Chapter 26 Everett
Everett
Perfect conditions. That’s what the meteorologist said.
I’ve packed everything we might need: thermoses of hot cocoa, a basket of fresh-baked cookies from Bea, and enough fur blankets to keep us warm.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the flutter in my chest.
It’s a surprise date with Melody.
Just the most beautiful, kind-hearted omega I’ve ever met, who happens to be my scent-match and who kissed me during a snowball fight yesterday, and I want this to be perfect.
As soon as I kill the engine of the snowmobile, the front door opens, and there she is, my omega.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi yourself,” I reply, suddenly feeling like a teenager picking up his prom date. “Ready for an adventure?”
“I’ve been ready since you texted. Though you were very mysterious about the details.”
“That’s because it’s a surprise,” I say, extending my hand to help her down the steps. “Trust me?”
“Absolutely.”
That single word does things to my heart that I can’t even explain. I’ve known this girl for barely a week, but it feels like she’s always been a part of me, filling spaces I didn’t even realize were empty.
I help her onto the snowmobile behind me, showing her where to place her feet, how to hold on. When her arms wrap around my waist, I’m grateful for the darkness hiding my ridiculous smile.
“Hold tight,” I tell her, kick-starting the engine. It roars to life, vibrating beneath us.
We take off into the darkness, the snowmobile’s headlight carving a narrow path through the trees.
Melody’s arms tighten around me as we navigate a sharper turn, her body pressing against my back. The vanilla-clove scent of her surrounds me despite the rushing wind, making my head swim with desire and the overwhelming need to protect, care, and ensure she never comes to any harm.
Protection. Possession. Pack.
“You okay back there?” I call over my shoulder.
“This is amazing!” she shouts back, her voice carried away by the wind. “I’ve never done anything like this!”
Pride swells in my chest. I want to show her everything—all the hidden corners of Perfect Pines, all the secret spots I’ve discovered over a lifetime of exploring these woods.
We reach the clearing at the top of the hill, and I hear her sharp intake of breath. We can see the entire valley below.
“This is the best spot on the property,” I explain, setting down my backpack. “My dad used to bring me up here when I was a kid.”
I pull out the first blanket, a thick waterproof one, and spread it over the snow. I add two plush faux fur blankets on top, creating a nest of warmth.
“Sit,” I encourage, patting the soft surface. “The show should start any minute now.”
“Show?” Melody looks confused but delighted as she settles onto the blankets.
“The forecast said there’s a 90% chance tonight,” I tell her, finally sitting beside her. “Best conditions we’ve had all winter.”
“For what—” she begins, but then her eyes widen as the first shimmer of green light appears across the night sky. “Oh, my god.”
I watch her face instead of the sky, mesmerized by the wonder in her expression as the northern lights begin their dance. Ribbons of green and purple ripple across the darkness, pulsing and shifting like something alive.
“Everett,” she whispers, her eyes reflecting the colors above. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
And I can’t agree more.
She shivers slightly, and I immediately open my arms. “Cold?”
Without hesitation, she scoots into my embrace, her back against my chest as I wrap my arms around her. I pull the top blanket over us both, cocooning us in warmth as we gaze upward. Her vanilla-clove scent intensifies with our proximity.
“My dad used to tell me that the lights were messages,” I say, my voice low. “That they were how the universe communicated with us.”
“What do you think they’re saying tonight?” she asks, turning her face toward mine.
“That some things are meant to be,” I whisper, my eyes dropping to her lips. “That some connections are written in the stars.”
Her breath catches, and I can smell the sweet shift in her scent—vanilla deepening, cloves intensifying. It’s intoxicating, driving my alpha instincts to the surface.
Protect. Cherish. Claim.
Her hands find mine beneath the blanket, fingers intertwining.
The lights above us intensify, a curtain of green rippling across the sky, followed by a flash of purple so vivid it seems close enough to touch. Melody gasps, and I feel the vibration of her wonder against my chest.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she says. “In the city, you can’t even see stars.”
“The city has its own kind of magic,” I offer, though I’ve never been comfortable in urban environments myself: too many people, too much concrete, not enough trees.
She shakes her head slightly. “Nothing like this.” Her hand squeezes mine. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
She turns in my arms, shifting to look at me instead of the sky. The aurora paints her face in ethereal greens and purples, highlighting the curve of her cheek, the fullness of her lips.
I cup her face gently, my thumb tracing along her cheek. I’ve never wanted anything more than to kiss her in this moment, under this sky, in this place that means so much to me.
I capture her lips with mine; her taste is intoxicating, as if every cell in my body recognizes her.
She sighs into my mouth, her body melting against mine. Her vanilla-clove scent intensifies, filling my lungs, clouding my thoughts until there’s nothing but Melody, and this perfect moment.
Melody shifts in my arms, straddling my lap, her knees pressed into the blankets on either side of my hips. Even through layers of winter clothing, I can feel the heat of her core, smell her delicious scent, and it makes me groan.
“Everett,” she whispers against my mouth, and hearing my name like that, all breathless and wanting, nearly undoes me.
Fuck, this girl is everything that I ever dreamed of.
I slide my hands to her waist, steadying her as she rocks against me, creating a friction that sends sparks of pleasure through my body. The northern lights continue their dance across the sky, casting her in their glow, making her look otherworldly and impossibly beautiful.
“I want you,” she breathes against my lips. “Right here under the sky.”
A primal growl escapes me, the alpha in me responding to her omega’s call. But concern tempers my desire. “It’s freezing. You’ll catch a cold.”
She laughs, the sound light and musical in the quiet night. “Then we’ll have to be creative, won’t we?” Her eyes sparkle. “Keep me warm, Alpha.”
Her fingers find the zipper of my coat, tugging it down just enough to slip her hand inside. Even through my sweater, her touch burns.
“I want to feel your skin against mine,” she whispers, her breath a warm cloud between us. “Just enough…”
I capture her mouth again, unable to resist the invitation in her words. My hands find their way under her jacket, feeling the warmth of her skin through her sweater.
Under the northern lights. The place I love most, with my fated mate, “I can’t think of anything more perfect.”
“We need to keep you warm,” I murmur, tucking the blanket more securely around her shoulders.
Her hands reach for my belt. “I think you can manage that.”
I help her, freeing myself just enough—shrugging my pants down around my hips while she shimmies out of her own while remaining under the blankets. The logistics are complicated but somehow perfect—intimate and urgent all at once.
She straddles me once more, and I wrap the blankets over us, creating a cocoon of warmth.
She’s slick with arousal as I feel her grind against me. Her wet heat slides up and down my shaft, coating me in her vanilla-clove slick. My cock throbs against her as she moves, eager to be devoured.
She must be as desperate as I am because the teasing lasts only a few seconds before the heat of her surrounds me, a perfect comfort against the cold night air.
She lets out a small gasp as she lowers herself down to my knot, letting herself slowly stretch around my girth. I feel her contracting around me as her body adjusts and pleasure courses through my whole body.
Melody’s soft, lust-filled gaze meets my own, and she lifts her hips ever so slowly until she reaches my tip, then drops her body fully back onto me. Her gasp turns into a moan that echoes across the clearing as my knot presses against her entrance.
“Fuck,” I breathe, overwhelmed by the sensation. “You feel incredible.”
She rocks against me, a slow, deliberate rhythm that has me seeing stars that rival the aurora above us. The blanket cocoon traps our body heat, creating a pocket of warmth in the frigid night air.
“Everett,” she whispers my name like a prayer, her eyes locked on mine as she moves. “Please—I need your knot.”
Hearing those words activates my most primal instincts. I cup her face, bringing her forehead to rest against mine. “Look at me, Melody. I want to see your eyes when you take it.”
She does, her blue eyes wide and vulnerable as I grip her hips in both hands, trying to steady myself.
She presses her warmth down over my knot while maintaining eye contact.
It is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, watching her pupils blow wide like that.
I can feel her tightness stretching around me, opening up to take all of me, sucking my knot inside.
“You’re mine,” I growl, unable to contain the possessive alpha instinct any longer. “My omega.”
“Yes,” she breathes, her pace stuttering. “Yours.”
Locked together like this, she comes apart in my arms. The pleasure on her face is the most exquisite thing I’ve ever witnessed—more stunning than any light show nature could produce. It sends me over the edge with her. Emptying myself into her, I bury my face against her neck to muffle my roar.
For long moments, we stay joined, our panting breath mingling in white clouds between us. The northern lights continue their dance overhead, but I can’t tear my eyes from Melody’s face.
Mine.