What would Luna want for Christmas? What would be the perfect gift for the girl who had literally changed our lives in so many ways? She was frugal, generous, caring, motherly, all at the same time as being the best girlfriend any of us could have ever asked for. Whatever I got for her, it had to be perfect.
I stopped in front of a gift shop called Rose & Pea’s Fine Gifts. It had a cute appearance, in a sort of country-kitsch style.
The bell rang as I walked in, quickly shutting the door behind me to stop the draft from following me.
There was an older woman at the counter. She looked up at me over her silver glasses. “Hello there, young man, how are you?”
“Good,” I said, catching my breath.
Everything in the tiny shop looked fragile and beautiful. The air smelled like apple pie, and candles flickered in random places amongst the wooden shelves.
“Here for a last-minute gift?” She asked.
I nodded.
The old woman scooted around the counter, peering at me. “For a special lady?”
I nodded again. “How did you know?”
Her eyes glittered. “I know a lot. Run a gift shop for as long as I have, and there are no surprises any more. I know you’re here for something special, not flowers or chocolate. Something unique.”
I nodded, feeling as if she was reading my mind. Was she a witch?
The old woman winked at me. “I know just the thing.”
I didn’t have time to speak.
She was gone, rustling through the crowded store. “Just wait right there, I know the gift you need. It’s calling to me!”
So she was either a witch or a crazy old woman. Maybe both.
I stayed put, waiting just as I was told.
A minute later, the woman came back. Her clog shoes echoed on the wooden floor as she scurried between the shelves. She held up the gift for me to see. “Here,” She said.
I gasped, taking it from her.
The gift she’d found was an antique pendant of a crescent moon made of silver. Nestled in the silver moon was a rose gold cat: a pink cat, her favorite illusion.
“It is perfect,” I said.
“Did you doubt me?” The old woman asked.
“Not for a second,” I said.
The woman took the pendant back and went to the counter. There, she carefully wrapped it in silver tissue paper and nestled it into a gift box, along with a thick scented candle.
“Every gift comes with a free candle. Make a wish on it, and it’s sure to come true,” The woman said. “A little Christmas magic from me to you.”
I paid for the gift and held the box carefully. “Thank you so much,” I said.
The woman nodded. “My pleasure, dear.” She glanced out the window. “Your friends will be looking for you in a moment, don’t keep them waiting.”
I looked out the window, but no one was there. A moment later, Jasper and Maddox walked by with bags of groceries. When I turned back to the woman, she only smiled.
“Merry Christmas,” She said.
Chapter 3
Chase
I stared down at the giftbox in my hands as Jasper started up the SUV and drove out of town. The thick, wet snow made the tires spin and the engine groan.
“Pretty sure she was a witch,” Maddox said, leaning between the seats and looking at the gift. It was too perfect, not a single wrinkle on the gift wrap, as if it had been done by magic.
I shrugged. “She found the perfect gift,” I said. “She said it would bring us Christmas magic.”
“Let’s just hope it’s not cursed,” Jasper said.
It was starting to snow again, and the sky was growing dark.
“Let’s just get the tree and head home,” Maddox said. He leaned back and dug around in the grocery bag until he found the beef jerky.
“I thought that was for Seth?” I asked.
“I bought more than one bag,” Maddox countered.
“Then hand me some up here.”
“No way!” Maddox growled.
“Can both of you shut it?” Jasper snapped. “I’m trying to pay attention to the road. I know the Christmas tree stall was around here somewhere.” He slowed down the SUV so he could get a better look.
“There,” I said, pointing.
There was a fenced-in area with a huge wooden sign that said CHRISTMAS TREES FOR SALE. The problem was, it was empty and dark. Whoever had been selling them had long packed up and went home.
Jasper stopped at the side of the road. “Damn it,” He sighed.
“There’s still some left,” Maddox said, craning his neck for a better look.
He was right. A few shabby-looking trees were piled along one side of the fence, presumably the ones that weren’t good enough to sell.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if we took one,” I said. “That’s not stealing, is it?”
“Nope, it’s finders-keepers,” Maddox said. He looked at Jasper. “Keep this thing running. Chase and I will go grab a tree, and we’ll be home before dinner.”
Jasper sighed, drumming his fingers on the wheel. “Fine.”
I jumped out of the SUV and trudged through the slush towards the fenced area. Most of the wooden signs were taken down and piled alongside the road. Whoever was selling trees was gone for the night.
Maddox hopped the fence and went over to the pile of forgotten trees. “Do you really think this is alright?” He asked, turning up his nose at the bundled evergreens.
They were all small, with a few bare patches, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a little bit of care and decorations.
“They’ll be fine,” I said. I rolled an extra-ratty one over to find a nicer one hidden underneath. “This one looks good,” I grunted as I lifted the tree up to a standing position by the twine rope that kept it in manageable shape.
Suddenly, something moved in the shadows under the tree.
My coyote senses became alert. It smelled like a wolf, but not Maddox. “What was that?” I asked.
“You saw it too?” Maddox asked, crouching down. He growled in his throat. “We’re not the only shifters here.”
Then, from under the bundled trees, we heard a whine. Two small wolf pups came into view, shivering, with their coats caked in ice.
“Please, help us, we’re lost,” One whined in his tiny voice.
“Wolf pups!” I gasped. Whatever I had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t two young shifters out here on their own.
Maddox seemed lost for words.
Looks like we might have got a magical Christmas, after all.
Chapter 4
Luna
When Seth told me that Chase and the others had gone out for groceries, I hadn’t expected them to come back with a Christmas tree and two wolf pups!
The two wolf pups, who still had not shifted into their human forms, were curled up in a pile of blankets by the fire. Thankfully, they hadn’t been out long enough to do much damage. They were cold, hungry, and scared, but they’d live.
“Ok, so explain to me again?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.
Chase chuckled nervously. “Well,” He glanced at Seth.
Seth gave him a pointed look. The sort of look that said, this was your idea, so face the consequences.
“I wanted to do something special for you. I wanted you to see that Christmas could be fun. So we went to get dinner and a tree.” He motioned to the patchy tree that Maddox had propped up in the corner of the room. It made the entire house smell like an evergreen.
“We found these two pups hiding under the trees, using them as shelter,” Chase continued. “Apparently, they were traveling with their mom and got split up during the snow squall.”
“So, their mother is still out there?” I asked.
Chase nodded.
“We left a note with the trees in case she comes looking for them. It has our info on it, too,” Maddox added. “Tomorrow, we’ll head out and look for her. It would be a lost cause out there n
ow.”
I glanced out the window. It was dark and snowy. No one should be out there in this weather, especially with pups.
“So, what do we do?” I asked.
“What else is there to do but enjoy the evening?” Chase said. He hauled the groceries into the kitchen, humming to himself.
How could he be so relaxed when there were missing pups with us? Was he that consumed with the holiday that he couldn’t see we had real problems?
Seth must have sensed my tension. He wandered over and put a hand on my shoulder. “Let him cook,” He said, kissing my forehead. “It will keep him busy.”
I sighed and collapsed on the couch. “What about the pups?”
“We’ll look for their mom in the morning,” Seth promised.
Jasper crouched down by the pups. “Hey, wake up.” He gently nudged them. “Can you boys shift? Are you well enough?”
The gentle voice he used with them made my heart twinge. He was a wolf, just like them. Maybe he could make them less afraid.
One of the pups opened his eyes and whined. When he spoke, it came out in a whimper, it wasn’t quite human-sounding, but of course, he was in his wolf form. “Our mom was supposed to come to find us, but she didn’t. Do you think she’s ok?”
“We’ll find her tomorrow,” Jasper said, “I promise. Right now, you boys need to shift, so we can get you warm. There are beds upstairs.”
The pup nodded and closed his eyes. The two of them shifted into human form, holding the blankets around their bodies. Two boys now stood by the fire, one looked to be about five, and the other was a few years older.
“That’s good,” Jasper said with an approving nod. “Can’t have my fellow wolves out in the cold all night, can I?”
The younger one smiled, but the older still withheld his complete trust. He studied us all slowly.
“Why are you helping us?” He asked.
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Seth said. “I’m the alpha of this pack, and anyone who needs protection will find it here.”
The boy sucked in a breath and held out his hand. “My name is Darren. This is my little brother Todd.”
Seth shook his head. “Pleased to meet you. Keep that up, and you’ll make a fine alpha yourself one day.”
It was Darren’s turn to beam with pride. His pale cheeks went pink.
Jasper winked at me. “So, you boys hungry?”
“Yes!” The pair cried out.
“Well, you’re in luck, because our pack is a little obsessed with pancakes,” Jasper said.
“Way ahead of you,” Maddox said from the kitchen. He came out carrying plates stacked to the top with thick, golden pancakes. “Here you go, boys, pack specialty.”
The kids dug into the food like ravenous animals, eating with their hands.
Usually, I would have cared, but not tonight. These boys needed protection, warmth, and a relaxed environment if they were going to make it without their mother. I could only hope that Jasper could keep his promise, and we would find her in the morning.
Once the wolf pups were fed, clothed, and safely tucked in bed, we all found ourselves downstairs.
Maddox was tinkering with the tree, trying to jazz it up a bit with the lights he bought in town. Jasper and Chase were still cooking. Seth, ever the man-in-charge, was examining a local map to see possible directions the mother wolf shifter might have gone.
I stared out the window, watching the snow continue to pile up. The wind whistled through the trees, and the moon was completely hidden in the clouds. Wherever the pups’ mom was, I could only hope she would be alright.
“You ok, Luna?” Jasper asked.
I looked over, and he handed me a cup of warm milk with a sprinkle of cinnamon. “Yeah, I’m ok,” I said with a soft sigh.
“Don’t stress, ok?” He said. “We’ll find her.”
Something clattered and dropped with a bang into the kitchen.
Jasper winced. “I should check on Chase. He wanted to make cookies for the kids.”
I followed Jasper to the kitchen, sipping my warm milk.
In the kitchen, Chase had carefully made gingerbread men, shaping them with a knife because we had no cookie cutters. He was working hard, with a pile of dishes already stacked near the sink.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Chase looked up. “Making cookies for the pups,” He said. “They can’t wake up on Christmas morning with nothing.”
My chest tightened. How many mornings had I woke up with nothing? I was just a foster kid, not a real part of the family. I shook off the cold that clenched my heart. Just because I had been given the shaft every year didn’t mean that I should spoil it for everyone else.
“That’s nice of you,” I said, suddenly unsure of my words. Memories of my past came flooding back and messing with my brain. I shook the feeling off. Now was not the time. I couldn’t ruin this for everyone else.
“Luna,” Jasper said. “I know that maybe Christmas wasn’t a great thing for you growing up, and believe me, we all have had our shitty days. Instead of focusing on that, I was thinking, why don’t we focus on the pups.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“They’re having a rough time, and Christmas is the one thing that a lot of kids look forward to. Even though their mother is lost and they’re separated, I think it would be nice if we gave them a Christmas morning to remember.”
I took a sip of the warm milk, letting it defrost my heart. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Jasper seemed surprised at my eagerness, breaking out with a huge smile. He hugged me tightly.
“Awesome,” Chase beamed. “Let’s get started!”
We worked into the early morning hours to ensure everything would be perfect when the boys woke up.
Chase’s enthusiasm was infectious. He ran around the house like a holiday elf, trading his time between cookies, decorating, and keeping us on track.
I sat on the floor with Maddox, making paper decorations for the tree. Seth finished the lights and covered the bare or brown spots on the tree. Jasper worked in the kitchen with Chase, prepping everything we would need for a hearty Christmas breakfast.
While we worked, Chase hummed every Christmas carol known to mankind.
As the night wore on, the guys fell asleep one by one until it was only Chase and I left.
Seth and Maddox lay cuddled on the couch. Jasper had fallen asleep at the table while stringing together popcorn garland.
I paused from the popcorn crafts and looked over at Chase, who was bundling the cookies in cellophane bags and tying them with leftover twine from the tree.
He must have sensed my gaze. “What is it?” he asked.
I smiled and shook my head. “Nothing, I’m just … happy,” I said.
“I’m glad,” Chase said. He finished tying a bow and then looked around. “It’s not fancy, but I think the boys will like it.”
If I had to describe the decorations we’d made, I would have used the word rustic. It was charming, obviously done by hand, but I could feel the love in every inch.
“It’s perfect,” I said, and I meant it.
Chase beamed. “Thanks,” He said. He set the wrapped cookies under the tree and then sat down beside me at the table. He plucked the unfinished popcorn garland from under Jasper’s head and got to work stringing the popped kernels together.
We worked in silence for a little while before he spoke again.
“I hope I wasn’t too pushy,” Chase said. “I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories or make you feel uncomfortable.”
“No, you didn’t,” I said. For the first time in my life, I was actually enjoying a holiday, and I wasn’t going to let anything take that away.
Chapter 5
Luna
I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I was woken at dawn by the sound of the two wolf pups.
The boys woke early and came running down the stairs. Both of them were dressed in some of the sp
are clothes we’d collected for any incoming shifters that might have needed our help. The clothes were obviously too big; none of us had considered that children might find their way to our door.
Chase was already awake. “Good morning, Darren. Good morning, Todd.”
“Is our mother here yet?” Darren asked.
My heart broke a little for him.
“Not yet, I’m afraid. But we’re going to start looking as soon,” I said.
“Darren!” Todd squealed, shaking his brother’s arm. “Look, the Christmas tree! Santa must have come and brought us stuff!” He ran off, diving under the tree and finding the perfectly wrapped packages of cookies.
Darren, who had long stopped believing in Santa, based on his expression, glanced from his brother to Chase.
Chase winked.
Darren gave us an appreciative smile that made him seem much older than he was. This kid had been through some shit, I could tell. I saw myself in him, and that made my chest ache for the child. He was wiser beyond his years because he hadn’t been given a choice in the matter.
Seth, Maddox, and Jasper all woke at the sound of Chase clamoring around the kitchen and the boys talking excitedly.
“So, what do you think?” Chase asked.
“It’s great,” Darren said, holding up the wrapped treats.
“I love it!” Todd squealed. His tiny voice wavered as he spoke again. “The only thing that would be better is if mom was here.”
A cloud settled in around us, sobering me up from the joy instantly.
Seth glanced out the window. “The snow has stopped, we should be able to start the search,” He aid.
Maddox and Jasper nodded, ready at their alpha’s command. They went upstairs to change and get prepared for what presumably was going to be a long, cold day.
“I wish mom was here,” Todd whispered.
“Me too,” Darren said.
I sighed; the temporary joy I had felt was starting to fade away. What if we couldn’t find their mom? Then what?
Chase bolted up in his seat. “Oh, there was one more present I forgot about.” He ran back to the kitchen, grabbed a gift box, and returned to my side. “Here.”
Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories Page 49