Page 6 of Tis the Season for Sass
“Yes, but later on. End of discussion,”she replied, pointedly.
Her wolf reluctantly stepped back into the shadows, with a growl of course.
Slipping out of her clothes, Ginger collapsed on the bed and crawled under the comforter. Staring at the falling snow swirling against the window. It left her with a cozy feeling, like she was in her own little snow-globe.
She slept hard, without any disturbing thoughts—until her wolf woke her up.
“It’s later. Get your ass out of bed.”
“Ugh, what’s it been? An hour?”
Her wolf was practically stretching out for a run. “An hour and ten minutes.”
“When I said later, I meant, I don’t know, later, later. Like two hours minimum. I was sleeping so good. And I mean really good, like drooling on the pillow good.”
“A deal’s a deal.”
“If you had a snooze button, I’d be slapping the shit out of it right now.”
Ginger dressed and found Sofia in the living room which was completely decked out for the holidays. The branches of the huge Christmas tree reached out like they were trying to snag her. Evergreen boughs braided with red ribbon looped along the walls and every horizontal surface seemed to be a miniature shrine to elves, reindeer, or plump little snowmen.
“Jeesh! What’s going on in here? Santa’s funeral?”
“You can never go overboard when it comes to Christmas, humbug. I know you’ve never been much for this, especially lately. But I’m going to do my damnedest to change all that.”
Not wanting her lack of enthusiasm to dampen her best friend’s sprit, Ginger smiled. “You can start by snagging a super-hot guy for me and putting him under the tree, wearing nothing but a big red bow. Now that would get me into some serious Christmas spirit.”
“Hey, don’t doubt it could happen. Black Paw is home to some seriously hot wolves. You might have a harder time finding a big red bow than a man around here.”
An hour later, Sofia and Ginger had finally finished up the decorating. It was time to shift and head out for a run.
Ginger stepped out into the cool air. It had been so long since she shifted into her wolf form. Her wolf was more than ready to go, chomping at the bit would be the term that flew through her mind when she thought about it.
She could feel her wolf surging forward, not wanting to waste a second of the freedom she had been promised. Ginger didn’t even try to fight or slow the majik that rushed over her body. She welcomed the ancient majik as it swirled around her, as each bone shifted into her animal form. For once, her shift was a painless transition from human to animal. The instant her paws landed on the ground, she took off as fast as her legs would carry her.
Sofia followed, hot on her heels. Ginger laughed with each zigzag her wolf made through the forest, jumping over downed trees and ducking under low branches until they made their way to a clearing. Ginger spun in a full circle, surprised at the majestic beauty that was Black Paw. Towering mountains with jagged peaks surrounded the large circular clearing and left her in awe.
The snow started falling at a rapid pace. Thick, fluffy flakes coated their fur, signaling it was time to make their way back to Sofia’s house. Their wolves playfully shook off the falling snow and bolted back down the trail.
4
Chance tugged on his boots and a flannel jacket before heading out to the garage to grab his axe. He had piles upon piles of wood to split for his fireplace before the heavy snows hit. The weather reports were predicting two feet of snow over the next few days, so there was plenty of work that needed to be done.
“Need some help?” Lars asked as he trekked across the field.
“Always. There’s a spare axe in the garage. What are you doing here? I thought you and Sofia were waiting for her friend to arrive from Crescent Bay?” Chance tried to come off as nonchalant, but he was more than just curious about Sofia’s friend. A new, single female wolf? If she was even half as hot as Lars’ mate, things could get interesting.
“Yeah, she got in earlier. I’m giving the girls some time to catch up. It’s been months since they’ve seen each other,” Lars said as he headed for the garage. He knew damn well Chance wanted to know more about Ginger, and he’d already been scheming up a plan.
Chance lined up several logs and began splitting them. With each swing of the axe, his muscles tensed and released. The physical labor instilling a sense of calm in his mind. He craved the calm after a night of restlessness. It was so unlike him. Normally, he slept like a rock. But not last night. He couldn’t seem to shut off his brain.
“Let’s get this party started, shall we?” Lars said as he approached the wood pile. After splitting a dozen pieces, Lars paused. “Speaking of parties, how would you like to meet Ginger?”
“Ginger?”
“Yeah, Sofia’s friend. We are planning on taking her to the Wolf Den tomorrow night. Nothing special. We thought we’d just have a few drinks, shoot some pool and darts. The usual Friday night stuff. You ought to stop by and say hi.”
Chance shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve got a lot to get done though. Rafe called, he wants me to take a run up to the Halvorsen cabin on Saturday and check on them. I guess Grace is predicting a wicked winter and Rafe wants to make sure everyone has what they need, especially the families in the remote areas. And he doesn’t want to just call and take their word for it. So, off I go.”
