Jen took Thia to her room and set the girl on the floor. “PJs, face washed, teeth brushed, and then a story,” she told her daughter.
Thia started to try and take her shirt off. She was mostly successful until it got stuck on her head with one arm up in the air. Jen laughed and then helped her undress. She grabbed a tiny nightgown and slipped it over her head. Thia yawned, her eyes beginning to droop.
Fifteen minutes later, Thia was sleeping with her mouth slightly open as Jen closed the book she’d been reading. She tucked her daughter in and stared at her a moment. Jen tried not to think about her mom and dad and what they were missing out on, but she couldn’t completely blame them. Jen hadn’t tried to reach out to them until now. She’d been so wrapped up in her new life with Decebel and the pack, the love and acceptance she’d found there, that she hadn’t even wanted to reach out to her parents. After losing Alina, Jen realized that her daughter should have the right to know her grandparents and vice versa.
She pulled the door slightly closed and then headed for her bedroom. She found Decebel face down on the bed, his legs hanging halfway off, and his body diagonal, taking up almost all of the bed. She shook her head with a smile. Her phone dinged in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Wadim had sent her the video.
Jen clicked on the message and proceeded to watch her mate dance on a table. Within a minute, there was a loud crash as the table crumbled to the floor under his weight. But her awesome man was unfazed. He rode the table down and kept right on dancing on the rubble. Dude had some moves. She was going to have to ask him why he’d been holding out on her. This was definitely blackmail material, right along with her mailman’s phone number. Jen covered her mouth as she tried to keep from laughing out loud while she watched Decebel swing his shirt over his head while gyrating his hips. A moment later, Costin was up on another table across from her mate’s shattered one, working it like an expert. “How did we not know y’all could dance?” Jen whispered at the video. By the time it was over, all she could hear were the males in the background roaring with laughter while Costin and Decebel fist bumped. Yes, she would definitely be holding on to this gem for future viewing enjoyment and blackmail, though she wasn’t sure she’d actually use it because her man was hot, and Jen didn’t share.
She placed the phone on the nightstand and stripped off her clothes. She climbed into bed diagonally, because there was no other way for her to fit, and got under as much of the sheets and comforter as she could. A second later her mate had rolled, wrapped a muscular arm around her, and pulled her tightly to him. Apparently, even drunk, or whatever he was, he still gravitated toward her and needed her touch.
“Love you, baby,” he whispered into her hair where he’d buried his face.
“Love you back, Dec. By the way, I’ll expect a private strip dance from you now. You’ve been holding out on me.”
“Just keeping the mystery alive, Jennifer. Forever is a long time. I’ve got to keep you interested.”
She shook her head with a sigh as she snuggled closer. As if she could ever lose interest in the amazing male who’d been created just for her. It probably made her incredibly selfish—okay, it wasn’t like that was a surprise or anything—but she was very glad to know that when she died, he’d be right there with her. Though she would much rather that happened many years from now, long after Thia was grown and mated. Her heart hurt at the idea of Alina dying alone on a battlefield—but the alpha hadn’t really been alone. Her mate had been right there with her, joining her in eternity. It was one of the things that comforted Jen when she thought of her former alpha and precious family member. Vasile was holding her now, their souls were together, where they belonged, and they were with the Great Luna.
“Sleep, Jennifer,” Decebel grumbled.
“Bossy.”
“And you like it.”
She did. She really did. Jen hummed happily and let sleep take her.
Chapter 9
“On the ninth day of Christmas my werewolf gave to me nine werewolves prancing, eight laughing females, seven perfect kisses, six packs of Oreos, five satisfied smiles, four hours of hotness, three growling males, two cursing pups, and a furball in a fir tree.
It should be noted that they weren’t really prancing. They might have actually been forced to stay in place by a certain amazing high fae. Abuse of power? Definitely. But the result? Priceless.” ~Peri
“You want me to fix that?” Peri pointed at the disaster that was anything but a sleigh.
Jen nodded. “I want to take pictures with the kids before the party so we can have them on display.”
“What pictures?” Peri folded her arms in front of her as she tilted her head, intrigued by what Jen had up her sleeve because it could never be something as simple as just taking holiday photos of the rugrats. She’d known the blonde long enough to know that Jen had something more in mind than a simple photo session.
“Payback, Peri Fairy,” Jen grinned. “Who do you think is going to be pulling the sleigh while Thia, Slate, and Tiny Tim ride in it?”
Peri’s brows rose. “Our wolves?”
Jen nodded, a wicked grin spreading.
“Why do I have a feeling there’s more to it?”
“Because I’m diabolical and not quite right in the head.” Jen stared at the pile of wood. “So can you do it? I mean make it like the most amazing freaking Christmas sleigh ever?”
Peri snorted. “I’m slightly offended that you even asked. As if anything I do wouldn’t be amazing.”
Jen shrugged. “I find that if I goad you a bit, you tend to go above and beyond.”
She wasn’t wrong, but Peri wasn’t about to admit it.
The fae reached out her hand and spoke in her ancient language. They both watched as the monstrosity the males had created morphed into a beautiful, majestic sleigh. It was red, trimmed with gold carved into intricate designs. Peri knew that upon closer inspection, the others would notice the golden carvings were depictions of wolves running through a forest. The large, curled sleds were lined with bells that would jingle as it moved over the landscape. Evergreen garland hung sweeping across the sides and rear of the sleigh, and an enormous green bow was attached to the front. Inside, mounds of white, furry blankets lay draped across the benches. “Is that to your liking, boss?”
Jen clapped her hands. “It’s perfect. Jeez, was that so hard? I don’t know why the guys couldn’t have done it.”
“Right. They totally should have been able to build a sleigh that rivaled the magic of a high fae, even though they had no instructions and no experience at sleigh building,” Peri deadpanned.
“You’d think it was some impossible task I’d given them for the sole purpose of pissing them off.” Jen sighed as she stared at the sleigh with a smile.
Peri snorted and shook her head at the pleased look on the she-wolf’s face. Whatever Jen had planned, and Peri had a guess as to what it might be, the stunt was going to be hilarious.
“I thought she wanted the males to finish the task.” Lucian’s voice caressed Peri’s mind.
“Apparently, she found the males' craftsmanship substandard. She came to an expert.” Peri felt her mate's amusement.