Thorne and Castor carry all the gifts over while I trudge behind, exhausted. It’s close to two in the morning. The kids have long went to bed, and the adults wanted to stay up to hang out. Friday and the guys are all happily drunk. Thorne, Castor, and I thoroughly enjoyed that entertainment but when I could no longer keep my eyes open, I knew it was time to call it a night.

  “Just leave it all down here. We can worry about it tomorrow.”

  The guys put the bags and boxes down by the couch and follow me up the stairs. We peel clothes off of our bodies and crawl into bed. I’m sleeping before I even hit the pillow.

  “Do not let me drink like that ever again.” I laugh. “I mean it. Alcohol and I do not get along.”

  Callan stands in front of the stove looking worse than I’ve ever seen him. Don’t get me wrong, his worse is still better than most, but Callan is almost always so well put together. Dressed sharply, clean face, styled hair. This morning, his hair is sticking up in some spots, his face has a bit of stubble on it, and the buttons on his shirt are all skewed, leaving one side hanging lower on the bottom. I want to tell him, but decide I better not.

  “Can’t make any promises there. Do you need some help?” I offer him a smile and he returns it, though his looks tired.

  “Scramble the eggs?”

  “You got it.”

  I move to the bowl and start scrambling. Soon enough we have each burner on the stove covered with a pan with some sort of food cooking in it. The oven is on, filled with other pans full of food. I start to set the table in the dining room when my guys come in.

  “Morning, baby.” Thorne slides his hand around my waist, pulling me close and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. As he walks away, Castor takes his spot. Only he cups my face with both hands and presses his warm lips to mine in a sweet, chaste kiss that makes my belly warm.

  As he pulls away, the ache in my chest ruins every good thought I had.

  Hunter.

  I growl internally, focusing on setting the table. Thundering on the stairs tells me that Lenny is up and full of piss and vinegar this morning. There are only two days during the year that he is ready to go in the morning.

  Christmas and his birthday.

  It’s almost like he’s a child.

  “Stop running in the house, Leonard!” Alec shouts after him, coming down the stairs too.

  “No shouting, asshole,” Maddox says in his normal gruff tone, also making his way down the stairs.

  “Um, language!” The female voice tells me that Friday is following them all down and the little giggles and soft cooing tells me that Briella and Milo are with her. And the soft tapping on the floor… Grim is here too.

  I watch everyone as they file into the kitchen. Happy, smiling, loving.

  I want this for myself.

  Yes, this is my family. But I want what they have with my guys. All of them. All three of them.

  We all enjoy breakfast and we stay to watch the kids open the gifts they received from Santa. Family gifts get opened on Christmas Eve while Santa’s gifts get opened in the morning. Of course, it’s only stuff for the kids, but watching them open gifts makes me happier than getting them myself.

  Seeing Briella’s eyes light up as she opens up her gifts makes my heart full.

  Watching Milo tear off tiny pieces of paper and stare at them before letting go and watching them flutter to the ground makes me smile. He doesn’t care about the toys, all he wants is the paper. But it’s freaking adorable.

  After an hour of the kids opening their gifts and getting way more than they could ever need, me and my guys head next door to change for the day. Thorne packs the car with all of our things, since we will be staying for a couple of nights.

  I have to say, I am actually excited about going there this time.

  And I really hope Hunter is there. Because I have some things that I need to say to him.

  Thirty-five

  Hunter

  “The fuck do you mean you don’t feel good?”

  Breathe.

  I have to keep saying this to myself over and over again. Or else I may kill him right here and now.

  “I don’t know, I just don’t feel well.”

  “So you’re telling me I have to go have Christmas dinner with all those assholes without my goddamn wife?”

  “I’m sorry. I just—”

  “Unfuckingbelievable. You know what? Enjoy Christmas by yourself, you fat cunt.”

  Just breathe, Hunter. Breathe.

  Inhale, count to five. Exhale, count to five.

  I can do this.

  The door slams and I close my eyes, taking a moment to calm down.

  I can’t kill him.

  I can’t kill him.

  I can’t fucking kill him.

  Thirty-six

  Leona

  The doorbell rings and I hear shuffling on the other side. Soon enough the door is opened and I’m greeted with a face I haven’t seen in far too long.

  “Oh my! Honey, it’s Leona! Come in dear, please, come in.”

  Lina’s mother ushers me inside of her house. It’s warm and smells like cinnamon.

  “I can’t stay for long. We’re on our way to my boyfriend’s house, but I wanted to stop in quickly.”

  I hand her the box that I put together for them.

  “You didn’t have to do this, Leona.” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears.

  “I know, but I wanted to.”

  Making my way into the living room, I go over to Lina’s little brother and sister, giving them each a hug. Her father walks in, wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

  “Leona, to what do we owe the pleasure?” He asks, a tired smile on his face.

  “She brought us a gift.” His smile gets a little brighter.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” he says.

  “It’s nothing really. Just a little something. I’m sorry I haven’t been by more often, I’ve just been busy…”

  Lina’s mother waves her hands at me, taking a seat on the side of Ella, Lina’s little sister. “Nonsense. It’s not your responsibility to take care of us.”

  “How are you?” I look from her to the father, to the siblings. She takes a deep breath before letting it out.

  “As well as can be.”

  I nod, offering a smile. She keeps her eyes locked on me for a moment longer and I swear she’s going to cry, but instead she lets out a sharp breath and moves to open the box.

  “Oh, Leona. This is wonderful.”

  She pulls out the large throw blanket that I had made. There is a picture of Lina on it, one from two summers ago, right when it was ending and school was beginning. We were at the lake one of the afternoons, just walking by the water. I snapped a picture of her posing by the water. It’s the best one I could find. It captures her personality perfectly. No forced smiles, no stiff poses. Just Lina being her silly, confident self.

  I watch as the tears roll down her cheeks this time, she bunches up the blanket in her fists and holds it close to her chest.

  An arm wraps around my shoulder. I look up to find Lina’s father. “Thank you. It’s lovely.” I smile, holding back my own tears. Lina’s mother pulls herself together quickly, leaving the blanket on the couch and walking over to the tree. There is a large bag in the corner.

  “We have a few things for you too. There is a gift in there, but mostly it’s some things of Lina’s we want you to have.

  “Oh, you don’t—”

  “Nonsense,” she says with a laugh. Lina’s father pulls her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. “We want you to have it. You don’t have to open it now, I know you’re in a rush.”

  We say our goodbyes and I head out the door to the Jeep and hop in the front seat.

  “All set, baby?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  The sound of laughter meets my ears the moment I open the Jeep door. A cacophony of voices can be heard all the way outside.

  “Everyone must be here already.”

  My stomach does a little twist at the thought of Hunter being here already. I was hoping we would get here first so I could have some time to get used to the place again. Thorne takes my left hand while Castor takes my right and we head inside, straight towards the living room where all of the noise is coming from. As we step through the doorway, all heads turn towards us. There are so many people here I can’t even count, all of them smile and get up. The younger ones all start yipping and cheering at our entrance, being quite dramatic but it makes me laugh anyway.

  We take our time hugging everyone and saying hello.

  I notice right away that Hunter is not here. Though there is an unfamiliar man that looks like him in the tiniest sense. I wonder if that is his father. If so, where is he and where is his mother?

  “We’re so glad you’re here!”

  “Yeah, we’ve been waiting for you forever.”

  “Can we open the gifts now?”

  “How about a celebratory shot?”

  “You’re not old enough to drink, asshat.”

  “No swearing.”

  The smile stays on my face and all sense of nerves leave my body.

  This is my family.

  Thirty-seven

  Leona

  It’s only when dinner is over and everyone is mingling around that Hunter shows up.

  Somehow he’s gotten hotter than he was the last time I saw him.

  How long has it been? Five days?

  Five days too long.

  The voice in my head clearly has no recollection of how much of an asshole Hunter is. Though, she wouldn’t, would she? My wolf has been locked away. All she knows is the mate bond. Everything in me wants to give in to her, allow her instincts to take over, and go after him the way she wants. But I can’t do that. I’m too prideful. Maybe that’s a problem, but it needs to be this way for now. I have a plan, and I’m sticking to it.

  Hunter needs to make a choice.

  And today is the final day for him to decide.

  Because I refuse to take his leaving as an answer.

  I want to hear the words.

  I need to hear them.

  If he is actually going to reject me, he needs to say it.

  My eyes flick back to Hunter, looking at him as secretly as I can. He doesn’t look at me, but I know he knows I’m here. I know he can feel it. I’m sitting at the kitchen island, in the same spot I was sitting that night I took his phone and shoved it into my bra. I don’t know why I feel that was a pinnacle point in our non-relationship, but it’s burned into my brain. Maybe it’s more about me. The confidence I felt. The fact that I stood up for myself.

  I watch as he saunters into the room I’m in. Thorne turns his head first, slapping Castor on his chest lightly and tipping his head in that general direction. Castor turns and takes him in, his jaw tense. He looks to me, his dark eyes sad.

  “Don’t worry about him. He—”

  “I’m not,” I say. “I have a plan. Think you can help me?” My eyes dart from him to Thorne, asking for their help.

  Castor raises an eyebrow as Thorne grins.

  “Yeah, I think we can do that.”

  I lean closer to them, lowering my voice. “Think you can sneak me a drink?”

  Thorne’s grin grows and he pushes off the island, heading over to the cabinet to grab a glass.

  “Ten minutes ‘til the football game!” One of Toni’s mates—I can’t remember his name—shouts through the halls.

  I don’t know much about football but I didn’t realize they played on Christmas.

  “Oh! I want to be on Leona’s team!” Jillian screeches, bouncing over to me.

  “Me too, me too!” Toni joins her a second later.

  “Team?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Christmas football game. Duh!” Jillian taps me on the head, her bright purple eyes shining in the light. I try not to stare, but I can’t help it.

  “It’s okay, I’m used to it,” she teases.

  My face scrunches up… can she—

  “On, no. I can’t read your mind. It just happens all the time.”

  “Jillian, leave her alone.” Castor rolls his eyes, coming up to my side. She sticks her tongue out at him and loops her arm in Toni’s. They leave the kitchen.

  Thorne comes back in this moment, handing me a glass filled with soda and something else. I can smell it. I’ve noticed my sense of smell has gotten better. Along with my hearing.

  “Are you going to tell us your plan?” Castor asks as I take a sip. The sharp taste of rum hits my tongue as I swallow down the drink.

  “I wasn’t planning on a football game. I’m not sure it’ll work.”

  “Baby,” Thorne says. “We’ll make it work.”

  And something about the glistening in his eye tells me he’s not lying.

  The football game was… eventful. That’s the best I can come up with. I don’t know a thing about football so I spent the entire game being shouted at and told what to do. Even my wolf was hiding, a bit scared of everything going on. I was so overwhelmed with emotion she didn’t know what to do either.

  From what I was told by everyone, it’ll take some time for us to get to know one another. It may be awkward at first, but eventually, we will work together like a well-oiled machine.

  I’m looking forward to those days.

  I’m not so much looking forward to shifting. I know it’s going to be painful. And the what if keeps popping up into my head.

  What if I can’t shift?

  Pushing the thought away, I take a long sip of water from the bottle that Castor’s mother brought me. She’s very sweet and I’m hoping I’ll get to know them a little better like how I got to know Thorne’s parents. I drink half of the bottle before I feel better. I’m thirsty from the exercise, even though it’s twenty degrees outside. I’m not cold at all, and I have my wolf to thank for that. She perks up at the thought, and I smile to myself.

  “One more round, only we play as our animals!” Noah shouts. I think he belongs to Jillian. Or maybe it’s Toni. I groan internally. There are so many new faces and I have no idea which names belong to who.

  “Come on, Leona,” Jillian says with a smile.

  I shake my head, holding up my bottle of water. “Count me out. Sports just aren’t my thing.”

  “Boooo,” she groans, but with a smile so I know she’s joking. She turns around and runs to the field, shifting as she goes. She’s barely visible in the dark. There are plenty of lights out here, but her fur is so dark and sleek that I can barely see her. I can’t tell what she is from here, all I know is she’s some kind of giant cat. And she’s beautiful. Castor catches my attention from the corner of my eye as I’m staring down Jillian, trying to figure out what she is. He tips his head towards me and I know it’s time. He pulls out his phone signaling that he’s about to do it. Taking one last sip of water, and emptying the bottle, I toss it into the trash and sneak inside.

  I make my way upstairs to Thorne’s room. I keep the lights off, but can still mostly see as the light from the moon shines through the window.

  This probably isn’t the best idea I’ve ever had, but I’m going to blame the alcohol on that. This was not my original plan. Nope. After finishing off two drinks, I found my first plan to be boring and somehow this one took its place.

  But go big or go home right?

  It isn’t long before Hunter walks into the room, his face annoyed. He doesn’t see me standing by the door, looking through Thorne’s collection of books. He walks right in and towards the bed, mumbling to himself about rushing here but no one being here yet.

  Little does he know, I’m right here.

  Go big or go home.

  I follow behind him quickly, being as quick as I can but not really trying. The moment he turns around, his face is shocked. His eyes wide and his lips parted. I don’t give him any time to say anything. I stand up on my tiptoes, throw my arms around his neck and bring my lips to his. They’re warm and soft and taste like beer. He doesn’t breathe for a long moment, all of the air caught in his lungs. I’ve caught him off guard, just as I wanted. I kiss him the best way I know how. But let’s face it, I’ve never kissed someone who didn’t want to be kissed before. Though it doesn’t seem that Hunter doesn’t not want to be kissed. He isn’t pushing me away. He isn’t yelling or swearing. He’s just… there. Frozen like the statues he’s so similar to.

  I run my tongue along his bottom lip and that must be the trigger for him. His hands that were by his sides are now on my hips, pushing me away. As our lips disconnect, he scoffs. But I know he isn’t totally angry. His cock wouldn’t be so hard if he were.

  I open my mouth to speak, to tell him everything that I wanted to say, but we’re interrupted.

  “We have a problem,” Castor says, panic in his voice. Hunter and I both face him. As if the tension wasn’t high enough, Castor has brought more with him. “Someone’s taken your mother.”

  All of the air leaves my lungs and it’s not time for me to be frozen. Clearly, he isn’t talking to me. My mother died years ago. He can only be talking about one other person.

  I finally figure out how to move again and my neck cranes back, looking up at Hunter. His face is still expressionless. Why? Why isn’t he upset? Why isn’t he running out of here trying to find her?

  Castor says Hunter is a lot of things, and one of those things is a mama’s boy.

  So why doesn’t he care?

  My mind immediately goes to him being at his breaking point. Perhaps he isn’t reacting because this is just too much. Too much going on at once. Me and my shit in general. Him being an asshole. Me forcing myself on him and now this with his mom.

  I reach into my pocket, pulling out the secret weapon I planned to use for myself.

  Grabbing onto Hunter’s hand, I’m surprised he doesn’t rip it out of my grip. I turn it over and place the penny into his palm. My eyes find his, bright blue and full of questions.