Reindeer Games

by Kristen Strassel

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2017 Kristen Strassel All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to kristen@kristenstrassel.com

  Strassel, Kristen. Reindeer Games (The Real Werewives of Alaska - Book Two)

  Cover design by Sotia Lazu

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Reindeer Games (The Real Werewives of Alaska, #2)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue—Christmas Morning

  Silver Fox

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  Reindeer Games

  The Alaska Bloodhounds are the newest team in the Continental Football Association. These wild shifters are rough and ready for the season.

  They only need one thing: women.

  Do you have what it takes to be a Real Werewife?

  In this episode—

  Delilah is a Real Werewife looking for the perfect mate and a father figure for her son. After a few fun but not forever trips to the hot tub, Delilah's wondering if she's looking for love in all the wrong places. But when her son says he no longer believes in Santa, her focus shifts from finding a hot football player to making Christmas magical again.

  Gunnar lives his life on Faraway Island keeping chaos at bay. As alpha, he's served his herd faithfully, even as everyone but him found their mate. Gunnar has listened to his animal his whole life, but it's never given him what he wanted. If he doesn't find his mate soon, his herd and the future of the island are in danger.

  When a little boy and his mom come in his shop, Gunnar is willing to go against his animal and take some chances. And when he gets the phone call from the Alaska Bloodhounds that makes his dreams come true, it’s finally time to put himself before the herd.

  This Christmas, football’s not the only game at stake.

  Chapter One

  DELILAH

  “Come home, Mom.” Jeremy, my only son, had been taught to ask for exactly what he wanted. I thought my life would be easier if I didn’t have a whiner on my hands. What I’d actually done was teach him to reach into my chest and rip out my heart.

  “Sweetie, you know I can’t do that.” I kept my voice as steady as possible. I could usually keep the tears at bay until we finished the video chat. “I’m working.”

  It was the easiest way to explain to a ten-year-old why I’d left him with his grandparents in Phoenix to be a Real Werewife of Alaska. He wouldn’t understand I signed up for the TV show for him. I couldn’t watch him struggle anymore without a father figure. He needed things only a strong man in his life could give him.

  After a series of disastrous dates with various members of the Alaska Bloodhounds, I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. For either of us.

  “Why can’t you do it here?” he asked. We’d been through this before, but Jeremy didn’t give up when he wanted something, and neither did I. “You used to have a job in Phoenix. Before Dad died.”

  Tears sliced through my makeup. I hoped he didn’t notice. “This is a different kind of job. I can only do it in Alaska. Tell me about school today. How was football practice?”

  “I quit the team,” he said, looking away from the camera. The dark cloud over my son’s head spread from Arizona to Alaska. “I’m sick of it. Coach wasn’t playing me anymore, anyway.”

  “You love football.” If I were home, being a mother instead of chasing after a shapeshifter, I’d march his ass to practice every day and find out what the hell was going on with his coach. My parents spoiled Jeremy, and they wouldn’t push him to do anything he didn’t want to do. But that was the sacrifice I made to be here.

  You’re here for him. Don’t forget that.

  “How do you know? You’re not here.” He huffed, looking back at the screen with nothing but scorn. “When are you coming home?”

  “Not until the end of football season.” Which felt like an eternity. Jeremy had been excited about me working with the newest team in the league, until he started missing his momma. “But I’ll see you before that. You’re coming to spend Christmas with me. We’ll have to let Santa Claus know that you’re a lot closer to him than you used to be.”

  Jeremy’s scoff almost knocked me off my seat. “There’s no such thing as Santa, Mom.”

  Oh, shit. “Since when? That’s news to me.” I needed my son to believe in magic so I could keep believing too.

  “Since forever.” He folded his arms in front of his chest, and he wouldn’t entertain any counter arguments. “It’s a lie adults tell little kids to bribe them to be good.”

  “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, mister, but they’re giving you some bad information.” I wanted to go home. Jeremy needed at least one parent in his life while I searched for a replacement for my late husband. I should’ve known better than to think anyone could fill his shoes. “When you come visit me, I’ll prove to you that Santa Claus exists.”

  I pressed the tablet to my chest when I hung up, like my heartbeat could transmit my hopes and dreams for Jeremy all the way to Arizona. Home. Nothing could prepare me for how hard it was to be away from him.

  “That’s a cut.” Tessa, The Real Werewives producer, rubbed my back while I cried. “I know how tough this is, Delilah. I’m away from my kids, too. Jeremy might not understand why you have to do this now, but he will.”

  “Will he?” I questioned everything. Tessa was probably pulling in a huge paycheck, but as a potential Werewife, I was paid little more than minimum wage. I could barely cover my bills with my earnings. “I just promised my kid a magical Christmas and I have no idea how I’m going to pull that off.”

  I couldn’t lose him. It was bad enough he didn’t have his father. I couldn’t push him away from me and make him think I didn’t put him first.

  Tessa pulled me into a hug. “You’ll do it. That’s what good moms do.”

  Jeremy’s request echoed in my head and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. Thankfully, I had a coffee date that afternoon with my former Werewife roommate, Naomi. A perfect distraction. She was already there when I arrived, mug in hand. She must’ve had rocket fuel in that thing, judging from the way she looked up at me with her signature devilish grin. It faded as I sat down.

  “Who did this to you?” She motioned to me, wincing like her coffee went sour. “I don’t care that he’s a shapeshifting football player. I’ll kick his ass. It can be the halftime entertainment at the next game.”

  The halftime entertainment at the last game was when Naomi’s mate, Sebastian, proposed to her. In her words—he was the first one on the team to put a ring on it and make her a Real Werewife of Alaska. Shockwaves resonated through the Werewife compound. The rest of us were on our second or third Bloodhound, hoping to capture some of Naomi and Sebastian’s magic.

  That was the thing—it was magic. And like my son, I wasn’t sure I believed anymore.

  “I want to go
home.” I gave a wobbly grin to the waitress who brought my cocoa. It was a whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles kind of day.

  “What? No. You can’t do that. I read the whole contract and there’s no way out. Or I would’ve been on the first plane. And it’s a good thing I didn’t.” She held up her hand and let her ring sparkle in the fading sunlight. “Seriously, what happened? You’re always the one talking me off the ledge. And you have a plan. You’re doing this for Jeremy.”

  “Jeremy wants me to come home.” I put the mug down. The temptation was too high to down it like a shot of tequila. “He’s ten. He wants his mom. I can’t explain to him I’m up here looking for someone to be a dad to him. He used to think it was cool I was ‘working’ with the football players but now he doesn’t care about football anymore.”

  Naomi frowned over her mug. “Have you considered bringing him here?”

  “I planned on having him come for Christmas all along. I thought it would be fun for him to meet the Bloodhounds and see some snow on Christmas. But he just dropped the bomb that he thinks Santa is a fraud. And that hurts worse than him begging me to come home.” My voice broke on the last word, but I wouldn’t cry again. “My little boy isn’t so little anymore, and I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

  “Yikes. I’m sorry.” She scooted closer to me on the couch and put her arm around me. “So yeah, bringing Jeremy up here is technically against the contract, but you can talk production into anything. Sorry, Tessa, but it’s true. If they think something will be good for ratings—”

  “This is my kid. Not an advertising ploy.”

  Tessa rolled her eyes over the camera.

  “I know, but viewers will feel for you already because you lost the love of your life. If they meet your son, they’ll be rooting for you like crazy. So that’s why production will go for it.” She leaned over and wiped a tear away from my cheek. I wasn’t even feeling them anymore. “And when the guys meet Jeremy, they’ll be fighting over you.”

  Naomi didn’t believe in happily ever after until it happened to her. “They already see a middle-aged woman with a ton of baggage,” I said.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about, because I don’t know that woman.” Her face brightened and she grasped my thigh. “I have an idea. Not to get you your own personal Bloodhound, but I think we might be able to cook up a little Christmas Magic.”

  “It’s October.” I sounded like I was sipping on lemon juice instead of a peppermint hot chocolate. “What’s your idea?”

  “Sebastian’s best friend has the most magical toy shop on Faraway Island. You have to take a ferry there, which I bet a little boy would think is bad ass.” She sang the last two words. “But back to the toy store. Gunnar makes all the toys there, and they’re fantastic. Trains and cars and robots, and they work! I’ll totally go with you, and make some introductions.”

  It sounded good, but I had my doubts. Jeremy sounded more grown up every time I talked to him, and I didn’t know if toys would be enough to sway him anymore. “I’m willing to try anything. I just have to figure out how to make it work.”

  “Well, there’s a spare bed in your room since you conveniently don’t have a roommate anymore. You’re welcome.” Her face brightened again. “Gunnar’s pretty hot, too. Maybe....”

  “He’s not a Bloodhound.” That would make it even worse if I fell for a great guy I was contractually obligated not to be with. “The producers would freak out if I fell for someone who wasn’t on the team.”

  Tessa shrugged.

  “Oh, whatever. That contract is the legal equivalent of swiss cheese.” Naomi rolled her eyes. “Besides legally trapping us here, it makes no guarantees that any love connections will happen. They want the thrill of the chase. Gunnar’s a buck, and if he’s anything like Sebastian, you’re in for a treat.” She waggled her eyebrows and got me to laugh.

  “If we can pull this off, I might start to believe in Santa again,” I said.

  “Never doubt a fat man in a red suit.” She couldn’t hide the grin that said nothing but trouble behind her mug. “Or a smokin’ hot buck who’s good with his hands. On paper, Gunnar and Santa seem to have nothing in common. But they both have amazing toys. And they’re going to team up to give Jeremy a Christmas he’ll never forget.”

  Chapter Two

  GUNNAR

  Time was running out. Christmas season was almost here and the orders were coming in faster than I could fill them. I inspected the latest order, a train set custom painted with the name of the family that ordered it. It already made its inaugural journey on the tracks in my workroom to make sure all the moving parts worked.

  I made one last count of the pieces—a full working train and a basic track set—before sealing the box. My pieces weren’t for just anyone. I made old-fashioned toys for people who were willing to take the time to appreciate them.

  I was herd alpha, and I heard the rumblings. Gunnar’s hiding in his toy shop while his rival prances all over the island, terrorizing the herd. He’s too afraid to fight the wolf, Stefan. He cares about the humans more than he cares about the deer.

  Bullshit. I was a buck first, and a human by necessity. Stefan’s wolf pack reminded us every chance he got we were the outsiders here. The humans welcomed our herd to Faraway Island. In our human form, we were craftspeople. My herd built every building on Main Street. We were as much a part of this island as the wolves who were hell-bent on its destruction.

  My toys were my way of sending a little piece of the magic of this remote place out into the world. I wasn’t a worldly buck, but all the tourists who stopped into my shop said they’d never been any place like Faraway Island. That it felt like Christmas here all year long. The toys were my gift to them, a way for them to capture that feeling once they went back home.

  The bell clanged against the front door of my toy store. Mission accomplished. Today’s order was done just in time for the delivery guy to pick it up.

  “Hello, hello, hello!”

  My buck prickled at the sound of Naomi’s voice. She shouldn’t be here, he grumbled. She’s trouble.

  She’s my best friend’s mate, beast. Start liking her.

  Your best friend who didn’t learn his lesson when he got his ass hauled off the island. And if you don’t do something about Stefan, he’ll make good on his promise to kill you.

  Shut up, beast.

  “Is my favorite toy-making buck here?” Naomi called when I didn’t answer right away.

  I put my goggles down on my work bench, careful not to knock over any of the figurines for my next order. Those were donations. I sent care packages for holiday toy drives. Christmas was serious business, and I wanted everyone to have the best one possible.

  My buck grunted. Don’t encourage her. I hated pissing off my buck, because he was always right. But my human side was completely smitten with Naomi, because she brought my best friend, Sebastian, back into my life.

  Unfortunately, he was Stefan’s twin brother. It wouldn’t end well for any of us.

  And if Sebastian could find his destined mate—a human—maybe there was one out there for me, too.

  Your mate isn’t human, my animal reminded me. Your job is to be pack alpha.

  And the alpha needs an heir, you braindead beast. My buck meant well, he really did. He encouraged me to put the herd first. But he thought happiness was an indulgence I couldn’t afford. I spent so much time taking care of everyone else, I didn’t take care of myself.

  “Is that my favorite travel blogger?” I called out into the store.

  Naomi looked behind her when I appeared, like she was trying to figure out who I was talking about. When there was no one there, she put her mittened hand to her lips and feigned surprise. “I guess it is.”

  “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” I grinned, ignoring my buck’s demand to get her the hell out of here. Almost. “Everything good with Sebastian?”

  “Sebastian is amazing, even if he’s spending every m
inute at the practice facility after my mom came to visit. He’s got to work off the cookies he wasn’t supposed to eat.” She looked back over her shoulder, mischief dancing in her eyes when she turned back to me. She had no idea what she was messing with. “I have a very special guest with me today. Someone who couldn’t wait to come to the store when I told him about your awesome toys. I wanted to introduce him to you but I can’t tear him away from the train set in the front window.”

  “Oh yeah?” It’s a trap, my buck warned. The human woman will start a war without even trying. “Whoever it is has excellent taste. The train set is my favorite display.”

  My animal needed to take a chill pill. A pom-pom from a hat bobbed just above the train table. It belonged to a little boy, laughing when the train’s whistle echoed in the tunnel. I spent over a year making this set. Not a detail had been overlooked. The train had a full crew inside and cargo waiting to be delivered to my replica of Faraway Island.

  Naomi grabbed my arm before we got too close. “He told his mom he doesn’t believe in Santa anymore. That’s why we’re here. We’ve got to make him believe again.”

  The train came into sight again, and the boy kneeled to watch it pass. “How old is he?” I asked.

  “Ten. He lost his dad last year, and his mom wants to make this Christmas special for him.” Naomi glanced at the boy. “We need your help.”

  I could do that. Sounded like this kid had enough taken from him already. He needed to believe that the good stuff was stronger than the bad. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Naomi bounced. “You’re the best.”

  I didn’t know about that. But I wished someone had done this for me. Kept me innocent a little longer. It was one of the reasons I opened the store, to give people of all ages a place to escape the shit in their everyday lives.

  “You like the set?” I asked when I knelt beside the boy.

  He looked up at me. “It’s awesome. Everything works like it’s real.”

  “It took me a long time to make sure everything worked just right.” I picked up the truck at the intersection and turned on its motor, then handed the boy a remote control. “Got any experience driving a big rig?”