Chapter 14
Thomas
Lily and I were finally settling into a good, healthy routine. Cammie was thriving and Lily wasn’t as tired all the time. The best part was that sex had never been better. It was like I had managed to reawaken my mate like we were back to our mating days.
Time was passing quickly and the closer we got to Christmas Eve and the pack run, the crazier things seemed to get, but unlike the episodes leading up to the tree lighting ceremony, Christmas in Collier was coming along flawlessly, and I had my gorgeous mate to thank for that.
Her list had certainly gotten more practical as time went on.
She’d added a few little things between the two events, like Don Shay was playing Santa every evening for the kids.
Ruby and Bran had continued their nightly carriage rides, sometimes bringing their daughter Opal along for the ride.
I suspected it might even become a new family tradition for my sister.
People seemed to be outdoors more and there was a festive excitement in the air.
Still, it was two days until Christmas Eve and while Lily had decorated every inch of town, it did not go unnoticed by me that we hadn’t even picked out a tree for our house.
I supposed it didn’t matter much. We had already decided that we’d be spending Christmas day at the Alpha house with my family.
Lying in bed that night I asked Lily, “What is that you want for Christmas this year?”
She shrugged. “I have everything I could possibly want.”
“Come on, there has to be something.”
I could tell she was holding back, which was very unlike my mate. Normally Lily was an open book even when she shouldn’t be.
She sighed. “I guess I’m just missing my family. Mom and MC came out for a few days when I had Cammie. The rest of my family hasn’t even met her yet. I talked to Kelsey today and she was telling me about how they were all getting together for Christmas and it just made me miss them so much.”
I pulled her closer to my chest as we laid in bed talking about it. I had no idea that she was feeling so homesick for the holidays. In the three years we’d been together we’d always stayed home for Christmas and with all her grandeur plans this year, I hadn’t even considered anything else.
“I’m fine. Christmas is going to be perfect. I just feel a little left out sometimes. Even Shelby and Lizzy are staying in Westin for Christmas this year.”
My sister Shelby and her mate Ben held permanent residency in Westin Pack, but my sister Lizzy and her mate Cole split time between the two packs. They had been in Collier last Christmas so it made sense to me that they would choose to stay there this year.
I wasn’t sure what I could do to make her miss her family any less, but I vowed to call Kyle and see if maybe we could at least video message them opening presents or something. There was little I wouldn’t do to make my mate happy.
*****
When Luke first suggested a Christmas Eve pack run, I thought he was insane. We’d never done such a thing before, but when Lily had decided to make the pack run a full on Christmas Eve celebration, I’d thought she had finally dove off the deep end.
I knew her plans had been massive, a product of far too many Christmas movies. Somehow, she’d pulled it off though.
It wasn’t until we were driving over to the country club, which wasn’t just for golf but doubled as our pack hall knowing the Alpha house was far too small to accommodate the entire Pack, that Lily started freaking out.
“Oh no!” she yelled stiffening in her seat next to me.
I nearly wrecked the car fearing the worst. I pulled over to the side of the road with my wolf on full alert.
“What is it?”
“I haven’t even wrapped Cammie’s presents yet. Thomas, we don’t even have a Christmas tree.” She sat there and started to cry.
I wrapped my arms around her and just held her for a moment.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m not staying long tonight. I’ll bring Cammie back with me and put her to bed, then I’ll take care of everything. It’s going to be perfect. You’ll see.”
Unbeknownst to her, I already had it all planned out.
*****
With a full belly and a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, I stood on the stage proudly looking out across my Pack.
There had been a gingerbread building contest – prepared by Kate and Peyton as I forbade Lily to ever attempt baking gingerbread again.
There had also been cookies to decorate or just eat.
The kids had battled it out in a fake snow ball fight.
We hadn’t gotten any real accumulation yet, but Lily had arranged to have buckets full of large cotton balls for them to throw at each other.
There had even been a Jingle Run for those whose wolves had not yet come in.
Our youngest pack members had gone all out dressed up like elves complete with jingle bells on their costumes as they raced to the finish.
That wasn’t all either. After the indoor festivities wrapped up, Lily moved us all outside where dozens of firepits were blazing and there was a table full of baggies of s’more fixings. Kids and adults alike loved all of it.
I could see their happy faces as I looked out across the lawn.
“When my mate came to me just a few weeks ago with her plans for Christmas this year, I feared she was taking on too much. I know, you’re all shocked to hear that Lily would dive right in and overdue it all.”
I paused to let everyone chuckle as Lily shot me a look promising payback later.
“There were of course a few hiccups along the way. Need I mention the town’s first Christmas tree?”
She covered her face with her hands and shook her head causing even more laughter to ring out.
“For a while there it felt like everything that could possibly go wrong was going to. I am so proud of how my mate, your Pack Mother, rose to the challenge, and persevered to ensure we would have the most perfect Christmas that Collier Pack has ever seen.”
Clapping and cheers filled the air. I raised my hand to settle them back down because I wasn’t done.
“I know she didn’t do this alone. So, my sincerest thanks to the Christmas committee.” I turned and waved to where a group of them were standing just offstage. “For not only coming through for us, but also putting up with Lily through it all.”
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad!” she protested to the amusement of everyone.
I winked at her.
“And most especially a huge thanks to all of you.”
Lily walked over to stand next to me with Cammie in her arms.
“He’s not kidding on this. Each and every one of you pulled together to make this holiday season something extra special.
From the lights around town, to my rescue after a certain tree incident.
You stepped in while I was quite literally down and found the perfect tree for all of us.
Tonight wouldn’t be happening if it had been left entirely up to me. ”
Tears started to glisten in her eyes. I wrapped an arm around her as she sniffed before continuing.
“You all know I set out to do this in order to give my daughter the absolute best first Christmas any little girl could ask for. I wanted everything to be perfect and I had planned to document every second of it. Which I didn’t, so if any of you have pictures or videos, please do pass them my way.
Anyway, my vision of a perfect Christmas was what I thought it would be.
It wasn’t the tree or the lights, none of that stuff, that made this year so precious to me.
It was each and every one of you and the way you rallied together like never before to make this happen. Merry Christmas!”
She rested her head on my shoulder trying not to completely give into her emotions in front of everyone.
“With that said, I’d like to officially kick off the first annual Collier Pack Christmas Eve run.”
Without hesitation I shifted on the spot, letting my clothes tear from my body as my Pack cheered and then followed my lead.
Once the majority had shifted, I lifted my mouth to the night sky and I howled.
There was a hauntingly beautiful chorus that echoed as I took off running through the golf course and towards the open fields of Collier Ranch beyond, leading my Pack as I was born to do.