The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  Twigs crunched as the closest wolf shifted his weight, still staring at the house. It was too easy. None of them expected him to come at them from behind. Amateurs. These were the idiots Kal sent to finish him off? If he’d been in human form, he would have scoffed. These three were young, inexperienced. Little more than novices, really. And against him? It was like swatting flies. So, then what was Kal’s angle? Why wasn’t he there himself?

  One of the Valley wolves fidgeted nervously. Turning, he spotted Nova. His tawny gold eyes widened in surprise.

  Nova didn’t give him time to signal the others. Without hesitation, he lunged, latching his jaws around his throat. Hot, thick blood flowed out around his teeth. The air filled with the scent of copper. The wolf fell to the ground.

  The other two wolves finally took notice and charged at Nova from either side. The battle was brutal but quick. When it was over, Nova stood, the lone wolf, covered in the intruder’s blood.

  He let out a low growl of frustration. It didn’t make sense. He knew Kal hated him, that he was after Amara, but why send those three? Why let another do his dirty work? Something didn’t feel right.

  Shaking his head, Nova padded back toward the house. He needed a shower.

  “Take your gun. And your knife. Maybe both your knives,” Nova ordered, throwing a bunch of her clothes in a bag. “Just in case.”

  Amara sat on the bed, frowning. Nova had come in twenty minutes ago, covered in blood, and ordered her to get dressed before locking himself in the bathroom. It was only moments before she heard the shower. When he’d come out, she was dressed and waiting for him.

  “It’s not safe here anymore,” he told her, throwing on his clothes. “We need to get you packed. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

  Amara raised a brow. “Leaving? For where?”

  “You’re going to come stay with me for a while.”

  “You? With the pack? But…but I’m not allowed.”

  Nova shook his head. “You can’t stay here. Nemoy will just have to make an exception.”

  He’d then spent the next ten minutes getting her packed. Finished, Nova beckoned her forward. “Load up.”

  Obedient, she followed him out to his truck and climbed into the passenger’s seat. She wasn’t sure how she felt. On the one hand, she was going to Nova’s. For the first time, she was going to get to see his house, the place that he called home. She was going to get to meet his family. His mother. The illusive Pack.

  On the other hand, she was leaving her own home behind because the same wolf who had terrorized her town for the last decade had apparently put out a hit on her. And to keep from being killed, she was heading into the heart of yet another pack of wolves.

  How could this possibly be her life?

  Nervous, she toyed with the hem of her sweater. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” She glanced sideways at him, almost afraid to see his expression.

  He chuckled. “I’m not going to lie, they’re not going to be pleased. Nemoy is convinced the rules are there for a reason. He isn’t going to appreciate the fact that I’m bringing you back with me, even if it is for your protection.” Deep lines furrowed his brow. “He’s just going to have to get over it.”

  “And your mother?” Amara asked, her voice small. “What will she think about you shacking up with a human?”

  Nova frowned. Her heart sank. “Well, that’s a tricky one. I’d like to tell you that she’s my mother, and all she wants to do is see me happy, that she would approve of me bringing you back because it’s the right thing to do. But to be honest with you, I don’t actually know how she’ll react. My mother is one of a kind. There is no reading her.”

  “Oh.” As if she hadn’t been terrified before. Now she was on the borderline of having a panic attack.

  Nova read her signals and put his hand on her thigh. “It’s going to be all right,” he assured her. “We’ll protect you.”

  The road to the compound was long and windy. She supposed it didn’t help that she kept imagining every awful thing that could happen, either. What the hell was she thinking, getting involved with a shifter? It wasn’t like she could ever become one of them. Nova said wolves were bred not bitten. So, what? Was she just going to play the weak human for the rest of her life while he got to be the macho man protector?

  No. That wasn’t how it was going to work. They would get through this, together. As partners. The rest of it, they would just have to figure out.

  “We’re here.” Nova turned the truck down an old gravel road that disappeared into the underbrush. After a few twists and turns, they followed the road to the gate. It was bordered on both sides by a fence and two guard stations. Both of them were empty.

  Nova frowned. “This isn’t right,” he muttered, throwing the truck into neutral. He put on the emergency brake and climbed from the cab. “I’ll be right back,” he told her.

  Amara watched him walk down the road to the gate. He examined something she couldn’t see on the far side of the fence, before peering into both tiny buildings. Reaching in, he pressed a button and the gate began to open.

  Nova’s face was grave when he returned to the truck. He put it back in drive and started easing forward. Amara waited. “Something’s wrong,” he told her, scowling at the empty guard stations as they passed.

  “Maybe they just went on break.”

  He shook his head. “No. That’s not how it works. If the guards on the morning patrol aren’t at their posts, something more important is going on. They wouldn’t just up and leave.”

  She huffed out a frustrated breath. “How do you know?”

  “Because I trained them myself.”

  The road leading from the gate to the living area of the compound was completely deserted. Nova turned down a long side street filled with quaint little cottage houses. Amara was suddenly struck by what it would be like to be part of it. To be with Nova, to live there with him, to maybe one day raise children with him among the pack and the community. To learn what it was to be Wolf.

  Except now, the place was eerily quiet. Not a single soul showed their faces. No sound came from within the walls. There was just silence.

  Nova parked the truck and the two of them got out. With one shared, worried glance, they split up and began to peer in windows, searching for his pack members. Amara saw cute little flowerbeds and tidy living rooms; one house even had dinner on the table. But while the furniture and such appeared to be in place, none of the houses contained people.

  “Find anyone?” Nova hollered from four houses down.

  Amara shook her head. “No. You?”

  “Nothing.”

  And then someone screamed.

  Chapter 19

  Nova and Amara raced back to the truck and they blasted back on the main road, heading for the square. Chaos reigned. People were running everywhere, both in wolf and human form. Children, penned in a cage near the Pack’s main meeting hall, screamed for their parents, their families. Bodies littered the ground as wolf attacked wolf, both sides fighting to kill.

  “What’s happening?” Amara cried, staring out the window in horror. A man with a large knife hauled a young woman around a corner by her hair. Amara instinctively pulled out her gun. “Nova, who are these people?”

  “Valley Clan.” His tone was hard, thickened by grief and anger. He was watching his people being destroyed. She couldn’t imagine what that was like. When he looked at her, his eyes were tortured. “Kal did this.”

  “Kal?!” She stared out the window at the terror with a renewed hatred. “Why would he do this? Why would he attack your home? That isn’t brave. That isn’t noble. It’s cowardly.”

  Nova shook his head. Leaning into the back seat, he pulled out a machete. Its blade was visibly sharp and as long as her arm. He handed her the weapon. “Take this,” he said, “and stay in the truck.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To help.” Pausing, he leaned in and kissed her one last time. “And Amara? T
hat’s an order.” Before she could say otherwise, he had shut the truck door and disappeared from sight. When she found him once more, it was not the man she’d fallen in love with that she saw. It was the wolf that had saved her, that had protected her since she was a girl. His dark eyes bored into hers, and even from the confines of her metal cage, she could feel how much he loved her.

  And then he was gone.

  It took about ten seconds for Amara to decide to go after him. There was no way she was staying there while he risked his life. She was human; she wasn’t helpless. Gripping the machete in one hand, she opened the door as inconspicuously as possible and lowered herself to the ground, shutting it behind her. She freed her gun from its holster with the other. Thank goodness Nova had insisted she come armed. Granted, he had thought the danger would be from his own pack and not Kal’s, but at least now she was prepared.

  She couldn’t even tell where to start. The wolves all around her were gigantic, at least twice the size of regular wolves. If one of them got ahold of her, she didn’t have much of a chance. The only good thing she could ascertain was that the two sides were different colors. Nova’s pack had his same coloring. They were black, gray, and silver, whereas Kal’s pack were all various shades of red and brown. At least she could tell who her enemy was.

  The air smelled of blood, death, and fear. She could almost taste the metallic copper and decay. Amara began to creep to one of the buildings. The sun was setting, and the shadows dusk brought aided in hiding her. If she could get to the children, maybe she could lead them to safety without being seen. It wasn’t far back to the cottages. If they could get inside one, she could lock them in, keep them from getting hurt. Before she could change her mind, she got as close to the wall as she could and slipped around the corner, heading for the enclosure with the kids.

  They were huddled together, watching the battle. Amara crept up to one of the older ones and got his attention. He eyed her with distrust at first, but when his gaze landed on the machete, he changed his mind. Nova. Thank goodness for Nova. “Come on,” she whispered, showing the handle to a few more of the children. They all gathered around. “We’re going to get you out of here.”

  “How?” the older boy wanted to know.

  “I’m going to cut you loose. And then we’re going to stay out of sight and get back to the houses. You’ll be safe there.” She found the gate tied shut by an impressive knot and heavy rope. One swing of the blade severed it.

  “Watch out!”

  Without thinking, Amara turned, lunging with the machete at the same time. She felt the soft pressure and the loud slurp as the blade plunged into flesh. Her assailant crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around his dark brown fur. She would process it later. Right now, she needed to get those kids out of there. “Okay, guys.” She beckoned them forward. “It’s time to go.”

  Nova’s muzzle was covered in blood. His teeth ripped into flesh and bone without hesitation. He was a warrior. This was what he was made for. And his enemies paid dearly for his skill. They were winning. Not without losses, naturally, but still, they had home court advantage, and they had used every bit of it. The attackers from the Valley Clan were mostly now either dead, wounded, or gone.

  His claws sank through the stomach of his enemy with a fury fueled by hatred. They were intruders, murderers. They had broken into his home, attacked his family. Captured children and murdered his friends and family. Every one of them deserved to die.

  Seeing red, Nova released his rage as another hoard of Valley wolves charged him. His teeth sought flesh; the warrior inside him rejoiced as blood sprayed the air as he severed his opponent’s carotid artery. When all four bodies were silent at his feet, Nova tipped his head to the moon and howled a war cry.

  Death and destruction surrounded him, much a result of his own hands. Thank the stars Amara was safe in his truck. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate if he thought anything would happen to her.

  To his left, he heard his brother’s growl, and then a whimper that made his blood run cold. He knew that sound. It was Nemoy’s wife, Ivanah. One of Kal’s common henchman, Cahn, had his teeth at her throat.

  Nova charged. He hit Cahn in the gut with his teeth, forcing him to loosen his hold on Ivanah’s throat. Nemoy had hit him at the same time, latching onto the other wolf’s throat instead. Between the two of them, they took him down, dragging his unconscious form back with all the others. There weren’t many left now.

  Nova shifted back to human form, his chest heaving. The rest of his pack had done the same. So many losses. This was Kal’s doing. First Amara, then his pack. Nova had never hated anyone so much in his entire life. Kal had to die. He looked at his brother. “What happened?” he demanded.

  Nemoy shook his head. “They came out of nowhere. Three times as many as we thought they had. We were outnumbered, Nova. We did the best we could.”

  Nova nodded. “Where are the kids?”

  “Amara got them out.”

  “She did what?” But before Nova could process that information, Kal called out to them. He held a struggling Amara in his arms, his clawed paw at her throat.

  “Not so fast, Nova.” Kal’s smile was maniacal and cruel. “You have two choices. Give me the pack, or give me the girl. Up to you.”

  “Don’t react, Nova,” Nemoy said quietly from behind him. “That’s what he wants. We’ll figure out a way to save her.”

  But Nova wasn’t listening. Blood rushed in his ears. All he could think about was tearing Kal’s throat out and dancing on his grave. If he hurt so much as a hair on Amara’s head, Nemoy was going to need what remained of the pack to hold him back. Kal’s death would be on his hands, and retribution would finally be paid.

  Nova’s growl emanated from low within his throat. “You mean like charge straight for him so I can rip his heart out?”

  Nemoy shook his head. “She’d be dead before you got there.”

  He knew Nemoy was right. He would never get to her in time. But it turned out, he didn’t need to. While Kal was busy gloating about his own brilliance, Amara had been freeing one of her knives under the guise of a struggle. She stabbed him in the arm and again in the stomach before Kal even knew what hit him.

  Nova used his distraction. He ran at Kal, hitting him in the stomach and bowling him over. All three of them went down, tumbling into the grass. Amara managed to scramble out of the way, and then Nova was on top of Kal, his knuckles going bloody against his skin. Kal pushed him off, his fist connecting with Nova’s temple. For one moment, he saw stars. Then he was fighting back, once again straddling Kal and pummeling him. Kal’s fist morphed to wolf, and his claws scraped over Nova’s forearm. He hissed in pain, but returned the favor, his own claws streaming across Kal’s face.

  Nemoy and a few others rushed in to aid him, but they were met with more Valley wolves charging out of the woods. One of them knocked into Nova, sending him flying. Without thinking, he shifted, his loud, vicious growl ripping through the night. The fight that ensued was quick, ruthless and bloody. It ended with Nova, exhausted, sprawled out as a man, on the grass.”

  Amara ran over to him, throwing herself down beside him. Nova gripped her face in his hands and kissed her hard, grateful beyond words that she was safe. “You were brilliant,” he said in between kisses. “Stupid, but brilliant.”

  Ivanah ran up behind Nemoy, her face pale. “The children?”

  “In the cottages. They’re safe.”

  Ivanah gripped Amara’s hand. “Thank you.” Amara nodded. Ivanah motioned to a few of the others and they took off running after the kids.

  Nova looked around, a knot forming in his stomach. “Where’s Kal?”

  Silence fell. The Pack surveyed the bodies, looking for the lifeless form of a russet-colored wolf. But he wasn’t there.

  “Search the woods,” Nova ordered. But Nemoy held up a hand, stopping the guard mid-stride. “What the hell are you doing?” Nova wanted to know. He was irate. “He attacked us at home. T
hey attacked your wife. And you’re just going to let him get away? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  But Nemoy just shook his head gravely. “They’ll never reach him. He’ll be back on his own side of the border before we get there.”

  “So, what?!”

  “We can’t win a war right now, Nova!” The two men were head to head, yelling in each other’s faces. Heaving a sigh, Nemoy stepped back and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, Nova, I want him dead as much as you do, and believe me, as soon as we get the chance, I will kill him myself. They attacked my wife. For that alone, he will die. But if we go after them right now, it will mean war, and if we fight a war tonight, we will all be slaughtered. Set aside your rage, Nova, and think about what’s best for the Pack.”

  Outraged, Nova opened his mouth to reply, but caught his mother’s look over Nemoy’s shoulder. He hadn’t even seen her approach. He huffed out a breath, but nodded.

  “And what about the human?” Neveah asked calmly, striding forward to stand between her two sons. Her long robes swept across the ground and she glared at Amara. “She knows our secrets now. That is strictly forbidden by our laws.” She levelled her gaze at her youngest son for one damning moment, then dismissed him and turned to Nemoy. “As our Alpha, what do you plan to do about it?”

  Nova couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His own mother was against him being with Amara? After she had just saved all of their children and almost lost her life because of it? “Now wait just a minute, we are not silencing Amara because of some law.”

  His mother just raised a brow. Nova shook his head in fury and glared back at her. He opened his mouth to say more, but Nemoy cut him off.

  “The laws are strict,” Nemoy told him. Power laced through his words, silencing the entire Pack, including Nova. The vein throbbed at his temple. “Humans are not allowed to know about the Pack. Those that do are to be silenced in the name of security. Permanently.” Amara’s face went pale as all the blood drained from her cheeks. Nova reached for her hand and gripped it tight. “This has been the Law from the Pack’s inception,” Nemoy continued, looking at Neveah. She nodded her approval and Nova ground his teeth. Grumbling broke out from all around them. Even Ivanah appeared to disapprove. “However,” Nemoy said, turning to Amara, “the circumstances involving this particular human are different. She has shown outstanding courage in her willingness to keep our secret, and to face the dangers that come with it. She risked her own life for our children, and in doing so, was almost killed. And, though I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, she has won the heart of our Beta, and my brother Nova.”