Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
NOAH
Heat Mountain’s annual Winter Fair has transformed our sleepy town center into something from a Christmas card—twinkling lights, evergreen garlands, and red ribbons adorning every lamppost and storefront.
The air smells like pine, snow and the apple cinnamon of cider donuts, a combination that instantly transports me back to childhood winters.
“Holy shit, this is amazing!” Holly presses her face against the passenger window like an excited kid. “Look at all the lights!”
Her enthusiasm hits me through our bond—a burst of childlike wonder that makes my chest tighten. I park the SUV in one of the few remaining spots near the square and kill the engine.
“Wait till you see the food booths,” Kai says from the backseat, already unbuckling. “Mrs. Peterson makes these gingerbread cookies that’ll change your life.”
Grayson grunts in agreement, practically an effusive response from him.
Holly practically bounces out of the car, her breath forming little clouds in the frigid air. The temperature’s dropped to single digits, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care. Her eyes are wide, taking in the transformed town square.
Local vendors have set up wooden stalls selling everything from hand-knitted scarves to smoked salmon.
Tourists and locals alike wander between the booths, clutching steaming cups and paper bags of treats.
A massive Christmas tree dominates the center of the square, dripping with ornaments and topped with a silver star that catches the light.
Holly’s face is transformed by pure delight. It hits me suddenly—this is her first Christmas in Heat Mountain. Her first Christmas with us. The thought settles in my chest with unexpected weight.
I want to make this the best one she’s ever had.
“Where should we start?” she asks, turning to us with that smile that still knocks me sideways.
“Food,” Kai says immediately.
“Shopping,” I counter. “Food after.”
Grayson doesn’t say anything, but I don’t miss the way his gaze lingers on Holly. He clearly plans to follow wherever she leads.
“Compromise,” Holly suggests, linking her arm through mine. “We shop our way to the food stalls.”
The casual touch sends warmth through me despite the cold. I’m still getting used to this—Holly’s easy affection, the way she reaches for me without hesitation. For someone who spent years avoiding touch to hide her designation, she’s remarkably tactile now. With us, at least.
We start at the edge of the square, where an out-of-town vendor is selling hand-blown glass ornaments. Holly examines each one carefully, holding them up to catch the light. Her smile is wistful as she picks one up to examine it more closely, before setting it back down.
I make a note of any place her gaze lingers for more than a few seconds, planning to come back to the stall and buy as many as I can carry when she isn’t paying attention.
The happy surprise on her face on Christmas morning is already the present I’m anticipating most.
“We should pick presents while we’re here,” Kai suggests, eyeing a booth selling handcrafted jewelry. “Secret Santa style.”
Holly frowns. “Why can’t we just shop together? Then everyone gets what they actually want.”
I laugh, unsurprised by her pragmatism. “That’s not how Christmas works, sweetheart. Half the fun is not knowing what you’re getting until you rip off the wrapping paper and open the box.”
“But what if you buy something I don’t like?” she asks, genuinely confused.
“Then you pretend to love it anyway,” Kai says with a grin. “It’s tradition.”
One of the clinic nurses is stopped at a stall a few ahead of us. She hasn’t noticed our group approach, but she will in about a few seconds.
“Plus, people might assume some things if they see us all shopping together,” I point out softly, gently extricating myself from her hold on me.
I hope my tone conveys that I’m not embarrassed of her or wanting to avoid contact, but I don’t want to ignore the need for our pack status and her designation to remain a secret.
“Unless you’re ready for what it means for us to go public. ”
Holly considers this for a moment, then nods decisively. “Okay, I need to look around. Alone. While shopping for my friends.” She says the last word so loudly that several nearby shoppers turn to look. “I’ll meet you all at the food stalls in an hour!”
Before any of us can respond, she’s gone, disappearing into the crowd with surprising speed for someone her size.
“Subtle,” I mutter, unreasonably amused by just how cute she is.
“This was supposed to be a date,” Kai complains, watching her go. “Our first public outing as a pack.”
“We agreed to keep things quiet for now,” I remind him. “At least until Holly figures out how she wants to handle all this. She has a lot to lose if the wrong person discovers her designation.”
Mercer’s already suspicious, or at least paying closer attention to Holly than I’m comfortable with. The last thing Holly needs is for the entire town to find out that she’s a bonded before she’s ready to deal with the fallout.
I glance around, suddenly realizing we’re down a member. “Where’s Grayson?”
Kai rolls his eyes. “Three guesses, and the first two don’t count.”
I scan the crowd and spot a familiar bandanna-covered profile moving in the same direction Holly just went. Of course. Grayson’s shadowing her, just like he’s done since she arrived in town.
“Should we stop him?” Kai asks.
I consider it, then shake my head. “She’s probably safer with him watching over her, anyway. I doubt anyone will notice. Ghost is pretty good about keeping a low profile.”
“Fine,” Kai sighs dramatically. “But I came here for a date, so I hope you’re up for sharing one milkshake with two straws.”
“In your dreams, Trujillo.”
We wander through the fair, stopping occasionally to examine potential gifts. I find a hand-carved walking stick for Holly, though the price makes me want to accuse the booth owner of mistaking me for a tourist.
“So,” Kai says casually as we walk, “have you thought about what happens after Holly’s rotation ends?”
The question hits a nerve I’ve been trying to ignore. “Not much to think about. I can’t make any decisions for her.”
“I mean, she has a whole life back in New York. A residency program to finish. She’s not exactly going to want to stay in Heat Mountain forever.”
I’ve thought about this more than I care to admit. Holly’s brilliant—she belongs in a major hospital where she can use all her skills, not stuck in our tiny clinic.
“I know,” I admit. “We’ll figure something out.”
“There are places to snowboard in New York,” Kai says, examining a display of hand-carved wooden animals with unusual intensity.
I stop walking and stare at him. “You’d move to New York?”
“If that’s where we end up, yeah.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I stayed in Heat Mountain because it was the closest thing I had to home after my parents died. Going forward, home is wherever our pack decides to go.”
I feel a little bad about how surprised I am to hear that. “What about your house?”
“I’d sell it or we could use it as a vacation property,” Kai replies with a shrug as if it doesn’t matter to him either way. And maybe it doesn’t. “I bet they also have houses in New York.”
And emergency medicine physicians goes unspoken.
Because he’s right. I’d already tried and failed once to leave Heat Mountain. The only thing holding me here are the people I now realize have been my pack all along—Kai, Grayson, and now Holly.
“Of course,” Kai continues, “this is all assuming Holly actually wants to keep us. I’m not convinced she won’t wake up one of these days and realize she made a terrible mistake.”
He laughs like it’s a joke, but there’s no humor in the sound. Because the sentiment has drifted in the air around us, even if none of us has voiced it aloud. That this is temporary for her. An adventure, a fling, but not a lifetime commitment.
“She bonded me,” I say, more as a reminder to myself rather than him.
“Accidentally,” Kai reminds me. “During a heat when she wasn’t fully in control. And she hasn’t asked you to return the favor.”
The fact that he is saying out loud the fear that has been swirling through my head for weeks doesn’t make me feel any better. This bond feels real to me—a constant awareness of Holly humming in the back of my mind. But what if it doesn’t feel the same to her?
What if she wishes she’d never done it and just doesn’t want to tell me?
“We should talk to her,” I say finally. “All of us. Figure out what she wants.”
“After Christmas,” Kai decides. “Let’s just enjoy the holiday first.”
I nod, grateful for the reprieve. “After Christmas.”
We continue through the fair, the conversation shifting to lighter topics. I buy a bottle of locally distilled whiskey for Grayson and a vintage snowboarding poster for Kai. By the time we reach the food stalls, my mood has lightened considerably.
The smell of fried dough and hot chocolate fills the air. Children run between the stalls, their laughter bright in the cold evening. Families gather around standing tables, sharing plates of food and easy conversation.
This is what I want, I realize suddenly. Not just for Christmas, but for all the days after. Holly, laughing in our kitchen. Kai, telling his ridiculous stories. Grayson, silent but always present.
I spot Holly across the square, standing with Aspen at a booth for Caro’s shop. They’ve set up a display featuring what looks suspiciously like a nest—pillows and blankets arranged in a circular pattern, with scented candles and comfort items strategically placed around it.
Holly’s face is flushed pink, either from the cold or embarrassment, as Aspen gestures enthusiastically at the display.
“Found her,” I tell Kai, nodding in their direction.
“And she’s getting a sales pitch from Aspen,” Kai says with a grin. “This should be good.”
We make our way through the crowd. As we approach, I catch the tail end of Aspen’s explanation.