CHRISTMAS MORNING

I love Christmas morning. The snow outside, the little snowflakes on my window stile... A free day to do whatever I pleased. I spent most of it in my room, painting a picture of my window. I framed the painting with the dark stiles of the window and the pale grey walls and white day curtains. Then I filled the window with the tall trees and bare branches covered with little piles of snow all along its branches just outside.

"Chrissie! Beta Peter has offered to take us on a tour around the packhouse." My mum popped into our room excitedly, "Come out and take a walk with your Papa and me. Silver Moon's Packhouse has many well curated collections and Lycan treasures."

"It's okay Mum, you and dad go ahead." I honestly didn't want to go out. I finished up my watercolor of winter trees from my window. I was very pleased at the way the snow looked on the dark branches in the picture.

Mum frowned and chided me, "You've been cooped up here in your room since breakfast."

"I'm a homebody type. Yesterday was all the outing I needed... And more." I said. It was probably enough adventure and romance to last normal scardy cat me a lifetime.

I remembered Henry's kiss. Wow. Why was I thinking of that?

"Get dressed and come now. We mustn't keep the good beta waiting." Mum decided anyway.

I sighed, "Okay."

I would much rather stay in my room and paint or read.

I thought about reading another werewolf webnovel but changed my mind... I probably had enough werewolf drama for a lifetime too.

Give me peace and quiet.

Mum decided to supply me a little more motivation to go out, "There is a greenhouse here with a wide collection of herbs and plants. You like painting plants right? Come with us for the tour, maybe it would give you something else to paint than those dead trees."

"These trees aren't dead." But I started putting my paints away, "They're just wintering."

Like me. I've jumped into my pile of autumn leaves. That was enough. I just need to stay in my room and winter now.

Mum sighed, "Oh Chrissie, Life is short. Winter or Summer we need to grab every opportunity to grow."

And she left my room with a motherly, "Wash your hands and comb your hair. It's not your date with Alpha Henry yet, but you are still the new Luna."

Oh boy. I wasn't sure I could deal with being the new Luna. It was like being the new girl in school, just worse.

I'm really not the Luna type... For one thing, I wasn't a werewolf. For another... I couldn't think of another. I hadn't the faintest idea what a Luna was supposed to do.

But I didn't want to make anyone wait and I knew Mum wouldn't leave without me. So I finished washing my brushes and putting away my paints. Then I washed my hands and brushed my hair. Now that it's short, it's curls bounced around a lot. There was no taming them till more length gave my locks more weight to hold them down.

I'm really a wintering tree... Waiting for my leaves to grow out.

But the tour was okay. More than okay. Silver Moon Packhouse was like a museum. It had artifacts, paintings, and libraries of books. It was well curated too. Henry's mum loved history and art and attending auctions, and had lovingly organized and added to the treasures Alpha George had inherited.

I liked the greenhouse best. Beta Peter spared no effort to tell us all about the special herbs they curated. Even the little stories behind their common name. I wanted to draw the green leaves and tiny flowers and oh! Strawberries. Apparently the greenhouse had started farming strawberries in winter because of a really troublesome Alpha guest who liked to eat them.

The strawberries were still yellowish though. They would ripen soon. Just in time for the strawberry Alpha's visit.

I took a photo of the half ripened strawberries. They were really cute. I wanted to paint them, oranges and pink.

After that, Mum wanted to see the golden fountain of love again. She said she wanted to make a wish too. Beta Peter was glad to oblige. We will go see the fountain and then have lunch at the banquet hall.

But I saw the trees outside my room, tall near black things by the side of the building. And a squirrel. Oh! It had a red bushy tail... It was so red. I wondered if it were hungry.

"You guys go ahead first. I just want to walk around the building." I said. "I can meet you on the other side, right?"

Beta Peter hesitated, but then he agreed, "This side of the building is restricted, so it should be safe enough. Just follow the wall of the building, and we will meet you by the side of the porch."

"Thanks!" I waved them off. The snow was lovely to crunch on, the air was fresh and cold. And squirrel! I took out my phone. I wanted to paint it. I needed a photo.

I chased it a little ways into the woods. I actually caught a few good shots and then suddenly everything turned dark.

When I could open my eyes again, my arm hurt. Maybe it was because I was lying on the hard floor. Where was I? Stone floor... Dark room. There was a window, it was still bright outside.

And I was tied up.

This had to be a bad dream of some sort. For a dream, it was really realistic. I could even smell the mold on the damp cold floor. So cold. I struggled to get up, but ended up in inch worm position. The ropes were really tight.

Oh man, I was so in trouble. The tears fell silently from my face.

Wake up! Just wake up!

It didn't help that there was these terrible sounds playing outside. Like wild animals fighting. Snarling and ripping and thumping. Something large thumped on the stone wall. It was so forceful the rafters shook. The dust fell down like pixie dust.

I want to go home! Wake up! Wake up!

Then the door burst open and the chocolate wolf burst in like a bomb of fury exploding. Snarling, it was terrifying... The tears kept flowing down my face. Scary, scary...

The chocolate wolf came closer. I'm bound with so much rope, I doubt I would taste good.

The chocolate wolf smelled like autumn leaves. And had really large sharp claws which it used to cut the thick rope. I fell out of the binding and sat up.

Scrambling backwards as the chocolate wolf moved forward, my vision blurred with tears, "Henry." I managed to say but of course he could not hear me. I wanted him to save me so bad.

I was about to be eaten. For some reason, I couldn't wake up from this nightmare. The chocolate wolf was sniffing at me. I squeezed my eyes shut. I imagine it would hurt to be bitten in half in that large jaw. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes again. The chocolate wolf seemed to have calmed down after sniffing me.

More wolves bursts into the room. Now it was just really cramped. They just stood there looking at me. What?

The chocolate wolf nudged me with his large nose. Whoa... I scrambled up onto my feet. My legs were shaking so hard I stumbled around like a baby deer. My right leg had cramped from the cold and being bound so tightly, but I was too scared not to stand up.

The chocolate wolf shook itself out and then suddenly in a series of movements and bone cracking sounds it transformed into Henry.

By now, I was sure I was dreaming. I was also rooted on the spot, just crying silently. My system could only take that much.

"Christa." My name still sounded really nice when he said it.

Pete appeared suddenly with a blanket which was wrapped around me. Even though I was sure it was for Henry since he was the one who was naked.

OMG. NAKED.

I know I'm being so middle school about this. Henry was acting like it was no big deal. Pete was acting like... Well, he didn't even look surprised. Maybe Henry was wearing clothes like in the story The Emperor's New Clothes and only smart people could see it.

OMG. NAKED.

I shut my eyes, but Henry decided to just wrap the blanket around me tighter and pick me up.

"She's in shock." Pete said kindly, "Poor thing."

Of course I'm in shock. Henry.is.naked. (and carrying me princess style and the chocolate wolf nearly ate me.)

"Whose fault is it that she got this way?" Henry asked.

"I'll take full responsibility." Pete bowed his head.

"It's not Beta Peter's fault." I said.

"Then how was it you were left alone to be kidnapped?" Henry asked.

Oh... Wait, this was beginning to sound like a webnovel again. So... I was kidnapped while taking photos of a squirrel, making me miss lunch and miss my date with Henry, who turned wolf and searched me out, charging in and rescuing me from my captors. At least this would be what had happened if I were in a webnovel story. Wow. I should start writing this stuff.

But this also meant that Henry was the chocolate wolf. (Henry who was currently NAKED. OMG.)

I hid my face in the blanket, but not before mumbling, "It's not his fault. These things happened."

Especially since it seemed like everyone around me was bent to playing out the entire webnovel.

A uniformed guard came over with my pink phone, "Could this be the Luna's?"

Henry nodded and Pete took it. He checked it and handed it over to me, "It's alright Luna. It's my fault. Please don't worry about anything. Just rest for now."

"I guess our date should be postponed." Henry decided. He walked into the packhouse. It seemed like seeing their young Alpha walking around in the Emperor's New cloths was not an uncommon occurance in the packhouse.

No one bat an eye, although some ladies did check him out. It wasn't fair. I was bundled up in a blanket in his arms so I couldn't see anything. But I could smell the now familiar scent of autumn leaves, and I had a good view of his stubborn jawline, the mild tingling touch though my blanket and winter coat, and this general sense of quiet and safety...and I guess getting kidnapped and passing out for hours and then being rescued must be really tiring because I promptly fell asleep.

When I came to, I was in a large bed full of very silky sheets. I squirmed around.

"Oh Chrissie, honey." It was Mum who came by my side. Dad was with her. They both looked worried.

I sat up and looked around the large cream colored room. It had dark red awnings around the four poster bed, and it smelled like autumn leaves everywhere.

Henry, who was now dressed was standing by the opened door.

"Are you alright, Chrissie? What happened?" Mum asked. She looked like she was going to cry.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. I looked around again. My pink phone was sitting on the bedside table. I reached over and picked it up. The photos of the squirrel was still there, "I took photos of a squirrel."

I showed Mum the screen.

"Who's that?" Mum asked.

Eh? What? I looked at the top corner where mum was pointing, "Oh, I didn't notice him."

"Who?" Henry was immediately by my bedside. When he leaned over the bed to take the phone into his own hands, I took advantage of his nearness to breath in the smell more. Ahhh...

Henry frown at the screen, "Pete! Pete!"

Pete appeared at the doorway.

"Have our Gamma detained at once. I want to know why he was with my Luna just before her capture." Henry was growling. He was angry again.

I took the phone back, it was just a picture of a man's legs. How could Henry know?

"How could you tell it's him?" I asked.

"His custom made boots." Henry answered.

Beta Peter decided to elaborate, "Our Gamma Francis had a knee injury during the war, his legs are not the same length, so his boots are customed with one heel thicker than the other."

Oh. Now I saw it. What sharp eyes my mate had! Wait, what was I saying? He's not my mate...yet. But even so... Eh... Mating bond... Must shake off the mating bond.

"I can't believe you didn't even notice him." Henry smirked.

"She is just a human, Alpha." Pete tried to defend my apparent uselessness.

Henry pinched his brow, "Why are you still here?"

Now it was Pete's turn to smirk, "Gamma Francis has just been detained by my dad. They are securing him in a cell for your interogation."

Henry growled, "What are you waiting for? I haven't got all day."

And then they were gone. Just like that. Henry fuming something furious and scary, his Beta smiling placidly at heel. The combination was scary. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Oh dear, are you cold?" Mum fussed, "You were out in the cold for hours. Poor Chrissie. I should never had let you out of my sight!"

And then, for the first time in my life, I saw my mum cry. Which made me start to cry too.

Poor dad looked extremely perplexed, "There, there, it was fine. Thank God her mate could find her so quickly through their mating bond. See, she's fine. Right? Chrissie, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

I shook my head, and managed to smile through the tears, "I'm fine, Papa. I slept through most of it anyway."

"My brave girl." Dad said and hugged me. He gather Mum with his other arm and kissed us both soundly on our temples. "My two precious girls. Don't ever scare me like that again."

And that was how I realised that I wasn't the only one who had been scared. Even the bravest people I knew were scared some times.