Chapter Twelve
Viktor
Snow slowly descends from the clouds, landing all around me. I pull my robe tight around me, using my magic to enchant it so that it will keep me warm against the cold outside. It’s simple really. I can do it without much of a thought these days.
I smile to myself as I watch the snow come down, sipping at my steaming tea. Not for the first time I marvel at how much has changed in such a short amount of time. My fingers toy with the mating bite across my shoulder, feeling the scarred indents made from my alpha’s teeth.
After my magic manifested, my life was turned on its head. I knew that nothing would ever be the same again, but it turns out, that was okay. Somehow, this new life was even better than I imagined it would be.
I have a mate who adores me and worships the very ground I stand on. I have the best pack in the world. And now, on top of all that, I have this little life inside of me, a creation that my love for Duncan made. I’m not sure it’s possible to be any happier than I already am.
The back door opens and a moment later, two strong arms go around my middle from behind. Duncan buries his face against my hair, breathing me in.
“Is cold,” he murmurs against my shoulder.
“Is not,” I say with a chuckle. I run my hand over his robe, doing the same magic as my own, warming him up.
“Oh. That’s nice,” he says with a sigh, sinking against me even further.
“You’re nice.”
Duncan makes a confused noise. “You make that sound like a bad thing. Do you want me to be mean to you?”
“Like you could even if I wanted you to.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” he says, moving his face so he can kiss my ear. “I’m too much of a softie.”
“It’s true.” I let out a dramatic sigh, smiling. “But that’s why I love you. My big softie.”
“All yours,” he says in agreement. “I turned the Crock-Pot on before coming out here. Everything should be set for lunch today.”
“Thank you.” Reaching down, I place a hand on Duncan’s wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze. When that’s not enough, I turn around in his arms, looking up at his pretty brown eyes.
“Hi,” he whispers with a grin, his cheeks pink from the cold. Snow falls in his hair, turning the ends a pretty white color before they melt. He’s so handsome I could almost pretend this is nothing more than a Christmas dream. Yet, somehow he is real. He’s real and here’s here and he’s mine.
I lean up on my toes and kiss his lips. They’re cold but mine are toasty warm from the tea I’ve been drinking. When his tongue swipes into my mouth, my head grows foggy in the most delightful way. My entire body warms even further that has nothing to do with my magic.
“Merry Christmas,” Duncan murmurs against my lips.
I play with the strands at the back of his neck.
He’s been growing it out since we met. I think he’s hoping to keep the brand on his neck hidden so he doesn’t have to answer questions if any humans notice it.
Soon it’ll be a full blown mullet which I find kinda sexy.
“That was not your gift,” I tell him with a grin.
“Not to be a sappy alpha but even if that’s all you got me, I would be more than satisfied. Just being in your presence is a gift, Viktor.”
I take his hand and place it against my chest, right over my heart. “I give you my heart every single day,” I tell him softly. “That’s not a gift, that’s just a fact of life.”
“It’s a gift to me.”
Pulling his hand up to my mouth, I kiss his palm. In response, he squeezes my cheeks, making both of us giggle.
“Let’s go inside,” Duncan says softly. “We should exchange our gifts before my parents arrive.”
Duncan laces our fingers together before leading us back into the house. I give our backyard one last look, taking in how pretty the snow is making everything. Then I release the spell on our clothes, not wanting us to overheat once we’re inside the warmth of our home.
Duncan and I sit on the floor next to our tree. Tomorrow, we’ll be heading over to Aiden and Brock’s house for a pack party but today is just for the two of us and our little family unit.
“Here,” Duncan says shyly. “I’m not sure what you’ll think since my gift includes a little work from you, but I hope you’ll like it.”
“I’m sure I’ll love it,” I say truthfully, pulling the newspaper away from the gift. It’s a little black box. I pop it open, my cheeks hurting from how wide my smile is. “Duncan,” I breathe out, pulling the jewelry from the box and holding it in my palm.
In my hand are two bracelets. One of them is black leather with a handmade metal wolf, twisted together with silver wires. It’s beautiful. The other is made with gray leather and the metal piece adorning it is made with black wires, this one twisted to look like a ball of fire.
“I love them,” I tell him seriously, looking up at my mate. “What did you want me to do with them?”
“I saw online that there are bracelets for long distance partners. You can program it with your phone to send each other messages or even add your heartbeat to it so the other person can listen to it whenever they miss the other. I thought with your magic, we could do something to link ourselves together. Unless that’s silly--” he starts to say but I cut him off straight away.
“That’s not silly at all! I’ll think of something really special, okay? Just give me a little time with them.”
“Do you like them?”
“No,” I say, pulling Duncan into a tight hug right there on the floor. “I love them. Your craftsmanship is so fucking beautiful, Duncan. I can’t wait to wear mine proudly. I won’t have them enchanted yet but I’m wearing mine today and tomorrow so I can show it off.”
Duncan’s arms come around me, holding me tight. He kisses the side of my head, letting out a long, relieved breath. What a goofy alpha. Like I would hate something he hand made for me?
“Thank you for the lovely gift, alpha.”
He pulls back, finally smiling back. “You’re welcome.”
“Now it’s my turn,” I say, reaching under the tree and grabbing Duncan’s gift. I hand the little box to Duncan.
Duncan pulls the paper away. He keeps glancing up at me, his eyes so warm. I love him so much it makes my chest ache.
“I know how much you love your necklace,” I murmur as he pops the little box open. “So I thought I would give you another charm to add to it.”
“Oh,” Duncan whispers, looking at the little stone in awe. This is a little piece of lapis lazuli wrapped in metal so it can be hung from a necklace. “This is really pretty, Viktor.”
“It’s enchanted just like the other stone.”
Duncan is already pulling his necklace off his neck and popping it open so he can slide the lapis lazuli into place beside the obsidian the necklace already had hanging from it.
“What does this one do?” Duncan asks with excitement.
“It’s a calming enchantment,” I explain softly. “Any time you feel overwhelmed or need a little break from your anxiety, just push your hand against your chest. It sends calming waves through you so you can catch your breath and think clearly.” Then I quickly added, “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay,” Duncan says right away. He takes my hands in his own, squeezing them tight. “I’ve never felt so seen before meeting you. This is perfect, Viktor. Thank you.”
I squeeze him right back. “You’re welcome.”
“What’s this?”
I pull out the other gift with Duncan’s name on it. “It’s something silly. You deserve silly stuff in your life, Duncan.”
“Right. That’s why I have you.”
I make a fart noise with my mouth and toss the gift into his lap. “Go on. Open it up.”
Duncan opens the newspaper wrapping and starts laughing as he sees the shirt. He unfolds it completely, holding it up.
“What the fuck is this?”
“I saw it and it made me think of you!”
“This? Made you think of me?”
“Well yeah! Cause you’re an artist! And this is clearly art!”
The shirt is black on the back but the front is nothing but color.
There’s a space background with different colored planets and stars, a cat riding a dinosaur who’s puking up a rainbow into the open mouth of a dolphin and the words ‘don’t worry be happy’.
It makes no sense at all but it’s silly.
Therefore, I think Duncan needs to wear it.
Duncan shakes his head at me, looking at the shirt fondly. “Wanna know something?”
“What?”
“I love you,” he says before pulling me forward. I chuckle, climbing into his lap. His strong arms wrap around me, running up my spine until they’re stopping at the back of my head, pulling me down into a kiss.
I’m swept away in the kiss, giving myself fully to my mate. His tongue is in my mouth, his hands are in my hair, and his cock is pressing against my ass. We make out like that, rutting against each other, lost in the sea of pleasure we’re giving each other.
That is, until Duncan’s phone vibrates. He pulls away with a groan, checking it. His body goes tense beneath me.
“Shit. My parents are on their way.”
“Fuck,” I gasp out, leaping out of Duncan’s lap, throwing myself towards our bedroom.
“Slow down! We have time!”
“I have to make sure I’m presentable! This is the first time I’m meeting them!”
As I rush through getting ready, my heart is bright with affection at the sound of Duncan’s sunshiney, music-like chuckles.
By the time Duncan’s parents arrive, lunch is ready and we’re both dressed and presentable. I can tell Duncan is nervous, but he’s holding it together really well. I’m so proud of how much he’s found his confidence since our mating.
“Hello, Mother. Hello, Father.”
“Duncan! It’s so wonderful to see you again,” his mother says, grabbing his cheeks and kissing each of them. Then she turns towards me. “And this must be your lovely mate. I’m so incredibly delighted to finally meet you, Viktor.”
“You too, ma’am.”
“Oh, none of that,” she says, pulling me into a tight hug. I squeak as she squeezes. Then she pulls back, kissing each of my cheeks. “Please call me Mother.”
I swallow thickly, nodding my head. “Okay.”
“Son,” Duncan’s father says, shaking his hand. Then he turns towards me, doing the same. “You may call me Father. Or Mister McAlp if you’d prefer. I have no preference.”
Wow. Okay. I can see why Duncan ran into the arts. His parents seem lovely, but even I can see they’re quite formal and uptight. They’re missing the whimsy of life!
I’m glad I can bring some silly to Duncan’s life.
“Please come in, get comfortable,” I say, gesturing towards the living room. Mister McAlp is carrying a bag of gifts and he drops them off by the tree before sitting on the couch beside his mate.
I grab Duncan’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He gives me a soft smile before we walk into the living room, following his parents.
Being the host, I make sure everyone has a warm drink before we start to divide up the gifts. Duncan’s parents give us expensive household appliances. One of them is a new espresso machine. I’ll have to compare it to the one Brock owns, since he’s the proud owner of a coffee food truck.
“Here you guys go,” I say softly, passing them over the gift that Duncan and I made for them. “This is for both of you from the both of us.”
They slowly peel the paper away. “What’s this?” Duncan’s mom asks softly, her voice shaking.
They’re holding a little picture frame. Inside is a painting of a onesie that says ‘grandma and grandpa’s pride and joy’ with a pair of little sneakers. I helped pick the frame but Duncan did all the art for it. It’s adorable and I’m so incredibly proud of what he created.
“Oh,” Mister McAlp says, looking over at his wife with a soft smile. She covers her face with her hands, sniffling.
Mister McAlp sets the painting down before standing up, bringing his wife with him.
They rush over to us, pulling us into a tight hug.
It’s awkward as fuck but I melt into it.
This is the first time I’ve seen them show this type of emotion.
It feels like this baby announcement has chipped away at some of the ice they use to hold themselves back.
“I’m too young to be a grandmother.”
Duncan snorts. “It wasn’t that long ago you were asking when I’d give you a grandbaby!”
“Oh hush, Duncan,” she says with a watery chuckle.
“I’m so happy for you, son. Before the new year, I’ll have their trust fund finalized and send you all the details.”
“Father, you don’t have to--”
He’s cut off. “Let me take care of them the same way I take care of you, okay?”
Duncan sighs and I can tell he’s going to give in. “Okay,” he says, confirming my suspicions.
I don’t really understand the relationship that Duncan has with his parents but that’s okay. They clearly love each other very much. They support Duncan in everything he does, even if they’re not very present.
Duncan’s mom squeezes my shoulder. “If you need anything, please let us know.” She clears her throat. “We want to be here for you both. For all of you,” she adds, nodding towards my belly.
More present now that the baby is on the way. I can work with that.
The rest of the day blows by quickly. We have lunch together and have a wonderful time. I learn more about Duncan’s parents and in turn, I tell them about my childhood and about coming into my magic. I also get to hear a few embarrassing stories about Duncan from when he was growing up.
Overall, it’s a wonderful day. At the end of it, I end up in bed with Duncan as he holds me, running his fingers through my hair.
This might be our first Christmas together but I can already tell this is the first of many more to come.
With Duncan by my side, I know they’ll always be as lovely and wonderful as today.