The Shadows of Christmas Past

snow-covered pine needles. Marj was wearing a heavy parka, heavy boots, and gloves. She was obviously comfortable in the winter climate.
    "Thanks," he said, and quickly put on the clothing she'd brought in the bag. When he was dressed, he asked again, "What are you doing here?"
    "This was your idea," she answered. "I'm just here to help execute it."
    "I have no idea what you're talking about."
    He was both irritated and surprised that she'd followed him, and happy to see her. He looked at the dog she'd brought with her. Not her trusted Taffy, but a short mutt with loose skin around its head and long ears. "Don't tell me you used that mutt to find me?"
    She nodded. "You can track humans, but not werefolk. Did it ever occur to you to use dogs to track werefolk?"
    "Of course I wouldn't use dogs to—!" He almost sputtered with indignation, and had to struggle to keep his voice low. "That's insulting."

    "Even Taffy picked up your scent. And Bailey, here, is much better at it than Taffy."
    "But—"
    Harry was an expert tracker, and being stumped by the runaways had hurt his professional pride. But if he stopped taking it personally, he saw how Marj's actions made sense. Marj's actions had worked. And hers was a solution that wouldn't have occurred to him because, well, because he was a werewolf.
    He chuckled softly and touched her cheek. "Okay," he said. "You found me. But you still haven't told me why you're here."
    "To help you lure them back to the real world," she said.
    She peered down the hill, shrugged out of the pack and handed it to him, then set off down the slope toward the cabin. The dog ran ahead of her. Neither of them were moving quietly.
    Upwind or not, the young people down there were bound to notice Marj soon. There was nothing for Harry to do but follow after.
    He caught up to her quickly, and they heard the shouting coming through the thin walls as they got closer.
    "I am so taking the job!" The voice was Heather's.
    "No, you're not! You're my mate, and you do as I tell you!" a male voice shouted angrily.
    "Don't take that tone with her!" another woman spoke up. "We didn't come here to be dictated to by males."
    "We came to live the old ways," another male said. "That means the males of the pack—"
    "Do what the females tell them," the second woman cut him off.
    "Maybe in your home pack, Alison, but—"
    "We need the money!" Heather overrode them. "And this is our home pack."
    "What do we need money for?" yet another male asked. "We can survive in the wild."
    Marj turned to Harry and whispered, "The last one's Phil Fennick."
    "I want—things," Heather declared. "I need—"
    "You want to go home," the first male declared.
    "No! I love you, Clark. I want to be with you!"
    "Then what is it you need?"
    "Christmas!" Heather shouted back. "I need Christmas."

    Harry grinned at Marj. "See? I was right."
    She nodded. "And that's our cue."
    With that, she stepped up onto the creaky porch, and knocked on the door. Harry, close behind her, realized that she was humming "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" under her breath.
    The door was flung open dramatically by Heather. She stared at them for a moment, while the other people in the cabin gathered behind her. Finally, she said, "Dr. Piper? What are you doing here?"
    "See what you've done?" Alison accused Heather. "She followed you here."
    Clark stood behind Heather with his hands on her shoulders, protective as he glared at Harry.
    "Interesting company your Dr. Piper keeps."
    "I like to think of her as my Dr. Piper," Harry said.
    He moved forward, nudging Marj ahead of him, but not taking his gaze from Clark Losimba's the whole time.
    He'd been playing the dominance game for twice as long as the werecougar boy had been alive. Besides, he was an Alpha lobo, which was the top of the food chain in the werefolk world. Harry didn't think Clark was even aware of stepping back as he advanced into the shack with Marj at his side.
    Once he and Marj were inside, Harry kicked the door closed behind them. That didn't help the temperature much, as the small woodstove in one corner wasn't any defense against the frigid air let in through the thin walls. The place had only one room with a small window, a bare floor, and no visible amenities. The room held three cots and an assortment of cardboard boxes. The mingled scents, physical and mental, of fox, cougar, wolf, and human was strong, with all six of the runaways crowded into the one-room shack. With Harry and Marj inside,