Page 130 of Tangled In Tinsel & Knots
“The reindeer queen returns,” Chris announces, abandoning his pan to pull me into a hug that lifts me slightly off the ground. “How are your subjects?”
“Fed and plotting my overthrow, probably.” I squeeze him back. “Corn Dog is being clingy again.”
“He’s obsessed with you,” Noel says, still scowling at his laptop.
I laugh and extract myself from Chris to grab an empty plate and turn to Noel. “What are you researching that’s making you look like you want to fight your computer?”
“Scot’s associates. Building a timeline. Anything I can find.” His jaw tightens. “Still waiting on that list of who had access to the Santa float.” Something my parade team was meant to supply by now. “But Atlas’s report came through,” he adds. “Confirming the cut wires were intentional and it wasn’t an accident.”
My good mood deflates slightly. “Right. The sabotage.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Chris brings over the pan and slides a perfect omelet onto my plate. “And when we do, there will be consequences.”
“The parade went fine overall,” I explain, trying to redirect to something less stressful. “People loved the reindeer. Margaret from the council even said they saved the event.”
“See? Crisis averted by cute animals.” Kane loads hash browns next to my omelet. “Marketing gold.”
“What time do you need to be there for the lighting setup?” Chris asks.
“Probably in the morning to set things up and triple-check everything.” I look between the three of them, loving how much they care for me.
“Remember that you’re actually helping, not just lurking menacingly in the background,” I tease and sit down at the table with my breakfast, grabbing one of the forks.
“We can do both,” Kane says cheerfully.
I take a bite of the omelet and nearly moan. “Okay, fine, if you keep cooking like this.”
“Bribery accepted,” Chris says with a grin.
And sitting here in this kitchen, surrounded by my Alphas, I realize I have a pack now of my own. A home. People who will stand between me and anything that threatens me. I can’t remember the last time I felt so content.
KANE
“That guy yesterday was the dumbest fucking target we’ve caught in months,” I groan, shaking my head as Chris drives us back toward the house. “Seriously. Who hides in their own mother’s basement and then orders pizza to that exact address using their real name?”
Chris snorts, one hand draped casually over the steering wheel. “The same idiot who posted on Facebook about skipping bail. With location tags turned on.”
“I mean, we appreciate the dedication to making our jobs easier, but Jesus Christ.” I’m grinning despite myself, remembering the look on the guy’s face when we showed up. “We didn’t even have to do surveillance. Just walked right up, knocked on the door, and his mom answered and pointed downstairs like she was directing us to the bathroom.”
“She was beyond pissed,” Chris agrees, taking the turn onto the highway. “But yeah, his face when he saw us coming down those stairs, though. And tried to hide behind a water heater like we wouldn’t see his fat ass sticking out.”
“But what about those fucking Cheetos-stained fingers? Dude was leaving orange fingerprints on everything like he was marking his territory.”
I stretch in the passenger seat, my back popping audibly. “Though I’m ready for tonight to be over so Hannah can actually relax. She’s been stressed to absolute hell about this tree lighting ceremony.”
“Can’t blame her after what happened at the parade.” Chris’s expression hardens slightly. “That fire was deliberate sabotage and still no list from the team there, but we all know it was some dodgy shit. She’s terrified something else is going to go horribly wrong tonight and destroy her reputation.”
“Which is exactly why we’re sticking close. All three of us. No way Scot gets another shot at ruining her event.” I drum my fingers on my knee, restless energy building. “I just want this done so she can enjoy Christmas without this massive weight hanging over her. It’s only a few days away, and we haven’t even talked about what we’re doing.”
“Something special,” Chris says. “She’s had nothing but stress since moving here. She deserves a proper celebration.”
“What about throwing a party at the house?” The idea forms as I speak. “Invite Lily and her Alphas, Ruby and hers, maybe some other people from town that Hannah’s gotten close to. Make it a real social thing so she doesn’t feel like her entire life changed overnight and she lost all her connections outside of us.”
Chris glances at me, considering. “That’s actually a solid idea. She mentioned missing her friends the other day. Said she felt guilty for being so wrapped up in work and us that she hasn’t had time to see them.”
“Exactly. Big Christmas feast, all the trimmings, proper celebration. Turkey, ham, all the sides, enough alcohol to stock a bar.” I’m warming to the idea. “Make it memorable. Let her see that being with us doesn’t mean giving up her life—it means expanding it.”
“Fuck, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.” Chris grins. “Which means tomorrow we’re going on a big shopping trip and praying to God everything isn’t already sold out.”
