Chapter 9
By the time Keena turned onto the road leading toward the White Pine Pack grounds, Brice had already decided that the last week had been the best of her life. She bit back a silly grin that had been plastered on her face since the day she had gone to Keena’s cabin.
She gazed out of the passenger window of Keena’s SUV.
Snow fell softly around them and Evergreen Hollow glowed behind them.
Every storefront on Main Street was wrapped in Christmas lights, old school Christmas music played low through the speakers, and Keena’s hand rested over Brice’s on the center console.
Their fingers were entwined like they had been doing it forever.
Brice glanced over at Keena. She looked different now.
Not in a way strangers would notice immediately.
She was still quiet, still watchful and still carried herself like the bad-ass enforcer she was.
Her shoulders weren’t so tense. Her mouth curved more often into a smile.
Sometimes Brice would say something ridiculous just to get a reaction from her and Keena would laugh.
Brice loved the sound of her laugh.
She loved the way Keena stopped by the shop in the mornings with the excuse that she was just “checking in on the shop, but somehow her visit ended with them sharing a kiss.
She loved the way Keena had fixed the wobbly shelf in the romance section without being asked, or the way Keena pretended not to like Brice’s cinnamon hot chocolate, but yet she always asked for another one.
She loved the way Keena kissed her. Her kisses were slow, deep, and protective as if each second of the kiss mattered. Brice’s chest warmed at the thought of the kiss they had shared when Keena had picked her up. Her knees were still shaking.
She hadn’t said those magical three words yet.
Neither had Keena.
But love was already there. It was evident by the way Keena would text her to make sure she got home safely when she was out and about, or the way she carried in the heavy boxes that were left outside the shop, or the way Keena looked at her when she thought Brice wasn’t looking.
It was there.
She felt it.
The pack grounds came into view through the trees and Brice’s breath caught.
The Christmas Eve festival was beautiful.
Lanterns hung from white pine branches and they glowed gold against the snow.
A massive bonfire crackled at the center of the clearing.
It was surrounded by pack members bundled in their winter coats, scarves and boots.
Children raced through the snow with small battery powered lanterns in their hands while the adults lingered near the tables.
Above it all stood the oldest white pine in Evergreen Hollow. Its branches were decorated for the holiday in ribbons and ornaments that shimmered beneath the night sky.
Keena parked, then came around to open Brice’s door.
“Such a gentle wolf,” Brice teased.
“Don’t start.” Keena rolled her eyes. She held out her hand for Brice to take then helped her down from the large SUV. They walked into the festival together and people began to notice immediately.
Brice felt the curious and surprised looks. A few pack members smiled openly and waved. One older woman touched her husband’s arm and whispered something that made him grin.
A little boy ran toward Keena.
“Keena! Keena!” he shouted. Keena crouched just in time for him to throw his arms around her neck. She hugged him back before whispering something in his ear that made him giggle before he ran off.
“What did you say to him?” Brice asked. Keena came back and took her by the hand again. Keena’s eyes tracked him before he disappeared into the crowd.
“Hurry up and grow so I can retire,” Keena chuckled. “He wants to be an enforcer.”
Brice practically melted. She moved closer to Keena where their arms brushed each other. Before she could say anything else, Rue approached them with a slow smile spreading across her face.
“Well, this is a sight I’ve been waiting to see,” Rue said.
“Alpha,” Keena sighed.
“What? I didn’t say anything.” Rue’s eyebrows shot up high on her forehead. She barked a hefty laugh at the way Keena looked at her.
“You just said plenty,” Keena muttered.
Rue opened her arms to Brice. “Welcome, Brice.”
Brice stepped into her hug and was surprised at how natural it felt. When Rue pulled back, she embraced Keena too. For a moment, the alpha hugged her tightly.
“I’ve missed this smile,” Rue said.
Keena’s eyes glistened. Brice looked away to give them a moment. Hell, she had to get herself together too before she started crying.
Rue stepped back and blinked. She coughed and cleared her throat. “It looks like the ancestors knew what they were talking about.”
“Huh?” Keena frowned slightly.
“The pines remain strong…” Rue’s gaze drifted toward the surrounding trees.
“Even through the harshest winters.” Keena’s voice was quiet when she finished.
“So do wolves who survive heartbreak,” Rue said.
Keena’s hand tightened around hers.
“Go enjoy the festival, you two,” Rue said with a smile.
For the next little while, Brice let herself sink into the magic of the night. Keena introduced her to pack members and each introduction came easier than the last.
“This is Brice,” Keena said again and again. Each time with a smile, and Brice felt herself falling harder and harder for her every time she saw it.
Eventually the music stopped, conversations quieted, and everyone began glancing up at the sky. Brice looked up, curious to what they were looking at. As she stared up in confusion, the clouds drifted slowly apart to reveal the moon.
It was full and luminous. It was larger than Brice had ever seen. It glowed silver-white high above the trees. Moonlight spilled across the clearing, turning the snow to diamonds. It looked like a true winter wonderland.
Three elders stepped forward.
Brice recognized two of them from the bookstore, but tonight they seemed different. They appeared older somehow. Wiser. Brice could feel that they were important to the pack.
The shortest one with long gray hair held up her hand as she lifted her face toward the moon.
“It has been many years since the White Pine Pack gathered beneath a Second Christmas Moon,” she announced.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Brice turned to Keena slightly confused. There didn’t appear to be two moons out tonight. This one was huge—did that truly mean something.
“What does that mean?” Brice whispered. Keena’s eyes had grown wide as she stared up at the moon. She stammered as she turned to Brice.
“I knew of the stories. I never thought…” Her voice softened. She shook her head in awe. “I never thought I’d live to see one.”
The elder continued.
“Not every wolf receives only one great love. There are rare hearts chosen twice—not because the first love was not true, but because it was. That heart loved with honor. It endured. The Moon Goddess saw that its story was not finished.”
Brice’s chest tightened as she now understood. The elder’s eyes shifted to Keena.
“When a wolf loses her fated mate and still carries that love with reverence, the Moon Goddess may offer what our ancestors called a Second Christmas Moon.”
Tears blurred Brice’s vision. She leaned her head against Keena’s shoulder and gripped her hand tight.
Keena turned to her and tipped her chin upward to where they could gaze into each other’s eyes.
Her amber eyes were bright even in the low light.
Keena reached beneath the neck of her sweater and pulled out the chain that had been hidden.
A ring hung from it, catching the moonlight.
It was Lizzie’s ring.
Keena pressed the ring to her lips and closed her eyes briefly.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She tucked the ring back beneath her sweater and took both of Brice’s hands in hers. “Brice.”
“Keena,” Brice whispered. Her eyes widened at the sight of Keena lowering herself to one knee in the snow. Gasps rippled through the air. Brice’s hand flew to her mouth.
“I’ve spent five years believing that my heart had died with my first mate,” Keena said.
Her voice carried through the quiet clearing.
All eyes were on them, but Brice held Keena’s gaze.
She didn’t want to miss a word the woman was saying.
“Then you walked into my life with books, coffee, and a smile I couldn’t stop thinking about. ”
A tear slipped down Brice’s cheek.
“Keena,” she whispered.
“You taught me that love doesn’t have to be replaced. That our hearts will make room for more. You reminded me how to laugh, how to breathe, and how to live again. I don’t know what the future will hold, but all I know is that I want you by my side.”
“Keena,” Brice whispered again. Her heart was racing and she was sure it would find a way to push through her chest. Keena’s grip on her hands tightened.
“Brice Andrews, will you be my mate?”
“Yes,” Brice didn’t hesitate. She half laughed and half cried. “Yes, Keena. Yes!”
Cheers erupted around them, but Brice barely heard them. Keena rose and Brice threw herself into her arms.
“I love you,” Brice whispered as her lips pressed against Keena’s.
Keena went still. Her amber eyes grew wide as if she were truly surprised by Brice’s admission.
“I love you too.”
The kiss that followed was one that made Brice glad that Keena’s strong arms were wrapped around her waist. When they pulled apart, Keena rested her forehead against Brice’s.
“Merry Christmas, Keena,” Brice whispered. The bells in town could be heard off in the distance ringing, marking the midnight hour. Keena’s eyes softened. For the first time, there was no grief shadowing her when she answered.
“It finally is.”