A Christmas Home by April Zyon

way in
hell was Jagger going to leave the man high and dry. If Jagger’s pack was going
to veto the other pack’s petition to move into Shifter Falls they would need
solid evidence for the other packs and the council.
    Ophelia’s
laugh had him throwing a look her way over his shoulder. Seeing her playing
with a couple kids warmed his heart. The kids were the best judges of
character. If they didn’t like an individual it was something Jagger trusted.
They all apparently adored his mate.
    “Tap
any contacts you have. We need to figure out who these guys are beyond that
polished bullshit they handed the town council. Keep it low-key, but it doesn’t
have to be under the radar. The pack will know that the rest of us would go
digging. But for all information, no matter how big or small, I want to hear it
first. Because if we actually do manage to find something on these guys, I
don’t want it getting out there.” Jagger had a gut feeling about the pack
petitioning residency, but he didn’t yet know which way it was leaning. Without
being able to meet the other alpha or any of the pack his bear was cautiously
paranoid.
    “Garth,
find out where they’re staying and put a couple of our best trackers on them. I
don’t need to know everything, but I do want reports on the alpha and his
lieutenants. General movements for the time being. Depending on what we find on
all fronts, we’ll make the call on where to go.” He got a nod from his friend,
and the other lieutenants all gave their agreement. “All right, anything else I
need to know.” After a round of negatives he gave them all a hug and let them
get on with their day.
    As
for him, Jagger stepped off the porch and made his way to where Ophelia was
listening to a wide-eyed little girl chatter. Winking at the little one, Jagger
put a finger across his lips to make sure she didn’t say anything. The giggles
she let out betrayed what he was up to and his mate spun to give him the eye.
“Hello, sweetheart, having fun?”
    She
turned toward him and he could see the happiness in her face. “I am. I adore
your pack. And the cubs. God they are so freaking cuddly.” He had noticed that
the young ones had been shifting into their bear form for her and getting more
than a few cuddles from his mate. “I want one eventually. A cub,” she explained
when he likely gave her a blank stare. “Jagger.” She reached up and touched his
cheek, which had him leaning into her touch. She stilled then. He watched as
her eyes all but glazed over in a white haze. His arms clenched around her when
she began to speak.
    “The
snow’s covered in blood. Where they walk, puddles filled with blood follow.
They take, abuse, hurt, kill. Want to be the only ones left. They are wiping
out packs one at a time using the face of need and homelessness.” Tears flowed
from her eyes and he could practically feel her pain. “Christmas night, they
come and kill us all.”
    Just
as fast as it started it ended and she was looking up at him in pain. “Jagger?”
    He
scooped her up into his arms. After signaling one of the mothers to keep an eye
on the cubs, Jagger carried her back to the porch around the pack office
building. Settling in one of the chairs, he cuddled her to his chest. “I have
you, sweetheart,” he whispered against her hair. A shiver worked through his
body as he replayed her words through his head. The foretelling left him
chilled. “Are you okay?” he asked first.
    “I
am.” She was curled up tightly against him and shaking. “They come in the
middle of the night. One holds me down while the alpha shifts to kill you.
They’re sabertooth tigers, Jagger. They aren’t normal tigers like they’re telling
you. Please, please don’t let them come here. They’ll kill us. They’ll kill
everyone and they have been doing that all along the coast so that they are the
only pack left.”
    “Son
of a bitch,” he bit out. Well that would explain a lot, especially in the last
town and