Page 101 of Breeding Clinic

The ski chalet we picked is amazing. It’s not the one that Liam and the others normally rent. Now that our pack’s bigger, we needed something with more bedrooms to fit all of our families.

This one is a sprawling two stories with a finished basement. It sleeps thirty since there are five bunk beds in the basement, eight bedrooms, and some of the sofas convert to beds. It’s rustic, but luxurious. The walls are bare wood, the hearth is stone, and worn rugs cover the hardwood floor. The kitchen andbathrooms are upgraded, and the back wall of the chalet is nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountain range outside. The second floor has a wide back porch with rocking chairs and steps that lead down to the back yard where the firepit and hot tub are.

“Oh, hi, dear. I’m Margaret. Matthew’s mom. You’re Kathleen’s friend, right?” Matthew’s mother asks, coming into the kitchen. “I’m making cocoa. Would you like some?”

Jen nods and unwinds her scarf from her neck. “I’m Jen, Kat’s friend. Nice to meet you. And sure, I’ll take a cup. Thank you.”

“Me too,” I say. Matthew got his cooking skills from his mom. Whatever she puts in it, it’s the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had. We sit on stools at the counter while she mixes a huge batch of cocoa in a pot on the stove.

“I need to make the kids lunch,” Jen says. “We brought snacks for the car ride, but they’ll be hungry again soon. Is there a store around here?”

“We stocked the fridge yesterday,” I tell her. “I got the mac and cheese and chicken nuggets they like.”

“I’ll make it,” Margaret offers, whisking the cocoa. “Gives me something to do while the boys are out.” Margaret pours three mugs of cocoa, adding marshmallows. She turns the stove off and puts the lid on the pot, then sets the cups down for us.

I blow on mine to cool it before taking a sip and moaning from pure joy. It warms me from the inside out and takes the chill off my hands. “I don’t know what you put in it, but I want your recipe. Does Matthew know how to make this?”

“He sure does,” Margaret says, smiling. “Want to help us with the cookies later?”

“Yes.” I’ve heard about these famous cookies for months. I’m excited to try one myself.

“We’re back!” a man shouts from the back door off themudroom. Liam, Gabriel, and Matthew come in following two older men. Liam and Matthew’s fathers.

“We found the perfect tree while we were out,” Liam’s father says. “We came back for the ax.”

“Is that allowed?” I ask. Don’t you have to go to a Christmas tree farm for that?

“Not really,” Matthew’s father says, brushing snow off his shoulders before it can melt into his coat. “But everyone does it. As long as you only take the one tree, they never say anything.”

“Found it.” Liam walks into the kitchen with his coat open to his red flannel shirt. He hefts the ax onto his shoulder. With the beard he’s been growing since November first, he looks every inch the mountain man ready to split some firewood.

I need to see this. There’s no way in hell I’m missing watching my alpha cut down my Christmas tree while looking likethat. After, when we’re alone, I’m gonna climb him like he’s the tree. “We’ll go with you.”

“Yeah, we will,” Jen says, blinking slowly.

I’m not even jealous at the way she’s looking at my mate right now. She and her pack are very much in love. But it’s impossible to be female and be unaffected by how fucking hot my alpha is right now.

We drain our cocoas and thank Matthew’s mom who’s busy working on mac and cheese for Jen’s kids.

“Do we need to tell your mates we’re heading out?” I ask her as we slip off our stools.

Jen winds her scarf around her neck and we both grab our coats. “They’ll figure it out. They’re probably lying down and zoning out on their phones for a bit after the drive.”

We join the men outside. The dads load a tarp and rope and the ax into the back of an SUV, but Liam surprises me by pulling out one of the four-wheelers. The ski chalet comes equipped with both four-wheelers and snowmobiles for all-season adventuring. He cranks it to life and it smells like gasoline. It rumbles loudly as he drives it over and grins at me.

“Wanna ride?” he asks me, waggling his brows.

“You’re very pregnant,” Jen reminds me. “Maybe we should go in the car.”

“I’ll just be sitting,” I tell her, taking Liam’s hand. “Take the car and meet us there.”

I trust Liam. He’d never let me get on this thing if he thought there was any way I’d get hurt. He helps me get on in front of him, his long arms reaching around me to handle the controls. I grip onto the four-wheeler tightly. It rumbles, loud and rough. Liam revs the engine while it’s idling and it thrums underneath us, the vibrations going right to my groin.

“We’ll meet you there,” Liam tells the others, taking off.

The wind is cold as it whips at my hair and face while he drives us down the gravel road. I lean back against his chest, enjoying having my alpha behind me. With him curled over me, I feel safe.

It’s beautiful out here. The nearest neighbor is miles away down the mountain. We’re staying at one of the farthest homes up here. It’s quiet and peaceful in a way that can’t be imagined from living in a city all your life. Even our new house, somewhat remote, doesn’t compare.

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