Page 38 of Knot Beneath the Mistletoe

I bring it to my face, inhaling deeply, and my knees nearly buckle. His scent is there—pine needles and hops, yes, but underneath is his richer scent of coffee beans roasted with vanilla. It's faint, but it's enough to make the aching in my core both better and worse. I stumble back to bed, clutching the coat like a lifeline.

Last night feels like a dream now. The way we kissed in the elf house, how I went down on him and greedily swallowed his cum.

Another cramp hits, and I curl tighter around the coat, watching snowflakes dance past my window. The rational part of my brain—the part that isn't currently drowning in hormones and need—knows this is moving too fast. A week ago, I had only bad Alpha dating experiences. Now, here I am, practically nesting with Garrett's scent.

My Aunt Eve's words float back to me from that summer I spent with her. We were sitting on her porch, watching thunderclouds roll in when she told me about meeting her now-passed husband, James.

"The smart ones," she'd said, tapping her temple with a knowing smile. "They choose their Alpha before their heat even makes a showing. That way, you know it's your heart picking, not just your biology."

She'd met Uncle Jim at a farmer's market and argued with him about the price of peaches. Three months later, her heat hit, and she said she never even considered another Alpha.

"When you know, you know," she'd tell me, even years after he was gone. She never remarried, saying she'd rather have those perfect years with him than a lifetime of settling for less.

I take another deep breath of Garrett's fading scent, feeling the way it settles something wild and restless inside me. It scares me how fast this is all moving. How natural it feels to think of him as mine. Now, I'm lying here, burning up, craving the presence of an Alpha like I never have before.

The snow is coming down harder now, coating my windowsill in white. Another wave of heat burns through me, and I let out a laugh that's a half-groan.

"Well, Ruby," I mutter to my empty room. "For someone who swore off Alphas, you're doing a bang-up job of turning into a walking Omega cliché."

Even as I say it, I press my face deeper into the coat, chasing that last trace of pine and coffee and something that feels dangerously close to home. I know I should be fighting this harder. Except, the rest of me just wants to surrender to whatever this is becoming.

I reach for my phone, seeing a message from him already waiting.

Good morning, beautiful. Missing you already.

Despite the fever burning through me, despite every warning bell in my head, I find myself smiling. Maybe Aunt Eve was right. Maybe sometimes you do just know.

I curl up tighter under my blanket, and I clench my eyes, contemplating a cold, cold shower to see if that helps.

The winter wind chases me into Sugar & Spice, bringing a flurry of snowflakes that melt on the warm wooden floors. The difference between the biting cold outside and the bakery's cozy warmth makes me pause in the doorway, letting my frozen cheeks thaw. Classical music drifts from hidden speakers—definitely Hannah's choice, not Lily's—and the scent of vanilla, butter, and something citrusy has my stomach growling for food.

After the cold shower, my heat seemed to subside, so I took that as my sign to start my day and hope the heat doesn't return.

Now, the mid-morning light streams through snow-frosted windows, catching on the gleaming display cases that line the walls. Each shelf is filled with delicious baked goodies, from macaroons in perfect pastel rows and chocolate eclairs with ganache so glossy, I can see my reflection, to tiny lemon tarts crowned with fresh berries. Then there's what appears to be today's new creation near the cash register—a decadent chocolate tart swirled with caramel and dusted with flakes of sea salt that sparkle like morning frost.

"Well, I was going to send a search party out for you!" Lily's voice rings out from behind the counter. She's wearing a butter-yellow dress that makes her golden-brown eyes pop. Her wild deep brown curls are attempting to escape from a messy bun, and there's a streak of what might be chocolate on her cheek. "I was wondering how long you'd stay away."

"I'm just here for snacks and to tell you that Ash will pop over later to pick up our order for the Christmas party booking we're running tonight." I make my way to the counter, snagging a sample cookie from the plate near the register. "Ash and I have a slow day at the bar with all this snow."

"Mmhmm." Lily props her elbows on the counter, nearly knocking over a display of cake pops. She catches them quickly. "Nothing to do with avoiding certain conversations about a certain gorgeous specimen I might have seen you with?"

The cookie, still warm, almost goes down the wrong way. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" Lily's grin turns wicked. "So, that wasn't you diving past my shop yesterday when you spotted me? And that wasn't a tall drink of water with shoulders like a linebacker walking you home?"

"That was Knox," I say, trying to sound casual while reaching for another sample. "He's just one of the guides from the tourist company. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Lily whistles low, absently twirling one of her escaped curls. "Honey, please point any othernot-big dealsmy way. Those arms alone could?—"

I shoot her a look that makes her burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Though..." She leans in conspiratorially.

Before I can respond, Hannah emerges from the kitchen, her hair twisted in its perfect French knot.

"I thought I heard voices," she murmurs, her warm brown eyes taking in my slightly frazzled state. "How are you holding up, Ruby?"

"Oh, she's holding up just fine," Lily interjects before I can speak. "What with her mystery man from yesterday. Though..." She draws out the word like taffy. "Apparently, you were seen hand in hand with another guy yesterday at the fair."

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