Chapter 26
AXEL
I get dressed slowly, pulling on my thermal shirt and jacket.
My mind is already elsewhere—on the mountain, the storm, the trail ahead. The others are moving quietly, their own silent routines as they pull on their gear.
Emily is still on our bed, her hair mussed, her lips bright red.
I want to keep kissing her forever. She is watching us with a mix of worry and exhaustion.
Her eyes meet mine, and I feel a knot form in my chest. I don’t want to leave her, not after everything that just happened.
There’s so much to talk about, so many questions.
She kissed all of us, and now what?
But there’s no other option. We’ve got a job to do, and no matter how much I want to stay, Whit and Sam are still out there.
I step toward her, my boots heavy on the wooden floor, and lean down to kiss her softly, savoring the warmth of her lips for just a second longer than I should. “We’ll be back soon,” I murmur against her mouth, trying to sound confident.
“You better,” she says, squeezing my arm. “It won’t be any more difficult than the time you saved me.”
I don’t disagree with her, although that is far from true. I look into her eyes, and one thing is for sure—I’m in love with her. Maybe I fell in love with her the moment I took her in my arms. How has it been only three days?
“My heroes,” she says as she glances at all of us with what looks like love in her eyes. But no, what am I even thinking? It can’t be love, though, can it? It’s impossible…or is it?
She leans in to kiss me, softly at first before it deepens. The others step forward and she takes turns kissing them all. The goodbye kiss is gentler.
“Are we taking Raffle?” Ben asks.
I shake my head. “He’s not trained for a situation like this. Raffle will stay with Emily.”
Emily is hugging Raffle tightly.
“Take care of her, buddy,” I say.
We make our way down to the lobby, where the other guests are gathered, murmuring amongst themselves.
Most of them are huddled by the fire, wrapped in blankets, trying to shake off the chill that still clings to the lodge.
The tension in the air is thick—everyone knows how dangerous this is, but no one says anything.
A few volunteers step forward, offering to help, but the truth is, this isn’t their job. It’s ours.
Collie approaches us, her face lined with concern. “It’s still rough out there. You sure you’re ready for this?”
I nod, squaring my shoulders. “We’ve got this.”
The storm is quieter now, but the snow still swirls in the air, and the wind cuts like knives.
It’s freezing—bone-chilling cold that seeps into your skin the second you step outside.
The trail is almost invisible, buried under layers of snow, and the darkness is oppressive.
Zero visibility. It’s going to be a hell of a night.
Jace pulls his hat down tighter, squinting into the night. “This is bad, Axel.”
“I know,” I mutter. “But we don’t have a choice. Whit and Sam are out there somewhere, and we’re the only ones who can get them.”
Tanner shifts his backpack, checking his gear one last time. “At least the storm let up a little. We might get lucky.”
I let out a breath, watching it fog in the air before disappearing into the night. “Let’s hope so.”
Ben adjusts his jacket, looking back at the lodge one last time, his gaze lingering on the door. I know he’s thinking about Emily, just like I am. We all are.
“Let’s move,” I say, my voice firm. “We need to cover as much ground as possible before the storm picks up again.”
As we step outside, the wind immediately hits us, harsh and biting. The snow crunches under our boots, and the cold sinks into my bones. I pull my scarf up higher, tightening my jacket as I lead the way into the night. It’s dark—darker than I expected.
“Should we talk about what happened?” Tanner says, the first one to break the silence.
“No,” I say firmly.
“Come on, man,” Ben says. “We need to talk about it. It still feels like a fever dream to me. I mean, we did kiss the same woman at the same time.”
He’s right. It was perfect, no trace of awkwardness as if it was meant to be. But that can’t be right. How can she be with all of us? It’s preposterous. And the worst part is, I don’t know how far it would have gone if we didn’t have to leave so soon.
“I want to concentrate on not dying, please?” I say.
Tanner remains unfazed. “You know, we could just leave Whit to his fate. That guy’s a piece of work,” he says.
I glance over at him, catching the faint smirk on his face despite the seriousness of the situation. “Trust me, it’s tempting,” I reply, my voice rough. “But we don’t leave people behind. Even assholes like him.”
The others chuckle softly, but the humor dies quickly as we fall back into silence.
As we head up the ski trail, I begin to run out of breath. It’s definitely going to be one of our most challenging rescues; we’re usually more well-equipped when dealing with a situation like this. We thought the storm had passed, but we were wrong. It’s getting stronger the higher up we climb.
The trail is barely visible in the darkness, and the snow is relentless, piling up and making every step heavier than the last. The cold bites into my skin, even through the layers of gear, and I know the others are feeling it too. But we keep moving. We have to.
“Visibility’s shit,” Ben mutters from behind me, his voice muffled by the wind.
“No kidding,” Jace replies, his tone serious. “We’ll be lucky if we find them before morning.”
I nod, my eyes scanning the darkness ahead. “We’ll find them. Just stay close, stay sharp. This isn’t a game.”
The others fall in line behind me, their trust in me unspoken but felt. Minutes pass, but it feels like hours.
“Stick close,” I say over my shoulder, my voice barely audible over the wind.
But I know I have to say something; the silence is scary, and none of them—not even Tanner has said anything.
I get it; they’re trying to conserve energy, but I need to make sure we don’t get separated.
“We move fast, but we don’t split up. If we lose sight of each other, we’re done. ”
Jace nods, falling in step behind me, his eyes scanning the dark slopes ahead.
As we make our way up the mountain, the wind slams into us, a constant howl that drowns out everything but the crunch of snow beneath our boots.
The trail gets steeper, and I dig my boots into the snow, pushing forward through the resistance. My breath comes in clouds of steam, visible for a second before disappearing into the night.
“You see anything yet?” Ben calls out.
“Not a damn thing,” I mutter, squinting into the whiteout. “But we’re going to keep moving.”
“They couldn’t have gone much farther in this,” Tanner says.
“They wouldn’t have made it far,” I agree, scanning the area around us. “Keep your eyes sharp. Look for tracks or any sign of boot or ski tracks.”
“The storm would have wiped out most of it,” Ben says.
“Still keep looking,” I say. The wind picks up again, howling through the trees as we ascend further.
My hands are stiff, almost numb from the cold, and I flex my fingers inside my gloves, trying to keep the blood flowing.
The snow is deeper now, coming up to our knees, and every step feels like it’s draining what little energy we have left.
Suddenly, Tanner stops, his hand going up in a signal for us to halt. “Hold up.”
I stop immediately, the others coming to a standstill behind me. Tanner crouches down, brushing snow aside with his gloved hand. My heart pounds as I move closer, seeing what he’s uncovered—a set of footprints, faint but visible, leading off the trail and into the trees.
“They’re fresh,” Tanner says, glancing up at me. “Not more than an hour old, I’d guess.”
I nod, adrenaline surging. “They went off the trail. Could be trying to find shelter.”
Jace steps up beside me, frowning as he peers into the trees. “It’s a hell of a detour. If they’re out there, they’re exposed.”
“Then we don’t have much time,” I say, my jaw tightening. “We follow the tracks.”
Without hesitation, we follow the trail, the footprints leading us deeper into the trees. The wind is slightly weaker here, the thick canopy of branches above giving us a little protection from the worst of the storm.
The tracks lead us further and further off the main path, winding through the trees, and I keep my eyes on them, barely blinking. This is it. They’re close. I can feel it.
Just as we round a bend, I spot something up ahead—a dark shape in the snow, partially obscured by the low-hanging branches of the trees.
“Over there,” I call out, my voice tight with urgency. “I see something.”
The shape becomes clearer as we approach—a figure slumped against the base of a tree, covered in snow, barely moving.
It’s Sam.
“Sam!” I shout, rushing forward, dropping to my knees beside him. His face is pale, his lips blue from the cold, but he’s alive, shivering violently as I shake his shoulder. “Sam, can you hear me?”
His eyes flutter open, barely able to focus. He’s weak, too weak to speak, but he nods slightly, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Jace is at my side in seconds, pulling off his pack and retrieving a thermal blanket. “We need to get him warmed up now.”
Ben and Tanner are already searching the area, their eyes scanning for any sign of Whit. “Where’s Whit?” Ben asks urgently, his voice sharp with concern. “Sam, where is he?”
Sam tries to speak, his voice hoarse and barely audible. “He…he went…further up…tried to…get help.”
Damn it. Whit’s still out there, and from the looks of Sam, it’s a miracle he made it this far. If Whit went up the mountain alone in these conditions…
“Jace, get Sam wrapped up and stable,” I say, my voice firm. “Ben, Tanner—stay with them. I’m going after Whit.”
“No way you’re going alone,” Tanner says, stepping up beside me, his jaw set. “We’re all going.”
I glance at Sam, who’s fading fast, and then at the trail ahead, where Whit could be freezing to death as we speak. “Fine,” I say, gritting my teeth. “But we move fast. No more stops.”
“We’ve got to find him soon,” Ben mutters, pulling his scarf tighter around his face. “If he’s gone further up…he’s in serious trouble.”
I don’t respond.
Tanner stumbles once, and then again, catching himself with a growl of frustration. “Dammit. This snow is thick.”
“Keep going,” I say, my voice gruffer than I intend. “He can’t be far.”
But then I hear something—a faint sound, distant but unmistakable.
A shout.
I freeze, my ears straining against the wind. The others stop, too, holding their breath as we listen.
There it is again—fainter this time, but it’s there.
“Whit?” Jace shouts, his voice echoing through the trees. “Whit! Where are you?”
For a moment, there’s only the sound of the wind, but then we hear it again—louder this time. A groan, a desperate sound that cuts through the storm.
“He’s close,” I say, urgency gripping my chest. “Move, now!”
We sprint toward the sound, our feet pounding against the snow, slipping and sliding as we move through the trees. My heart hammers in my chest, adrenaline surging as we close in on the source of the noise.
And then I see him.
Whit is half-buried in the snow, lying motionless at the base of a steep incline. His jacket is torn, and his face is pale, his body shivering uncontrollably. He looks barely conscious, his eyes half-closed, his breathing shallow.
“Whit!” I drop to my knees beside him, shaking him roughly. “Can you hear me?”
He doesn’t respond at first, his eyes fluttering as if he’s on the verge of passing out. His skin is ice-cold to the touch, and I can feel the panic rising in my chest.
“Get the thermal blankets!” I bark
“He’s hypothermic,” Jace mutters, his jaw tight. “We need to get him down, fast.”
“Can he walk?” I ask, my eyes never leaving Whit’s face.
Jace shakes his head. “No way. He’s too far gone. We’ll have to carry him.”
I curse under my breath, glancing up at the mountain.
“Ben, you and Tanner take his legs,” I order, moving to lift Whit’s upper body. “Jace and I will take the lead. We need to get him back to the lodge before he crashes completely.”
The guys don’t hesitate. We lift Whit carefully, his body limp in our arms, and start moving down the mountain. We find Sam, sitting where we left him. Jace lets go of the lodge’s emergency stretcher to help him walk, keeping his body close to his.
Whit groans softly as we move, his head lolling to the side. I grit my teeth, my muscles burning as we carry him.
After what feels like an eternity, we finally reach the trail leading back to the lodge. The building's lights are barely visible through the storm, a faint glow in the distance. Relief floods through me, but I don’t let myself relax—not yet.
“We’re almost there,” I say, more to myself than to the others. “Just a little further.”
The trek back feels longer than it should, but we don’t dare stop.
Finally, we reach the lodge. The doors swing open, and a group of staff rush out to help us, pulling Whit inside and wrapping him in more blankets, and a few of them take care of Sam, who looks more shaken than anything.
The warmth of the lobby hits me like a wave, but I barely notice.
I just need to find Emily.