axel said a couple of days rest and your leg should be as good as new and
I can release you back out into the wild. Oh, and I’ve radio collared you so
I’ll know where you’re at. You’re going to be my new wolf to study for my
doctorate. What do you think about that? It’s almost like we met for a reason.”

Radio collar—you
take this monstrosity off me right now. Just who do you humans think you are? Part
of your study, your new wolf? Over my dead body. The only reason we met was for
me to strangle you and free the world of Christmas music and shitty singing.

“I
bet you’re hungry, so I’ll just go grab something for you.”

She
stood, and he was left looking at her legs. Nice curvy calves…

Kent, do not go
there.
She is human, she is human. She sings
horribly, she sings horribly.

She
walked away.

The something nice
better be a big, juicy steak and the key to get me out of here.

He
rested his head on his paws. He wasn’t thinking straight—probably the cute face
and legs thing were getting to him. This was his opportunity to shift. Shift
back to a man, get out of here, call Nick and have him come collect him.

Kent
relaxed his body, willing himself to shift, but holy shit, nothing was
happening. He still had paws and fur.

This
had never happened before. Couldn’t be the injury, surely. Maybe it was the
radio collar. Some weird frequency thing.
 
Maybe it was whatever they’d given him to make him sleep.

He
heard her returning and stopped his efforts to shift. He heard another wolf
howling. He was telling her he needed feeding and soon.

“Here’s
dinner,” she said, lifting the hatch up and sliding a silver bowl full of what
looked like dog food at him.

You call this
dinner?

“I’m
just going to see to the other animals and then I’ll be back to spend the rest
of Christmas Eve with you.”

In your dreams, baby.
By the time you get back, I’ll be
outta
here.

Kent
watched as she made her way through a set of swinging doors.

He
relaxed again, did everything he usually did when he wanted to shift, but
nothing was happening.

Tension
and stress, that’s what was happening here. He’d never been under this sort of
pressure before. He thought of pleasant things. Running like he had done
earlier that day. Nope, still nothing. Female wolf shifters surrounding him
during their mating cycle and looking for some loving.

Still
nothing.

Two
wolves howled. They were thanking her for their dinner.

He
heard footsteps and realized she was back. What the hell was he going to do?

“You
don’t feel like eating?” She looked down at the still full bowl. “As it’s the
holidays, I do have some sliced turkey I can give you.”

Yippee do.

She
walked over to a small fridge and opened the door, pulled out what looked like
a package of deli meats, lifted up some slices, and headed back his way. She’d
put them on top of the dog food before he knew it.

“I’m
going to make myself a sandwich and then shower. After that, how about I read us
a Christmas story?

How about I throw
myself on something sharp?

Kent
managed to get the turkey slices off the dog food and down it in two gulps.

Maybe
it was the lack of food that was causing him problems with shifting back.

He
watched as she drank her hot chocolate, and then nibbled on a sandwich and
dived into a bag of chips.

Didn’t
she have a family to spend Christmas with?

She
put her plate in a sink and then grabbed a small bag. “Just going to shower and
I’ll be right back.”

Perfect. I’ll be
able to shift and then be on my way.

Kent
got into his most relaxed position—on his back, legs out—and thought of steaks,
women, tropical beaches.
Her.

Why
was he thinking about her?

Okay,
back to the beaches…

The
sound of a phone ringing jarred him from his thoughts. He spotted her cell
phone sitting on top of her desk. She ran through the door, wet and naked. Kent
swallowed. He couldn’t take his eyes off her now. Those thighs, those curves…

She
leaned over and, oh wow, he had the clearest view of her pussy, and it was like
going to heaven. Now he would believe in Christmas and miracles. She continued
to lean over while she took the call.

“Yes,
really, I’m going to be fine. This is the way I want to spend the holidays.”

Silence.

“Yes,
really, I’m going to be fine. This is the best thing for me. Yes, I have it
under the tree.”

Silence
again.

 
“I will, Mom, yes, love you too,” she said.

Kent
licked his lips. If he could shift, he wasn’t going to run. He was going to
fuck her, the gorgeous beast of a woman. He’d never been attracted to a human
before, but the sight of her entrance, those pink folds, and the scent of her
made him…

Yes,
howl.

She
turned around.

“That’s
a wonderful noise,” she said. She smiled and walked over to him. The dark curls
at the top of her thighs acted as a beacon to him.

She
kneeled in front of him with her breasts now level with his eyes. He’d almost
forgotten that he had paws and not hands when he reached out to touch them.

“You
and I are going to work so well together.” She put her hand through the gap in
the enclosure and touched his head.

Just watch out
because, once I shift, teasing me like this is going to cost you. You are going
to have a real man make love to you. You’ll never want a human again once I get
inside you.

She
shivered. “I guess I should go get dressed and then we’ll have that story.”

Kent
watched her ass and the way the water glistened on each butt cheek.

He
licked his lips again.

****

Ally
wasn’t going to cry. She’d told herself that a million times. She looked
outside. It was still snowing. It looked exactly like the first Christmas Eve
they’d spent together in Whitefish. Actually not far from where she was
currently at.

She
turned off the lights as the first teardrop fell. At least there was no one
around to see her in this pitiful state. Well, apart from the beautiful wolf
who didn’t seem to take his eyes off her now.

Ally
lit a candle. She’d promised the wolf a Christmas story, so a Christmas tale he
would get. After all, the holidays weren’t just for humans. She pulled the book
from her bag, picked up a blanket and pillow, and made her way over to the
enclosure. She put both items down on the floor and made herself comfortable.

“This
was his favorite holiday story,” she said, fingering the words on the front
cover. “We were going to read it every Christmas Eve at ten p.m. I’m keeping
the tradition and I’m just a few minutes late.” She opened the book. “It had
been that sort of year…” she began.

Ally
hadn’t realized that she’d stopped reading and was now lying on her stomach
crying until she felt something touching her body. It was the wolf’s paw on her
shoulder. He’d slid it through the slots in the enclosure and was touching her.
She looked at him. Was she giving him human qualities and emotions? No, on his
face and in his eyes she read,
I’m here,
you’re not alone, and if you want to talk about it, I’m listening. You don’t
have to face this all by yourself.

When
she’d first begun working in animal research, she’d been warned about two
things. Getting emotionally attached to them—remember they’re wild creatures,
not pets, and however much you love them, they have to be returned to the wild.
Second no-no, giving them human qualities.

“Maybe
I should open the gift tonight instead of tomorrow. Why punish myself even
more?”

She
looked at the wolf.
 
She was sure he’d
knitted his eyebrows together. Well, that was if a wolf had any.

She
got up, walked over to the tree, and pulled out the gift he’d left for her. She
ripped off the paper and then saw the words. Ally should have thrown the gift
away like her mother had suggested she do.

“It’s
going to bring you heartache and that’s the last thing Andy would have wanted.”

At
first, she’d thought her mother was right. But she’d assumed by the time
Christmas rolled around, she might have healed from the pain and loss. She
hadn’t. She never would. And now the mug with the words
Momma-to-be
stared back at her, mocked her even. If she’d known
this was what Andy had purchased for her, she would never have kept it.

Ally
rubbed her belly. She’d always remember the movements she’d felt inside her.
Some had taken her by surprise and taken her breath away. The miracle baby
they’d created.

She
also remembered the pain that had awakened her in the middle of the night,
turning on the light and seeing the blood-soaked sheets.

She
threw the mug across the floor. It skidded toward the wolf’s enclosure. A few
pieces smashed until it finally came to rest next to the enclosure door.

Ally
hated her life, hated Christmas. Now that Andy and the baby were gone, nothing
would be the same.