CHAPTER TWELVE – Nicolette
My rescue and the day following was a blur. There was only the frigid cold and then warm comfort. From one extreme to the other. Especially since that extreme had been Silas.
I’d walked around in circles until my legs felt like they might shatter. I tried warming up with the dogs, but their fur was as snowy as the dark woods around me. The storm zapped every bit of strength I had. When I curled up in front of that tree, I couldn’t walk anymore. Every part of me hurt. I’d been ready to die.
There was a roar and light and Silas’ body against mine. He was the thing that pulled me back from the freezing edge of existence and saved me. Silas the rude asshole was my hero.
I didn’t know how to deal with that.
More so, I didn’t know why I wanted to scream with pain when I was picked up and taken away from him.
I’d clung to Ezekiel, breathing in his soothing scent, and let him care for me. A steaming bath, a hot spicy soup, and a milky tea, and then I passed out in Ezekiel’s arms. I didn’t even think about how he had slunk into my bed unbidden the night before. At some point I woke to snoring, and smiled as I cracked my eyes open to find Kodiak had taken Ezekiel’s spot as my bed warmer.
Contrasting to my feelings yesterday, I could get used to this. My friend Callista had it right. Three handsome Alphas… No. Not three. Silas wasn’t mine. He didn’t like me and had made that very clear. He’d probably only been out searching because it was the right thing to do.
I drifted in and out of sleep and woke the next evening with exhaustion still weighing heavily on me. My stomach growled, and I crawled out of bed to dress and use the bathroom. I tested all my fingers and toes and breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have any permanent frostbite damage.
The dogs were there when I opened the bedroom door. I greeted them with pets and scratches. “Hello, my darlings. You saved me from going totally insane out there. Yes you did.” From down the hall, I could hear men talking in quiet voices. I kissed each husky on the head before straightening. “Such a good boy and girl.”
With my slippers swishing on the hardwood floor, I entered the living room. Every head turned my way. Kodiak’s flannel shirt strained at the seams with his muscles and Ezekiel’s gray hoodie hugged his toned chest. Silas had on a black quarter zip pullover that made him look dangerously edgy. The final man wasn’t someone I’d met, but I knew immediately he was Kodiak’s father. He was shorter, not as broad, and weather worn, but I could see Kodiak’s face in his wrinkled one.
Before I could say anything, Ezekiel and Kodiak were up and rushing toward me. I saw out of the corner of my eye, Silas jerk like he was about to get out of his chair too, but he kept himself in place.
“Nicolette, how are you feeling?” Ezekiel’s voice was soft like a purr.
Over top of his question, Kodiak’s louder tone rumbled. “Hey baby. You’re looking so much better. We’ve been worried.”
Each of them took up a different side of me, escorting me along to the kitchen. I couldn’t stop smiling at how good it felt between them. Warm and safe and so much more of everything I couldn’t think of to name. I could imagine nights cuddled between them on the couch as the snow fell outside. Never alone.
“I’m tired, but otherwise fine.” My stomach growled again and my cheeks flushed. It wasn’t lady-like to admit to such things, but my body was yelling for it. “I’m really hungry, though.”
“That’s because you were nearly a human ice pop,” the old man huffed. He stood from the couch and limped over to the dining area. He pulled out two chairs and smacked the seat of one as he sat. “Come and sit, girl. The boys will get you some food.”
“Yes, of course. We saved you a bowl of Savva’s stew.” Ezekiel gave my hand a squeeze before heading into the kitchen to fetch a bowl from the fridge and put it in the microwave.
“My dad makes the best stew.” Kodiak smiled, and while I didn’t need him physically supporting me, I let him take me to the table and help me sit just to feel his hands on me. “I’d make it for you, but he won’t share his recipe with anyone.”
Savva snorted. “You’re a shit cook. All three of you are. And you have shit manners.” His face softened as he looked at me and held out his hand. Maybe he wasn’t all hardness and grump. “It’s good to finally meet you, Nicolette.”
“You too, sir. My dad talks a lot about your fishing adventures.” I shook his hand which was rough from a lifetime of hard labor. So much different than my own father’s hands.
“None of that sir crap. Call me Savva.” He waved off the title as Kodiak took a seat on the other side of me. “Just so you know, I was giving the boys shit that none of them gave you any basic lessons about going outside in Alaska. If you’re going to live here, you’re going to need to know how to survive. You could have died just because you weren’t properly dressed, and it isn’t even winter yet.”
Properly dressed? I had on a winter coat, hat, gloves, and boots. I thought I was prepared for the cold. “You shouldn’t do that. It wasn’t their fault. I left the road thinking to take a short cut and lost my way when it started snowing.”
Ezekiel placed a delicious smelling bowl of stew in front of me with a glass of milk on the side. This was a good step in the direction of making up for the other morning. “It wasn’t your fault at all. The storm was unexpected. We should have taken better care of you and prepped you properly.”
“You should have.” Savva scowled at Ezekiel and then Kodiak over my shoulder. “Eat up, girl, and we’re going to give you a lesson on life here.”
“Yeah, I don’t think you should leave the house anymore by yourself. It’s not safe.” Kodiak shook his head. Was he serious? I wasn’t going to be some princess stuck inside a tower on a mountain. He was lucky I was too tired and hungry to glower at him.
I picked up my spoon and scooped up a potato and the thick broth. As I put it in my mouth, a delightful shudder went through me at the divine taste. It wasn’t like anything I had before. It was reminiscent of the moose steak, but even richer, with a more complicated taste. I quickly scooped up a second bite and another.
Ezekiel returned to the kitchen and started to cut thick slices of bread from a loaf. “Well, maybe not keep you inside all the time, but we can get you a truck. Do you know how to drive a stick? We could leave Kodiak’s pickup here for you.” When I shook my head with my mouth full, he pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I’ve always wanted to get an electric car.”
“Those things would never run up here once it snows and gets cold,” Kodiak scoffed.
“They would. More than half the cars in Norway are EVs, and it’s not as if we can go far in any direction on the island,” Ezekiel continued and started to slather the slices of bread with butter. “They’re good for the environment. Really, Mitkof would do good if everyone went electric.”
I nodded, in total agreement. I had friends with electric cars, and they were gorgeous. While I could drive, I rarely did, so I would have to get in some practice. Before I could swallow and say my dad would send me a car, Silas spoke up.
“Can you drive, Omega?” he asked sharply, and when I spun to glare at him, he had the audacity to sneer at me. Was he angry with me for getting lost? He’d been so caring when he rescued me, and now he was back to being a bastard. “Even if you can drive, can you drive in wind and snow? If you can’t, it’s a waste of everyone’s time and money. What about four wheelers and snow machines?” I didn’t shake my head, even though I had no idea how to drive them. I clenched my jaw as he went on in his jerk way. “I didn’t think so. Best you learn how to ride those first. Sometimes we get so much snow, not even the trucks can get through. So if you can’t handle waiting around for someone to chauffeur your spoiled ass around, you might as well get out of Alaska before winter really hits.”
“Si,” Kodiak growled and clenched the side of his chair.
“What? Not everyone can handle life here. I ain’t saying anything that you all don’t know.” With that, Silas turned away from us, leaning back in his chair. Asshole.
Anything I might have been feeling about Silas before was an illusion. Yes, he found me and brought me home. But he was far from being the gracious hero. The comfort I thought I felt from him had to be the relief of knowing I wasn’t going to die and nothing more. Nothing more.
Yet something in me was tugging me toward him. I beat that feeling down and stuffed more of the amazing stew into my mouth. The food was clearing my head and making me feel more like myself.
Kodiak stood fast, knocking his chair back. His hands tightened into fists and his teeth were bared.
“Sit down,” Savva grunted. “What Silas is saying is harsh, but it’s true. We’ll teach you how to drive everything, girl. Best you know how it all works in case of an emergency. Might Shae teach you how to hook up and ride a dog sled too. Plus skis and snowshoes. All things kids here learn from a young age.” That sounded like a lot, but I was okay with that. It would keep me busy. I liked a challenge, and I especially wanted to learn all these things because Silas was being a bastard about me being there. I would show him I could survive.
Ezekiel brought over the buttered bread for me and sat across the table. “Atka and Kavik can pull a sled. Though I still think having a car Nicolette can drive should be a priority.”
I nodded again, my mouth full. God, this stew was so scrumptious. I was nearly done with the bowl, and I was still really hungry.
“Another thing we need to get you is proper clothes.” Savva tapped the table as he gave me a once-over. What? I had sweaters and warm socks. “Skirts and those skinny pants you’re wearing aren’t going to keep you warm.”
I glanced down at myself. I was wearing a hoodie and leggings. Okay, maybe those were too thin for the frigid temperatures here. “I have jeans.”
“Skinny jeans like you were wearing yesterday?” Silas snorted. “You could have been wearing nothing at all.”
I picked up a slice of bread, ready to throw it at him, but instead, I stuffed it into my mouth and took a bite. There was no sense in cursing him out or saying anything to him at all. The jerk was determined to be mean to me.
“We’ll take you shopping, baby.” Kodiak gave my shoulder a tender rub and I flashed him a smile. Shopping was one of my favorite things. “The general store has a good stock of clothes for females. We can get you some long underwear as well.”
“Long underwear?” That didn’t sound sexy at all, but I supposed keeping warm was more important than being fashionable. Maybe.
“Just a layer that goes under your outerwear. Inner layers are just as important.” Ezekiel nudged another slice of bread my way. “Eat your fill. What you went through exhausted your body. It’s going to take a little while for you to recover, maybe as long as a week.”
“Until then, you’re staying inside,” Kodiak firmly added.
Stay inside a whole week? Nope. That wasn’t going to work for me. I swallowed and took a drink of milk to wash the bread down.
Before I could say a thing, Savva held up a finger. “I know that look, girl. You’re as stubborn as these boys. While they work, I’ll be watching over you. We can get started on your driving lessons.”
Oh, now I was getting a chaperon. A little too late for that. Though it would be nice to have company, I wasn’t going to take up Savva’s time by him having to babysit me. “Thank you for your offer. I would really like to learn how to drive all these vehicles, but you don’t need to give up your own time for me. We could make a schedule, and since I’m a fast learner, it won’t take long. I’ll be out of your hair—”
“You need someone here watching over you,” Kodiak interrupted. “We’re not going to take any chances with you getting lost again.”
Like I would do that again. “I won’t be going out walking like that anymore,” I assured him and then looked to Ezekiel. I liked his idea best. “An electric car would be wonderful. I had friends who owned them. They’re so nice and quiet to ride in. I can call my father—”
“You live here now. I’ll get you a car.” Kodiak cut me off a second time.
Finished with my stew and bread, I tried to push my annoyance to the side. He only wanted to provide for me, and I really liked that he did, but at the same time, he was treating me like this precious burden he had to take care of. While we were compatible, only time would tell if we were a good match. Just because he could make me hot and wet didn’t mean he was the right Alpha for me. It could be Ezekiel, who seemed to be much more conscious and thoughtful of what I wanted and needed, even if he did sneak into my bed.
“The three of us can pool our money together for the car,” Ezekiel said reasonably. “I’m sure we’ll all use it.”
Silas slapped his hands on the arms of the chair and stood. His face red and hard. “Whoa, there’s no we in this. I’m not fucking spending a penny of my money on that Omega. She’s already cost us plenty. Bad enough we have to share the house with her.” He stomped across the living room, his voice rising with each step. “If you two are determined to keep her, count me out. The cabin’s too crowded now. I’m going to build my own place and screw the rest of you.”
“Silas,” Ezekiel called after his friend as Silas stormed down the hall to his bedroom. His door slammed, and Kodiak muttered something harsh under his breath.
I clenched my hands on my lap. This is precisely what I didn’t want to happen. While Silas was most certainly being a dick, the three Alphas were like brothers and they had to work together. I didn’t want to be the thing that came between them.
There might be a future for me with Kodiak or Ezekiel, or both of them. It made me feel giddy thinking about having the two of them as mates. I didn’t want to just give that up. But the whole situation with Silas was eating away at my insides.
Savva sighed. “Don’t worry too much about Silas, girl. He has his own reasons for feeling the way he does.”
“He’ll come around,” Ezekiel added, smiling at me from across the table.
I tried to smile back, but I was torn between being furious, empathetic, and hurt. Why did Silas hate me so much? His business was his business, but if it was affecting what was going on here, then it was all our business.
Kodiak, Silas, and Ezekiel just recently built this house. This magnificent cabin on the edge of a mountain. Not only their dream home, it was their pack home. Silas leaving meant a rift in the pack, one that I was responsible for.
Part of me wanted to stomp her foot and cross her arms saying it was his stupid choice. Let him suffer for it. Yet Kodiak and Ezekiel would suffer for it too. I didn’t want any of them to be miserable.
“Yeah, right he will,” Kodiak huffed. “Silas can move to France for all I care.”
My stomach tightened at the thought of Silas moving that far away. Panic surged through me, and I barely held on to my self control.
“Let’s get to planning that schedule of yours. Just so you know, I’m no morning person. I don’t do anything without a pot of coffee in me.” Savva brought me back to the moment, and I let him distract me with talk about snow machines and stick shifts. Yet in the back of my head, I still thrashed about with all the different things Silas was making me feel.
I had to figure out a way to make things right for the pack.
After more food.