by Robin Roseau
Scarlett had Rebecca, who hadn't quite fallen asleep yet. I looked up when I heard Lara with the cradle, turning to face her. She had a smile.
"The babies can sleep out here," she said.
I looked down at Celeste and back at Lara. "Why?"
"Because Mommy Fox and Mommy Wolf have business," Lara said. She rolled the cradle to the corner then took Celeste from me and carried her to bed. I watched her take my baby, but she was Lara's baby, too, so that was okay.
Lara disappeared into our bedroom and came out with Rebecca's cradle, moving it next to Celeste's.
"Business?" I asked her.
"Yes," Lara said. "Business."
"Rebecca isn't quite asleep," Scarlett said. "I'll put her to bed after she falls asleep. You two have fun."
I stared into my baby's face for a moment, but Lara walked around the sofa to me, reached for my hands, and pulled me into her arms. "You must be quiet, Little Fox," Lara said to me. Then she bent over and picked me up, throwing me over her shoulder.
I suppressed my usual squeals at her behavior, not wanting to disturb our babies. Lara carried me into the bedroom, closed the door gently with a foot, then lowered me equally gently to the bed. I tried to scramble away from her, but she grabbed an ankle and pulled me back to her.
"Oh no you don't," she said. She growled playfully. "Mine."
I pulled away from her, but she tugged me to her again, then held onto me as she climbed onto the bed, crawling her way up my body and pinning me to the bed. She leaned over me, staring into my eyes.
"Say 'yes', Little Fox," she ordered.
I studied Lara's face, the face of the woman I loved so much. I glanced past her to the door.
"They're safe, Michaela," she said. "You know they're safe. Now look into my eyes and tell me 'yes'."
I looked back into her face. "I love you so much, Lara. I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the ass."
"You're not a pain in the ass, Michaela," she said. "I know we haven't done this lately, but I don't want our marriage to end just because we're now parents. You are mine. Tell me 'yes'."
She let me reach up and caress her face.
"I love you so much, Lara," I told her again. Then I looked away.
"Hey," she said. "What's wrong?" She shifted her weight, pressing more firmly against me, which let her use one of her hands to turn my face back to look at her. "What's wrong, honey?"
"I miss you so much," I told her. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "I want you to make me scream your name, but we'll wake the babies."
She brushed my lips with hers, then each of my eyes. "You'll just have to whisper instead," she said. "Now tell me 'yes'. Tell me I may do what I want to do to you."
"Oh Lara," I said, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Yes, always yes."
Eventually, I woke the babies, but it was okay.
* * * *
I had developed a habit of keeping store gift cards in supply. I used them for minor prizes for some of the pack events or as gifts for people I didn't know well. I preferred giving more specific gifts, but with the amount of gifts I gave out to the pack as the alpha, it would have been a full time job for multiple people to obtain appropriate gifts for everyone.
The gift cards made great prizes for the fishing contest.
But I'd made up the idea for booby prizes on the spot, and I didn't want to give gift cards for that. And I wanted something more substantial for the overall winners. I called Hadley Smith and asked her to bail me out. She sent Ava shopping for me for the items I had selected. Donald Lassiter hadn't driven up with the rest of us but would drive on up Christmas Eve. He brought the prizes, well concealed, for me.
But I didn't have any booby prizes, so in the morning I told Lara, "I need to go shopping in Bayfield, and I don't want a lot of people along with me."
"You will take a proper security detail," she said immediately. "And be back before lunch."
"Yes, Alpha," I told her with a grin. I melted into her arms. "Thank you."
"For letting you go shopping?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me.
"No. For all of this. And for last night. I love you so much."
She kissed me, kissed me deeply, and I knew I was loved. I clutched at her, and when the kiss broke, I laid my head against her shoulder, continuing to hang onto her.
"I'm not a good alpha," I told her.
"Nonsense," she said.
"Not like you," I said. "I couldn't do what you do for the pack."
"I've had a very long time to learn," she said. "And a very long time to think about how I want the pack to be. But you make the pack a better place. And you make me a better person."
"The pack wouldn't survive without you," I told her.
"Of course it would," she said.
"But it would be fine without me."
She pushed me away and looked into my eyes. "Are you sick?"
"What?" I asked. "No. Perfectly healthy."
She studied me, then pulled me back to her. "Then the pack won't be going without either one of us, will it?"
"No, Lara," I said. "It won't."
"Good. Because whether or not the pack would survive, I wouldn't. And there are a lot of people who would be very devastated if something happened to you."
We clung together for a while, then I pushed away, stealing another kiss first. "Will you do something new to me tonight, Lara? Or will you be too tired?"
"Oh, Little Fox," she said. "I know I've been tired, but I find myself getting more and more of my strength back every day. I don't know if I'll do something new tonight. But I will do something." She grinned. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Did you buy me a good present?"
"Maybe," I said. "You might not like it."
We kissed again, and then I pulled away from her. I found my phone and called Serena. "Enforcer," I told her. "I need a security detail for me in Bayfield."
"Will you tell us what we're doing?" she asked.
"A little shopping, nothing hard core."
"Didn't you finish your Christmas shopping, Michaela?" she asked.
I laughed. "Weeks ago. We're buying booby prizes for the fishing contest. Pick my detail carefully, please. I don't want anyone to know what I buy."
"How soon are we leaving?"
"As soon as you're ready," I told her. "But there is no rush."
"Will you make them pups before you go," Lily and Catherine asked. "Please?"
I turned to Lara, and she nodded, so starting with Rebecca, I pulled each of them to wolf, and soon the girls were cuddling the wolf pups while I got dressed to go shopping.
Ten minutes later, Serena arrived at the cabin with Gia, June and Emanuel. Gia didn't often take guard detail and wasn't trained for it, but we weren't expecting trouble, and I was well-equipped to help defend myself. We piled into one of the SUVs, and I asked if I could drive.
As we climbed into the car, Serena reminded me, "We're your guard detail. We do not carry your boxes or help you shop. We watch for trouble. If you want help, bring someone with us."
"Naw," I said. "I'll be fine."
We got to town. A lot of the shops were open only during summer months, but there was plenty open for my needs. Serena remained plastered by my side; she rotated the other three between guarding outside the shops I was in and one more inside with us, remaining near the entrance. I felt safe.
I felt safe.
I turned to Serena at one of the stores while my purchases were being totaled. "I feel safe, Serena," I told her.
I don't think she understood the implication.
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I feel safe. You don't know how rare this is for me."
"Lara makes you feel safe," she replied.
"Maybe," I said. "But I am always worried I will disappoint her, and she'll realize how foolish she has been, falling in love with me. But you watch out for me for different reasons, reasons no one can take away."
She pushed away a little and studied my face. "Yo
u're a fool if you think she could ever stop loving you."
I looked away. "She'll stop. I'll go too far one day, and she won't have a choice."
"Don't be ridiculous," Serena said. "If you go too far, she might become very, very angry with you, and she might hate how she will be forced to punish you, but she won't stop loving you. Ever. You are hers and you will remain hers. Wolves mate for life, and they never stop loving. Never."
I hugged her again. "It's nice of you to say that."
"No!" she said, pushing me away again. "Listen to me, Michaela. I'm not just saying it. It's true. The only thing that could even tarnish Lara's love for you is if you stopped loving her and the babies. And that isn't going to happen, either."
I looked away from her. "I'll go too far one day," I said.
"And when you do, you will take your lumps so she can forgive you."
I took a breath. "I'm just being silly," I said. "Thank you. Do you think we have enough?"
"You know I haven't been paying attention."
"Oh please," I said. "You raised your eyebrow at the moose hats."
"Only because you tried to make me model it," she said. "I'm on duty."
"We have enough, but I want to buy some fudge for everyone."
When we arrived back at the resort, we found Lara watching the girls play with the pups in the snow, Elisabeth and most of the rest of the enforcers watching on. As soon as they saw me, the pups ran up to me, begging to be picked up. Instead, I carried my purchases to the front porch of the cabin then sat down so the two wriggling pups could climb into my lap.
I fluffed their fur for a moment then told them to go play some more. Kaylee ran up and gave Celeste a big lick, then flicked a tail at both of them. Soon little Kaylee was hopping around in the snow, both pups trying to pounce on her.
She was amazingly gentle with them.
Lara sat down next to me, and I leaned against her.
"Are you ever going to stop loving me?" I asked her.
"No."
"What if I did something really terrible?"
"Still no."
"What if I, um-"
"Little Fox," Lara said. "What's going on?"
"What if I killed someone on the council?"
"Did he or she have it coming?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then my love won't even flicker."
"What if I told everyone your deepest secrets?"
"Then I would paddle your bottom in front of the entire pack. There would be pictures."
I leaned my head against her shoulder. "Be serious."
"I will when you are," she said.
I took a breath. "What would it take for you to stop loving me?"
She sat quietly for a while.
"Lara?"
"I'm working on it. Where is this coming from?"
"What would it take?"
"Why are you so insecure today?" she asked.
"Just answer the question, Lara."
"I would have a hard time if you turned into a bad mother," she said. "But I wouldn't stop loving you. I would have a hard time if you had an affair. But I wouldn't stop loving you. I would be very, very angry, but I wouldn't stop loving you."
"What would it take, Lara?"
She huffed. "Tell me, Little Fox. What would it take for you to stop loving me?"
"If you stopped loving me," I replied immediately.
"Well then," she said, sounding pleased with herself. "I must love you more than you love me, because that won't stop me from loving you."
"Brat," I said, bumping my shoulder into her. She bumped me back, very gently.
* * * *
We did more skiing that afternoon, then went fishing. The enforcers tried to beg off, but I ordered them to fish. We brought the pups with us, setting up beds for them in one of the fish houses.
Scarlett's mother, Tara, won the booby prize that day. Scarlett's little brother, Thomas, hooked a small perch, and then the perch tangled the line around Tara's line. Tara thought she had a really big fish, and she ended up pulling Thomas's fishing line right out of his hands. When she finally pulled her line in, she pulled Thomas's fishing pole back through her ice hole, and then landed his small perch.
I gave Thomas credit for the perch. He was actually pretty upset when he lost his line, but he was quick to calm down when he discovered what happened. I held a little ceremony during dinner, pulling one of the moose hats over Tara's ears. "You are obligated to wear that for the duration of our vacation," I said.
She was a good scout and wore the moose hat any time we were outside. She told me later, "It's warmer than the one I had. Thank you." I got a hug for it.
* * * *
"You woke the babies last night, Little Fox," Lara told me. She already had me naked, and her fingers were teasing me mercilessly. I was panting quietly.
I writhed under her, not answering.
"I need you to be quiet, Michaela," Lara said.
"Maybe you should let me do this to you, Lara," I said, squirming.
She threw a still-dressed leg over me, sitting on my hips carefully. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. Her fingers continued to stroke my skin, paying particular attention to my breasts and nipples, tugging gently on the piercings while she was at it.
"Do you want me to stop?" she asked.
"No!"
She grinned. "I didn't think so."
"But I want my turn, Lara," I said.
"There are no turns," she said. "I like doing this. You like when I do this. We both win."
I reached for her, and she immediately caught my hands. "No, no," she said. "You know the rules. Your hands stay where I put them." She pressed my hands back on the bed above my head. "If you move your hands again, I will punish you. Please don't try me tonight, Michaela. I need you submissive."
I relaxed my arms instantly, and Lara smiled.
"I know you feel you should be doing this to me," she said, teasing my breasts again. "But I need this far more than anything else. Will you let me have what I want? I believe I am giving you what you want."
"I want to give you pleasure, too, Lara," I said.
"This is my pleasure, Little Fox. Now, ask me to take you."
I watched her face. She was leaning over me, smiling and watching my eyes. I smiled hesitantly. I closed my eyes, "Please take me, Lara."
And she did, slowly and deliberately.
Before she was done, I heard Rebecca gurgle happily from the next room, and I heard Scarlett pick her up and assure her all was right with the world, that Rebecca's mommies were loving each other. In between my gasps of pleasure, I heard Scarlett explain to my baby that the sounds I was making were the best sounds in the world.
I came, gasping Lara's name, trying to be quiet, and then I disobeyed and threw my arms around Lara, clutching her to me, my body still shuddering. "Hold me," I begged her. "Hold me and don't let go."
* * * *
Lara declared Christmas Eve to be a pack play day until after dinner and then family time until late afternoon on Christmas Day. We had a modest Christmas Eve dinner and a more lavish banquet planned for Christmas Day. As a portion of our present to everyone, Lara and I would prepare the banquet.
I had presents for everyone in attendance. I actually had presents for everyone in the pack, although most of those were small gift cards. Lara and I had established a rule that only our closest friends were to give us presents, but anyone was welcome to give small gifts to Celeste and Rebecca. We had quietly talked to key people to make sure everyone understood the definition of a small gift.
Most of the presents I had were listed as from both Lara and me. Lara had a few friends in the pack that weren't my friends, and for those, she had bought their presents. I had handled the rest.
We all gathered together for dinner in the lodge Christmas Eve. Lara gave a short speech, acknowledging the holiday as being based in Christianity, but pointing out it had become a part of American culture. "For pack, this is a celebration of
the winter solstice and a time to acknowledge the close friendship that pack brings to us all. And it is also a time to acknowledge our families, and the bonds that our families each share."
Then she worked the room a little. "Not everyone has family here." She touched Karen on the shoulder as an example. "But all of you are part of the family that Michaela and I share, and any of you with no other family here is welcome to share the day with us tomorrow. Any families who wish to share the day with us are also welcome, but we want families to enjoy their individual customs."
She stopped by Benny. "Benny, do you have family in town?"
"Yes," he said. "My sister. Our parents are gone, and we have no close cousins. I am spending the morning with my sister and her family." He reached out and clasped June's hand.
"Have they met June yet?" Lara asked.
"Yes. She is also invited."
"Enjoy your time together, June. Will we see you later tomorrow, Benny?"
"Yes, Alpha."
She squeezed his shoulder and moved on.
Lara worked the entire room, touching everyone in attendance, if only briefly. She exchanged words with a few others, but most of what she said was addressed to everyone. She ended back at the table with me, standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders. She collected Celeste from Elisabeth and handed her to me, then looked around, wondering who had Rebecca. "Where is my other daughter?" she asked.
"Here, Alpha," Lily said immediately. She rose from her seat and carried Rebecca to us, the baby awake and alert, watching Lily with fascination.
Lara collected the baby then wished everyone a pleasant evening. We collected a security detail for an escort to our cabin. Then Elisabeth sent everyone home except herself and Karen. Angel looked surprised. "I have duty tonight. When should I be back?"
"Tomorrow night," Elisabeth said. "Spend Christmas Eve with your family or your lover, as you see best. Karen and I have the duty tonight."
That earned them both hugs, and then we were six.
Lara and I sat down on the sofa, each of us holding a bundled up baby. Elisabeth lit a fire, and Wendy sat on the coffee table in front of me, peering down at Celeste.
"Are they both awake?" she asked.
"Wide awake," I said.
"Do you think you could make them wolf pups? I would really like to hold a little pup."