“I refuse to read the key as an act of rebellion to the evil Christmas general,” he said, then turned to Fane. “You ready?”
Fane grunted. “I’m the alpha of this pack, but I have to walk around waiting for Jen to give me payback for something I didn’t even remember doing until yesterday.”
“You could give her an alpha command,” Costin said as they headed out of the kitchen.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Fane agreed.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Sally and Jacque called after them at the same time.
Jacque looked at her. “It would be hilarious, though.”
“Totally would. I’d pay money just to watch him do it,” Sally agreed.
“All right, Thelma.” Jacque sighed as she headed toward Crina and Zara. “Let’s go get our holiday cheer on.”
“I really feel like we should be walking in slow motion while awesome background music plays,” Sally said.
“Wearing Santa hats,” Jacque added.
“We’re on squad IDLD,” Zara said as they reached the other girls. “Indoor lights and decor.” She pointed to the key on the paper. “Before we get started, I’m thinking we need a squad cheer or something.”
“We want to put all the other squadrons to shame,” Crina said.
Sally and Jacque looked at each other then back at the two girls.
“We like how you girls think.” Jacque threw up her arms and shouted in her best drill team voice. “We are I-D-L-D, so bright you cannot see. If you do not like us, you can kiss our knee.” She smiled. “Get it? Bright because we’re doing lights.”
Zara laughed. “Have you already dipped into the special eggnog?”
“Nah, girl. I’m just drunk on cheer. Holiday cheer and a ‘our squadron is better than your squadron’ cheer.” Jacque hooked her arm through Zara’s.
Sally did the same with Crina as they followed the pair out, heading for the meeting hall where Jen had all the Christmas decorations set up in organized piles, which they already knew because it was written on their oh-so-helpful sheet of instructions.
“This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?” Crina whispered.
Sally nodded. “Absolutely. But it will be a hilarious disaster, and I think we could use a hilarious disaster right now.”
Chapter 3
“On the third day of Christmas my werewolf gave to me three growling males, two cursing pups, and a furball in a fir tree.”
Keep singing people. So help me you’re going to enjoy this story whether you like it or not.” ~Jen
“How many more bloody trees does she want?” Lucian asked Decebel.
“Yeah, what he said.” Adam pointed at Lucian. “Because yesterday we cut down thirty.”
“But she only liked ten of those,” Decebel replied. “She inspected them and decided twenty were unacceptable. They had too many issues.”
“Issues?” Adam frowned. “How can a damn tree have issues?”
Decebel rubbed his hand down his face. He loved his female. He did. And he had to keep reminding himself of that the previous evening while she pointed out the issues. His tongue was bloody from all the times he had bitten it to keep his muzzle shut. “Her heart is in the right place,” he said. “She wants everything to be beautiful for the pack and to create some pleasant memories for the end of the year.”
Lucian met his eyes and nodded. “Then we get her more trees.”
“I really hate it when you say stuff that makes me have all the feels when I really just want to bitch.” Adam huffed as they headed back toward the forest.
“All the feels?” Decebel laughed.
Adam just shrugged. “Crina says it all the time. She’s rubbing off on me.”
“Don’t tell my mate that.” Decebel said. “She’ll remind you it’s not Thursday yet.”
Adam and Lucian both froze and turned to look at him.
“Did you just make a sexual joke?” Adam asked.
The beta shrugged. “I guess my mate’s rubbing off on me, too.”
Lucian’s lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile. “I told Peri what you said,” he said, speaking of their mate bond. “She said she’s very disappointed in you.”
“Tell her she’s not alone.” Decebel rolled his eyes.
“If you two are going to be turning things into innuendos, then this might not be so bad,” Adam said, rubbing his hands together like an eager child.
“I heard that little joke,” Jen told Decebel through their bond.
“I’m not proud,” he replied.
“But you should be. My big, bad wolf is jumping in the gutter.”
“More like I fell. Or even more accurate, I was pushed into the gutter by my tenacious, dirty-minded mate.”
“You won’t be complaining on Thursday,” she challenged.
“It’s Monday, female,” he practically snarled. “By Thursday, all I’m going to be doing is complaining. Now leave me alone so I can pick out some more trees. I love you,” he added, because he knew why she was working so hard for this celebration, even if she was a little obsessive about it.
“Love you too, B. Happy hunting.”
To be honest, Decebel didn’t really mind being in the forest. His wolf loved it. And both were itching for a good run in their four-legged form. He stopped walking and looked at Lucian. “You want to phase? We can still look for trees and point out the ones we want Adam to take down and flash back to the mansion.”
“My wolf is restless,” Lucian said. “I could use a run.”
They stripped down while Adam took off into the forest, already looking for trees. He seemed just as restless as they did, even though he wasn’t a wolf. As soon as Decebel transformed, all thoughts apart from the desire to run fled. It felt good to be in his wolf skin once again. He shook out his fur and then took off in the same direction as Adam, following the fae’s scent. Decebel could hear Lucian behind him. The other wolf let out a long howl, and Decebel joined him in the song.
When they caught up with the fae, he’d already used his magic to cut down three trees. “You guys are slow,” he said, his grin not quite meeting his eyes. “I’ll take these back and then return for the ones you two find. Don’t pee on them to mark them, please.”
Decebel growled at him, but Adam just laughed. The fae picked up the ends of the tree trunks and then flashed.
Lucian and Decebel began searching for appropriate trees. When Adam came back, they showed him the ones they’d chosen, and he cut them down and flashed them back to the mansion. This went on and on until the sun began to sink low in the sky.
Adam groaned. “Okay, if we’re going to keep going, you two have got to change back. I’ve gone all day having no one to verbally spar with. It’s messing with my head.”
Decebel phased back, not concerned with his nudity. He’d spent two centuries ending up naked when he changed from fur to human. Lucian phased back as well. “You’ve talked to us all day,” Lucian pointed out.
“And you two just tilted your heads and then trotted off. Talking to your wolf butts isn’t my idea of stimulating conversation,” Adam said dryly.