Miss Claus and the Secret Santa: A Shifter Christmas Romance, Book 1

by J. L. Hendricks

  Later that evening Rock and I took off for a walk. “Rock, do you think there is anything going on here? Because I think that these nice wolves are being led astray by someone else.”

  “I agree, Lizzie. It must be someone they trust, or they wouldn’t have acted like that when we arrived. They aren’t drama elves, after all.”

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, I think we need to find out who is behind this. We need to go after that wolf. Then literally release the wolves of war on his butt!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. It did feel like we were being watched, but when wasn’t I being watched?

  Rock leaned in and wrapped an arm around me. Then he put his lips right up against my ear. “Lizzie, did you see that?”

  I cuddled up next to him and smiled. “Mm Hm.” It was time to flush out the spy and find out what was going on around here.

  When we were young pups we played a game. He never liked it much. I leaned down and picked up some snow and smashed it in his face and ran away screaming with laughter.

  “Lizzie! I am going to get you for that!” He ran after me laughing as I led him toward the area where we saw the movement. Although, not directly there. I ran in an arc and then zigzagged to where I could sense a being hiding behind a tree.

  I ran to one side of the tree, and Rock to the other. “Hi, there. Whatcha doing?” I played coyly with the wolf in human’s clothing.

  “Nothing, just enjoying a nice night,” the wolf responded.

  I stuck my hand out. “I’m Lizzie, and this is my fiancé, Rock.”

  He hesitated, and then shook my hand. “I am Anders.”

  “Well, Anders. Why are you following us?” I twirled a string of my hair around my finger.

  It was important to get him to see me as non-threatening. I hoped he would drop his defenses and tell me the truth without the use of magic. Well, without the use of Christmas Magic. It is believed that a woman’s charms come from regular magic.

  “I wasn’t following you. In fact, I thought you were following me. Every time I turned, there you were.” He looked back and forth between Rock and me.

  I didn’t have time for his stupidity. No one can say I didn’t try. I looked into his eyes and smiled. It wasn’t my regular smile, it was the smile where I oozed Christmas Magic. “Rock, you might want to back away.”

  “Why, whatever info you get off of him, I will eventually hear as well.”

  “Because, I don’t want you to fall head over heels in love with me. Now move back. Magic at work.” I waved my hand at him to move off more to the side.

  His mouth opened wide, and he rapidly moved as far away as he could while still keeping me in his line of sight.

  “Now, Anders, why don’t you tell me what you were really up to?” I brushed a few strands of hair out of his face while his body totally relaxed. The Magic was visible all around him. It was a good thing I told Rock to move, the waves of emotion flowed past the spot where he had once been standing.

  “Of course, anything for my queen. He knelt down on his left knee and looked up at me with total and complete adoration. I swore there was even some drool coming out of his mouth.

  “I was ordered to follow you and gather intel on who you were to marry and why you were here. If possible, I was also to hurt you. But I don’t want to ever hurt you, my queen. Please forgive me for accepting the assignment.” He lowered his head and sniffled.

  That was not what I wanted to hear. I had to take three deep, cleansing breaths before I could speak. “Anders, who ordered you to hurt your queen?” That title was not what I wanted, even though a lot of the older packs saw Santa and his wife as royalty.

  “My Alpha.”

  “Who is your Alpha, Anders?”

  “Frode, from Norway. He is a bad Alpha. All he talks about is taking Christmas for himself. You must be careful and protect yourself! I want to offer up my services to protect you from him.” He scooted closer to my feet and bowed his head right in front of my boots. “Please, let me redeem myself by protecting you, my beautiful queen.”

  “Alright, you can help. But I think we need to head back to the village and let my father know what is happening. After all, he is your king.”

  “Oh, yes! I must protect my king and my future queen.”

  “Stand up and come with us.” I waved for Rock to join us, and then we headed back to the village.

  Chapter 7

  While we walked back I reached out to my dad via our mental connection. “Dad, Rock and I were followed. I have the wol,f and we are headed back to the village now. You won’t believe this, but he was ordered to hurt me if he got the chance, in addition to spying on us.”

  “Sweetie, are you alright? Did he hurt you or Rock?”

  “No, Dad, we’re fine. However, I think there might be more once his Alpha realizes he has been compromised.”

  “Hurry back. I’ll have our pack waiting for you.”

  It didn’t take long to get back. We didn’t walk for very long before we saw signs of the village. True to his word, almost my entire entourage was waiting for us. Strange, some of them were supposed to be following me everywhere I went.

  “Rock, why weren’t any of our pack following us?” I looked over to him as we entered the village.

  “You are to have three guards at all times. I counted as one. Where are Mikey Jr. and his dad?”

  “That would be my fault.” Anders raised his hand but didn’t look up from the ground. “I drugged your guards. They will be fine, just sleeping for a few hours.”

  “Don’t ever drug or hurt anyone from my pack again. Do you understand?” I took his chin and turned his face to look at me.

  His eyes were wide, and his lips trembled. “I have displeased my queen. Please forgive me for acting so rashly. I promise to never hurt any of your pack again.”

  “Were you an enforcer for your pack?” Rock asked.

  “Yes, I was one of the elite. My job has always been to attack wolves as ordered by my Alpha or to spy where needed. There were even a few times when I spread misinformation about the Claus family. I was so wrong in my actions. Can you ever forgive me?” He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands in front of himself, while begging me for forgiveness.

  “You will have to earn that. Do as you’re told, and I will forgive you. Eventually.” I waved my hand for him to stand so we could join my father at the edge of town.

  “Dad, this is Anders. He is from the Norway pack.” I continued to tell him everything I had learned.

  “I will take it from here,” Dad said as Nolan took the man away.

  Rock pulled me aside. “Lizzie, what was that? How did you get him to tell you so much and come along peacefully? Anders is one of the worst enforcers I have ever heard about. I felt something happening. Was that the Christmas Magic you spoke of earlier?” His eyes were wide with wonder.

  “Yes. Although, it shouldn’t have been so strong. It’s a good thing you moved when you did. I couldn’t contain it much longer.”

  “Would I have ended up like him, following you around like wolf pup?”

  “Yes, I am afraid you would have. Next time I tell you to back off, please do so immediately. I couldn’t handle you acting like that.” I rubbed my temples. A headache was coming on, which was something I rarely got.

  “Are you alright?” Rock came closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

  “I’m getting a headache. Probably from all of the Christmas Magic going through me today. It was too much. Wait, Rock?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you… um…Are you, feeling any extra Christmas Magic flowing through you? More than what you usually channel?” I bit my lower lip hoping he would say no.

  “I don’t think so, why?”

  “Kiss me.”

  “What? Are you crazy? I thought we were going to keep this strictly on a friend zone thing.” His brow furrowed, and he looked at me like I belonged in an insane asylum. That pretty much told me what I needed to know.<
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  “Rock, considering everything that has happened today, it must mean I am really close to finding my santa. You really aren’t him. I’m glad you aren’t, but I have no clue where to look.” I rubbed my temples again. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I feel a very strong pull to go south. Like something, or someone, is calling out to me.”

  “You mean south as in Alaska or Canada?” Rock asked.

  “No, as in California. Maybe San Diego? No. That isn’t right.” I furrowed my brow as I continued to massage my temples. “Los Angeles? Yes! LA. Something has been calling me to LA for the past few days. It doesn’t make sense.” I shook my head.

  “I think you need to talk to your dad, Lizzie. This is all over my head. When we were in school, only the Kringle family got the advanced magic classes. None of us needed to know details. I wish I could help you. I really do.” He hugged me, and I held on tightly.

  “Thank you, Rock. You really are a great friend.” I pulled my head back, and he wiped the lone tear from my cheek.

  “Alright, enough of this emotional stuff. Let’s go see your dad.” Rock took my hand, and we swiftly found my dad.

  He was with Nolan, and they were discussing what they were going to do with Anders. “We can’t just let him leave. He could be faking this devotion he has to my family, but I don’t want to kill him either.”

  “You can’t keep him locked up, Santa. That won’t work.” Nolan was pacing and scratching his chin.

  “Dad, I don’t care if you let Anders go. I have something I need to tell you.” Both men looked at me and Rock. I looked to Rock for comfort, and he squeezed my hand.

  “I need to leave. This isn’t where I’m supposed to be.” I looked at my dad who stood there rubbing his chest.

  “Where is it you are supposed to be?” He asked me quite calmly. I was prepared for an argument, but he was really listening to me instead.

  “I think I need to go to Los Angeles. No, I know I need to go to LA.” I tried to put conviction in my voice, but I was still a bit unsure if that was the right place.

  “I was afraid of that.” He sighed and then said, “Nolan, Rock, can you give us a moment, please?”

  “Sure thing. Rock, let’s go check on our prisoner.” Noland motioned for his son to follow him out the door.

  “What makes you think you need to be in LA, Lizzie?”

  “For a few days now, I have been feeling antsy, like I need to do something but can’t remember what I need to do. It’s hard to explain. Then today I started to get a headache and this very strong pull towards LA. I had been feeling a desire to head south for about a week. I just thought it was me being, well, me. A good shopping trip? I don’t know.” I paced the room and pursed my lips while I scratched behind my ear.

  “Dad, Rock isn’t the next Santa. He doesn’t have any extra Christmas Magic. I on the other hand, have been loading up on it the past few days. It could be wishful thinking, but I believe that my future husband is in LA or near LA. He is pulling me to him. The Magic is speaking to me, Dad. Just like you and Mom said it would.

  My dad sat down and took a deep breath, which he slowly exhaled. “I know. I think I have known for a few days now. Nolan and I have discussed the fact that Rock isn’t in love with you, and he hasn’t shown any sign of a future Santa. Plus, I have this overwhelming need to head to LA as well. At first, I thought maybe there was a special child that needed me. Turns out I was right. It just wasn’t a human child; it was my child.” He stood up and walked over and gave me a hug.

  “Sweetie, I am sorry I let my fear control me. I was so afraid that the right wolf wouldn’t replace me, that I grabbed ahold of the next best thing. The Magic has always guided our family. I don’t know why I didn’t let it do so this time. Can you forgive me for trying to force you into a loveless marriage?”

  “Of course I can, Daddy.” I hugged him tightly, and before l let go, I asked, “When do we leave for LA?”

  He chuckled. “Are you so ready for a husband that you want to leave now?”

  “Yes, and no. I could wait a little bit. However, I have a feeling this headache won’t subside until I leave.” I rubbed my temples as the headache continued.

  “Yes, I have a similar sign. My chest hurts if I don’t do as the Magic tells me.” He rubbed his chest and winced.

  “We make a great pair, don’t we, Dad?” I laughed, and he joined in with me.

  It was nice to be able to be on the same page as my dad again. We rarely fought when I was growing up. At least not about anything important. Our fights were mostly about bedtimes and stupid stuff any normal teenager goes through. This fight over Rock was our first real one. I was so glad it was over.

  “Alright, we still have business here. I can’t leave until this situation with the Northern European packs is handled. We have to do something about Frode.”

  “I agree that Frode needs to be dealt with, but do you have to be the one to do it? Nolan can handle it. Isn’t that what a great Beta does? Plus, he has the Lapland pack to assist.”

  “I wonder if I shouldn’t stay here and deal with the situation myself. Nolan could accompany you.”

  “What is the Magic telling you, Dad?” I continued to rub my temples.

  He rubbed his chest. “Yes, I see. The Magic is telling me to leave here. You are telling me to leave here. Since when did everyone else get to tell me what to do? Hm?” He chortled. “I guess I should do what Christmas wants. I won’t feel this pain subside until I do.”

  “Why don’t we take Mikey and Masha along with a few others and leave Nolan and Rock here to deal with the situation.” I asked.

  “Why don’t you want Rock to go? Afraid he will get in the way of a new suitor?” Dad raised his eyebrows and laughed. It was a good, hearty Santa laugh.

  I chuckled. “No, Dad. I think Rock needs to learn how to be a great Beta. His dad can teach him with the current situation.”

  “Ah, Sweetie. You are growing up so fast. When did you get to be so wise?” He shook his head and looked at me like he used to when I was a little girl.

  “Dad, next year I will be the next Mrs. Claus. I have to start some time. Wisdom is just part of the package, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, yes, it is.” He kissed the top of my head. “Alright, go pack. I’ll find Mikey and see how soon he can prep the plane for us to leave.”

  “Thanks, Dad!” I took off to the bunkhouse to get ready for our flight.

  Along the way I saw Mikey, Jr. “Mikey, you might want to find Nick and start packing. A few of us are heading to LA right away. My dad is looking for yours right now to tell him.”

  “Why are we heading to LA?” He rubbed the tip of his ear.

  “Christmas Magic business. Don’t worry. It’ll be fun! Just think, we get to see how humans celebrate the season! Maybe we can even have a real Thanksgiving dinner!”

  Since we lived in the Arctic region, we didn’t have one country we belonged to. Santa and his pack belonged to the world. Sure, we celebrated Christmas and New Year’s along with a few other global holidays, but we have never experienced a Thanksgiving. I had watched some American movies that showed the festivities and always wanted to head to America to celebrate. Nevertheless, it was too close to Christmas, and we were always too busy to have fun.

  “Cool, I always wanted to eat a Thanksgiving dinner! Do you think I can have an entire turkey to myself?” Mikey, Jr. licked his lips. I could tell he was dreaming about that whole turkey.

  I chuckled as I watched his face light up with the prospect of food. Such a guy. “Sure, I think we can find you a turkey for yourself.” I shook my head and then walked inside the bunkhouse to pack.

  It took about two hours for us to say our goodbyes and coordinate everything. Dad did get his wooden train set before we left. The only sad part was saying goodbye to Rock. Which was a weird feeling.

  I thought about that for most of the flight. I was on the plane with Nick and Mikey, Jr. We tried to play our regular card game, but wi
thout a fourth, it just wasn’t the same. The only thing I could think of was that I was on an adventure, and my best friend was stuck back in Lapland dealing with insurrectionists because I suggested he stay. Was I feeling guilty?

  “Hey, Nick. Do you think Rock is upset he had to stay?” I asked before it was my turn to discard.

  “Nah, he told me he was getting the better end of the deal. This was his chance to prove to his dad that he was Beta material. I think he wanted to thank you before we left.”

  I nodded as I considered my hand. Since we were playing Spades, I discarded the eight of spades. The suit on the table was hearts, and I was all out. It was a gamble to play such a low trump card, but I hoped that I was the only one out of hearts.

  Mikey, Jr. played a low heart. “Why did you break up with Rock? I thought it was supposed to be a done deal that he was gonna be the next Santa?”

  “Rock and I never wanted to be married, surely you knew that.”

  “Yea, but wasn’t it out of your hands? Who are you going to marry now?” He looked at me and frowned.

  I put my elbow on the table and rested my head in my hand. “Why, you wanna volunteer for the job?” Then I winked at him. What happened next was something I wouldn’t ever forget.

  Mikey dropped his cards and jumped out of his seat so fast, you would have thought his pants were on fire. The fear on his face alone made this whole trip worth it! “No, no, oh please no!” He practically yelled.

  I pouted and asked, “But why not? Don’t you want to be married to me?” I batted my eyelashes at him and tilted my head.

  Nick knew what was up. I glanced at him, and his face was red from trying to hold his laughter in.

  “Mikey, what’s wrong? Don’t you find me attractive?”

  He gulped and looked to Nick and then to my dad and Masha who put his hands up and said, “Don’t look at me. You’re the one she wants.”

  “Uh, umm, Dad!” Mikey yelled and ran to the cockpit. The rest of us couldn’t hold our laughter in any longer, and we all laughed so hard and long that most of us had tears rolling down our faces.