“No, but I didn’t even touch him before he hit me,” the dragon complained.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Doren, you basically said he and his species were no better than a dog. You know better than that. As a shifter yourself, you shouldn’t be disparaging other shifters. We should all be able to get along. That’s exactly what this summer is for. If you can’t learn that lesson, you might end up going home sooner than you think.”
“Whatever, all of them think we’re nothing more than monsters.” Doren kicked a ball of snow at his feet.
Sighing, I knew he was right. “But it’s our job to prove to them otherwise this summer. If you can’t even show them how different we are from Alexandru and his gang, they are never going to accept us. Do you want to always have a wedge between them and us? Or would you rather we find a way to get through what happened and show we can be good allies to the wolves?”
Doren pursed his lips. “You’re right. I’ll try to be better.”
“Good, now go find the first aid tent and get your nose set straight. You don’t want to go scaring all the she-wolves with your ugly face this summer, do you?” I smirked and walked away, hoping these young men would be on their best behavior the rest of the summer.
I was sure that wouldn’t be the last scuffle I had to break up. If only they could all be so easy.
I almost stopped right in my tracks when I saw her. The smile adorning her face was enough to make my heart skip a beat. I looked around to make sure she had her guards, and sure enough, there were four Enforcers keeping their eyes on her. I looked to see who the recipient of her beautiful smile was but couldn’t see from my angle.
Walking around a group of tall wolves in their human form, I realized Bella was laughing and smiling with a wolf I hadn’t seen before. My muscles tensed, and I started to huff. When I felt my eyes narrowing on the boy she was giving her attention to, I realized I needed to calm down. Shifting right here in the middle of a crowd was a sure-fire way to cause even more issues with the wolves and their lack of trust with dragons.
The last thing I needed was them thinking we couldn’t control our beasts. Something inside of me screamed to protect her from the stranger, but I figured it was just because I didn’t like the idea of someone else receiving her attentions. I had to get past my attraction for the Kringle girl.
I knew she wasn’t even considering mating yet. At least that was what I had overheard her and her sister discussing the other day. Both of them were waiting until they finished school. I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait two years to make any female my mate once I decided who I wanted, if I ever wanted a woman that way.
No, it was best for me to stay single and to stay away from the beautiful blonde who literally took my breath away every time I saw her. She was better off with someone closer to her age, but there was something off about the wolf. A niggling voice in the back of my mind told me he was dangerous.
It was probably my alpha male jealousy rearing its ugly head. I knew I’d have a hard time seeing her with other males, but I didn’t realize it would be like this. Taking a deep breath, I turned to walk away. I needed to stay clear of them before I said or did something really stupid.
In an effort to get my mind off of her, I looked for her twin sister. Only a few feet away was Beth. She was flirting with some other guy, one who I thought might be from her pack. Beth had her hand on the boy’s shoulder, and she was laughing. Typical female flirtation games.
As I turned to walk away, I realized I didn’t feel anything for Beth. In fact, I was happy she was having fun. This only confirmed my suspicions about my feelings for Bella, and I had to get away.
Deciding another flight was what I needed, I headed back to the trees and shifted so I could soar in the air. A good, long flight would get her off my mind. Besides, I wanted to keep an eye on the dog sledders once their race began. We had a team of two already in the air, but they were more focused on watching our team during the race. I was going to check out the course and make sure there were no issues farther down.
The farther I got from Bella, the more relaxed I felt.
I had checked on Prince Jax earlier and knew he was back to normal. The princess had agreed to take it easy, and they only headed out to the carnival section for the day. Neither was very interested in the dog sled races, so they stayed away from the most populated area.
I knew we had three dragon guards, and Rock had assigned two wolf guards. They had a good amount of protection for their outing. Mandy had been getting tired more easily lately, so I figured within the next two hours she would be back at the house taking a nap. Jax wouldn’t leave her there alone, so I was confident they would all be safe today.
Still, I was going to have to fly over once I was done here to ensure no one had planned anything for them today.
The course took the teams out past the Jingle Bell Forest and off towards the open parts of the tundra. Once they passed the forest, it would all be open air and really tough for anyone to plan a surprise attack there. Someone a long time ago had strung up bells throughout the entire place. When a wind whipped through the trees, the bells rang making a melodious sound. I had been there a few times and actually thought it was a nice place. So, I focused on the little area of trees that made music, giving it its name, Jingle Bell Forest.
As I flew over the tree tops, I noticed there were a few shifted wolves running around. They stayed away from the dog sled course, but they were still close by. I didn’t want to take a chance they would jump out and try anything when the racers came by, so I continued to fly over the forest, watching them.
From my angle, I could see four white wolves. They were running around in no obvious pattern. They didn’t seem to be looking out at the course either. I could hear a yip here and there and realized they were running around trying to make the bells ring. Probably a group of young adults just out having fun.
Still, I kept an eye on them as I circled above the trees. I kept my eyes peeled for other wolves, too, just in case.
We still hadn’t found out who attacked Jax, so we were all on high alert. I was very frustrated with the lack of witnesses or intelligence. How could someone get in and out of the dome to attack Jax and not be seen? The dome should have stopped anyone with ill intent.
I shook my head and looked back down at the wolves in the forest.
After the sleds had passed by without incident, I decided it was time to head back. Wanting just a little more time in the air, I flew out over the frozen tundra before heading back over the copse of trees with bells.
Taking one last look down I saw a wolf I recognized and had to hold back from breathing fire.
Bella.
She was being chased by the four wolves I had seen earlier, and her guards were nowhere in sight. How did she get out here all alone? I couldn’t have been away from those four playful wolves more than twenty minutes. How did they go from playing in the trees to chasing a she-wolf like she was dinner?
The howl coming from Bella had my heart pounding, and I knew she was in trouble. This was no game, those wolves had been here waiting for her. I just knew it. But how did they know she would be here this afternoon?
I knew Bella had been trained to defend herself, and she was a fast runner, but I wasn’t sure she could hold her own against four male wolves in their prime.
Swooping down over the trees, I realized I was too large to land in my dragon form, and the trees didn’t give me enough room. Surely, she had contacted her alpha via their telepathic connection and an entire squad of Enforcers had to be on their way. All I needed to do was make sure those four stayed far enough away from her until help arrived.
Flames alive, I didn’t want to destroy this forest, but it looked like I had no other way to help her. Looking around, I noticed she was heading toward the back of the stand of trees; she was trying to get out in the open. Smart girl.
With this in mind, I turned around and made my way to intercept them. The second Bella w
as far enough away from where I was, I swooped down low and blew out a long breath of fire. The tree tops below me caught on fire, and the flames licked down the trunks. Two of the wolves were able to get past my wall of flame, but two were caught and their fur ignited.
They deserved what they got.
Bella was getting closer and closer to the edge of the forest. I saw where she was heading and flew to intercept her attackers.
One of them caught up to her right before she cleared the forest, and when his body impacted with hers, she went flying over the snow. I watched in horror as Bella’s back hit the trunk of a tree so hard it caused the tree to fall. Then the second pursuer was on her. Both of them were growling and biting at her neck and back paws.
Bella wasn’t giving up. She continued to kick out at them and tried to bite the ears of the one closest to her mouth, and I wasn’t going to stay here and watch. I pulled my wings into my side and barreled down through the trees, causing a few to crash to the ground. One tumbled on the back of the attacker biting at Bella’s back paws as she kicked out at him.
In my mind I had named them Dead Wolf number one and Dead Wolf number two. Neither would be making it out of this alive. Even I let them live, the Enforcers wouldn’t.
There wasn’t enough room for my wings to spread open, but there was enough for me to stalk over and yank the wolf off Bella with my fangs.
The moment I had him away from her, I threw him against one of the tree trunks and blew my flame right onto him. He didn’t have a chance. I ignored his howls of pain, and I turned back to the woman panting on the ground.
Her normally white fur coat was covered in blood, and I noticed with a little bit of pride, that it wasn’t all her own. The wolf she had been fighting was covered in her claw marks.
In my guttural dragon voice, I asked, “Are you alright? Can you shift back? I could fly you back home to the medic.”
The strong wolf tried to get up on her legs, but they shook so much she fell back down. Shaking her head, she tried to keep the pain from showing in her eyes by looking down to the ground.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner. If you can’t get up, I can take you in my claws and carry you back.” I breathed smoke from my nostrils in an attempt to keep my flames at bay. I was still so angry at those wolves, and myself, that I needed to blow off steam - or fire.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the wolf she kicked off trying to move away from us. I turned my head and roared, “You better not move. Shift back to human form now, or I swear on the Christmas Magic, I will set you on fire right here and now.”
I stalked closer to the male wolf who was cowering beneath my stare. He should be afraid, I didn’t know their laws very well, but according to dragon law, anyone who attacked a female died. No way did we allow any female to be injured. They were the ones who gave us life, and without them, we wouldn’t be here. Bella and Beth were both part of the royal family now, thanks to their sister being a princess. That meant I was well within my rights to kill all four of these wolves.
The only thing stopping me from killing this last one was that I needed answers. I wanted to know who was trying to kill the members of my royal family as well as Santa’s family. Two different attacks this week was no coincidence. There was a concerted effort to get rid of the leadership of two different species.
The wolf in front of me shimmered for a bit before he turned back into a human male. He was naked and shaking, but I didn’t care for his comfort one bit.
I barked out, “Get your clothes on and sit against that tree. I want to know why you attacked Bella.”
The boy shook his head. He wasn’t much younger than me, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six at the oldest, and he had a head full of almost white hair. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I had seen so many wolves in their human form over the past two days, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had passed him in the streets. I knew we hadn’t spoken because I remembered every wolf I’d spoken with since arriving.
“You won’t tell me, or you won’t get dressed? I see the backpack on your back. Would you prefer to sit in the cold snow on your naked butt?” I knew he was going to get dressed. He was just being stubborn.
“I won’t tell you anything, you … you … mutant monster!” The guy spat at me.
I padded a bit closer and blew smoke through my nostrils and watched as it blew through his hair. “Next time, that will be my fire. Now tell me what I want to know, or you will share the same fate as your friends.”
His blue eyes widened in surprise, and he stuttered, “You wouldn’t dare kill me in my human form. I’ve been subdued. You can’t kill me.”
“Says who?” I spat back at him. The guy was trying my patience, and I wanted to get Bella home, so a medic could help her. There was no way I was leaving this guy here. He was either going back with me in my claws, or he was going to be roasted wolf.
The wolf jumped back against the tree and moaned when his injured back hit the trunk. “My alpha ordered it. I had no choice.”
“Why did your alpha want Bella hurt or dead?” I wasn’t sure what their end goal was, but it looked like they were going to kill her if I hadn’t intervened.
“She and her sister need to die so they can’t mate with your kind and continue to help strengthen your bloodlines. Her sister might already be dead.”
Bella must have heard what the wolf said because her whimper sounded a lot like a sob.
I could feel my anger boiling and going past the point of no return and was just about to blow him to bits when I heard multiple wolves howling. I wasn’t sure who it was, but I was hoping it was the Enforcers. If it was them, they could deal with this traitor. Any wolf who would attack one of their own just on the off chance she might choose a dragon to mate with was a traitor and a coward of the worst kind.
Two very large and snow white wolves stopped right in front of us. One of them shifted in an instant. It was Rock.
“Where’s Bella? Is she alright?” Rock demanded.
“She’s behind me. I think I should fly her back to the medic. She can’t get up on her own or shift,” I offered.
“Can you take me with you?” Rock asked just as a dozen more wolves ran up.
The other wolf who had arrived with Rock was already shifted back to his human form and dressed. Nick had the enemy wolf in a head lock and was demanding he tell him what happened.
I didn’t have time to wait, Bella needed medical attention now. “If you can hold her on my back, you can join us. Otherwise, I will carefully carry her in my claws back to the medic.”
“No, take her to Santa’s house. It’s a safer location and closer. Plus, there should be an area next to it with enough clearance for you to land. The medic’s shack is in the middle of town, you won’t be able to land anywhere close by.” Rock walked over to Bella and carefully picked her up the second he was dressed. He must be quite strong in his human form because it didn’t look like he struggled at all with her wolf form.
We walked out of the trees into the clearing, and Rock yelled over his shoulder, “Get as much information as you can from that wolf, then bring him back and lock him up. I want to question him as well.”
I huffed more smoke from my nostrils and looked out to an empty spot of snow and let loose the fire that was demanding to be released from me. My entire body was still tense and ready for a fight. No one gets away with hurting one of my friends or their family.
Once I felt like I wasn’t a danger to Bella or Rock, I hunkered down and let them climb on my back.
“Are you ready?” I called out.
“Ready.”
With that one word, I took off and made sure to keep my back as level as I could the entire way back to Santa’s house.
Chapter 16
Bella
“Ow.” The pain in my body was too much for me to hold in. The last thing I remembered was being in the Jingle Bell Forest, fighting off four wolves intent on killing me.
My eyes began to flutter as I tried to open them to see where I was. The last thing I needed was to be naked somewhere I didn’t recognize. The bed felt soft and comfortable, almost like my own, but my entire body felt tight, as if I had been wrapped in something. My hands were loose, so I wasn’t tied down.
I kept blinking because my vision wasn’t clear. All I could make out were fuzzy shapes and colors. Once the wall in front of me was in focus, I knew where I was – my bedroom. I sighed in relief when I realized that someone had rescued me and taken me home.
I looked under the covers and realized the reason I felt so tight was because I was bandaged all over the place. I was practically a mummy.
Looking around my room, I saw my twin sister slumped in the chair next to me. I thought about how I could have gotten here, and it all came back to me. A dragon had come to my rescue. I think he took out all four wolves. I knew at least two of them were dead. He’d burnt them to a crisp with his flames, but I wasn’t sure what happened to the other two.
“Beth,” I tried to call out to my sister, but my throat was dry. I couldn’t get out more than a tiny whisper. I cleared my throat and tried again, “Beth?”
It was still a whisper, but it had more sound than the last time. My sister stirred.
Blue eyes just like mine looked back at me and widened. She jumped up and screamed, “Bella! Oh my gosh, you’re awake!”
She came over and was about to give me a hug when she paused and looked me over. “Yea, I think I’ll wait until you’re healed to give you a hug.”
We both laughed and then I groaned. Shaking my body with laughter wasn’t smart because it made my entire being ache.
“How long was I out? Why am I still hurting?” I asked.
“Rock said you were already passed out when he got to you. Salvador flew the both of you here, so I would say you’ve been out for close to five hours now. The medic was called, and you were treated here. Once your body reverted back to your human form on its own, the medic was called again to re-bandage everything.” Her hands gestured over my body to indicate I was pretty messed up.
Miss Claus and the Christmas Wedding (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 3) Page 10