Page 128 of What a Wolf's Heart Decides

There was a rustle in the trees, then Ben’s voice carried over the snow. “Almost done!”

Haley booked it to the sled and dug her clothes from the pack while Bard chuckled. She gave him a dark look as she yanked her shirt over her head. “You started it,” she muttered.

He fitted his prosthetic into place, then winked at her. “I’ll finish it, too, sweetheart. You have my word on that.”

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “Well, I guess I can’t doubt the word of an Alpha.”

“Not this one. Not when it comes to you.”

Ben strode toward them, his cheeks red from the cold. He stopped next to Haley and stomped snow from his boots. “No matter how many times I do it, I will never get used to shifting in the cold. There are parts on a male that just shouldn’t be exposed to subzero temperatures.”

Bard checked his leg a final time, then looked at Ben. “Give me a hand up?”

“You got it, boss.” Ben offered his hand.

Bard took it and let Ben pull him to his feet. It was a scene Haley had witnessed dozens of times over the past month and it never failed to make tears prick her eyes. The day after she broke Sabine’s charm, Ben had appeared on Bard’s doorstep and volunteered his services as Beta. In the weeks that followed, the two males forged a working relationship and the first tentative bonds of what promised to be a deep friendship. Bard relied on Ben’s strength as a Stalwart. Ben got to focus on his family’s land and business without the distractions that came with being the Alpha. They complemented each other and, together, they were rebuilding the pack.

And she was so damn grateful to be part of it.

Her heart swelled as she watched them now, some unspoken exchange passing between them.

Ben gave Bard a nod, then picked up the rope attached to the sled. “If you don’t need anything else, I’ll head back.”

“All set,” Bard said. “Thanks for your help.”

Haley looked between them. “You’re leaving?” she asked Ben. “I thought we were hiking down to the valley.” The three of them had been going for runs, with Ben pulling Bard in the sled. It had taken some peer pressure to get him to agree, but after the first time he was hooked.

Ben slid Bard a look and smiled. “I think you’ll have a better time alone. Happy belated birthday, by the way.” Before she could say anything, he waved and jogged off, pulling the sled behind him.

Haley called after him. “Wait! How will we get home?”

He gave another wave without turning around or slowing.

She swung back to Bard, alarm spiking her veins. “He can’t just leave!”

“It’s fine. I told him to.”

“What? Bard, I can’t pull you all the way home.”

“You won’t have to, sweetheart.” He took her hand and tugged her away from the tracks left by the sled. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

Some of her panic faded, and she let him lead her farther up the trail. The cliff ran alongside it, the blunt edge dropping to the valley about a hundred feet below. Just when she was ready to ask where they were going, he stopped and pointed. “There.”

She followed the direction he indicated, and her breath caught. Positioned steps from the edge of the cliff was an old-fashioned tent, its flaps tied back with tasseled ropes. Glowing lanterns hung from two posts driven into the ground, and someone had cleared a path to the entrance. Nestled in the snow, it looked like a warm and cozy oasis from the cold.

“Do you like it?” Bard murmured.

She tucked herself under his arm and stood on tiptoe so she could peck his cheek. “I love it.”

“We never got to celebrate your birthday.”

“I don’t care about that.” She smiled. “I got what I wanted.”

He hugged his arm around her waist and used his free hand to grasp her chin in a gentle grip. “Me too.”

She put a palm on his cheek, intending to pull him down for a kiss, but he shook his head. “Not yet. You have to open your presents.”

“Bard, I don’t need—”

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