Page 1 of Knot Sharing the Ice

Chapter

One

EMBER

The ice glides beneath my blades, a familiar embrace that soothes the tension coiled in my muscles. I push harder, faster, losing myself in the rhythm of my routine. The rink is silent save for the scrape of metal on ice and the whisper of my breath.

Just the way I like it.

This is my sanctuary, my escape from the loving but maddening chaos of family and small-town life that I signed up for when I agreed to come home to Parkridge for Christmas.

A decision that already has me questioning my sanity barely half a day into the trip.

My phone buzzes insistently in my bag, shattering my concentration. I glide to a stop, chest heaving, and fish it out. Taylor's name flashes on the screen, along with a string of messages.

"Em, you're coming to the fair this afternoon, right?"

I roll my eyes, thumbs flying over the keys. "You mean thepre-pre fair? This town celebrates everything ten times over. It'll survive if I spend a couple hours practicing."

Her reply is instant. "But it's tradition! Mom and Dad are expecting you."

I stifle a groan. Of course they are. "I have a huge competition in two weeks, Tay. I can't afford to slack off, especially when our parents are going to want me involved in every little step of the festivities during theactualholiday. You might not remember this from college, but outside of Parkridge, Christmas is only one day."

"Yeah, boring places," she responds, and I can practically hear her pout through the phone. "Just make sure you're back in time for the bonfire."

I sigh. "I'll do my best."

"How are you holding up?" Taylor's next message reads. "Have you heard from Jake?"

The mention of my ex sends a spike of irritation through me. "No, and I don't want to. He made it clear where he stands."

"Em, I'm sorry. He's an idiot for not understanding how important your career is."

I snort. "Yeah, well, apparently caring about my dreams makes me a bad omega. Heaven forbid I don't revolve my entire life around an alpha."

That's the whole reason I settled for him and not a pack, anyway. And there were plenty who came courting.

It's taken me the full three weeks of pining and drowning my sorrows in pint after pint of Raunchy Rocky Road and my favorite comfort horror movies to accept that my family, my friends, and even a few strangers off the street were right.

I settled for Jake.

Is it a bad sign that I shed more tears over the fact I was wrong than I did the relationship itself?

"You'll find someone who appreciates your drive," Taylor assures me. "Not all alphas expect you to throw away your dreams for them. Just look at me and Matt."

She's right, of course. My sister's relationship is everything every omega dreams of. Matt is tall, dark, and handsome with a thriving legal career, and they have two beautiful children and a quaint mini mansion right here in Parkridge. Not only did he not ask her to give up her dream of opening a bakery, he worked remotely for a year to take care of the kids while she was finishing up culinary school. And he was right there beside her, cutting the ribbon when she opened her shop.

My parents' relationship is just as idyllic. They met in high school and Dad knew she was his scent match from the moment she literally ran into him rounding a corner and destroyed his geology diorama. They fell in love putting it back together, and the rest is my family history.

Me?

I'm zero for three on the relationship count.

You'd think I would have better odds, considering I've never even given a pack the time of day, and the more alphas at play, the higher the odds of at least one of them being a complete asshole.

Lucky me, I attract them anyway like the candy fountain attracts townies with a sweet tooth.

The last thing I wanted to do after a gnarly breakup was come home to be surrounded by my perfect family and their perfect relationships in this perfect little town that practically treats matchmaking as an Olympic sport. But even if I've become something of a Grinch over the last few years I've been pursuing my figure skating career in Sterling City, I couldn't bear the thought of disappointing them that badly.

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