Chapter 33 Aspen
Aspen
Iwoke up for the first time in my life feeling excited for the holiday. Every day since we found out we were a pack has been full of holiday fun and sweet moments that healed me a little more each time.
Two short weeks and I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with these men.
Now that we had plans in place for after the holiday, I was able to truly enjoy the season.
I’d even sent Grady a few of my old pieces along with my resume and he was more than impressed. Now I just had to make sure my coverage of the festival lived up to the hype.
The guys have been talking among themselves as if they were hiding some sort of secret, but I didn’t bother to press. It was that time of year and I trusted them. They were far too giddy about it to be devious.
Plus, I had three perfect presents for them already wrapped and delivered from that antique shop. They were tucked away in my closet waiting for tonight when I would put them under the tree.
I was currently sitting on the top of my bathroom vanity with my legs crossed, brushing eyeshadow across my eyes. I made it a point to wear the most ridiculous Christmas outfits, something that Cole commented on every time.
In honor of Christmas Eve and the festival, I had on fleece-lined tights that were red and white striped with a cute red dres.
It flared out at the waist and was warm, yet adorable.
The fluffy white sweater waiting in the bedroom was the perfect addition.
The white would make my candy cane themed eyeshadow pop a bit more.
Was it all over the top? Absolutely. But it was perfect for today.
Instead of the usual Christmas markets, which they’ve had every weekend this month, this was less shopping and more attractions meant for packs and families to enjoy.
There were rides, pictures with Santa, trainers dressed as elves walking around with real-life reindeer, and plenty of treats and holiday drinks to go around.
My camera was already on its lanyard around my neck, and I had my phone ready, a recording app set up so I could record my conversations if I decided to interview people.
That was my preferred way of gathering information: just talking. People tended to focus more on me when it was conversational versus me writing frantically and barely looking at them.
A loud knock on my door had me dropping the makeup brush. Perfect timing since I just finished my touchup. I sprayed some of my winter-berry perfume before looking in the mirror one final time.
It was perfect.
“Oh my gosh,” I breathed out as I opened the door and then pulled up the camera around my neck, screwing off the lens cap and taking a picture.
Cole, Jack, and North were all standing in front of me dressed in festive colors. Cole a hunter green sweater, North a deep scarlet, and Jack’s was navy blue with reindeer on it. They’d taken the time to shave and style their hair, even donning dark jeans.
My pack cleaned up nicely.
“What is all this?” I asked, fanning myself.
“Half the fun of going out is dressing up, right?” Jack asked, his grin wide. “And now we have our Mrs. Claus. Look at you.” He held out a hand, and when I put mine in his, he spun me around, my dress flaring out and my bright laughter echoing in the room. They brought out my joy so easily.
“This might be my favorite yet,” Cole said.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m fairly sure you’ve said that with every one.”
“Yet, you keep outdoing yourself.” He pulled me close and brushed a kiss across my cherry-painted lips. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said, ducking my head as he caressed my cheeks. This pack was just too sweet.
“Are we ready? We need to get there soon,” Jack pointed out.
“Come on, we better report to Santa for duty,” North teased, giving me that lopsided smile that I loved.
“Oh? Santa?” I questioned. “Does that mean that I’m getting another packmate?”
“No!” all three of them barked out at once. Cole looked downright thunderous while the other two just looked exasperated.
“I’d say we’re more than complicated enough,” North deadpanned. “Now move your cute ass down those stairs. We have to go before Jack has a fit.”
“I’ve been handling it very well, thank you very much,” Jack growled, but I could see how antsy he was to go.
“Let’s get our alpha to his destination,” I said, hooking my arm through Jack’s and heading down the stairs. “You know, this is my first festival I think I’ve ever attended.”
“Now you’re going to tell me your parents thought festivals were below them,” he said.
“Now you’re catching on,” I teased.
But, he was right. My parents would have never cared enough to do something like this.
“Speaking of parents…” I started, glancing at the alpha beside me.
He let out a sigh. “They want to talk after the festival. I guess they’re all going to go tonight in a show of support for me.” Jack looked unnerved. “Not one football game, not one track meet, nothing… but sure, let’s go to a festival.”
“We’re supposed to be working on that bitterness, brother,” Cole said as gently as he could.
Jack let out a breath. “Yeah, I know. I just needed to get that off my chest first.”
“You’re such a grumpy little elf,” I teased, dancing out of the way when he tried to tickle me in retaliation.
We hurried outside, and I stopped short as giant flurries fell from the sky. “It’s snowing.”
“It wasn’t supposed to snow until tomorrow night,” Jack said with a groan.
“Will you have to postpone?” I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.
“No, it’s Colorado. We plan for these things.”
“I kind of love it,” North said, taking a deep breath of the crisp snowy air. “The snow always makes all the lights sparkle just a little bit more.”
“Pine Ridge is magical,” I agreed. “Have I mentioned how excited I am that we’re staying?”
“A time or two,” Cole teased. “I’m excited to get this building up and running. I just have to go pitch it to the board after the holidays.”
“If you need help getting anything together, you know where to find us,” Jack promised. “Hell, I’m good at numbers if you need a consultation to help strengthen your proposal.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Cole said, looking pleased.
Thanks to the snow, traffic was a little bit slower on the way to the town square where everything was being held. We had to park down the block, the police already partitioning off the roads to make sure it was safe.
It was already in full swing: the Christmas lights glowing, the big tree extra bright tonight against the snow, and the rides and food trucks all glowing against the overcast sky. The festival didn’t even start until noon, and we had skipped the first few hours since it was mainly for the kids.
It wouldn’t take long before it was dark. Even with the temperatures dropping, the crowds were growing.
The typical smells of fried food and sweets filled the air. We had just eaten, but I couldn’t help considering finding a little sweet treat.
“I need to check in with the mayor,” Jack said. “Make sure everything’s going well and remind some of our organizers to collect invoices properly.”
He brushed a kiss over my temple, then North’s, before rushing off and leaving us in Cole’s care.
My eyes immediately went to the ferris wheel that was spinning slowly, the lights all flashing red and green instead of the usual array of colors.
“Anyone want to go on a ride?” I asked, running toward the ferris wheel.
“Absolutely not,” Cole said, shaking his head.
North rolled his eyes. “We’ll let the alpha stay on the ground. Us badass omegas will go up alone.”
Cole didn’t even bother to argue as North dragged me into the queue at the ticket booth.
Of course, Cole was right behind us, sliding money over to purchase a huge booklet of them.
“No holding back tonight,” he said firmly.
“Maybe I could get used to this whole spoiling-the-omega thing,” North said as he took the tickets and stepped out of the way so Cole could collect his change.
We rushed off to the line for the ferris wheel. Thankfully, it was short, not taking long for us to get to the front.
The carnival worker gestured us forward and we climbed into the little cart, my eyes tracking over to Cole, who was waiting just outside the ride with a frown and his arms crossed. He wasn’t the only one standing guard. There was a whole row of surly alphas, staying on solid ground.
A small smile quirked up his lips when he saw me watching.
North’s fingers found mine, tangling together, and he leaned in. I turned just in time to capture his lips instead of him kissing my cheek.
“We have to keep warm, right?” he teased against my lips before one icy hand brushed over my cheek, holding me in place as he deepened the kiss.
“Unless you want to give this entire town a show, you better watch it, omega,” I shot back, nipping his lip before gasping as the cart shifted, slowly rising up. It only stopped twice to fill the last two carts before we were moving steadily.
My hand stayed in North’s, the other gripping the side of the cart so I could lean forward and take in the view.
The town sprawled out below us in all its snow-clad glory. There were dots of glowing lights here and there outside of the town, but Pine Ridge itself was beautiful. Rows of Christmas lights sparkling against the winter night.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
As we started to lower, I looked over at the omega next to me, my heart slamming in my chest as I realized he was staring at me this whole time.
“I love you,” he said, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind my ear. His smile was so gentle it made my chest ache.
My face was already set in a permanent smile, and it widened even further at his words.
“I love you, too,” I said, planting a quick kiss on his lips before turning back to the sights, laughing as we rose again, feeling so free and happy. My gaze shifted to the alpha below, and I gave a little wave.
My adorable mate waved right back, no shame.
It felt like nothing could ever tarnish or take away from how perfectly our pack fit together, how amazing they made moments like this.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alive.
When the ride stopped, my cheeks were bright red from the cold and pure joy was radiating from me. Cole caught me in a hug as soon as I stepped off, spinning me around and breathing me in like this small separation was just too much for him to bear.
As he set me down again, I put my hand in both of theirs. “Next? Your turn to pick, North.”
My omega thought about it as he glanced around at all the festival had to offer. Then his grin lit up as wide as mine was, before pulling me toward a giant slide.
Kids were sliding down in burlap sacks, but thankfully the attendant didn’t say a word when an omega wanted a turn.
He cleared the line of children before waving us forward. “Have at it,” the alpha teased, taking the offered tickets from North’s hand and handing us each one of the burlap sacks.
There were two lanes on the giant plastic slide, and we each took one, sitting down on the burlap before scooting forward enough.
“One, two,” North started.
“Three!” I yelled for him as we let loose, flying down the slide. We had quite a bit more momentum than the children thanks to our weight, practically crashing into the hay bales they had to stop our fall.
North fished me out of the straw, picking pieces of it off me before pulling my face to his. It was nice to know they couldn’t get enough of me, either.
“Where did Cole go?” I questioned as we stepped out of the ride area, looking around.
North frowned, doing the same before pointing him out. “Over there, by the hot chocolate.”
A few things happened at once. He started to walk forward when a gust of wind stole my scarf. I let go of his hand long enough to grab it before a crowd pushed through, forcing us apart.
I stood there, waiting for it to pass, trying to keep my calm, but something felt wrong.
My skin was crawling, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, and I glanced around trying to find the source.
“Hello there, little omega. Did you miss us?”