A Very Mystic Christmas (The Mystic Wolves) by Belinda Boring Read Free Book Online

managed to tease poor April when she poked her head out of the kitchen, flour powdering her cheeks from whatever she was baking. Her face flushed an adorable shade of red as I winked, but I didn’t stop to chat. I was on an elf-free mission.
    All I needed to do was walk through the large family room and I’d be home free. Jiggling the car keys in my pocket, I didn’t notice how strangely quiet the living area was. There was almost always at least one or two pack members sitting on the couches watching TV, usually Wade or Eric, yelling at whatever referee was ruining their favorite game. Sometimes I’d find Jasmine curled up on the love seat, her nose in a book, or conspiring with Darcy.
    Darcy was like a ray of sunshine. Mason had experienced some pressure to date and find himself someone to settle down with. I’d been his wingman for years ; and the steady parade of women trying to catch his eye had been exhausting. Seemed everyone liked the prestige that came with becoming an Alpha’s mate, but once they were exposed to the lifestyle, they didn’t like the responsibilities that came with it. I’d had to run interference a few times, untangling Mason from the grip of a calculating, social climber. All he wanted was someone to love; and, from what I’d seen, Darcy was it. She was exactly the right person for him and the pack adored her. Within a short period of time, she’d found herself an honorary member of our family; and it wouldn’t surprise me if Mason made it more permanent soon.
    Distracted by my thoughts, I brushed aside the feeling of being watched , and headed toward the front door. Suddenly the TV turned on, the volume loud, and I jumped with surprise. To an innocent bystander, it might have seemed like it was from fear, but there was no way my male ego would admit that.
    I glanced back and sure enough, the television was blaring to an empty room.
    “ Hello?” Looking around, I was the only one here. “ Okay, this isn’t funny.”
    I didn’t move, choosing instead to wait for movement. Nothing. Closing my eyes, I groaned loudly. I was going out of my mind, jumping at nothing. Letting out a nervous chuckle, I hurried over to the coffee table and reached for the basket where the remote usually sat.
    “ Where is it?” I murmured, scouring the surface before glancing over at the entertainment unit. The remote was nowhere to be seen. Dropping to my knee to see if it had somehow fallen under the furniture, my hand came to rest on the couch cushion and I looked up.
    That damn elf.
    Sure enough, there he was, smiling like he had the biggest secret in the world, with a bottle of root beer propped beside him on one side and a bowl of popcorn on the other.
    “ What does it take to get rid of you?” I asked, shaking my head. “ You know what, I don’t care. Play whatever games; I’m out of here. Enjoy your movie! ” Pushing up onto my feet, I gave one last disgusted look at the Christmas toy. If I didn’t hurry, I’d be late to the theater and my afternoon plans would be ruined.
    I didn’t know who was behind this, but there was no guarantee they’d hung around. I looked back at the TV. For my whole life, my mother had drummed it into me that whenever I left a room, I had to make sure everything was switched off. Lights. Irons. Kitchen appliances. Stereos. And, in this case, the television.
    Annoyed, I lifted the cushions beside the elf to see if the remote had somehow fallen between the cracks. When my search came up with nothing, I quickly scanned the room. It was nowhere.
    Barking out a laugh, I realized how stupid I was. I’d just wasted five minutes looking for the remote when all I had to do was turn the blaring flat screen off from the source. This was further proof I needed a break.
    I clicked the picture off, plunging the room back into the silence. It was so quiet that I heard a soft noise behind me.
    “ Hey, if you find the . . .” Turning around, my words lodged hard in my throat when