Page 10 of Season's Greetings
Not that he blamed Daniel. The whole situation was of Matthew’s making.
After all, he’d thrown Daniel for a loop back in college—and then again when he turned his back on him after swearing to the moon to bind their souls. That level of betrayal was a bitter pill he’d been forced to swallow.
Maybe in a way, he deserved everything that had happened since. Maybe karma was serving him a dose of his own medicine.
But then why was karma making Toby’s life hell too?
His son—no,theirson. His and Daniel’s. Toby was innocent in all of this.
Whereas Claudia was more than willing to use him as a stepping stone to get what she wanted: access to the Golden Jackal Pack’s seat on the lower council and its near-unlimited funds. There wasn’t much a fox-shifter wouldn’t do to maintain the privilege she’d grown accustomed to.
Even fight for custody of a child who wasn’t biologically hers.
That fact came to light the first time Toby shifted.
Matthew, Claudia, and other members of the Golden Jackals had gathered to run in the light of the first full moon after the spring equinox—a traditional time for the pack’s young to shift for the first time. As the elders offered their blessing, each cub stepped into the moonlight circle and called on their inner animal spirit.
As Toby’s turn drew near, the tension was palpable. Matthew could practically feel the weight of Claudia’s expectations—the calculated glint in her eyes.
When their son finally shifted, it wasn’t into the hue of a silver fox-shifter, or a tawny jackal as expected.
Instead, a small brown bear emerged.
A clear declaration of Toby’s true lineage.
The whispers began immediately, and Claudia’s carefully constructed facade of a perfect mating shattered—leaving only the chilling reality of her manipulation and greed in its wake.
Matthew’s gaze drifted to the closed door and the alpha who had stubbornly kept his distance since they arrived.
Just how muchspacedid they need?
Getting out of the city was supposed to help break down their barriers so they could talk. Instead, Matthew had spent the last hour staring at nothing, his mind walking down memory lane while he sat on the lumpy couch, summoning the courage to confront the grumpy bear shifter.
With his ass on the verge of going numb, Matthew stood, stormed over to the door, and flung it wide.
“Come inside, please?”
His voice wavered as he stood in awe of Daniel’s raw power. There was so much strength edged with vulnerability in the way the alpha stood—silent. Watching. Waiting.
His eyes were so intense.
The shudder that ran down Matthew’s spine had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the tension pouringoff Daniel. The alpha stood so still he could’ve been mistaken for an ice sculpture—if not for his ragged breath.
Time seemed to stretch as neither of them moved, almost as if they were afraid to break the fragile standoff.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Daniel’s body unfroze. He surged forward; the ax handle slipping through his fingers. His hands scooped Matthew up, gripping him around the waist.
Matthew let out a softmeepof surprise before wrapping his legs around Daniel’s hips, clinging on as the alpha carried him through the lodge, navigating furniture until they reached the stairs to the loft.
Heart pounding, Daniel released his hold and let Matthew slide down his body to stand on his feet.
Like the lower floor, the cabin’s loft bedroom had mostly wood-paneled walls—apart from the large picture window that looked out over the snow-laden landscape.
Not that Matthew was interested in the view.
Well, not the one outside.
His attention was firmly fixed on Daniel as the alpha reached a trembling hand toward his chin, tilting it up to accept a kiss.
