Chapter Five

Wolfe

Noel passed by the toy store, not even giving the overpriced and over-plastic place a second glance. I tried to keep him outside and interested in more natural toys since we shifters preferred those things to the plastic all around us. But once inside the secondhand store, there was no stopping his curiosity or enthusiasm.

The vintage toy section piqued his interest more than anything I could have bought him brand new. Still, he passed on every toy, even the cute wooden, hand-painted top he asked me to test out for him.

He liked those things. They made him smile. But he didn't want to take anything home. Until we got to the Christmas section. The metal shelves with diamond-shaped cutouts were filled with Christmas items of all kinds. Stocking holders. Christmas ornaments. Most of them were broken or at least damaged, but a few were cute. I felt sad for the ones that were personalized by someone who cared and then discarded to sit here. No one would buy them because the words didn't fit their situation, but they were too beautiful to trash.

What a shame.

"How about the toy soldiers?" I asked. "Look how their mouths work." I demonstrated that and mentioned how cool their hats and beards were, but he didn't like them.

"I like elves. I'm trying to find an elf," he said with a good bit of resolve. It actually surprised me. Noel hadn't ever shown any interest in elves and never wanted one of those creepy ones that were posed and contorted on shelves.

"Not the one…" I showed him a picture on my phone, and he curled his top lip. Jeez. The kid knew what he wanted. "No, Dad. Not that. That's for babies. I want a real elf."

"A real elf? I'm not sure if they have them here, pup."

He put his fists on his hips and furrowed his brow. "I know they do. Can you give me some space to look, please."

I shook my head and wandered to the next aisle where I could see him through the shelves, but he had his "space." He was growing so much, not just physically but getting more mature. I wanted to be the best dad I could, and giving him the space to grow was part of it.

"Oh, there you are. I knew I'd find you." I watched as he gently moved some things aside a few minutes later, reached back on the shelf, and came out with a statue of all things. "Dad, I found him."

I took my time walking around and approaching him. When I did, he was dusting the thing off with his jacket sleeve and blowing at the dust bunnies that fell off. Strange. It didn't even look old and, as I crouched to Noel's level to take the statue in, the detail was incredible. Red hat with a ball on the end. The top of the hat was flopped over on his head. He had blondish hair and was wearing the cutest little elf outfit—right from the North Pole, it appeared.

"This is what you want?" I asked. "Anything else? Is there another elf that goes with him? Maybe it's a set."

"Dad," Noel said, "it's just him. Not a set."

"Okay. If you say so. Ready to leave now?"

We got to the checkout counter, and the female clerk couldn't find the price tag. We scanned the thing up and down, but there was no tag. "I'm sorry. We can't sell things without tags. The manager has to price them, and she's not here."

"When will she be back?" I asked as Noel's face fell.

"She's on vacation, actually. Not for a few days."

Damn it. My son scoured this place for this statue and now they were telling us they couldn't sell it? "What if I go over to the Christmas section and find something comparable? Would you sell it to us for the price on something similar?"

The clerk bit down on her bottom lip, considering my offer. I certainly didn't want her to get into trouble but, at the same time, not getting this elf would make my night less than pleasant. Noel didn't ask for a lot, but when he wanted something, he was stuck on it. She had a festive sweater on, and name tag. "Bonnie? Can you do that for me? Consider it a bit of Christmas joy for my pup."

"I suppose so. But something really similar."

"You've got it." I came back with a bigger statue that I was sure had a larger price tag than what the elf statue was worth, but I would pay the difference gladly since that was what my son wanted. It was Christmastime after all.

Bonnie bagged the statue, and we moved on to the pet store in the plaza where we had to pick up some things for the stray kitty I'd brought home from the grocery store parking lot a few days ago. We'd made do with what we had, but he needed her own water and food dishes and a bed suited for a cat instead of the blankets piled on the floor near Noel's bed. And a litter box, etc.

Next, we made our way to the grocery store where I bought more meat for the freezer, things like pork and beef that I couldn't hunt on my own, along with staples to fill the pantry in case we were snowed in, which we would inevitably be. Hazard of living in such a lovely cabin in the woods and a price I gladly paid for my son's freedom to roam and play.

With a car full of food and items for Snowball the girl cat, we drove home. I looked in the rearview mirror to see Noel clutching the elf as he shut his eyes for a quick nap.

My wolf sensed that snow, lots of snow, was coming soon, so I wanted us to hunker down as soon as possible. There was no telling with winter storms, so I had stockpiled everything we needed. Noel's Christmas presents were already wrapped and in the attic, and I now had everything to make our Christmas dinner special, along with cookies for Santa the night before.

David used to take care of these things for me. He would pen detailed lists, and all I had to do was follow them. He took the thinking out of holidays, and I hadn't realized how much I counted on him until it was too late.

If I was ever blessed enough to find a second mate by some kiss of Fate, I would make sure that alpha knew how loved he was and grateful I was for everything he did for me.

Plus, it was good for Noel to have two papas.

After I got a big log blazing in the fireplace, we set Snowball up with her new bed and bowls, and Noel took great care in feeding her. The new elf statue never left his hands, even when he poured cat food out of the big bag. He was really attached.

"Want to help me get everything put away in the pantry and freezer?" I asked once Snowball was settled and snug in her bed near the fireplace.

"Yes. Did you buy flour and sugar for cookies? Can we have some tonight?"

"Maybe, but first we need to get all of this stored away. Can you put your elf somewhere he can stay warm while you help me?" Honestly, I wanted to see how deep this new obsession was.

"Sure. He might be cold." I helped him put the elf on the mantel. The lights on the tree bounced off the elf's shiny exterior, and I found myself staring.

"I'll get the brown sugar!" Noel announced, cookies on his mind. I reminded him we had chores first, and he helped me put the pantry items away while I stocked the freezer. Noel, of course, crowed over all the cute things I got to decorate the cookies on Christmas Eve night and as we finished, he broached the subject again. "Dad, how about cowboy cookies? I know those are your favorite."

They were, but damn, I was tired—down to my bones.

"Okay. You pick out the surprise ingredients, and I'll get the base ready."

Cowboy cookies had become a tradition. David used to make them for me, and every time, they would be different. Sometimes, they had almonds or pecans. On occasion, he'd frost them with cookie butter or cream cheese icing. He would add tiny pretzels and dried blueberries then would make me guess all the different components.

"Tell me what your choices are, tiny chef."

My son brought his stepstool over and climbed up to set the ingredients on the counter. "Dried cranberries, cream cheese chips, and salted pretzel balls."

"Bold choices. I like it. Now, let's get these cookies in the oven so you can climb in to bed."