Page 37 of Holiday Surprise

It was the size of a small jewelry box and my palms sweated as I carefully unwrapped it. I lifted the lid and inside was a silver necklace with a small silver wolf charm.

“Too cheesy?” Luke asked and I realized he was nervous.

I shook my head and sniffed as a tear rolled down my cheek. “It’s perfect.”

I took it out of the box and asked him to help me put it on. No one had ever given me jewelry before, not in all the years Thomas and I had been together. It simply wasn’t something he would have thought of, but it meant everything to me. Luke couldn’t have picked a better gift and I knew I would sound like a blubbering idiot if I tried to explain it to him.

Before things started to get awkward or I could explain, we were interrupted by a knock on the door. Luke excused himself as he went to open it and I quickly walked back to the bedroom to dress.

When I came back out, Nettie and Tom were there. I walked over and hugged her. “Merry Christmas!”

She stiffened and stepped back to stare at me. Her eyes were wide with shock or wonder, or both. I couldn’t tell for sure.

“You mated?” she asked.

“Oh,” I laughed. “Yeah. Last night.”

Nettie wouldn’t make eye contact with me as she took a step back.

“I thought I made it pretty clear last night that Sydney is my one true mate,” Luke said.

Nettie smiled and nodded. “You did. I just, I’m just surprised is all. That seemed so quick.” She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. Then she lowered herself and held out a small loaf of bread to me. As I reached for it, she barred her neck to me. “For the Alpha and our Pack Mother.”

I gasped. I hadn’t even really considered that. I was just caught up in the whirlwind of our mating, but I was Pack Mother of the Larken wolves. These people I held as enemies just days ago were now my ultimate responsibility.

“Th-thank you,” I stuttered as I accepted her gift.

Luke looked on proudly and nodded his support.

“It’s orange cranberry, my favorite,” Tom said breaking the awkward silence that was setting in.

Nettie rose and hugged me again. ”I know you’re going to make a fantastic Pack Mother.”

Pack Mother? It was all I had ever wanted, and here I was living that dream, only it wasn’t the pack I had always dreamed of. I felt a little guilty for letting that toxic thinking seep in. I pushed all those thoughts and old feelings aside to deal with later.

Tom sniffed the air. “Something sure smells yummy.”

“Tom,” Nettie scolded.

I leaned down to his level. “Do you think you could do me a favor?”

He nodded.

“Could you please go around to each house and let them know that the door is open, and we’d love it if everyone would come and join us for Christmas. The turkeys will be done in time for lunch and the hams a little later.”

His eyes lit up as he looked for approval from his mother.

“We couldn’t possibly intrude,” she insisted even as her stomach rumbled. “It’s your first Christmas together.”

I looked around for Luke to weigh in, but he was no longer in the room. I didn’t know what to say as the minutes stretched by. He finally came back wearing his new jeans and the navy sweater I’d bought him. My heart swelled. He looked so handsome. I absentmindedly toyed with the wolf on the chain around my neck.

“Go on, Tom, spread the word. We’re having an open house. Our first of many, I hope,” he told the boy.

For the next several hours we had a constant flow of visitors. Everyone was curious and cautious about me. There were more than a few comments on how quickly things had happened, but no one argued it or threatened to challenge me. It wasn’t long before I had the allegiance of every pack member.

When Peyton and Oliver stopped by, I felt like I could finally breathe a little. Luke had been so busy entertaining our guests that I had barely spoken to him since Nettie and Tom had arrived that morning.

Several of the women had pitched in and helped out in the kitchen and spirits were high but seeing a familiar face in the crowd nearly brought me to tears. I threw my arms around Peyton and held on for dear life.

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