Epilogue 1
“Pizza Elliot! Fucking Pizza,” Wells yells down the bunny slope to Elliot.
“I am pizza-ing motherfucker,” Elliot snaps back.
He’s definitely doing French fry as he zooms down the mountain on his custom skis Wells got him for Christmas. The skis have some gaming references I don’t understand. Meanwhile, mine are precious with pink and purple gummy bears all on them.
Wells trails after Elliot, as Forrest comes to stand by me on the mountain. You would think with how big he is, he wouldn’t be agile, but he’s pretty impressive on skis.
We’ve gone down three times and I don’t have the heart to tell Wells that I don’t wanna do this anymore. But he’s hell bent on having a pack who can ski together and I’m not quite ready to be the one to crush my sweet Beta’s dream.
I can’t deny that I love living here though and I’m a huge fan of après-ski, but the actual skiing is honestly fucking terrible.
No matter how cute the boots are, or the fact that Forrest put them on for me, they’re uncomfortable as fuck.
I’m sweating in this balaclava and even the heated vest Elliot got for me isn’t keeping me warm enough.
Forrest trails me down the slope, making sure I don’t fall. Luckily, some of my lessons as a kid have stuck with me and I make it down safely.
“If you don’t stop giving me a hard time I’m going to put you in ski school with the little kids,” Wells threatens and I can’t tell if Elliot rolls his eyes under his goggles, but I can absolutely feel his irritation.
“Maybe a little hot chocolate and waffle break?” I suggest, and Wells isn’t one to argue when I want something. Truly, none of them are.
“He’s a dictator, baby,” Elliot says as we take off our skis and walk in our ski boots to the lodge. Forrest and Wells go to grab the snacks as Elliot and I sit down at the lodge and he gives me a big wide grin.
“Why am I sensing a massive load of mischievousness down the bond?”
“Because I know how to ski perfectly fine. I’ve been with Axel loads of times. I’m just irritating Wells. How long do you think before he starts cursing?” Elliot says, letting me in on his little secret.
I’ve learned that his relationship with Forrest and Wells is a competitive one. It’s their brotherly bond love language and I think it’s adorable.
“Probably two more green runs. Well, now, I have to go out with all of you again,” I complain, and Elliot grabs me by my jacket and gives me a kiss, our helmets slightly clinking while we do so.
“I spoke to Soph, she can’t come next weekend but Mom and Dad will be here.” I can tell that Elliot misses his sister. I do too. It’s not anyone’s fault we haven’t been close lately, but I was hoping she would be here with all our families coming to the mountain.
“All my family is set to come, though Axel's being a little prick right now.”
“Give him a break, trust me,” Elliot says, and I arch a brow at him.
“What do you know?”
“Nothing.” He shrugs and I know he’s lying to me, but I can’t get in between his relationship with my brother.
“Fine, keep your little secrets. I’ll find out, eventually.”
Forrest and Wells stomp over in their boots, putting down four hot chocolates and a perfectly shaped Belgium waffle with a sprinkle of chocolate on it for me. I greedily grab it and take a bite.
“You’re doing so good out there, sweetheart, unlike someone else,” Wells jokes, and Elliot does actually roll his eyes this time.
“Maybe it has everything to do with my teacher.”
Wells gasps, completely scandalized by that idea. “I’m a professional. My gold medal is hanging up in our living room. I’m most certainly not the problem.”
Elliot shrugs, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.
“I bet you I could take one lesson with someone else and be skiing black diamonds with you in no time.” Elliot is baiting him and my poor, sweet Beta is falling right into his trap.
“What’s the wager?”
“Winner gets a weekend away with Claire, alone,” Elliot suggests and Wells holds out his hand for him to shake.
“You’re on. Take that lesson and if you can do the Heavenly run after that without falling on your ass, you win. You fall once, I win.”
“Deal.”
“Deal,” Wells parrots and they shake hands.
Wells is on his feet, abandoning his hot chocolate.
“Let’s go. I’m sure someone is available to take you for a private right now. My sweet Omega can sit here and sip her hot chocolate and think about where she wants me to take her in the meantime,” Wells says, and that sounds like a pretty good plan to me.
I hold up my waffle in a cheers motion.
“Good luck,” I tell them both as they head outside into the cold frigged winter air while I stay inside warm and cozy with my other Alpha.
“Elliot totally knows how to ski, doesn’t he?” Forrest asks, totally calling out our pack mates bullshit.
“Hmm. I’m not sure.”
I shove another bite of waffle into my mouth and Forrest rubs my back, knowing that Elliot is definitely playing Wells.
“Everything is all set for next weekend. It’s going to be a packed house with everyone’s family,” Forrest says, and I can feel a sense of sadness radiating off him.
I obviously have known Elliot’s small family my whole life and getting to know Wells’ family has been exciting. It’s going to be difficult managing my time with everyone who’s coming. That just means I have no time to ski. What a shame.
“We’re all a family now, a sizable one,” I tell him, placing a hand on his large thigh.
“I know that. I just wish my grandpa could see this place, see you. I wish I had someone to invite for the weekend is all.”
Well, great, I’m going to fucking cry. In my snowsuit, waffle still in hand, I sit on my Alpha’s lap and kiss his cheek, even giving him a bite of my waffle.
“One day we’ll be someone’s parents who they invite on trips. Our family is only going to get bigger over the years. You’ll always have someone to invite.”
It’s the wrong thing to say, because Forrest has become slightly obsessed with getting me pregnant. He plants a hand over my stomach and I swat it away.
“The only thing in there is a waffle, but I think maybe next year.”
It’s the first time I’ve given him a definitive date and his deep brown eyes wrinkled with his smile make it all worth it. I know it won’t matter who is biologically the father of my children. I’ve seen it firsthand with my own parents, but I definitely want each of my men to have that experience.
“I think the fairest way would be oldest to youngest,” I muse and that earns me more kisses on the cheek.
After I finish my food, Forrest and I stay in the lodge for a bit longer, until we get a text that Elliot’s lesson is over and we’re meeting on the Highway to Hell lift.
At first, I speculated that this lift led to the worst of the worst slopes, but it turns out Forrest’s grandfather was just a big AC/DC fan.
As much as I want to get these ski boots off, I also need to see how this pans out.
“How did he do, Lucy?” Wells asks Elliot’s instructor.
She’s a Beta I’ve gotten to know a little since the season started and I’m on a mission to make her my friend.
She’s had a rough couple of years and working here seems to be the one bright spot in her life.
While there’s a hint of sadness that shows in her smile, she’s got a wicked dry sense of humor.
I tilt my head and appraise her again. She’s a tiny little thing, cute as a button. I smile to myself; I think I know a particularly tortured Beta she might just hit it off with.
“I think another lesson or two and we’ll be on to some harder greens,” Lucy says.
Before Wells can respond, I shuffle on my skis between them.
“Lucy, are you working next weekend?”
“I’ll be here. Why do you need a lesson from a real professional?” she asks, pointing her pole at Wells.
“You’re all giving me a fucking complex,” Wells complains and we laugh.
“Just wondering. I have a lot of family coming into town and some of them could definitely use a refresher lesson.”
“Absolutely. I could use as many lessons as I can take right now,” Lucy says, and I jab Elliot with my pole.
It takes him a moment as he unzips his pocket and hands her a tip.
“See you next weekend, Lucy,” I say with a happy wave.
“You know he doesn’t like to be set up,” Elliot says, already knowing my devious plans.
“I just want to help Shiloh, she’s never been skiing before.”
“Uh, huh, and I can’t ski,” Elliot says.
With Elliot and Forrest’s size, we can’t all fit on the quad, and I decide to go with Wells because everyone keeps picking on my poor little angel.
“You’re a good teacher, baby,” I tell him and he puffs out his chest.
“I am. Mitchell Pack said I taught them more in a day than they had learned in a week with another instructor,” he says proudly.
“No matter who wins, everyone gets to take me on private trips this year, it’s an Omega bonding requirement.”
Wells clicks his tongue and looks back at the lift behind us.
“That fucking asshole played me, didn’t he?”
I don’t confirm or deny and when we get to the top of the slope, Wells takes a lot of my weight as we get off of the lift.
When I see how steep the run is to our left, I’m automatically shaking my head.
“Hell no. Put me back on the lift,” I tell Wells and he rolls his eyes.
“As if I’d risk the most precious piece of me on a blue run.
I’ll carry you down,” he says, and I arch a brow at him.
He gasps, clutching his chest. “Do you doubt the love of your life who happens to be a winter games Olympic gold medalist can’t carry you down a simple run?
First my pack brother betrays me and now my Omega? ”
I sigh as Forrest and Elliot get off the lift behind us. Elliot has a shit-eating grin on his face and Forrest looks amused.
“Take princess’ skis. I’m taking her down the mountain,” Wells proclaims, and I don’t waste a second digging my poles into the back of my skis and popping them off.
I don’t even have to bend over to grab them, Forrest does it for me.
“New bet,” Wells says, as he grabs me by the back of my legs.
“If I beat you down to the bottom while carrying Claire, then I get her all to myself tonight and since you can ski, you dirty liar, we have to do a pack brother ski trip out west.”
“You literally won gold in Alpine racing. Why the fuck would I—”
Wells doesn’t let him finish as he shouts the word go and suddenly I’m holding on to him for dear life as he treks it down the slope. I close my eyes so tightly that I’m seeing spots. Meanwhile, Wells hums a song happily, as if we couldn’t potentially tumble to our deaths right now.
It’s only when we come to a stop that I open my eyes and watch as Elliot and Forrest are catching up from a distance. Wells puts me down, sliding up his goggles and giving me a wide smile.
“I told you nothing would happen,” he says, and that’s the moment I officially retire from skiing.
Wells pouts, but is excited to get back out there with Elliot. They make a few more bets and I shake my head as Forrest takes me to the lodge and gets down on a knee to take off my boots. We spend the rest of the day at the resort, not doing anything remotely physical, and I couldn’t be happier.
Hours later they join us in the hot tub at the resort and I declare that I’m more of an après-ski Omega.
“You can be our little après princess all you want,” Wells says with a kiss to my temple.
“You made the right call tapping out, baby,” Elliot says, resting his head on the lip of the tub as fat snowflakes trickle down from the sky.
“Whatever our Omega wants,” Forrest says, rubbing the back of my neck and I happily sink into the water.
Those are the magic words and I know exactly what I want and that’s my pack, naked and writhing in my bed. My scent must give me away because before I know it, I’m being ravished in my nest just like I deserve.