Chapter 3
Wolf shifter Gabriel stared at the closet in his bedroom as the video call connected to his parents.
He wasn’t sure where he’d left his favorite work boots, and he really didn’t want to wear his backup pair.
They were heavier and made it more difficult to navigate the snowy terrain outside the buildings in Northernmost.
“Hello, honey,” his mom, Natalia, said when the call connected. “I can’t believe it’s December first! Can you believe how fast this year went?”
“You say that every December,” he said with a smile as he glanced at his parents on his phone screen. “Hey, Pop.”
“Hey, kid. How’s tricks?”
“Cold.”
His family lived in Howling Creek in Southern Ohio.
Winters there were hit or miss with how much snow they got, but it also wasn’t Winter Solstice yet, when Jack Frost was a total asshole and tended to attack the groups who sent shifters to help Santa in Northernmost. Wolves, polar bears, and snow leopards were hit the hardest during Frost’s most powerful period, along with those who opposed him like the good magic users – witches, warlocks, fairies, and dream walkers.
“We might have snow at Christmas,” his mom said. “Last year Frost made it terribly cold here but gave us no snow. I think he did that on purpose to mess with the kids having snow days.”
Gabriel chuckled and shut his closet door, holding his least favorite pair of boots. Picking up his phone, he said, “He goes out of his way to target our people this time of year for sure, but it’s still warmer there than here. How are you two?”
“Good,” his dad, Stephen, said, just a heartbeat before launching into the goings-on in the pack.
Gabriel walked into the front room of his two-bedroom apartment, which was underground in Northernmost and connected to two other apartments by a central living area.
His cousins, Declan and Sebastian, lived with their truemates in the other apartments.
They were all Yuletide Guardians, part of Santa’s security team along with elves.
Together they kept the people of Northernmost, and the world’s magic, safe from Jack Frost and his evil followers.
Gabriel had been a Guardian for six years, since he’d turned eighteen and followed his oldest cousin, Declan.
It meant living at the top of the world without his pack and only going home for short visits.
On the full moon, they shifted as a small group and ran through the snow and cold unless they were able to get home to be with their families.
As he sat down to put on his boots, he remembered he’d left his favorite pair out in the communal living area after the last shift.
“So you really can’t come visit us?” his mom asked. “What about the full moon?”
“We’re on lockdown for the month.”
Normally the Guardians could take a short break early in December to spend time with their families for the holidays, but this year, Santa had shut down the Portal on November thirtieth except for extreme emergencies.
Going home for the full moon wasn’t an emergency by any stretch of the imagination.
“Sorry, Mom,” he said. “But I’ll be there on Christmas Day as soon as Santa is back safe.”
Santa was at his most powerful on Christmas Eve.
But when he returned on Christmas Day, his magic was severely depleted, leaving him nearly powerless.
Frost tended to attack all month long, but he would focus on Christmas Day as Santa was coming home.
Last year, he’d nearly taken Santa out with a special blade.
Thankfully, Santa had survived, but Frost wouldn’t give up until he was either dead or defeated.
He left his apartment and found his boots by the couch. Sitting, he said, “I’m sorry, but things get more and more dangerous each year.”
“That bastard Frost needs to find a hobby,” his mom said.
“Yeah,” Gabriel said.
“Speaking of hobbies,” his dad said.
“Oh yes,” his mom said. “Have you considered asking Alpha Phoenix to arrange a mate for you?”
Gabriel almost dropped his phone. “What? How is finding a mate a hobby?”
“It’s not,” his dad said with a chuckle. “It was the only segue we could think of. But Alpha Phoenix offered it to you and any other unmated males and females in the pack.”
Gabriel didn’t know what to say.
“Look at him, babe, he’s speechless and looks green,” his mom said with a tsk.
“I’m fine,” Gabriel said, lacing his boot. “I just want to wait for my truemate. Declan and Sebastian did. I want what they have, and that means waiting for her to show up.”
“Maybe you could spend more time down here, then,” his mom said. “You haven’t found your mate yet up in the cold North.”
“You’re probably right,” he said. “I’ll talk to Santa.”
“You can always come work for me and your uncle at the landscape company. We’ll be shoveling driveways and clearing snow in January and February for the local businesses,” his dad said.
“I love being a Guardian,” he said. “But I’ll think about it. I gotta go, my shift starts soon.”
“Be careful out there,” his mom said, suddenly sounding worried.
“I will, I promise. Love you both.”
When the call was over, Gabriel stared at the dark screen for a moment.
Had they really just suggested he give up waiting for his mate to have the alpha arrange a mating?
Yes, he was damn lonely. And yes, he’d wished he had his one-right-female in his arms when he woke up this morning.
But he wasn’t about to put his romantic future in the hands of his alpha. That seemed nuts.
Shaking off the strange conversation, he finished tying his other boot, rose to his feet, and strode from the communal area to head to the security office.
There were nine Guardians, three from each shifter group, and each group had their own apartments and communal area. While they were all friends, Gabriel found himself sticking closer to the other two unmated Guardians – Winter the polar bear and Chase the snow leopard.
He’d been on first shift with Winter last week, and was switching to third shift with Chase this week.
As he made his way to the security office, he thought about what his mom had said about finding his truemate. Maybe she was right, and he’d never meet her at the top of the world. But maybe he would, if she were a witch who came to replenish her magic.
Although if that were the case, why wouldn’t he have met her before now?
Only good magic users lived in Northernmost. The only shifters here were the Guardians.
Humans weren’t allowed to live within the magical perimeter that protected Santa’s territory and the Well.
One of the Guardians – Storm, a polar bear – had found his truemate in a human, and they’d moved down to his home territory.
He’d been replaced by another polar bear named Orin.
Gabriel didn’t care if his mate was a shifter, a magic user, or human. He only cared that he found her, sooner rather than later.
Nearing the security office, he saw someone he didn’t know walking with Santa, Mother Nature, Tooth Fairy, and a couple males he also didn’t recognize.
He moved aside to let the small group pass, nodding at Santa and the others before resuming his walk to the office. Once inside, he found Ventura, an elf, at the main desk, who greeted him.
“Hey, who was that with Santa? There were three guys I didn’t recognize along with Mother Nature and Tooth Fairy.”
“One of them is a new security guy. Santa will introduce him at some point,” Ventura said. “You’re on with Chase? He already checked in and said he forgot to grab hot chocolate, so he’ll meet you out there.”
“I hope he brings me some too,” Gabriel said.
He reached for the walkie Ventura held out to him when something sparked inside him, and his wolf let out a deep howl that made his bones vibrate.
“Whoa, you okay, man? Your eyes are amber,” Ventura said.
“I… shit, I have to go.”
Gabriel raced from the security office without a clue what was driving him. He followed his wolf’s instincts, and those instincts were leading him outside.
He hit the nearest security door hard enough to make it swing fully open, crash against the outside wall, and slam shut just after he leaped into the cold darkness.
His wolf howled, head-butting him from the inside to keep moving.
Without a coat, the cold air tried to seize him where he stood, but he didn’t wait for that. He moved as fast as he could through the cleared walkways and found himself heading toward the Well and the Portal, which should have been dark with disuse, but instead glowed brightly.
Since Santa had closed the Portal for the month, whoever had opened it must have had an emergency.
Two figures walked through, and the Portal closed behind them, the white bones of the ancient beast slowly fading as the magic dissipated.
He recognized the male – Sandman.
But the female?
He didn’t know her.
Except his wolf did.
As he pushed himself faster, rushing through the wind and blowing snow toward the Portal where other security team members were speaking to the two, he realized why he felt as if he knew her.
Moonlit honey-blond hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, framing a cherub face and a radiant smile.
He skidded to a halt mere feet from her.
His gaze clashed with hers – the most enchanting liquid-gold color he’d ever seen.
Holy shit, she was his truemate.
Her eyes widened, her lush lips parting.
He caught the scent of her, like sweet dreams and warm nights.
He almost fell to his damn knees with the knowledge that he’d found her at the top of his world, when only moments earlier he’d been wondering if that was even possible.
“It’s you,” she whispered.
“What now?” Sandman asked.
“We’re truemates,” Gabriel said, his voice laced with his wolf’s rumbling growl.
“No kidding. Well, good. Because she’s in danger and she needs all the protection she can get.”
His wolf snapped to attention. Danger? His mate?
Abso-fucking-lutely-not.
“Let’s get inside,” Gabriel said. He reached for her at the same time she reached for him. She was warm despite not having a coat, just like him. “I’m Gabriel.”
“Ana.”
They hurried into the building, flanked by members of the security team.
The most powerful dream walker in the world and Ana, Gabriel’s truemate. They’d come to Northernmost with danger on their heels.
What were the freaking odds?