Miss Claus Under The Mistletoe

by J. L. Hendricks

  I knew she was upset, and couldn’t blame her for wanting some privacy. I thought for sure she would head to the cave. All I had to do was give her a five minute start, and then I could meet her there. She should have been safe.

  “Rock, I don’t scent her here recently. She must have gone somewhere else, or…”

  He had better not finish that sentence.

  I wasn’t going to lose a Kringle on my watch-certainly not the one I had just proposed to in the worst way possible.

  I am such an idiot!

  A female needs to be romanced and courted before being proposed to, but I had been too worried that she would be forced to mate with one of those brutes to even consider how she would feel about it. I also never appreciated her properly.

  Sure, I had recognized her beauty, but I’d never thought of her as anything more than a nuisance.

  Until now.

  Mandy had become a beautiful and vibrant woman. She still had the edge of a teenager, but also a hint of the softness that a confident female carries. When I looked at her covered with snow earlier, something inside my chest cracked open, and the wall around my heart began to crumble. It couldn’t stay intact after Mandy ran straight into it with her laugh and that mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

  She was right about one thing, though; it would fall to her younger sisters, if she and I mated now. Not that I wanted them to take on this responsibility when they were of age.

  “Where would she go?” Mikey shifted back into his wolf form.

  “I think I know of one spot she might run to,” I sent telepathically to my lieutenant before turning to the Jingle Bell Forest.

  With one of my best friends, and best Enforcers, on my tail, we made quick time. The bells were ringing as usual, but there was no sign of Mandy.

  “Look around and see if you can catch her scent or a sign that she was here,” I ordered.

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  Mikey could be a handful, but, he was extremely professional when I needed him to be the Enforcer that he had been brought up to be.

  My pack had over one hundred wolves, most of them were Omegas. The best of the best were chosen to become Betas. In the past, our pack would fight over who was the most dominant of these.

  For the past thirty years, it had been determined by blood line. Sometimes there would be dominance challenges, but it was never as bloody as before the previous Santa’s son was murdered.

  Mandy’s Uncle Kris, was supposed to be the next in line to be Santa. A group of wolves from Northern Europe murdered him and were planning on destroying the entire Kringle line. My grandfather was the Lead Beta at the time. He led the investigation and determined who was responsible. When Mandy’s dad, Chris, became Santa in place of his brother, he decided to take all of the Enforcers and went after the wolves responsible.

  Later, it was decreed no dominance challenges for the Kringle line, or pack. There had been enough violence.

  If someone wanted to be an Enforcer, they tried out for the role. Males and females alike were welcome as long as they had the ability to fight and defend Santa, our Alpha, and his family. Nothing was more important than protecting Santa’s bloodline and keeping Christmas going.

  Most packs didn’t get above twenty-five to thirty members. Some, like the Barrow Pack, were around fifty. Ours was so large because we needed strong warriors to protect Santa’s line.

  We even protected the retired Santa. My father, the previous lead Beta, took my mom and a few of his trusted lieutenants with him and traveled with Mandy’s parents, protecting them from seen and unseen attacks.

  I stopped in my tracks and sniffed again. Mandy’s scent was permanently etched in my brain, along with her entire family. She had a scent of peppermint mixed with brambleberry and freshly fallen snow.

  Even in my wolf form, I could feel the layers around my heart begin to melt.

  Falling in love with Mandy would be easy.

  Following my nose I found her messages for me. The scratches on the tree drew my attention, and I knew I was on the right track when I saw the broken branch, which I knew must be covering something up. Using my nose, I moved it out of the way.

  ‘D-R-A-G-O-N-S’ was spelled out in the snow.

  I began to howl, and Mikey Jr. raced to my side. He must have understood what happened, as he joined me in my decree of rage and anger.

  No one takes one of ours and gets away with it!

  The only thing keeping me from going into berserker mode was the knowledge they wouldn’t kill her. They needed her alive to mate with one of them and produce an heir. Who would be her partner, none of us knew. Most likely their Alpha or his heir would take her as his mate.

  “We need to head back right away and let Mandy’s dad and Santa know what happened!” I didn’t want to send them the news over the link we all shared. News that was so personal and sensitive should be delivered in person.

  I didn’t know what her dad or Palo would do, but I did know the entirety of the Enforcers would be called upon to get her back.

  ◊◊◊

  “Mr. Kringle, I don’t know what to say other than it was all my fault for giving her space. I never should have let her out of my sight.” I lowered my head and prepared for his wrath.

  “Rock, I know my daughter. This was not your fault. She purposely ran away, looking for a space to call her own. Let me guess, you went to Maker’s Rock looking for her and she wasn’t there, right?”

  The all-knowing former Santa had hit it on the head.

  “Yes, sir. She ended up at Jingle Bells Forest, and was taken from there. I don’t know by how many, but she wrote ‘dragons,’ plural. I hope she didn’t put up a fight. They won’t harm her if she plays along, for now.”

  I taught pups to put up a fight. Maybe it was time to use this situation as an example of when to go along. Stay alive to fight another day.

  “You’re right. They won’t hurt her.” Santa was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Charlie, one of Santa’s elves, came into the living room where we had all gathered. “Sir? Um…I don’t know how, but…” Charlie was looking at the ground and nervously wringing his hands in front of him.

  “Come out with it, Charlie,” Palo ordered.

  “There’s…a dragon at your door.” Charlie winced and stepped aside as a stampede of Alphas and Betas elbowed their way to the front door.

  “Son of a nutcracker!” Mr. Kringle called out when he opened the door.

  There stood a tall man who had a similar scent to those who had tried to capture Mandy in Seattle, though his wasn’t nearly as choking. I picked up sulfur and something else…a tiny hint of winterberry. Strange.

  “Chris, I am not here to cause any trouble. I heard about what one of my clans did and am here to see if there is a way to settle this issue. I don’t want one of your girls if she isn’t willing.” The man wore black pants with a black button-up shirt underneath a flowing, black robe.

  His attire alone screamed evil.

  “How is it you were able to come into our village? The barrier should have stopped you.” I demanded, as he stood outside smiling at Mandy’s father.

  “I mean you no harm. We have certain individuals who refuse to play by the rules, just like any shifter species does. I swear on the life of my heir, I don’t mean you or your pack any harm.” The stranger held up his hands and I couldn’t sense any animosity or hatred coming from him.

  The man on the stoop looked to be middle-aged.

  Poor Mandy, if he’s the one she has to mate with.

  “What of your guards and courtiers? Where are they?” Palo inquired while looking over the male standing in front of us.

  “Oddly enough, they were not granted passage into your village.”

  “Then they did not have peace on their minds or in their hearts, Erol. They will stay locked out.” Chris, Mr. Kringle, motioned for the man to come in led the way to the living room.

  “Everyone, this is King Erol. The d
ragons are governed by a king and his queen.”

  “My queen is no longer with us.” Erol’s eyes filled with sorrow as he took an offered seat on the couch.

  “I am sorry to hear of your loss. Rosalind was a wonderful woman. I don’t think there was a year where she ended up on the Naughty list as a child.” The former Santa spoke kindly of the queen who was no more.

  “Thank you, Chris. She always loved your visits. I knew she wouldn’t live as long I, but I loved her anyway.”

  “Where’s Mandy?” I blurted. I wasn’t going to sit around and chit chat while King Erol’s men did who knew what to one of our own. To Mandy.

  “I wish I knew. The young males who took her did so without any approval from either myself or their Alpha. I have my guards out looking for them now. We will find them, and I will return your daughter to you unharmed.”

  “How do you know she will be unharmed if you don’t know where they are? They didn’t seem to care about her wellbeing the last time they tried to take her.” I couldn’t find any marks on Mandy when I arrived in Seattle, but she healed quickly.

  If they forced her to perform a mating ceremony, I would kill the dragon.

  “They can’t perform a mating ceremony without a blessing from their Alpha, and he has sworn an oath to refuse. Word is out; if anyone assists them, they will be dealt with according to our laws. We do not allow any female to be forced into the mating bond. She might have a few scrapes from the journey, but that will be all.”

  Erol had better hope she doesn’t have any scrapes, or I willsee to it that he getsmatching ones!

  “Surely, you aren’t the one who had plans to mate with her? You are as old as my father-in-law.” The disgust showing on Palo’s face made me proud to be his Beta.

  None of us would sit here and accept this. I knew it with every bone in my body. We would all be out looking for Mandy and making those dragons pay for what they had done.

  “Hell’s bells, no. I am much too old for her. When we first learned you had several female offspring, we held a match to see who was the most suited to carry on our line. One of the males who abducted your daughter was the winner, but he has since been stripped of his title. Should one of your daughters agree to mate with one of us, I have decided she is to choose her mate.”

  “Do you really think Mandy will choose to mate with one of you after all of this? If you do, you are crazier than a Mouse King!” I wanted to call him something else, but changed my mind when I felt everyone glare in my direction.

  “No, I do not expect Mandy to be amenable to the ages-old agreement between our two clans. I was hoping one of your younger daughters would agree, once they were of age.”

  Erol looked to the twins, who stiffened while they glared at the dragon king.

  Maybe they were finally realizing that mating with a dragon was dangerous, and not in a romantic way.

  “At this point in time, none of my daughters are available, nor are they interested in helping a group of kidnappers who have no moral compass whatsoever. If I were still Santa, I would put all of the dragon children on the Naughty list. Honestly, Erol, I thought your clans were better than this.” Mandy’s father shook his head and clucked his tongue.

  “You have every right to be upset. We haven’t acted so dishonorably since before the dark ages. I must leave now, but as soon as I have word of where Mandy is, I will contact you.” Erol stood up and bowed to Palo and Chris before turning to leave.

  “I hope you understand that we can’t just stand by and wait. We will be conducting our own search for my daughter.” Mr. Kringle leveled a glare at Erol before turning away to comfort his wife, who had remained quiet until Erol headed for the door.

  “Chris! I don’t care who you have to call. You had better get Mandy back to me safely!” Mrs. Kringle wrapped her arms around her husband and began to cry.

  I had never seen the former Mrs. Claus cry.

  Chapter 9

  Mandy

  “I want to speak with whoever is in charge here!” I was livid. These creatures were in for a rude awakening once my pack found me.

  Thankfully they had some clothes waiting in my “room,” if you could call it that, when we arrived. I swiftly shifted back and changed. Wanting to be able to talk to them.

  “You can’t keep me prisoner here or force me to mate with any of you! The bond won’t stick if I’m not willing!” I would kill anyone who tried to force me to bond with them.

  “Shut up, princess! No one is coming to save you. We were very careful to cover our tracks on the way here.” A distant voice bellowed.

  Great, just great! Not only will I have to fight my way out of here, but I’ll also be waiting for someone to rescue me, and they won’t even know where to find me!

  We flew for well over an hour, probably closer to two. I had no clue where we were, except in a mountain range.

  I took in my surroundings and noted we appeared to be in a cave. The walls were rugged stone, except for the one wooden wall on one side that framed a door. The second I shifted back to my human form, I tried opening the door to no avail. It was locked.

  Taking a closer look at the wall and door, it appeared they had cut into the rock ceiling and floor before putting the door up. I kicked at the wall, hoping it would break, but it held firm.

  I knew I would eventually be able to break the door down, so I kept kicking at it, always in the same spot, hoping to weaken the integrity enough to break out.

  “Stop that racket! Even if you break down the door, you won’t be going anywhere, sweetie. We are high in the mountains, and even someone like you won’t be able to get down.” The same irritating voice yelled out.

  I couldn’t hear anyone else moving around outside my make-shift prison wall, which made me thing he was my only guard. Even if he hadn’t confirmed we were high up in a mountain, I knew it just from the cold.

  If I shifted back to my wolf form, I would be just fine outside. Getting down the mountain shouldn’t be too difficult, unless there were only sheer drop-offs surrounding this place.

  I could reach out to Santa, my Alpha, through our bond. He might be able to pick up on my thoughts if I concentrated hard enough. I doubted I would hear his reply, but it was worth the effort, even if he couldn’t hear me.

  I quickly undressed and shifted to my wolf form so I could communicate with him.

  “Santa, it’s me, Mandy. I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I’m very high up in some mountain that can only be accessed by flight, if my captors can be believed. It took us almost two hours to get here. I couldn’t see anything with the way the dragon held me close to him. It’s very cold here. I’m safe, for the moment, but locked inside a cell. They don’t think anyone will think to look for them here, if that helps?”

  I calmed my breathing and listened for a reply, any reply, from my Alpha. Nothing came. If he could receive my message, he would have. I just may not be able to hear him. The information I gave him wouldn’t be enough to find me, but if he reached out to a dragon who didn’t agree with what these nutcracker’s had done, then maybe I could be found.

  No matter what, Santa would find me by Christmas Eve. My Christmas Magic is strongest in the two weeks before Christmas, and it would guide him to me while he was out delivering presents. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to wait so long, though. Christmas was over two months away.

  ◊◊◊

  The days passed and I marked them along the wall in my room. No one came to talk to me. The guards outside my door had only responded when I tried to kick down the door.

  I wasn’t sure if Santa heard me or not, but each morning and every night I reached out through the bond. I never heard anything in return.

  I got a roommate after a week.

  “Jax? What are you doing here? Please don’t tell me you’re part of this?” It would have broken my heart if Jax had been in on it.

  “Actually, I was out looking for you- along with your entire pack and several dragon clans. Too
bad I was alone when I stumbled upon this place. Your Alpha can hear you; tell him I’m here with you, and they will have a better idea of where to search.”

  I shifted so I could reach out again through the magical bond I shared with my Alpha. Of course, I heard nothing in response. It just meant I was too far away from him. I hoped they all knew where Jax had been searching; it would make it easier for them to find us.

  I wasn’t sure if having Jax with me was a blessing or not. My abductors would likely see him as being expendable; I doubted they would keep him alive for very long.

  “Jax, what are they going to do with you? Will they…” I took a deep breath, not wanting to voice my thoughts. “Are you safe here?” I asked instead.

  “Yes, they won’t harm me. No need to worry about me. I’m more worried about you. Have they tried to mate you with Alexandru?”

  “No, they haven’t even spoken to me since throwing me in here. Well, the guards yell at me to stop trying to break the door down, and I get three meals a day, but other than that, no interaction with anyone since they dropped me here.”

  “Good, it means they are having trouble finding an Alpha to perform the bonding ceremony. They won’t touch you until they find one.”

  Jax looked around and his gaze fell to the bed.

  “Is the room comfortable? The bed looks nice.” Jax began to shift from foot to foot while he stared at the one full size bed in the room.

  “Yeah, it’s okay. Don’t go getting any ideas. I don’t share my bed with anyone. You can sleep on the floor.”

  Jax held up his hands, “Don’t worry about me. I’m used to sleeping on the ground, and not once did I think it would be otherwise. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” The small smile tugging at one side of his lips was cute.

  “How do you know these guys? Are they part of your clan?” I asked.

  Jax seemed very different from the demons who had kidnapped me he was nice and helped people.

  Even their scents were different. Jax had a pleasant smell, it reminded me of a pine tree on fire with a dash of brambleberry pie. My earlier assessment of sulfur may have been a bit off. The more time I spent with Jax, the better he smelled.