Page 19 of Claiming the Shifter’s Heart (The Macconwood Pack Tales #16)

C hristmas Eve was a whirlwind of activity. Snow was expected to start at nightfall, and dinner was a big mishmash of southern and northern dishes, which required two emergency trips to the market.

But if asked, Kristoff would have told anyone and everyone that he enjoyed every single minute of it.

Since Della and the kids kind of missed their decorating of the tree party, they’d decided to hold it today and spent all morning baking edible ornaments. Most of which he and Sean ate.

She was forgiving though, his mate. She even let him lick the bowl after she put another batch of cookies in the oven.

Michael, Samantha, Maya, and Aunt Eileen invited them over, and they’d just finished eating when the kids all raced to the living room to watch some famous somebody read aloud from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas .

“Whiskey? I have a bottle of Bite somewhere around here,” Michael asked, and Kris nodded.

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Ooh, and how about music?” Samantha said, she winked at Della then used her cell phone to connect to one of the several wireless speakers in the room.

“Uh, what the heck is this?” Kris murmured as the sounds of opera came streaming through.

“It’s Puccini! The music of love,” Samantha said, mouth open and grin on her face.

“Well, for some, it might be. But here, let me see that,” Kris said, and took her offered phone.

Smiling as he perused the selection, he hit play and turned to Della as a familiar tune began. She gasped, her cheeks turned pink as her gaze raced to all the adults in the room.

“You told him!” Della accused Samantha, who was shaking her head and giggling so hard she actually snorted.

“Told who what?” Michael asked, returning to the room with a bottle of Holiday Bite , the red label, and four squat glasses. “Oh my fuck, is this Rick Astley? I love this song!”

Della and Samantha both stopped their play fighting and stood stunned as Kris and Michael started belting out Together Forever at the top of their lungs.

“Someone make it stop!” Maya shouted, grinning from her position in the doorway.

Della noticed the teenager was recording both idiot males on her smartphone. Would serve them right if she used it later on as blackmail.

“That’s not Christmas music, Dad! This is,” Sean said.

Her sweet little boy smirked mischievously as he took Samantha’s phone and played his favorite carol, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

Later that night, as they tucked the kids in bed, Kris stopped by Sean’s bed last. But the little boy wasn’t sleeping yet.

“Dad?” he asked, and Kris’ heart squeezed like it did every time he called him that. “What’s up, Buddy?”

“I’m worried about Janie.”

“What are you worried about?” he asked, aware of his mate standing behind him.

“I used both our letters to Santa to ask for a dad for Christmas. Now I think she’ll be sad if there are no gifts under the tree,” he whispered and clutched his hands together.

“Hey, don’t you worry about that. I’m one of Santa’s helpers, remember? And I promised you a good Christmas.”

“Okay! Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy!”

Kris guided a worried-looking Della out of the room, and she shook her head.

“Kris, you shouldn’t have said that to him. I was only able to get them a few things this year with the move and all,” she said frantically now as she thought about how disappointed Sean was going to be in the morning.

“Do you trust me, mate?” Kris asked, pulling her down the hall.

“Yeah, but— oh my God! I didn’t even notice when we walked in. But when, how did you do this?” she asked, covering her gasp as he pulled on a dark blanket that had been hiding a pile of presents beneath their cookie decorated tree.

“When you sent me out to the store twice. Oh, and there’s something there for you too, Mama,” he said, biting his lip and pointing to the tiny box on top.

“Kristoff,” she whispered, sounding breathless and sexy as hell.

“You claimed my heart the second I saw you. It took a while, but I’ve given you my bite. Now, I want to give you my name,” he said, dropping to his knees and opening the box.

“Oh, Kris.”

“Is it a yes, Sweet Girl? Will you marry me?”

Tears dripped down Della’s beloved face, but she nodded, dropping to her knees and launching herself at him.

Good thing for Wolf reflexes.

He caught her easily, crushing her against him as he found her lips with his.

If there was a reason he was born, it was to do just that. To love this woman. To be there for her. To be a father to their children. To lift her up and watch her rise like the queen she was.

“You make me the happiest man alive,” he said, burying his nose against her throat.

“Good. Now lay down and let me show you how much I love you.”

“I can do that, Sweet Girl,” he said eyebrows raised as he did as he was told.

Watching his sweet mate strip slowly and helping her take off his clothes between kisses, nibbles, touches, and caresses was one of the sexiest damn things he’d ever experienced.

God, he loved her like this. Confident and beautiful, embracing her sexuality and trusting him to have her.

Della slid her wet slit over his cock, lifting as she took him in hand and placed him at her entrance. She sat down, taking him deep, and he growled, squeezing her plump cheeks and holding her just right.

“You’re so beautiful, mate.”

“You feel incredible,” she told him, tilting her head as he licked a trail from her earlobe to her fantastic tits.

Della was a goddess like this, working him over, rocking her hips, and stroking him just right. He gloried in her beauty, dazzled by the miracle that was his mate.

“Look at you, Baby. Fuck me, you’re so perfect.”

“Wanna come with you, Kris? Please,” she moaned.

Kristoff nodded, taking some control back, guiding her hips and thrusting up to meet her rolling sex.

Fire built inside him. An inferno of pleasure about to burst. Their eyes locked, sweat coated their skin and Kris nodded, kissing her hard and they pushed each other into beautiful oblivion.

After that there were slow, deep kisses, and feelings of their incredible matebond, that impossible connection pulsating through their veins.

Kris helped her tidy up, finding their clothes and tossing them in a hamper. He picked her up, princess style, and had the blanket he’d used to cover the gifts wrapped around both of them when he stopped suddenly on the stairs.

“What are you doing?” she whispered as he bent his head.

“Mistletoe,” he replied mischievously.

This kiss was different. It was slow and sexy and full of affection and adoration, and Della simply melted against him.

“Mommy? Are you kissing Santa Claus,” a tired sounding Sean asked from the top of the stairs.

Both adults laughed as they went to bring their boy back to bed. She smiled as she left him snoring softly and happily tucked in.

Kris was waiting in the hallway for her. His life had taken one helluva left turn, but he was glad for it, and so damn thankful. He watched her closely as she stepped into him.

“What is it, Sweet Girl?”

“I was just thinking, it took a long time to get here to this moment, and it wasn’t easy. But Kris?”

“Yeah?” he asked, concerned.

“It was worth it. All of it was worth it so I could be here with them,” she said nodding towards the kids’ room, “and with you, my mate, my love , right now.”

“Woman, you know you own me, right? You gave me everything. Made me a father. Accepted my claim. I love you so fucking much,” he growled.

She made him so grateful. Made him feel so much.

“I love you too,” she said, tears of joy streaming down her face, “and well, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas before anyone else could.”

“Merry Christmas, mate. Come here.”

Kristoff pulled her close and kissed her just as a shadow fell across the moon outside the window where they stood. A distinct laugh could be heard, and the jingling of sleigh bells sounded off somewhere in the distance, getting further away by the second.

“Was that?” Della asked, lifting her head, and staring at him with those velvet eyes he adored.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly, completely smitten with this woman and happy to bask in the magic of the season with her.

The two of them stood there together, looking at snow falling from the night sky. Hope filled them both as promises for a brighter future were already being kept.