Chapter Ten
Abel
“Good morning,” my alpha whispered in my ear as soon as I woke up. I stirred, nestling deeper into his embrace. Every part of his front was plastered against every part of my back. Our legs tangled together. His very hard cock lodged in my ass crack.
“Good morning, mate.” Still felt like the first time I’d called him that.
“How did you sleep?” He kissed the back of my neck and reached around, splaying his hand over my heart.
“Like I was thoroughly mated and marked. Like I’ve never slept before.”
Denali chuckled. “Same here. Are you okay? Sore?” He brushed his fingers over the mark on my shoulder, making me shudder. “Does this hurt?”
“A little sore, but my mark, just sensitive.”
“Breakfast? Shower? Coffee? Which one would you like first?”
“Shower then coffee. All the coffee.”
“Should I join you for the shower, or do you need some time?”
I stretched. Yeah, I was more than a little sore. “I need some time, please.” Also, the stall was very small for me and the bear.
“Of course. I’ll shower quickly and then get to making my mate coffee.”
“That sounds great. Thank you.”
He gave me a quick kiss and went to shower. While the water ran, I stretched and tried to process everything that happened the day before. We had mated. Marked each other. Made promises that would last a lifetime.
All those years and we had bet everything on not having a scent. I still didn’t know why Denali didn’t smell like everything he was supposed to but then again, maybe I was just different. To me, he smelled like home and maybe that was simply the scent that made him mine.
Though a small part of me would be glad if he smelled like cheesecake, like in the shifter romance novels.
A small price to pay for his love.
My alpha came back into the room with only a towel wrapped around his waist. We didn’t have to get dressed in the bathroom anymore.
Thank goodness. He turned to me and winked, dropping the towel to the floor, semi-erect, and came over to kiss me again.
“Your turn, sweet omega. I can’t believe you’re mine. ”
“I am. I always have been. Now, coffee.”
He laughed loudly. “So demanding. Last night and this morning. I like it. I’m going. I’m going.”
I took a long, languid shower and considered staying in there longer until the scent of coffee and something savory aroused my hunger. Denali had always been a giving, loving person but I had a feeling, now that we were mated, his qualities would be amplified.
In return, it would be my life’s purpose to see him happy.
With sweatpants on and one of his sweaters—because it made me feel cozy to wear something of his—I came out and walked into the living room slowly, wanting to see the bear in his element.
Denali was whistling a tune about all he wanted for Christmas.
He shook his hips he spun around, facing me.
“Abel!” he exclaimed, slapping his hand over his heart.
“What? Don’t stop on my account. Can I make a request? Bing Crosby next? I had no idea you had this talent.”
“You’re gonna pay for that later.”
I shuddered, thinking about the possibilities. All of them ended in making love. “A wolf can hope. What are you making? It smells delicious.”
He came over and kissed me. I tasted coffee and creamer on his lips. “Breakfast casserole. After last night, I need more than coffee and toast.”
“You made a breakfast casserole? You’ve become a skilled chef.”
“Come on and sit. I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.”
I walked behind him. “I can get my own coffee, Denali.”
Damn, he looked hurt. “Don’t deny me my pleasures, omega.”
“Far be it for me to do that.”
We sat down to have coffee, and he proudly presented his breakfast casserole full of bacon, sausage, and eggs, the top bubbling with cheese. “Christmas is going to be different this year.”
“It is. It won’t be sad anymore.”
“I messed up Christmas for you, didn’t I?” He reached for my hand.
“It doesn’t matter. We have a lot more Christmases to come. What’s the plan for the day?”
Denali absolutely beamed. “When I came in, I saw that there’s a Christmas festival the next town over. I thought we could make some new memories. That is, if you brought real clothes.”
I scoffed. “How dare you accuse me of only bringing pajamas and comfies to wear. I brought one sweater and a pair of jeans.”
“I prefer you in nothing at all, but are you in?”
“Yes, please.”
If someone blindfolded me and didn’t tell me where I was, I would’ve assumed the North Pole, instantly.
The poles were wrapped with red-and-white stripes.
Lights were strung from every storefront and pole.
Santas bellowed out their greetings on every corner.
Doors were wrapped like presents. Little Christmas villages were lit up in the windows.
“This place is very Christmasy.” Denali laughed.
“It’s fantastic. I haven’t let myself enjoy the holidays in a while, but it’s actually great because now it’s like I’m experiencing it all for the first time, with you.”
He hadn’t let go of my hand since we left the cabin, and I hoped he never did.
“I have another idea.”
“Tell me.”
“Let’s buy our first Christmas ornament.”
“I think that’s the best idea yet.” The alpha leaned in and whispered, “When we get home, I have an idea of somewhere very naughty to hang it.” He wasn’t getting on the nice list like that. “Okay, that’s the best idea yet but this is the best idea that doesn’t take place in a bed.”
We went into several shops. Denali insisted on buying some lights even though we had a mildly rousing argument about colored vs. white bulbs We ended up getting the strings that had both options and moved to music.
Oh, the difference a mating could make.
We sang along to music and uttered not a single bah-humbug. We stopped and dropped a few dollars into the carolers’ bucket.
And then we stopped in a shop that took my breath away. The Sparkling Globe carried ornaments and nothing but ornaments. Racks of them, reaching to the ceiling. Decorated trees displaying the possible themes someone might choose.
“This is the place,” Denali said. We picked out a few sets for the Christmas tree in the cabin, then I spotted the section devoted to animal decorations and made a beeline for it. Easily, I found several polar bear ornaments and had to have them all.
“No wolves,” my alpha said from over my shoulder. “Maybe they have one somewhere else.”
I laughed. “Wolves aren’t really a festive animal. Polar bears. Reindeer. Nobody sings, ‘Two turtle doves and a wolf in the forest.’”
“That’s true but this place has everything. Let’s keep looking.”
We found not a single wolf, but Denali promised he would order one online. The man at the register, who wore those round Santa glasses and had a jelly belly to match said, “You don’t look happy. Didn’t find that something special?”
“I was looking for a wolf ornament,” Denali replied.
“Is that so? Well, you’re in luck.”
The man waved his hand. “Follow me. My wife was a wolf shifter. She insisted on us having wolves. They have their own display case. I keep them to remember her.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I put in.
The man nodded. “Me too. Time is short, and you can never get it back. Remember that. Here we are. I have a howling wolf. A sleeping wolf. A wolf by the fire. You name it, I’ve got it.”
He was right. The display was off to the side, and somehow we’d overlooked it.
“Let’s buy one of each,” my mate said.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’m very sure. Our tree will have a little of each of us. Each year, we can add more.”
Each year. Goddess, hearing him say that warmed my heart.
We would grow old together. Have many Christmases together.
“You’re right. Let’s get one of each.”