A wolf and a Lugat, and no one so much as raised an eyebrow.
For the first time, she thought maybe a hawk among wolves wasn’t so strange after all.
Later, June and Willow draped lights over the front bushes. It wasn’t complicated, just blankets of twinkle lights, but June insisted they all had to be facing the same way or it would look sloppy once lit. Willow found herself strangely charmed — wolf pack perfectionism meeting Christmas magic.
She telepathed Boone when they finished with the bushes.I want to go up in the bucket and hang giant ornaments, Sir. How do jobs get assigned? Is that one already claimed?
He chuckled in her mind.Unless they work construction, most wolves like keeping all four feet on the ground. Why the hell do you think I learned to handle the equipment? Keeps me off damned ladders. The wolves will love you forever if you go up.
Speaking of ladders, she looked up to make sure the correct wreaths were making it onto the shutters. The ones Kenny had pulled out looked sad and old, and she’d run by Big Lots one evening and bought new ones, along with ribbon to make great big pretty bows on them. But they were hanging the old ones.
Before she thought about it, she yelled, “No! Stop!”
The sound came out…not right.Louder, and layered with an echo that vibrated through her bones. Like movie special effects.
Every wolf on the property froze.
Kenny was already moving toward her. “Everyone not on a ladder, at ease.”
What’s the problem?he telepathed, his mental voice low but steady.
I don’t know, Sir. I was just going to tell him those aren’t the new wreaths.
You pulled on my power. Used the Alpha voice. It’s okay, we’re still figuring out the bond, and I had no idea you’d be able to, especially not this soon.
He called up the ladder, calm as stone. “There are new wreaths. Bring that one down and we’ll switch.” Then, to the crowd: “Relationship bindings are funny things. The magic sometimes makes its own choices. We’re only a few days in. We’ll get it sorted. She’s as surprised as the rest of us.”
How bad did I fuck up, Sir?
A two on a scale of ten, since it’s new, but oddly enough, it’ll reinforce how strong the binding took, so the end result will probably be a net positive.
He kissed her forehead, and she didn’t know if he did it for the pack to see he wasn’t upset with her, or to settle her. Or maybe both.
Do that six months from now for something minor,he added,it’ll be a seven. We’ll get it sorted, but not tonight. You’ll be fine.
Fifteen minutes later, she was sharing the bucket with as many ornaments as they could fit in with her, rising into the winter sky to hang them.
By the time dusk fell, the yard was transformed, and wolves skewered raw meat for the bonfire while most of the humans opted for marshmallows.
Willow thought she might have some of both once so many people weren’t standing around the fire.
She lugged a bag of ice to dump into the cooling table and smiled at how chaotic and perfect it felt.
When the sun was fully down and dark had settled around them, Kenny called everyone to the front yard, made a touching little speech about pack magic, the bonds that hold them together, and then touched his phone’s screen.
Every strand lit at once.
The tree blazed in reds and whites. The house glowed in all white light, wreaths crisp and perfect, bows fat and red. The bushes shimmered like fallen stars.
And Willow’s throat tightened. Christmas.Real Christmas.
June had been right. Details mattered.
Twenty minutes later, Willow laughed as the frisbee arced wide and she had to dive for it in the grass, teenagers whooping when she managed to catch it. What’s one more bruise, she thought.
Her fingers were frozen, but she was warm enough from running around. Five minutes later, the scent of cooking meat caught her stomach’s attention, and she told the teens she was off to cook some cow, pig, and probably some chicken while she was at it.
She brushed leaves from her denim skirt and was on her way to the skewers and meat when she heard Angie’s voice off to her left.
