Miss Claus and the Secret Santa: A Shifter Christmas Romance, Book 1

by J. L. Hendricks

  “Dad, what’s gonna happen when they come out of it?” It was weird. Almost like an Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie or something.

  “They might be angry with you, and they might be glad you stopped everyone from fighting to the death. Hard to say. Now that their Alpha is gone, we should have a better chance at reconciliation with them.” He scratched his chin and walked around the group looking at the fallen.

  “Please tell me none of them,” I pointed to those on the ground, “are from our group?”

  “So far, it is only the Russians. Nolan, take a head count and see if any of our wolves need healing.” He looked at me, then at Nolan. “Best to try and heal them the natural way for now, unless it’s a life threatening injury.”

  Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be using any more of my mojo on them. Maybe later I can try again with a smaller group back home. Focus and pinpoint accuracy will be needed down the road.

  “Palo, are you alright? Is the pain gone?” I sat on the hard snow next to him as he breathed in and out.

  “I am thankful for your healing. The pain doesn’t matter. It’s not like I haven’t felt this level of pain before. Are you okay? That was a lot of magic to use. Does it take a toll on you?” He tried to move his head and ended up wincing instead.

  “It’s alright. Don’t try to move right now. And no. The Magic takes nothing from me. It’s Christmas Magic. Christmas is all about giving, not taking or receiving. I use the Magic to heal people or to stop fights. I give of myself, and the Magic keeps coming. Mom always said that once we start taking the Magic for ourselves, then it does stop giving.” I ran my hand along his back to see if he was feeling pain from touch. He wasn’t. It seemed to be all inside at the moment.

  “Palo, can you try to move to your side now? You might just need to get your muscles moving again. I think you are healed.”

  “But it hurts to move. I can’t possibly be healed.” He groaned.

  “Palo, man up! You are the next super Alpha. A little pain is good. It tells your body you are still alive. Now get up and be the strong Alpha I know you are.”

  Oh that was hard to do. He needed to get up. I had seen this before when mom healed a severely injured wolf. That wolf was too afraid of the pain to move, so it only got worse and worse. Until one day my mom said pretty much what I just did. Then that wolf got up and moved. He had pain, but within a few minutes it started to lesson. In a few days it was totally gone.

  “Do I have to?” He bemoaned into the snow.

  “Yes, my little nutcracker. It’s time to get up and show everyone you are strong.” I whispered in his ear.

  “No, I don’t like it.” He said and then started to move. Slowly he rolled onto his side. He looked me directly in the eyes and said, “No, nutcracker is never to be used in reference to me again.”

  I just laughed and tried another one. “How about my candy cane? That is your favorite candy isn’t it?”

  He started to push himself up by using his arms. “Now I understand what you meant. That is not a good pet name.”

  “Okay, my figgie pudding?” I smiled at him and hoped he wouldn’t like that one. Figgie pudding? Gross!

  Once he was standing, he said, “Absolutely not! I sure hope you don’t like that stuff. It’s almost as bad as blood pudding! Disgusting!”

  I busted up laughing. “Did you realize that once I started calling you stupid names, you stood up? And from the looks of it, without much pain either.” I crossed my arms and arched an eyebrow.

  He started to laugh and then winced. “Please don’t make me laugh. There is still some pain.”

  “Alright, no more teasing until we are home. Deal?”

  “Deal. Now can you come over here and give me a kiss?”

  I walked to him slowly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

  “That wasn’t a kiss, it was a peck. I want a kiss, woman.” He stated.

  “Well, in that case, pucker up and be prepared for some pain.” I grabbed ahold of him and pulled his upper body down a bit so I could reach his lips better. He tried to wrap his arms around me but stopped when he felt the pain.

  “Ok, you may have been right about a peck versus a kiss. Ow.” He straightened up and grabbed his midsection.

  “I am always right. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will be happy.” I gave him another peck on the cheek.

  My dad said, “She’s correct. The women in your life are always right, even when they are wrong. If you can remember that, then you will have a fantastic marriage.” He winked at me and turned to talk to Nolan.

  “Oooo kaayyy. So what’s next? These wolves need to be sorted out. While I do want retribution, I think it might be better if I wasn’t involved in the decision here.” I gave him a hug. It had to be tough to stand in front of the pack who killed his family and friends and NOT kill them all.

  Rock walked by, and I called out to him. “Rock, can you come here for a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s up?” He responded.

  “Earlier, you stopped Palo and me from killing wolves. Why?”

  He sighed. “I was afraid you were going to ask. My dad raised me to be your Beta. That means that I get my hands bloody, not you. Not a single Kringle should have to be the one to give the killing blow. Even if the wolf deserves it. Your dad has only ever killed a couple of wolves. And that was early on, right after your Uncle Kris was murdered. I saw you about to kill that wolf, and I wanted to stop you. You shouldn’t have to experience that.” He rubbed the back of his neck and awkwardly moved from foot to foot.

  “Ah, well… I guess, thanks? It probably is better that I don’t kill. How do you feel? Is today your first time?”

  “No, sadly it isn’t. I will be fine. We have a way to blow off steam and work to get past these emotions. Lizzie, I did my job. Not because you are a woman. It was because you are to be married to my Alpha. As our leaders, it is my job to do the things that you don’t need to do. And besides, has a Mrs. Claus ever killed anyone before?”

  “I appreciate the sentiment. Yes, there have been times in the past when she has. Not my mother or grandmother, but past women in my family. When your children are threatened, a mother wolf will do anything to protect them.” He looked like he needed a hug. Even though Palo was there, and I wasn’t sure how he felt about Rock yet, I gave my friend a hug. Palo surprised me by joining in.

  “Group hug! Thank you, Rock, for protecting my future mate. You are going to make one great Beta!” Palo said as he tightened his hug on us.

  Before we finished our hug, the Russian wolves were coming to their senses. One yelled out, “Hey! What magic did you use, fat guy? Why was I feeling peace and love? And why didn’t you kill us all when we were in your trance?”

  My dad spoke up, “I don’t work that way. The Magic stopped you from killing or being killed. Now it is up to you to decide what you want next. Your Alpha is dead.” My dad pointed to Mikael. “Do you want to end up like him? Or would you rather repent and discover that my family doesn’t control the Magic, it controls us.”

  “It does? I thought your family stole the Magic from Mikael’s line centuries ago?” A tall, sandy blonde haired guy asked.

  “What is your name?”

  “Alexei.”

  “Alexei, the Magic has always been in my family line. There has never been anyone but a Kringle as Santa. This year will be the first time in history that the Magic has chosen outside of my family. In fact, it chose the Alpha of the Greenland pack. The pack you destroyed. Christmas saved Palo for his new role.” My dad walked over to Palo and put his arm around his shoulders.

  “I think that the Magic knew the best way to bring the two continents together was to have a Santa from here. Since I never had boys, anyone could have become the next Santa. He just had to have the right heart. Palo does.”

  Dad patted Palo on the back. “This is my future son, and heir. He will marry Lizzie when the time is right for them. They will both start their training as soon as we
get home.”

  “You really are going to have a European Santa? This isn’t a lie? What about your Beta’s son? Word went around that he was to marry Lizzie.”

  “Yes, well. That was my mistake. I chose for her instead of letting Christmas choose my successor. I realized the error of my ways before we even left Lapland for LA. We stumbled upon Palo as soon as we arrived in LA. Good thing too.”

  “Why is that?” Alexie asked.

  “If I had to go through one more day of shopping with my daughter, I would have died! I mean seriously. Have you ever gone shopping with a woman in LA? She insisted on trying every piece of clothing on! Those stores are huge! Bigger than the cities we all live near.” He shook his head as he laughed.

  “Um, no. We don’t generally interact with humans. Only when we have to. Shopping is not a necessity in our lives here.”

  “You don’t know what you are missing out on. I bet you all would be much happier if you visited a city now and then. Just for the food alone! Trust me when I say you would love it.” I nodded my head as I thought back to the meals we had in LA. They were really good.

  The guys who were with us in LA nodded in agreement as Mikey Jr rubbed his belly. “Man, you don’t know what you are missing! Just be sure to order four of any item you want on their menus. The humans don’t eat as much as we do.”

  “Who is the Beta? Now that Mikael is gone your Beta will be your new leader. Unless you want to fight for it?” My dad asked.

  “I am the Beta.” Another sandy blonde guy walked toward us. “My name is Vasily.”

  “Vasily, your old Alpha lied to you and your pack, but you all killed on his order. You destroyed an entire pack. What do you have to say for yourselves?” Santa asked.

  “Santa, there is no excuse for what we have done. Our actions were dishonorable. I would be happy to step down and let someone else take over. My actions preclude me from becoming the next Alpha.” He lowered his head, not in honor to my dad, but in shame.

  “Is there anyone here who would like to become the Alpha of this pack?” Not a sound. No one lifted their hand, and no one spoke up. “I see, Randolpho, would you be open to leading this pack along with yours? At least until they can be rehabilitated?

  “I would be honored. They would all be demoted to Omegas and have to work their way up the line to obtain any roles they may have held under their previous Alpha.”

  “I think that’s fair. Then it’s settled. Randolpho will be your new Alpha until such a time that you have proven yourselves worthy of being a separate pack again. But be warned. I will be watching and visiting multiple times a year.” My dad started to rub his chest and I began to get a headache. That only meant that we were to leave and head elsewhere.

  “I think it is time we headed home. Christmas is around the corner and there is still much to do. Mikey, can we head straight to the plane or do you need time to prepare for our trip home?”

  “No, we can leave now, Santa. I only need to check the fuel and file our flight plan. That won’t take long at all. In fact, Mikey Jr can handle the refueling while I file the flight plan.” Mikey rustled his son’s hair as the younger Mikey tried to get away from his dad.

  Chapter 14

  The flight home went fast because most of us slept the entire time. It had been a very busy and stressful week so far. And I was very happy to be headed home.

  “Home, sweet home! I love leaving, but coming home is so wonderful!” I couldn’t wait to take Palo for a run. We hadn’t had a chance yet to spend any time alone. “Palo, after dinner, do you want to take a run with me? I was hoping to show you around.”

  “Sure, sounds great!” He grabbed my baggage, and we walked to my house together.

  “Mom!” I ran to her and gave her a giant wolf hug. “We have to get started right away in my training. I had to heal some very serious injuries and it caused even more pain for my patients. Sorry, Palo,” I said over my shoulder.

  “Honey, that’s great! Not the pain part, but the fact that you could actually heal them tells me you’re ready to take over, and early too! But then again, you always did develop before everyone else. Who’s ready for dinner? Nolan, you and the guys gonna join us?”

  “Sorry, Mrs. C. I miss my family. Gonna head home to my wife and the rest of my kids. Thanks, though.” Nolan waved bye to us all, and Rock followed him away toward their home.

  “Looks like a small party tonight. That might actually be better,” my dad said.

  “Why? We always have huge groups for dinner.” I asked while scrunching my nose.

  “Because, we need to talk about your wedding.”

  I sighed. “Dad, not yet. Give us some time to discuss it ourselves. Alright?”

  He looked between the two of us. “Palo, I know you need time. You have until the new year to propose. Got it?”

  “Daaaad! That is not the way to get him to ask me! Ugh!” My face was on fire I was so embarrassed.

  Palo chuckled and said, “Don’t worry Santa. Everything will work out.”

  Palo followed me when I went to my room to hide from embarrassment. “Palo, I am sorry about my dad. I think he proposed the same day they had their fireworks kiss. He knew she was the one even before their kiss. He did have about two weeks though, so he had more time than we have.” I plopped down on my bed and blew the bangs out of my eyes.

  “Sugar Pie, don’t worry. I will speak with your dad and everything will be alright.”

  I shook my head. “Nope, not that one. Keep trying, Jingle Bells.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

  “Ok, I’ll keep working on it. What about mistletoe?”

  “Great for kissing! Not so much for a nick name. Toe? Anything with the word “toe” isn’t very romantic.”

  “Fine, fine. I will figure this out.” We heard my dad calling Palo, so he left to find out what my dad wanted.

  I meandered to the kitchen where my mom was finishing the dinner preparations. “Hi, Mom, do you need any help?”

  “Sure, can you set the table?”

  “Yup. Are we using the fine china or regular plates?”

  “Regular should be fine. Since it is just the family for tonight.”

  “Sweet, those are my favorites!” They were an old family set handed down for several generations. The picture on the plates was of a snowy Christmas scene. There was a Christmas tree with decorations inside of park covered in snow and lit up with tons of fairy lights.

  It reminded me of the park not far from here. When we were kids, my parent took us there to ice skate. Now, I just meet my friends there almost every day we were home.

  Palo came in and put his arms around me from behind. He nuzzled my neck. “Mmm, something smells really good. Does your mom always cook dinner?”

  “Most of the time. One night a week I cook. Practice. And I need it too. Sorry, I’m not the best cook.” After I placed the last fork, I turned around and kissed his cheek.

  “What did my dad want?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  My smile turned into a pout. “Why can’t I know?”

  “Because, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. As the future Santa, it is my job to learn how to keep secrets when it comes to surprises.” He winked and kissed my temple.

  “Your dad told me you all celebrate Christmas as a family next week. I think that is pretty cool. Do it early in December, and you can enjoy it before your dad has to finalize his plans for Christmas Eve. I think I want to continue that tradition. What do you think? Buttercup?”

  I slapped his arm. “Who told you to call me that! Ugh, I bet it was Nolan wasn’t it? He is getting coal in his stocking this year! That’s for sure! Don’t call me that again.”

  “What? What did I do?” He raised his placating hands and looked truly clueless.

  “Did someone tell you to call me that?”

  “No, it just came out.”

  “When I was a kid, Uncle Nolan watched this movie almost every weekend. Princess Bride, or something lik
e that. I wanted to be the girl, so he started to call me Buttercup. That was her nickname. Once I grew up, he kept calling me that, even though I asked him to stop. Now he does it to bug me. Sorry, I thought he got you to call me that.” I rubbed the part on his arm that I had hit.

  He pulled me into his arms for a cozy hug. “Babe, I would never tease you like that. If I call you names, it will be my own. K?”

  I shook my head and chuckled. “Babe? Really? Like the pig?”

  “Huh? What pig?”

  “Didn’t you ever read Charlotte’s Web? Or watch the cartoon?”

  “No, I didn’t grow up with TV or many books. Remember, I grew up mostly in the wild of Greenland.”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, Babe was the name of an award winning pig. At least when we have kids, you will get to watch everything for the first time along with them. I bet you even volunteer to read to them every night.” I kissed his nose. “My little drummer boy?”

  “Nope, I see what you mean. Some of these Christmas names are cute, until you use them on a real person. Alright, how about?” He put his index finger to his lips and tapped it while he thought.

  “You can try sugar plum again. Or turtle dove. Maybe one of those will work, Santa Baby?” I wrinkled my nose as I said that last name. “Nah, not that one. Schmoopie?”

  “NOT! Let’s try again tomorrow.” He said.

  “Deal. Time for dinner anyway.” I went to help my mom bring in the dinner plates as my family all filed into the dining room.

  My dad passed the rolls to Palo and asked him, “How long has it been since you had a family Christmas?”

  “Too long. How do you celebrate the holiday here?” Palo passed me the peas, and I passed them right on to my sister. Vegetables weren’t my thing. Give me a good rack of lamb or a juicy steak any day.

  “We have a gift exchange with each other. Then Santa gives us all gifts as long as we are on the ‘Nice’ list. Later on, after everyone has gone to bed, my dad and I sneak around the village and put coal in some of the guys’ stockings.” Dad and I laughed when I tried to tell the story of last year.