Chapter 125

Kayla & Nicholas

Kayla

The next morning dawned bright and clear. I woke up to the sound of laughter and the smell of something delicious wafting from the kitchen area. Nicholas was already awake, the spot where his arm had been around my waist all night having gone cold.

I stretched, my body still warm and drowsy from sleep, and sat up.

“Well, well,” Jade said, already holding a cup of coffee between her hands. “Looks like sleeping beauty finally decided to grace us with her presence.”

I stuck my tongue out at her and stood, crossing over to the kitchen area. The others were digging into a hearty breakfast of syrupy pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit, and coffee. I helped myself to the coffee first before I took a seat next to Emma.

Nicholas was seated across the table, waist-deep in a pile of pancakes. He looked up, his amber eyes catching mine, and he smiled around a mouthful.

“Morning, sunshine.”

“Morning,” I replied, my cheeks flushing as I looked away.

“Oh, Goddess save me,” Jade groaned, grabbing her coffee and getting up from the table. She made her way out to the front porch, although I could see her grinning secretly. She and Emma had both been urging Nicholas and I to get together from the start.

Not that we were… together. Not like that, anyway.

Maybe that was why Jade was really annoyed—because neither Nicholas nor I had talked about it yet, and were simply dancing around each other instead.

We spent the morning preparing a feast for dinner later, the cabin filled with the scent of roasting meat, fresh bread, and spiced cider.

Grace had outdone herself with the fresh ingredients we had brought, and it seemed that when she wasn’t knitting during her time alone here, she was baking bread, because her skills were superior. I helped where I could, chopping vegetables and stirring pots, but mostly I just hovered around, stuffing myself with chocolates and too much coffee.

By midday, the cabin was decorated with handmade ornaments and garlands. Nicholas and Noah broke out the champagne far earlier than they probably should have, but no one complained as they popped the cork with a loud bang. We toasted to solstice, to family, and to new beginnings, the bubbles tickling my nose as I sipped from my glass.

The afternoon passed in a blur, partially due to the drinks. At some point, we moved outside to enjoy the fresh air. It had snowed overnight, and the forest floor was pristine, an untouched white expanse except for our footprints.

Everything was quiet, still, and peaceful.

Until Jade threw the first snowball.

It hit Marcus square in the face, the snow exploding in a puff of white. I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand. Nicholas, beside me, burst out into laughter so forceful that he doubled over, clutching his knees.

Marcus just stood there for a moment, stunned, before he let out a roar and charged at Jade, who squealed and took off into the forest.

The rest of us quickly joined in, the air filled with laughter and the sound of snowballs hitting their marks.

I ducked behind a tree, my heart pounding as I packed a sizable snowball in my hands. Nicholas was nearby, his back to me as he lobbed a snowball at Noah. I grinned, creeping closer, and then I reached around him from behind and smashed the snowball directly into his face.

He froze, snow dripping from his hair and his eyelashes, and then he turned to me, his eyes narrowing into slits.

“You’re dead,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.

I shrieked and took off running, my boots skidding in the snow as I tried to put distance between us. But Nicholas was faster, his long legs eating up the ground as he chased me. I could hear his laughter behind me, and it only made me run faster.

He caught me easily, his arms wrapping around my waist as he lifted me off the ground. I laughed, kicking my legs as he spun me around, and then he threw me toward a nearby snowbank. For a brief moment, the world tilted, whirling around me in a blur of whites and greens.

And then the snow engulfed me, blocking out the rest of the world. The snowbank collapsed in on me, turning my vision into a cold, wet mass of pure white. I went still.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

Then: “Kayla?” Nicholas called, sounding concerned. The sound of boots crunching on snow echoed through the silence as he approached.

I didn’t answer, waiting until he was close enough, and then I sprang up, taking the opportunity to smash another snowball into his face.

The silence broke, the group erupting into laughter as Nicholas wiped the snow from his face, his expression warring between annoyance and amusement. Finally, he seemed to decide on the latter.

“You’re going to pay for that,” he said, flicking the snow away from his eyes.

I grinned, my cheeks flushed from the cold—and the laughter. “Try me.”

…

Nicholas

I couldn’t stop staring at her.

Kayla looked even more beautiful like this, her cheeks flushed from the cold, her red curls slightly frizzy and dusted with snow. It was all I could do to keep myself from pulling her into my arms and kissing her right then and there.

Dammit, when had I become such a softie?

I used to bed women and move on like it was nothing. Love? Commitment? Those were words I avoided like the plague, concepts that I didn’t have time for.

But now… now I couldn’t get Kayla out of my mind, no matter how much I tried.

I chalked it up to the mate bond and nothing more. Hell, I’d blamed the mate bond for the way I had crawled into her bed the other night and made love with her like my life depended on it.

But even that didn’t fully explain the way I felt about her. The way my chest tightened when she smiled, the way my heart raced when she was near.

“You’re falling for her,” my wolf teased.

I grimaced and shoved the thought down. “No. Absolutely not.”

Love wasn’t part of the equation. It never had been. I had always hardened my heart to the idea of love, choosing instead to keep myself safe and focused.

But then there were moments like this, moments where I couldn’t deny the way I felt. The way I held Kayla at night, her body warm and soft against mine. The way I craved her presence, her touch, her laughter.

It was more than the mate bond. More than the arrangement we had agreed to all those months ago.

And that scared me.

Later that evening, after the snowball fight had ended and everyone else had retreated inside to warm up, I found myself alone with Emma sitting on the front porch. I had been working on something for Kayla, a gift for solstice, and although I hated to admit it, I was… nervous.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” I asked, holding the gift out for Emma to see.

Emma took the gift, studying it intensely. I clenched my jaw as I waited, certain that even Emma would judge me for it. But after a few moments, she grinned and handed it back. “Nicholas, she’s going to love it.”

I hoped she was right.

Just then, Kayla walked out onto the porch, flour dusted across her nose. My heart softened once again at the sight of her, and I quickly hid the gift behind my back before she could see it.

“What are you two up to?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Nothing,” I said.

Emma smirked, but she didn’t say anything.

Kayla looked between us for a moment, clearly not buying it, but then she smiled, and my heart melted entirely.

“Dinner’s ready. Come inside.”