Pmsingtiger

No I’m just busy with holiday work now so I’m stuck with no time but I’m starting up soon

Chapter 7 - Better think twice “Flying boar twats! Are you fucking serious right now?” Koda shouted into the silent den. “You want to give up your own brother? Just like that?” Koda’s green eyes flicked back and forth to Dega and our sisters as if he was having a hard time believing they would do this. I wasn’t as surprised, actually, I was surprised they were so open about wanting to take me to a psychopath in exchange for our dama. It still hurt to hear it. It hurt enough to make my heart cramp in my chest painfully till I gasped through the ache as it radiated through my chest and into every part of my body. Whining in my throat everyone turned to look at me just as the hair started to recede from my form while my entire body shrank and readjusted in an unfamiliar twist and pull of muscles and bones. I sat there panting, staring down at my pale skin and small feet. Holy fucking pork tits, I’d shifted, right here in front everyone, again. Heart thundering I felt Zora’s strong hands pull me close as I realized I was shaking against his massive body. Massive because I was weak and small, why had I shifted at all? “Easily little one, breath,” he soothed me as a deathly silence lurked in the den. No one said a word but I wish they would, and I wish I was in my den with my pups, even my nipple destroying pup was better than this torture. I didn’t want to shift, I’d come to terms with being who I was but it happened now of all times? “Ira it’s ok,” Koda said while Alloy and Sallo looked kept their eyes trained on my birth pack. I realized all the betas were tense around us as my alpha shielded me with his body. They would protect me, the concept was almost unbelievable since I’d lived my whole life believing I was the one who should protect others, that I wasn’t worthy of protection. Not till Zora had shown me that I was, and now my pack was too. “I’m ok, Alpha,” I said my voice coming out in a soft unfamiliar lilt as I rubbed my face into the strong column of his neck, breathing in his scent. He rumbled soothingly but didn’t release me from his hold, maybe some of his own instincts warning him that I was a breakable twig in this body. “What the hell is this? You can shift?” Dega barked as if it had just occurred to him what he was seeing. “You spent all those years parading around in that form only to be able to shift!” His growls got louder and his eyes darker with anger as he spoke. “Enough,” Zora growled, the sound rebounding off the den walls booming in the small space. “You have upset my mate, degraded him, and further asked impossible tasks of him. You are a defeated alpha and you will act like one. You all are part of my pack now and will respect your pack members, the luperci and wolves. Anything regarding Hexis and the taken females will be discussed among my betas and me.” “You are not the alpha of my pack!” Dega barred his fangs in rage as his hackles rose. “Dega please,” Corra begged softly trying to calm her alpha brother as the other wolves of their pack began to tense in fear baring their teeth like Dega. “Enough Dega!” I said, intending for my voice to be strong and deep but instead it came out more like a mouses squeak. Of all the moose fucking times— anyways. “You can’t face Hexis alone and giving me to them won’t release our dama or the others. We need to work together, we need to be a pack.” Pulling away from my alpha I heard him growl in warning to the other wolves as I stood on unsteady legs. I reached my hand out, looking at my littermates begging them to see me not as a monster for once in their lives. Koda stood without hesitation and trotted over to nuzzle my palm with his snout, licking my fingers as he sat down beside me. My eyes prickled and I felt the hot burn of tears threaten to fall as I looked down at my brother. I loved him so much and knew with every fiber of my being he loved me too. I looked to my sisters and Dega my other hand extending asking them without words who would they chose? Dega glared at my offered hand, his eyes cold and refusing as the wolves behind him looked between us with unsure glances. Lemira stood on four paws making growls and yips of surprise burst from the small group of wolves. Dega growled the loudest as he watched our sister walk up to my hand and nuzzle my fingers the same way Koda had done only moments before, licking the digits in a familiar welcoming kiss. “Mira, thank you,” I said softly as I threaded my fingers through her grey fur. Koda licked her face as she sat down beside him, bathing her in happy kisses that told her how much he loved her without words. “Lemira, what are you doing?” Dega hissed as his eyes burned into our shy sister. She jutted her chin up high her eyes glaring as she spoke. “I’m tired of your hatred. Our dama loves Ira, and I love him and he has always kept up safe even when everyone treated him like a monster. I’m doing this for our dama and for our pack.” “She’s right,” Corra said as she and Biri both stood and walked to stand beside me. “Ira has always protected the pack and stood with us no matter how he was treated.” Biri nodded in agreement as they both settled in beside me. “We cannot fight this alone, Dega.” Dega bared his teeth, his ears flush to his skull as a look of pure hatred past over his wolf face. “No! We do not need these monsters! We are better off without the females, I did not want them back after their betrayal you did!” He raged, his yellow eyes filled with so much anger I could see him drowning in it. He would destroy the entire pack with all the anger he kept inside of him. The other pack members behind Dega growled, his words burning into their already broken hearts. Without warning the remaining wolves stood and walked past their alpha to stand beside me and my siblings, staring at their broken leader with weary gazes. Dega’s breathes came in hard pants as the rage only built up inside of him, his eyes darting between all of his pack members and back to me. “I am the alpha, I keep the pack safe. Not you, not monsters!” His muscles bunched and I saw his feet get underneath him as he prepared to launch himself at me. Holy squirrel nuts he’d absolutely lost it, Zora was going to kill him and there was nothing I could do to stop it. “Dega n—” My words were cut off as my alphas luperci arms wrapped around me to shield me with his body, but it wasn’t needed. Svara grabbed Dega mid-jump by the scruff of his neck before tossing him back down onto the den floor. Dega yelped then growled as he faced the massive luperci female, her face contorted into an angry sneer. I relaxed into my alphas strong arms even as my heart thudded like a rabbit taking a massive heart wrentching shit. Mother damn fucking nature but I did not need to be in this form ever again. Why had I ever dreamed of this? Because I was fucking stupid, that’s why! (That’s shouldn’t always be the first answer) “You have a death wish you fucking moron. If you want to die so badly I won’t have any problem tearing you limb from limb right here and showing you what a real alpha can do.” Svara’s eyes burned bright red as she approached the white wolf growling on the floor. “You are no more an alpha then Koda. No wolf your tiny ass pack is. It’s no surprise you were terrified of Ira if you are the best excuse of an alpha they can muster up.” Dega growled again although his tail tucked between his legs as he stared up at her. “I’m not afraid of you.” Svara roared, her maw opening to reveal all her teeth as the sound thundered in the den. My birth pack whined in fear as they moved closer together like terrified armadillos curling up into frightened balls. Dega was no better, his ears lay flat while his tail tucked and his legs shook in the face of Svara’s dominance. “Shift,” she rumbled in a deep demanding tone that even pulled at my own instincts. Dega’s body shifted only seconds after her command, morphing seamlessly into his bulky second form as he kneeled on the ground before her. “Svara don’t—” I started only for Zora to cut my words off with a light nip to my smooth throat. “Settle little one, she will not hurt him,” he assured me. I wasn’t so confident. She looked like she was about to eat him like a freshly killed doe after she’d killed it with her face. That roar would have killed a deer with a heart attack no doubt in my mind. “What’s she going to—” I was cut short as I watched Svara grab my litter mate and spin him around on his knees with little effort before pushing his shoulders down to the ground until his ass was left in the air. Dega’s body shook and a deep whine built up in his throat along with a fearful growl. She didn’t hesitate before she leaned down and licked his— OH No No no no fucking rat feet and everything unholy in the entire world. She licked his ass, in front of all of us! My eyes were bleeding, they had to be. Koda howled with laughter as my sister stared at the entire thing with shell-shocked eyes. Dega was the most shocked of everyone his ass still sky high but his body wasn’t afraid anymore. “Your dick doesn’t seem to mind monsters,” Svara chuckled and I swore I heard Naga laughing. Naga! Laughing! The world was going to fucking explode! Alpha made Svara in charge of Dega. My brother was ‘her responsibility’ he’d said. I’d expected some kind of rejection on her part since she was notorious for following her own paw prints or in other words doing whatever she wanted to do no matter what anyone said. This time all she’d said was “obviously I wanted him if I had my tongue up his ass. He’ll make a good challenge.” Dega had been angry but hadn’t had much choice but to leave with Svara and surprisingly Naga right behind them, to go do….something I didn’t want to think too hard about. Two alpha females in charge of my very uptight, angry littermate sounded like a disaster in the making but Zora seemed to think it was a good idea and at this point, I really didn’t have any better ones. At the moment I had more concerning things to think about, like how fragile were my nipples in this form? Skoll was pretty teethie and looking at the little pink numbs on my chest I didn’t have high hopes they’d stand up to my little demon spawn. I rubbed a finger over the sensitive skin testing the waters and sure enough, milk flowed out but I could feel even the lightest touch on them. The pups were fast asleep for the time being, but it wouldn’t be long before they woke up and I’d have to face the inevitable. “Ira what are you doing?” Zora asked as he walked into the den in his second form. “Wishing you were the one feeding the pups, my nipples are sore and in this form, they are even more sensitive…. Maybe it’s the fur that protects them? I don’t know but I want to change back.” I’m sorry mother for ever wishing I had a second form, I will do anything to change back to my nipples of steel now. My alphas handsome face pinched and I could tell he was holding back rare laughter. He didn’t do it often, but when he did my chest became tight and an unimaginable joy filled me. The same emotions I soaked in every time I looked at my pups or when I thought about my pack. He’d given me all of that. “Let me help you little one,” he rumbled as he walked over to our pelt of furs where I was sitting and knelt down beside me. “Help me how?” Really I did want to change back, but there was a underlining hint to his words and I knew what we were talking about. My body heated as my groin tightened. I wanted to tie, but I also want— He licked over my sensitive nipple making my brain short circuit and my breath puffed out as I gasped. He did it again and this time my dick stirred between my legs as he leaned me back against the soft furs. Moaning I arched into his mouth as he suckled gently on my chest. He growled and tugged on the flesh between his teeth gently pulling until I cried out grabbing his hair. “Alpha, please,” let me ride your thick— “Do not think Ira, feel try to find the change inside.” He said as he moved down my abdomen before swallowing my erection without hesitation. Moaning loudly I thrust into his heat and shamelessly pulled at my wet nipples as I rode his mouth. Oh, mother green nature but it felt so good like fire roiling with intense pleasure through my entire body. Zora skimmed his teeth along my length before dipping his tongue into the slit. I shook, my body feeling like it was going to shatter apart as I tried to focus on the change inside of me. My hips thrust up wildly as I sought out my alphas wet mouth but he pulled back letting the cool air lick at my erection. “Alpha please,” I begged, my voice soft and whining as I arched my back. “Change, Ira and I will,” he rumbled as he watched me suffer. “I c-can’t, please alpha,” I’ll do anything, except not eat squirrels, those things were almost repopulated and I swear I saw three yesterday and my mouth watered. “You can little one. Think of strength, imagine your fur as I sink into your body.” Shaking, I scrunched my eyes shut and thought about my fur and the feel of my ears swiveling on my head. I thought about my talons moving through my toes and the set of my fangs in my muzzle. A warm sensation started to flow over my skin and fill my limbs as my body heated. “Feel your fur cover your body,” Zora urged, his voice deep and husky and his hand slid up my hip and over my ass. I whinned again as my hips thrust up into the air chasing his touch as the warm flood spread through my entire body only heightening my arousal. It was like I was flying apart from the inside out, and all I needed was my alphas touch to— Zora’s mouth engulfed me swallowing me down to the back of his throat just as my entire body pulled tight and shifted. “YES! Don’t stop!” I growled long and loud as my talon tipped hands tangled in my mates hair as he sucked me all the way down from base to tip and back again. Zora hummed deeply sending a rush through my dick and to my hole that felt empty without my alphas knot. Oh, mother, I was dying I wasn’t going to survive this pleasure. At least that’s what I thought until my mate’s throat closed around my cock and his fingers dipped into my hole beneath my tail. Barking out in surprise I released into his mouth as I held onto his head no doubt gagging him in the process. He didn’t complain and once my grasp relaxed he licked me clean before pulling back a devious smile set on his face as he looked at my luperci body. “What?” “You are beautiful in your second form, but I love your comfort in this form.” With that said he shifted in a meld of elongated limbs and growing fur turning into his luperci body. Holy squirrel balls but I was lucky. I had never imagined in my life that I would have pups of my own or a mate that loved me, and I definitly never imagined being able to shift of my own will…. Well, I had a little help but close enough. I sighed happily as my alpha wrapped his arms around me pulling me into his massive chest. Nothing matter at that moment. Not Dega or my missing dama, not Dey and the mystery surrounding her, not Hexis and Lathos and the kingdom, and especially not my luperci body. I was, for the frist time in my life, happy that I was who I was because if I hadn’t been I wouldn’t have the things I had now. Tears pricked the back of my blue eyes as I looked up at my alpha and the words I wanted to say bubbled up in my throat along with my emotions. “What is wrong, my omega?” His deep voice rumbled as he nuzzled my throat. I sniffled and hiccuped as the tears clogged my throat making my nose run. “No matter what you have to promise me something,” I sniffled again. Zora paused and looked down at me with serious black eyes. “Ira, what is wrong?” “Don't,” I took another deep breath trying to talk through my clogged nose. “Do not what, mate?” His voice became worried as he licked over my tear-drenched cheeks. “Don’t let Skoll suck me dry, my nipples can’t take it anymore.” I looked over at my waking pups, my nipple destroyer already awake and looking for milk. No, it was too soon! Mother, why couldn’t alphas nurse too? Zora snorted out a laugh. “He has a fondness for food like his Dama.” I deflated. Yeah, guess that was a trait I’d passed on to my alpha son. Moose farts.

Small human?

Chapter 13 - No More Mr. Nice Sloth “We………. need………. to………... talk.” I read the text message again, and again, before putting my phone down with a sigh. Yeah, I had hoped it would take my family a lot longer to get in touch with me about the whole ‘I’m mated to a wolf’ thing. It usually took them a long time to confront any issues, so it must be pretty bad if this only took them a few weeks not not a few months. Rubbing my slightly rounded belly for the hundredth time, I dreamed about mangos with salt and lime. My mouth watered and my belly gurgled hungrily. “That’s a hungry look,” Terry, the bartender said as he approached me. I sat at the empty bar unwilling to stay in bed a single minute longer. When Walker had said he was going to the club I’d started putting my shoes on and like a good mate he’s helped me. He knew better than to argue with me at the moment, I was still pissed about the whole pregnancy thing. Well, maybe not pissed, how could you be mad knowing you were going to have babies from you and your soul mate? That’s like a sloth hating mangos, and hanging from trees, and even I liked those things and I was a strange sloth. “Yeah... ...I.. ... want… ... salty… ... Mangos,.... ... and.. .. some.. ….slummies,” I pouted as my stomach started to growl insistently. Terry’s face contorted into a confused pinch, “Slummies?” I smiled, mouth watering at the mentions of my favorite snack. “Sloth… ...shaped gummies... ... but… ... they… .. have.. ... small… .. mango… .. chunks… .. in.. ... the.. ... center.” God I really was a sloth at heart. I may have a fast brain but I still loved the same foods and hung from the same trees. “I guess I can’t say much, the rabbits built carrotopia last year and that’s way more extravagant than mango gummies,” Terry chuckled as he put some glassware away behind the bar. He paused, “You know, since you are the alpha’s pregnant mate, you could always get the staff to get them for you.” Terry smirked deviously, his eyes shining with humor. “Oh, I don’t want to bother you Terry, and Walker is busy. I don’t need it that bad,” but damn I wanted them soooo bad. “Well there is someone else working right now,” Terry turned his head to look across the room. I turned my chair to see Jack walking toward us with a sour expression. Oh, I’d forgotten about the evil jackass. Ever since the whole sloffee incident I hadn’t seen him, but I hadn’t been to the club in the last week since my surprise pregnancy so it wasn’t like I’d had a chance to bump into him. Other than a healing cut above his eyebrow, Jack looked none the worse. Too bad. “Do something productive Terry, you don’t get paid to talk to,” Jack gave me the side eye, his little nose scrunching up with distaste. “Let me cut you off there Jack, Walker left me with instruction to make sure Larry gets whatever he needs and it seems he would like some salted mangos and slummies. Since I’m busy receiving the liquor shipment you should probably go get that.” Terry said this all barely keeping the laughter in as he did. The badger was evil down to his core and I absolutely loved it. Jack chittered angrily his nose scrunching up even more, “I’m not fetching anything for a lazy ass sloth!” Terry opened his mouth to speak, but for once I beat him to it. “I’m… not… lazy… I’m… pregnant.” Chew on that colossal size carrot rabbit! Jack blinked, speechless for the first time since I’d met him. He didn’t say anything as he looked down at my belly and back up at my face. “You’re serious?” His voice was tentative, losing all the malice he’d had before. Confused I nodded, “Yes,” I said. Why had he changed so suddenly? I had figured telling him would only stir his anger more, but instead he deflated like a popped balloon. Cheeks turning beat red Jack turned and walked away muttering under his breath as he went, back tense. “Don’t ingest anything this time!” Terry called out to his retreating back. “What……. just…... happened?” I was so confused. Terry laughed loudly while wiping down a glass. “He just went to get you what you wanted.” “Seriously?” Had I missed something? No, I’m pretty sure he still hated me, so why did he just go get me what I wanted? My stomach growled again just from the promise of getting my mangos. “Why?” “Rabbits believe anything to do with a pregnancy should be celebrated and they treat pregnant—” he paused looking at me for a second before saying, “people, like priceless novelties, but I’m sure this is physically painful for Jack.” “Are….. you…... saying—” “That’s right little sloth, Jack is practically your slave till you give birth!” Woah. A slow smile turned up the corners of my mouth as I thought about the implications. All the mangos and maybe just a teeny tiny bit of revenge. I wouldn’t admit willingly to all the things I was thinking about making Jack do, definitely not rubbing my feet, or making him speak slow to sooth my sloth soul. As I dreamed my phone buzzed again with another text message. Across the screen my brother's name appeared along with separate texts for each word. “We………. need……….. to………. talk………. now!” Right below that, an image appeared of the front cover of the most popular tabloid in the country and on it was a picture of me and my mate with the title: Billionaire wolf impregnates a male sloth!? “Oh, that’s not good, not good, not good….Wait, billionaire!?” “Maybe we should come back next year, they won’t notice.” I stared at my parent's apartment door with Walker standing beside me. “You don’t think they’d notice they haven’t seen you for a year?” Walker’s eyebrow lifted skeptically. Oh if only he knew. “There was one year my mother didn’t see me for eight months because I was leaving the house before she got out of the tree in the morning. I would go as far as to avoid her when I knew she’d be moving around the house. Anyways, she didn’t notice she hadn’t seen me for eight months. One day she said, ‘Larry why are you so tall?” I looked up at my mate waiting for his response to that tidbit of information. Walker’s eyes widened, “that’s uh, I’m sorry little one but that is horrible, how did you not die as a baby?” He looked at my belly as if he was envisioning our babies being left for eight months without me realizing it was missing. “If you’re thinking about me doing that I won’t suck your dick ever again, and as for when me and my brother were babies we usually stay with our mother for the first five years. I’ll let you know that was a very slow period in my life.” God, I still remember the days where mom and Paul would just hang around in the same position for hours on end while my brain was doing cartwheels. “I’m sorry little one,” Walker leaned down to nuzzle my cheek his low rumble warming my soul as much as his touch did. God, I was a sucker for PDA, or any displays of affection really. I also might add nymphomania to my list because the amount of time I spent either having sex with my mate or thinking about having sex with him was insane. I was thinking about it right now, how his knot would stretch me just right while my hole leaked around— The front door opened ( slowly mind you we are still talking about sloths) and I could hear my mother starting to talk. “Larry……………….. ………...why…………… ………...didn’t…………… …………...you—” “You’ve never talked that slow have you?” Walker whispered as the door started to open wide enough to see my mother's face. “No, not even when mom got mad for me talking quickly to her. If anything I just avoided talking at all because it irritates me so much.” Just the idea of how little I spoke in a day made me cringe. Before Walker, I’d been using monosyllabic responses and avoided talking at all if I could. I hadn’t realized how lonely that was until I started speaking to my wolf. On reflex, I threaded my fingers with his just as my mother finished opening the door, still obviously talking. “Text……………………… …………...back………… ………...sooner………… …………...We…………… …………...need………… …………...to…………… ………...talk………… ……………...about………… …………...that………… ……………...wolfffff—” She stuttered, her brain finally catching up to the sight of me standing in the hallway with Walker beside me. It was pretty comical watching my mother's eyes go from lazy hoods to slowly but surely popping out of her head. “Why……………………… ……………………...is……………………… ……………………...he—” “You didn’t tell her I was coming did you,” Walker said, talking in between my mother's words. “Nope, I figured you’d get me out of here ten times faster. Also, you’re my mate and they need to get over it. Wait till they find out I’m really pregnant,” I was pretty sure mom would faint...again. “……………………...here,” Mom finished, her cheeks red with frustration. “Because… ..mom… ..he’s…. ...my…. ..mate… ..and… ..we’re…. ..here… ..to… ..talk..about… him… anyways.” I pushed the words out, not used to talking so much outside of my head again. It still came out slow and stilted as always and if I wasn’t careful I’d start stuttering or lose my voice again. “Don't……………………… ……………………...talk……………………… ………………………quick……………………… ……………………...with……………………… ……………………...me,” she hissed before turning slowly and walking into the apartment, expecting us to follow. Walker and I gave her some time to get ahead before we even started following. It took us a solid ten minutes to walk to the living room but when we got there I wasn’t surprised to see my father, my brother and my grandsloths. “Oh no… it’s a slothervention.” I paled, I had not been expecting this at all. “A slother— oh, a sloth intervention. Wait, what are they intervening?” Walker frowned as he looked down at me. “My entire life most likely,” I sighed already feeling the four walls of the building crushing in on me. They’d done this to me before, back when I had lost my voice because of quick-talking, but it had been an attack on everything I was. They didn’t understand me, they still don’t, and now they were going to say everything I loved in my life was wrong— again. I wonder if anyone would help me start a sloth genocide— starting with my family? “Easy little one,” Walker laughed deep in his chest, the sound soothing as he threaded his hand through my hair and nuzzled the top of my head. Some of the tension drained out of me and I leaned into him ignoring the disturbed glances of my family as I did. Their eyes were round as the realized my wolf had come with me, no doubt their sloth instincts were screaming to find some really high tree branches right now. “You… can… calm…. Down… Walker…. Isn’t…. Going…. To…. eat…. You.” I grumbled and wheelied over to the nearby empty couch where I sat down heavily Walker following right beside me. Paul narrowed his eyes at me from his chair across the room. “Are……………….. ………………insane,……………… ………………he’s……………… ………………a—” “I won’t hate you if you leave me here to die,” I thought to my mate, waiting for my brother to get through his sentence. I looked down at the coffee table where my mother had set out small coffee cakes for everyone. I couldn’t help but point out the irony, “There is also suicide by cake if you can’t take it even another second longer.” “………………wolf……………… ………………you……………… ………………can’t……………… ………………be……………… ………………with……………… ………………a—” Walker snorted lightly, the sound not even slightly interrupting my bothers tirade. Once a sloth got going they had a one track mind and physically couldn’t stop. “Cake doesn’t kill me, baby.” “………………creature……………… ………………that……………… ………………can—” “I read that wolves were allergic to cake. What does it do if it doesn’t kill you?” Do I want to know? Was there anything worse than death? “It makes me—” “eat……………… ………………you.” Paul finally finished his words timely lining up with Walkers to the point I had to really think about what I’d just heard. If only my brother knew the meaning of ‘eat me’ in mine and Walker’s relationship. “Walker… is… my… mate… and…. I’m…. Pregnant… with…. Our… hybrid…. Babies,” If I put it all out there we could be out of here before midnight, and since it was only nine in the morning, that midnight prediction was hopeful thinking on my part. My grandslmother chirped irritably as my father and Grandslather’s eyes crossed hilariously. Mother and Father looked at my belly, most likely questioning how I could possibly be pregnant. “No……………… ………………no……………… ……………..no—” My mother chanted her eyes wide as she stared down at my slightly rounded belly. “I think you broke your mother,” Walker said while watching my mom repeat herself in slowly. Paul hissed angrily, ignoring our mother's dramatics. “You……………… ………………are……………… ………………insane……………… ………………what……………… ………………will……………… ………………those……………… ………………creatures……………… ………………even……………… ………………look……………… ………………like?!” He hissed and squeaked irritably as he slowly waved his hands up and down. I hissed angrily even as the sharp prick of tears made my face scrunch up. How dare he insult my...uh sluppies. They were going to be perfect no matter what because they would be mine and Walkers. “F-ffffuck y-yyou! Fff-ffuck allllll of y-yyyou!” Walker growled deeply as he pulled me close into his chest, his strength comforting when my stomach was cramping my mind racing. “Easy, slothie. Your babies will be as beautiful as you and as perfect. And you,” Walker’s gold eyes narrowed on my twin. “Call my slups monsters again and you won’t look identical anymore.” His words warmed me when they definitely shouldn’t, I should not condone violence on my twin, but damn I wanted to be the one to beat his ass right now. Paul hissed, but his eyes were wide with fear as he sank back into the couch cushions. Walker nuzzled my head even as his growls made the sloths in the room suck in their slow words, well everyone except my eccentric mother. “No……………… ………………no……………… ………………no—” My mother continued her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at my belly. “Son……………” My timid father spoke up, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion on his older face. “………………how……………… ………………is……………… ………………this……………… ………………possible?” His sloth brown eyes dipped downwards to look at my slightly swollen belly before darting over to Walker and back to me. There was worry written on his face and mounds of confusion. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I tried again but there was no sound and I knew that I wouldn’t be speaking for the rest of the day. “I can’t speak. Why does this always happen around them? Why can I just keep calm and stop talking.” I thought as I became even more upset my eyes stung. I wished they would just understand me, accept me for my differences. I couldn’t be like them no matter how hard I tried. “You………… ……can’t……………… ………speak……………… ………again……………… ………because……………… ………you……………… ………just……………… ………won’t……………… ………be……………… ………normal!” Paul all but shouted each word, saying them much faster. “I am normal! You just wont accept me!” I thought desperately. “He is normal,” Walker said roughly while rubbing gentle circles on my shoulder. “You just won’t accept him.” “Now…………… ………………you……………… ………………saying—” Grandslother Ben started and everyone quieted down for the elder sloth to speak. “………………that……………… ………………you……………… ………………are……………… ………………having……………… ………………babies?” He smacked his lips, his empty gums making his lips dip into his old face. The man was every bit of a hundred years old and the only two children he had were my mother and her brother. He was a quiet sloth mostly, and sometimes I wondered if he was dim-witted. “So……………… ………………they……………… ………………gonna……………… ………………come……………… ……………outta……………… ………………your……………… ………………bum?” “Oh. My. God. Kill me now.” My cheeks burned and I groaned as I covered my face with my hands. My fucking mate could barely keep in his chuckles beside me as the rest of my family squealed and hissed in shock.

Chapter 3 - You’re a vile one So my first attempt to talk to Mr. Grentch hadn’t ended so well. To be quite honest I was terrified I’d die just driving up and down the damn mountain! It didn’t matter, it was all in good Christmas spirit, and I was determined to get Tobias Grentch at least near it. DAMN IT Max, stop rhyming! I was getting worse, my dang OCD was getting the best of me this season. I sighed as I put another package into the rolling bin. It had been four days since I’d brought the pie to Grentch and I still hadn’t come up with any good ideas how I was going to bring the man around. I needed something inspirational, something that would change his outlook on Christmas and the entire town of— “Have you started planning what you’re going to wear to the Christmas eve light festival?” Shakwanda asked Crystal as they put more packages into the same bin. “Light festival?” I perked up. I hadn’t forgotten about the towns biggest annual party, but something about hearing it now made a connection bridge in my brain turning on a metaphorical light bulb. Both Crystal and Shakwanda turned to look at me with curious expressions. Bother woman were known for being the local sass duo, and being in their forties with nothing but time to talk all day I couldn’t see how they wouldn’t be. “Yeah, you know about the light festival Max, you a Christmas freak and don’t deny it.” Shakwanda clucked sarcastically while Crystal snickered beside her. I felt myself blush, the warm pools of heat no doubt bright on my pale skin. “I know about the festival, but maybe you could tell me more?” I knew about the festival inside and out, it was one of the reasons Whoseville had sounded so perfect to me when I was looking for a place to move, but admitting that to the woman would definitely get a good laugh or two about my love for the holiday. “Hmmm well, there is a huge contest judging the decorations on the houses and businesses. Then there is the pie eating contest, the secret Santa gift exchange, the ugly sweater contest and of course dancing and drinking.” Crystal said while using her fingers to count out all of the activities. The idea I was talking about bloomed to life in my brain, sprouting petals of hope as I imagined all the possibilities. Mr. Grentch at the light festival would be the perfect opportunity for him to reunite with everyone in Whoseville and maybe to feel some of the joys of Christmas. The very idea of getting the sexy burly man down here to the festival made my toes curl with anticipation. I really had to stop thinking about the man's beautiful butt. Sweet Christmas that man had a fine ass. I shook my head breaking myself out of the daze I’d fallen into only to see the woman staring at me with strange expressions. “What?” Shakwanda lifted a well-manicured eyebrow in a skeptical look. “I hope that face you just made wasn’t because of the Christmas party, cause if it was you gotta get your head check boy. That’s all I’m saying.” Crystal nodded in agreement. “No, it wasn’t that it’s… never mind. I’m going to take my break. Do you ladies want anything from the diner?” I needed to get out for a few minutes and walk off the uncomfortable situation I’d just put myself into. They both shook their heads, Crystals big hoop earrings rattling against her neck like windchimes. “No sweetie I’m good,” Shakwanda said. “Alright I’ll be back in an hour,” and maybe I can think of some amazing plan to help one man. One big, very surly man. At the diner across the street, I noticed it was pretty quiet which was a blessing. Usually, the place was packed because it had the best food in town, and their hot chocolate was to die for. I shook off the light layer of snow that had dampened my hair from the short walk and looked around for Bethany, the waitress who worked here. I didn’t see her, strangely enough, I didn’t see anyone except one man's back who was sitting in the furthest booth towards the back of the diner. Maybe he knew where she was, I thought as I headed towards the single customer. As I got closer I noticed the man wore a familiar green scarf and beanie on his head and my belly began to cramp anxiously. It would enough to slow my steps down to a crawl as I thought about trying to talk to him again. Sweet Christmas, the man had a way of making people want to avoid him like the plague. Gulping down my nerves I finished walking the rest of the way till I was standing beside his table, shaking like a fall leaf. “Hello again,” don’t be mean, please please don’t be mean. Grentch looked up from his plate of pancakes only to frown even deeper than he already was. “Oh god, it’s you again. Are you stalking me or something?” He looked back down at his plate as if to dismiss me. I was pretty sure if he had a front door to slam in my face again he definitely would. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I didn’t see anyone and I wondered if you knew where everyone was,” mainly the staff, oh god was he a psychopath! Were they in the back! Grentch snorted, “Surprised no one told you.” He cut off a small bite of pancakes before stabbing it with a fork and bringing it to his mouth. “Uh tell me what?” I shifted nervously from foot to foot again looking around the empty diner. The man snorted derisively before wiping his mouth and looking at me again with those sharp green eyes. “I eat at the diner every Wednesday afternoon and that I fucking hate Christmas and everyone in this stupid town. Now that you know I’m sure you can find it in yourself to leave me alone.” With that said he scooted out of the booth and stood, pulled out his wallet and put down an exact ten dollars and seventy-one cents, which I knew was what that cost with tax. Where was his waitresses tip? Without another word, the large man turned away stalking towards the diner door. Spluttering I didn’t think twice about following him. “Wait, what does eating at the diner on Wednesday have to do with anything? Also, you didn’t leave your waitress a tip, that’s very rude. Bethany is a sweet woman who works very hard.” He stopped suddenly and I almost ran straight into his back, my nose brushed against the green cotton of his scarf. The scent of pine and smoke lingered as I took a step back, my face heating as thoughts I definitely shouldn’t be having about this man filled my brain. “Since I haven’t seen hide nor hair of any waitress for the last year I’m not tipping a damn ghost. Shits always on the table when I get here, fine by me I don’t like to be bothered and everyone in this bullshit town knows it.” He growled irritably not even looking over his shoulder before walking off again and leaving the diner. Shocked I stood there for a few minutes watching the front door closed until I heard the sound of plates being picked up from the counter. Looking over to where he’d been sitting in the back I saw Bethany cleaning off the table with a smile on her face. “Hey Max, I’ll be right with you dear,” she said as she took the dirty plates and glass to the back the deathly silence of the diner suddenly filling with the joyful tones of Christmas music. Holy giant candy canes, I hadn’t even realized the music was off. What the hell was wrong with this town and Mr. Grentch? After that day in the restaurant, I made it my mission to catch Grentch at the restaurant every Wednesday for three weeks. The first two attempts were pretty dismal and everyone working at the diner told me I was insane to willingly sit with the man, and sometimes I had to concur that I was probably losing my mind. The first week I sat in the booth and waited for the man to arrive. Bethany had put out his food and mine that I’d ordered and then dashed to the back where she would apparently hide until Grentch left the diner. I mean the man was ornery but he didn’t seem dangerous. Didn’t anyone think they were going just a tad too far? So the first time Grentch saw me sitting at his booth he’d stopped twenty feet back looking like he wanted to bolt. Of course, he didn’t but he’d had a few sour words to say, mainly - “Stop stalking me” and “What makes you think I want to be in your presence?” The man was like a grumpy old donkey who didn’t know how to accept any kindness. If anything the kinder I was the more surely he became. The second time I sat with him in the diner he’d blatantly ignored me. He went as far as to reach across the table and take my silverware and my orange juice. I tried to talk about my parents and how they passed away and why I moved to Whoseville. I’d leave open-ended questions hanging in the air for him, but he’d just keep ignoring me so I didn’t bother to do that again. He’d left that time without uttering a single word to me and he shorted Bethany making me leave the difference for his meal. Think happy thoughts, Max, happy nice thoughts. Sweet baby Jesus, Christmas was only five and a half weeks away and I hadn’t made a dent in the man's walls. He was the most unmoving, stubborn creature I’d ever met! So here I was sitting in the booth hoping that today's attempt would be the one to change the tides. I was an optimistic person, sometimes so much so that I think people were overwhelmed by me but if there was anyone that could make me think pessimistically it was Tobias Grentch. “You trying again, honey? I don’t know why you bother with that man, you could find a nice man somewhere else,” Bethany said as she set down the plate with two pancakes and another with eggs and bacon. “W-What?” She tittered gently, “you ain’t fooling no one, everyone in town is talking about your crush on Grentch.” “Oh, no it’s nothing like that I just—” trailed off as some very obvious things started to slide into place. Like me bringing a hot man a pie up a mountain, or me trying to talk to the same hot man multiple times when he’d told me to leave him alone. Yes the man was attractive, but his personality could kill any blooming attraction...right? “You’re blushing brighter than a string of red Christmas lights!” Bethany laughed before walking back into the kitchen, leaving me with a table full of food. I waited and I waited and I waited some more until over an hour had passed and I started to worry. It was possible he didn’t come because I was here, but there was also a niggling worry in the back of my head that it could be something else. What if he’d had an accident coming down the mountain? Or what if he fell and hurt himself around the cabin? Bethany wandered out of the back looking at the full plates with a confused frown. “That’s odd, the grump has never missed a Wednesday meal.” Worry turned to full out panic as I slapped down a twenty dollar bill for the food before rushing out of the diner, Bethany hollering behind me. Something told me Tobias Grentch wouldn’t let anyone run him out of the diner, definitely not me, and that was what made me worry. I drove up the mountain as quickly as I could manage without killing myself. To be honest, I was terrified of driving up such a questionable road, but I imagine that’s what Grentch loves about it so much. It takes me a solid thirty minutes to get to the cabin and when I pull up I see Tobias’s truck parked where it had been the last time I’d come up here. Worry still niggled in the back of my mind, but I prayed I was wrong. Getting out of my car I jogged across the driveway to the front door. My hand lifted but I hesitated to knock, the memory of last time still all too fresh. I took a deep breath. “Don’t be stupid, Max. He’s just a grumpy sexy man and he’s most likely avoiding you.” We that wasn’t anything new in my life. I knocked on the door. There was silence so I knocked again and again until my knocking became frantic. “Mr. Grentch. Mr. Grentch, it’s Max are you ok?” I heard something shatter and a loud curse from inside. That’s it I was going in one way or another. Without thinking twice I grabbed the brass door knock and twisted surprised when it opened. Swinging the door open I stood in complete shock staring at the naked Mr. Grentch leaning heavily against his couch on a broken vase on the floor next to him. My blood heated to lava in seconds and my eyes about rolled out of my head as I stared openly at him. Oh, sweet Christmas, he was gorgeous. There were muscles everywhere, in his arms his legs, his defined abdomen that rippled with every breath he took. My eyes traveled over the flaccid dick hanging between his legs, it was like a yuletide log the thing was so big. Would it be like licking a candy cane? My brain fizzled uselessly in my head as parts of it most likely leaked out of my ears. It was more flesh than I’d ever seen in person before and I felt myself start to shake with the rush of adrenaline. That was until Tobias narrowed his striking green eyes at me and growled. “What the fuck are you doing in my house?!” Yup, I was dead.

Of course

Now!

Chapter 6 - Don’t shit on the help I lay with my pups curled beside me, their little bodies tucked against my chest and belly as they slept soundly. After leaving them alone with the other she-wolves for almost half the day I’d been anxious to get back to them. It was a physical pull to get them as close as possible to me. The moment I’d seen them the tension in my body had ceased and all was right with the world again. Until Skoll had latched onto my nipple like a ravished beast. That had been a painful experience I would like not to do again. Zora’s strong hand ran down my side, his talons running through my fur and scratching gently against my skin. It wasn’t often that he slept in his luperci form, he only did it when he felt there was a threat nearby, and with Dega and the others nearby, I had to agree I was also uneasy. I could handle myself, but if anyone even looked at my pups the wrong way I think I would be the new definition of a terrifying monster. “The wolf’s words hurt you,” Zora said as he pet over my hip and then to my belly in soothing caresses. Hurt? More like emotionally destroyed, but who was keeping tabs, not me. I snorted, “Dega has a way of sticking a claw in a sore wound and twisting it back open if you know what I mean.” To make matters worse, my dama and all the other luperci females hiding in my first pack had been taken to the kingdom. Svara was certain they would kill them, but I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t just kill them right there and then. Maybe it was my hope, but I’d hold onto it until my claws fell out. Hope was better than nothing. “I could send them away.” Zora continued to rub my side soothingly. “No, I need to talk to them and figure out how Hexis pack found the female luperci and if I can I need to try and save my dama. I know she lied to me, but she took me in when no other female would. She risked everything to take me in, but she did it anyway.” Where would I be if not for her? I’d spent my entire life thinking I was a freak of nature, but the entire time she’d known what I was, half my pack had. Zora was quiet for a moment before he licked gently at the back of my neck, soothing me. “I do not judge them for their fear, I condone them for not telling you what you are. You will decide their fate tomorrow if you want them to stay that will be your choice.” My choice. Moose farts but I wasn’t very good at making important decisions and this one was a pretty big damn decision. Turning away from the pups to face my alpha I slotted my body against his looking into his black eyes as he waited patiently for me. “You know I’m really bad at making choices, that’s why I need you.” Well, that and I think I might actually have starved to death on my own. I really was bad a hunting. Zora smirked before rolling us so I was straddling his hips, his cock rubbing against the seam of my ass as I shifted forward. Mother nature I wanted him, I needed to feel him inside me again. Whining low in my throat I leaned back into his hard length, rubbing my wetness against him. “Easy my omega, take what you want.” Zora’s voice came out in a rumble as he grabbed my hips and helped me position him at my entrance. I didn’t need to build up to this, it had been so long since I’d had him inside of me that when I sank down on him it was an explosion of pleasure bursting from every part of me. “Alpha—” I moaned as I rode his cock up and down. Nothing was better than this, no amount of dead squirrels or even watching Naga fall on her face in a pile of shit, nothing was better than feeling my alpha inside of me. I moved my hips frantically, his claws digging deep into my sides anchoring me to him in the best way. He growled and nipped as my chest until I couldn’t think of anything else. “My beautiful mate,” Zora groaned making my own cock jerk violently as I rubbed against his abdomen. Lighting raced down my spine and to the tips of my toes as my body clamped down on him, his knot pushing in deep just as I spilled onto his stomach. Deep growls and moans escaped us as we rode through the pleasure together. Inside of me, he pulsed filling me with his seed. Too bad for him I wasn’t making anymore babies for a least a year, the females told me so. Still, I enjoyed the sensation of him trying to. Zora rolled us over so we wouldn’t pull at the knot and I could lay beside him on the pelts. Our pups slept deeply, oblivious to what we’d just done. “You know I can’t have any more pups for a while,” I didn’t want him to forget that I had just pushed out four massive creatures not that long ago and I didn’t want to do it again anytime soon. “Actually maybe we could just adopt the next round of pups,” cause that sounded way less painful. Zora chuckled and licked a kiss across my muzzle. “We will have more pups and you will want them. Until then we will have to keep practicing.” “I don’t know about the more pups thing, but I do love practicing.” Alpha laughed again. I sat in the den with my alpha beside me and his betas around us, Alloy, Sallo and Koda sat together beside Zora while Vod, Shy, Geb and Hert sat beside me. Svara stood just behind us with Naga as we faced Dega and his betas, my sister sitting just behind him silently. No one spoke, but there didn’t need to be words to read the hostility in Dega’s eyes. My sisters looked scared with their ears laying flat and their tails tucked beneath them. I wanted to sooth them, to tell them there was nothing to fear here, but I doubted my words would have any reassurance anymore. I don’t think even Koda’s words would have any effects on their spirits at this point, he was after all just as much part of this luperci pack as I was. “You going to start talking any fucking time mutant or are we going to sit here all day?” Svara grumbled irritably. Apparently, she’d caught the Naga bug or she was just on her monthly bitchy cycle. Zora growled but didn’t say something else as he nudged me with his wolf nose. Everyone had decided to come in their wolf forms, well everyone except me and Svara. Her exact words on the subject had been “I’m pretty sure I don’t give a fuck if they are scared of me or not,” and that was the end of that argument. I think alpha just doesn’t even bother arguing with her at this point. It’s about as pointless as hunting mountain goats (those fuckers always end up kicking you in the face, well they do it to me) my point is that it’s a waste of time. Clearing my throat I tried to settle some of the nerves in my poor broken heart before I spoke. It had been over a year since I’d seen my littermates, and after Koda found me and told me of my banishment I’d thought maybe he hadn’t heard it all right. Looking at them now I had no doubt that he’d heard everything just fine. “I still can’t hunt,” I have no idea why I just said that. Dega growled slightly but quickly stopped when alpha bared his fangs. “We didn’t come here to talk about your inability to function.” Dega spat. Right, he still didn’t have a sense of humor. How could I have ever forgotten? “Then why are you here? What happened to our dama and the others?” “They were taken, they— ” Lemira said softly from behind Dega. “Be quiet, Lemira,” Dega snapped effectively cutting her off. “One of you will have to speak or my patience will begin to run thin,” Zora said evenly. Dega growled again, baring his teeth as his hackles rose causing everyone in the cave to tense and bare their teeth in return. “Fucking enough!” Naga barked. “Bare your teeth to our alpha one more time and you won’t have to worry about your pack members.” She hissed dangerously low. “Dega please,” It was Comira this time who spoke her brown eyes pleading for our littermate to relent. It was a long few minutes before Dega relaxed back down to the ground, but I could see the fight drain out of him gradually. When he spoke he didn’t look at me, instead, he spoke to my alpha. Apparently, even to this day, it was a pissing match for him. “We were sleeping when they attacked. There was seven of them all looking just like Ira, but bigger with blood red eyes. They started by killing three of our females then they corralled us together on all sides. Their leader gave us an ultimatum, he said either they could come with them or they would kill all of us. I thought he meant the entire pack, I asked him what he wanted with us. The fucking creature laughed.” Dega snarled at the memory, his eyes far away as he remembered the attack. “It said, ‘Stupid wolves, you’re females have been keeping secrets’ I didn’t understand, but then our dama walked past me. I tried to stop her but she—” Dega paused obviously struggling with what he needed to say. So much anger and pain was in his face it was hard to remember him as the calculating wolf that he was. “She changed,” I said. Dega looked at me then, anger pouring out of his yellow eyes. “She was like you the entire time. Did you know?” He growled deeply only for Zora to bare his teeth in warning. “No, she never told me. Dama never even told me what I was. You think I spent my entire life being an outcast when I knew half the pack was like me?” Moose farts but saying it out loud made it worse. She’d let me go all those years feeling like I was broken, a mistake. How could she do that to me? I wouldn’t have told anyone her secret. Why couldn’t she have told me what I was? Sneering my littermate looked away, “She wasn’t the only one, half the pack females were the same. Hiding among us, mating to other wolves.” There was so much animosity in his voice I felt it down to my soul. I could imagine this was the worst kind of betrayal for him, but no worse than our other littermates, or me. Everything he said was identical to what the females had done here. Living normal lives as regular wolves. “Where did they take them?” Maybe they hadn’t been killed yet, there was still squirrels hair of a hope that they could be saved we needed to try. “They didn’t say, but they did say that we could get them back.” Hope sparked in my chest as I looked between him and the other wolves of my birth pack. There was a chance they weren’t dead, and Lathos had given them an opportunity to get our dama back? What the hell were they fucking waiting for? I shook with anticipation and dread all in one, “Get them back how?” They were silent, my sister's eyes averted not looking at me while Dega seemed to find some joy in staring me straight in the eyes as he told me. “If we bring you they’ll let our dama and the others go.”

Chapter 2 - Are you a mean one? I wanted to know more about Mr. Grentch, and no it had nothing to do with seeing his beautiful rear end. After I found out he sent a nasty Christmas card to everyone in town every year I couldn’t help but think there was more to the reclusive man's story than just a bad nature. Just in the short time I’d met him I’d seen something in those bright green eyes when he’d looked at me that wasn’t as cruel as his intended message to the town folks. I went against every code of ethic of a good postman and didn’t send the letters he’d dropped off. I know I should have but a part of me felt the man did it only to ostracize himself more. Why would he do that? I know it was wrong not to send them, but I just couldn’t do it. So instead I’d started hunting for information of the man right after my shift two days ago, and I hadn’t found much. Apparently the people of Whoseville, Montana did not like talking about the large man on Mt. Grund. Especially, they did not like to talk about him anywhere near Christmas time. I was able to find out from the local barista that Mr. Grentch does not like Christmas not even a bit. Most town folks would even say if anyone mentioned Christmas he’d have a fit. Given his large size and burly appearance he was almost like the town's very own yeti monster living up on the top of the nearest mountain. While no one was willing to talk to me, the one barista, Shelly, told me to visit Rose, the older woman from the post office, and that she knew the most about Mr. Grentch and might be willing to talk. Holding a fresh plate of homemade snickerdoodles I knocked on the little yellow door of the very decorated small house in the outskirts of town. Rose’s house had just about every festive Christmas display that could be expected, even a giant blow up snowman waved from her front yard while light twinkled from the eves even during the day. It warmed me to see so much Christmas spirit again, and it made me have ideas for my own small house. It took a few minutes but finally the door opened and the older woman peeked out with curious eyes. “Hello Mr. Rose, it’s Max from the post office,” I said cheerfully holding up my plate of cookies as I smiled warmly at her. At first she didn’t seem to recognize me her eyes searching before a light shone in them and she perked up with a smile. “Oh yes dear I remember you. What brings you over? Come inside out of the cold, there must be at least three feet of snow out there, come come.” She ushered me into the warm house out of the light snow that was coming down. I didn’t mind the snow, actually I loved it, but I appreciated the gesture and welcome the invite. Inside her house was just as decorated with Christmas cheer as the outside. Garland and candy canes were scattered in various places while her tree was bright as a beacon from the corner of the room. “Well I actually came because I was curious about Mr. Grentch and I was told you would be able to tell me more about him,” I said as I set the tray of cookies on her coffee table and took a seat opposite her on the couch. Mrs. Rose’s face tightened before she sighed heavily and smoothed her hands over her pants. “Oh, well I don’t much like talking about Tobias around this time of the year,” she said gently. “Why do you want to know about him?” I frowned my concern rising. “I’d hoped to learn about Mr. Grentch and maybe help the man reunite with the community. No one should be ostracized and alone for Christmas,” I said. Rose sighed again. “I do suppose I’d like to see him have someone on his side for once. He was such a good boy when he was younger, but Tobias was never much involved in the large traditions of Christmas. He was always so different from all of the other kids and a loner by nature. He never dated any of the town girls, never had any friends. He became outright prickly towards about anything to do with Christmas and he was never hid how he felt about the season and how the town put so much into celebrating it.” “If that’s the case why does he still live here if he hates Christmas so much and is such a pariah? How did he come to hate Christmas so much?” I pressed completely confused how a man raised around so much season spirit hated the holiday so much. Rose figeted in her seat her hands rubbing vigorously across her pant legs. “You have to understand that Tobias is...different. He didn’t always fit in with the other children and they could be quite cruel at times to him and when they found out he was gay that only made them taunt him even more.” Shocked I stared at the woman. Mr. Grentch, the big beautiful burly man was gay? I hadn’t gotten the impression when I’d met him, but then again he’d been less than friendly at the time and had assumed I was insulting him. I couldn’t imagine living in a small town where all the local children tormented him about his sexuality and appearance for years. No wonder Mr. Grentch had lost his christmas spirit, or rather any spirit from what I’ve heard. I still couldn’t understand why the man stayed in Whoseville. Why torture himself? “Did something else happen?” I pressed feeling like she hadn’t told me the entire story. Rose nodded, lips pressed thin. “Yes, the poor dear. He was invited to the Christmas Dance at the local school by one of the boys. At the time no one knew anything of it except for Tobias and the boy and apparently the boys friends. When they got to the dance it was all a big trick on Tobias, they’d lured him there and dumped oil all over him and then green glitter. They called him ‘The Gay Grentch’ it was awful. I was there that night as a chaperone and I watched the entire thing. It was as if the light in his eyes had died out and his heart shrank and died inside of him. After he graduated high school he left to go to college and I prayed he’d find happiness somewhere, but years later he returned and he built the cabin on the mountain and has been there ever since...hating us all.” Now I knew it was no wonder the town didn’t want to talk about Mr. Grentch. Those kids who’d tortured the poor man were running the town and didn’t want to discuss the cruelty they’d been apart of so many years ago. My stomach twisted as I thought of such an event like the one Tobias Grentch had gone through. It poured doubt into my choice to live here in Whoseville. “Has anyone apologized to him?” I asked, almost positive that they hadn’t, not if the current animosity levels was anything to go by. Sweet Christmas how was I going to repair such a broken spirit before Christmas!? Rose’s cheeks pinkened and she shook her head. “No, no one wishes to talk about it and mayor Fefu, well he was the one who lured Tobias to the dance that night and he’s done almost everything in his power to try and chace Tobias away. It’s a horrible situation.” It sounded awful and downright cruel what had been done to this poor man, but why had he come back to whoseville if he didn’t like anyone here? I was confused, but I figured it was my duty as a bringer of joy and happiness to help Tobias Grentch find some happiness here in Whoseville. I was going to make this the best most wonderful Christmas Tobias Grentch had ever seen! I sat in my car clutching the wheel with a death grip as I drove slowly up the mountain. To say that the path was unpleasant would be like saying lava is warm. Sweet Christmas but someone needed to do something about this road before poor Tobias fell to his death coming down the mountain… or up. Either way it was no wonder the poor man didn’t come down often, it was life or death if you tried. It took me thirty minutes of optimism and not looking out my window to the vast steepness down below. I hadn’t realized when they’d said Mr. Grentch lived on top of the mountain they meant that literally. When I finally pulled up to the beautiful cabin on the ledge almost to the top of the mountain I laid my head down on the steering wheel and took a deep, deep, deeeeeep breath of relief. I wasn’t sure how often I would be able to do that without losing some hair and gaining some wrinkles. It took me a few minutes to get myself back together, but once I did I grabbed the freshly baked pie in the back of the car before getting out and walking up to the cabins front porch. It was a beautiful log cabin, and I had to admit the view of the town below and the vast forests and mountains beyond was one of the most awe inspiring visions. I could understand wanting to be here just to see the beautiful image everything below made. Knocking on the door I couldn’t contain the shiver that ran through me. It was colder up here on the mountain and the heavy jacket was nothing against the deep snow I’d trudged through to just get to the porch. “Mr. Grentch,” I knocked on the door again calling out as I did hoping the man would hear me. “Mr. Grentch,” I called out again when no one answered. Maybe he couldn’t hear me, I thought as I knocked much louder on the large mahogany door. “Mr—” The door swung open without warning almost making me fall through the doorway I hadn’t realized I’d been so close to. I staggered dramatically just barely keeping the pie in my hands as I got my legs back underneath me. “Holy bells, I’m sorry about that,” I said looking up at the frowning burly man standing in the doorway. Oh he did not look happy, not in the least, maybe I should have brought more than just a pie, maybe a feast. UGH, stop rhyming in your head, Max. I thought as I took a slight step away from the giant taciturn man. “Hello Mr. Grentch, my names—” “I know who you are, what I want to know is why you’re on my damn porch,” Grentch growled while crossing his large arms over his massive chest. With a gulp I pushed the pie forward so he could see my offering. Hopefully it would be a good enough reason to be on the mans porch. “I thought I’d bring you this and introduce myself the right way. My momma always said it wasn’t right not to introduce yourself to everyone when you go somewhere new. I’ve introduced myself to almost everyone in town except...you.” Tobias narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the pie being offered to him. A slow handsome, but awful smile pulled at his lips before he took the pie out of my hands. “I didn’t need a pie, but I won’t turn one down from an idiot who comes all the way up here.” He took the pie right out of my lax fingers, my shock only able to process what he’d said. “Don’t die of frostbite, Max. I don’t want to have to clean up your corpse from my front lawn,” He said before turning away and slamming the door shut right in my face. “Did he just take my pie and tell me not to die of frostbite on his lawn?” I asked out loud trying to understand what exactly had just happened. Helping Tobias Grentch was going to be the hardest thing I ever done in the name of Christmas.

I have plans for Mr. Nut. That little squirrel is going to be a huge character I'm redeeming my squirrel hatred.