A Christmas Home by April Zyon

they’ll attack on the holiday, when we’re all at ease and unconcerned. I
have four men already watching over the sabertooths, but I need you each to
help with the watch. They can’t keep track of the alpha and his inner circle on
their own twenty-four hours a day.”
    The
other alphas shared looks before giving firm nods. The woman spoke up again.
“You’ll have it. In this we are united, Jagger. Afterward we go back to our
truce, and sneer at each other as we will on the streets. Nobody comes into my
town and fucks with the people, shifter or human.” Her words were echoed by the
others quickly.
    “Good,”
Jagger said. Ophelia felt him relax under her and realized he had been hopeful,
but until that moment still unsure if they would go along with his plans. “Keep
all information on need to know. Inner circle should know everything. With the
rest of the pack filter what you say. We don’t want one of them saying
something in town that might get back to the sabertooths. All our meetings will
be in here since it’s shielded and protected. We need to meet daily until we
end this threat. Any problems with that?” When the others gave him their no’s
he stood and settled her on her feet. He then moved to shake each alpha’s hand
firmly. She noticed they made eye contact, held, and seemed to also have some
silent agreement pass between them one by one. Then the room cleared out with
each alpha passing by her. A couple tipped their heads her direction out of
what she guessed to be respect before leaving.
    When
they were finally alone she looked to Jagger and gave a wan smile. “So, I’m
assuming that things went better than you expected, right?” She’d felt the
tension in his body, had known that he’d been ready for any sort of danger but
these had been his friends so she couldn’t understand why he was so uptight.
“Why were you so upset?” she asked. “Your whole body was tense.”
    “You’re
my mate. I don’t like having you around so many other males. Especially
alphas,” he said. At her look he shrugged, then rubbed a hand over the back of
his neck. “It’s a primitive need to keep you cosseted. If I’d had my way I
would have had you in the corner with me in front in full bear form to keep you
safe. Like I said, it’s a primitive need from the bear within. Obviously, I
controlled it. The other part of it all is that they are alphas, and therefore
not always predictable, unlike other members of a pack. Alphas tend to be
smarter, better at hiding their thoughts and emotions, and more cunning, too.
Having the five of them in here with you had my hackles up in case one of them
set another off. We don’t always play well together, if you didn’t get that
from the conversation.”
    “I
sort of got that idea from you guys,” she said with a grin, then shrugged. “I’d
love to curl up against you when you’re in your bear form anytime. I love
knowing just how soft your fur is, how the muscles move under your fur and just
like what you look like, period.”
    “You
know what my bear looks like,” he said. Then he shot her a purely male grin.
“You know what every part of me looks like,” he pointed out. Walking toward
her, he put his hands on her hips before moving them to cup her ass, squeeze,
and use his hold to pull her up against him.
    “You
are seriously hot in any form you take. In fact I think tonight when we go to
bed you need to be in bear form in front of the fire and let me curl up against
you. Naked. You up for that?”
    “Damn,
woman,” he breathed out heavily. “Throwing temptation like that in front of me.
I’m going to have a fucking bear boner the entire time. Not funny,” he growled
when she snickered. “For you, though, I’ll do it. You better appreciate the
pain I’ll be in lying there aching for you.”
    “Thank
you for doing that for me and yes I don’t want you to have a bear boner so
maybe we will only spend a little time like that and then when you shift