Chapter 1

Alpha Knox Rivera slipped through the woods of his snow leopard leap's Northern Kentucky territory as he chased a buck alongside his second-in-command Calix, the snow fluffing up around them as they dodged trees and kept their eyes on the prize. In the morning, he was heading to Northernmost, leaving the leap in the capable hands of his number-two, as he returned to the North Pole and took the place of one of his leap members who needed to come home.

With a yowl, Knox lurched forward and snagged the buck, knocking him off his hooves and sending them both tumbling to the cold, hard ground. Before the buck could get his legs under him and take off again, Knox broke his neck, his whiskers twitching in happiness.

Leap members joined in after he and Calix ate their fill, the two watching over those who'd been unsuccessful in the hunt that night and needed help from the best around, if he did say so himself.

And he did.

Leaving the leap to enjoy the spoils of the hunt, he and Calix headed back to Knox's house, where he'd been living since he took over the pride ten years earlier. That was exactly how long it had been since he'd been up to the Well of Magic as a Guardian, protecting Santa and the elves, keeping Jack Frost at bay, and ensuring magical people had access to the Well to replenish their magic every year.

Shifters weren't magical, so he didn't really understand what it was like having to recharge something like they did with their magic. All he knew was that Jack Frost thought he was the one who should control the Well, and when he'd been denied, he'd turned to the dark side of magic and was on track to becoming one of the most evil magical persons who ever lived.

Knox shifted into his human form as he neared the house, a two-story sprawling estate built by the previous alpha, Conroy. Knox had defeated Conroy for the position of alpha when the male had gotten a terrible head injury during a battle with another leap over territory, and his personality had changed, making him dangerous and unhinged. Knox hadn't wanted to put down the male who'd been like a father to him, but he'd had no choice when the male endangered the lives of the young in the leap.

"You sure you want to go hang out up there?" Calix asked as he got dressed on the back patio.

Knox pulled his jeans on and scratched his chest as he yawned. He'd been working non-stop to get ready since Asher, one of the Guardians that he'd assigned to the position a few years earlier, had found out his grandmother was gravely ill, and he wanted to come home. It wasn't normal for alphas to work as Guardians, but considering that Christmas was in just a few weeks and Jack Frost ramped up his attacks on Northernmost this time of year, Knox was the best male for the job.

"I'm not hanging out , I'll be working," he said. "I can hit the ground running without going through training. The last thing we need guarding the Well is someone who doesn't know what they're doing."

"Good point, I suppose. But we're not magical, so if Frost takes over the Well, it wouldn't affect us."

Knox looked at his second, a male he considered his closest friend. "Seriously? If Frost takes over the Well, he'll turn it evil. All the good magic in the world—not just Santa and the elves, but witches and fairies and other magical people—will have to choose to taint their magic with darkness or let it die off for good."

He'd heard that if a magical person didn't replenish their magic, it would eventually run out and reach a point where it couldn't be replenished. Jack Frost didn't have access to the Well because he was evil, so he abducted good magic users and sucked out their magic, turning them evil. He'd seen turned elves; their skin took on an ashy hue, and their eyes were entirely black.

He shuddered thinking about how he'd had to fight with the other Guardians against those soulless monsters.

"Oh, so if Frost turns the Well dark, it'll be anarchy all around?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, hell, I guess it's a good thing you're going, then."

"I'll be back after Santa recharges on Christmas Day."

Santa used the majority of his magic on Christmas Eve, traveling faster than the eye could track all over the world. When he returned to Northernmost at dawn on Christmas Day, he'd be at his weakest point of any time of the year. While Frost would attack the whole month, and occasionally periodically at other times during the year, his biggest attack would be on Christmas Day, and the Guardians had to be ready.

"Cool. I don't foresee any issues, but if something comes up, I'll reach out."

"Of course, but I'll be checking in anyway. How's your mate?"

"She's great, thanks for asking. She gets more beautiful every day." Calix and his mate Arbor were expecting their first cub in the spring.

Knox was single.

Painfully so.

As Alpha, he was considered the most eligible bachelor in the leap, and he could have his pick of unmated females. But he wasn't interested in just anyone . He wanted to find his truemate, the one female on the planet meant to be his. He was only thirty, but he felt like his life was passing him by, and his bed was growing colder by the minute.

Calix seemed to be able to read his mind because he said, "You'll find your female when the time is right. I did."

Knox grunted in agreement. Everyone always said that.

"I'll leave the leap in your capable hands," Knox said.

"Good luck up there," Calix said.

When Calix was gone, Knox stood on the patio in the darkness and stared out into the woods. The year was almost over, and he was no closer to finding his truemate than he had been this time last year. But maybe what he needed was a change of scenery. Even though it was dangerous, going to Northernmost was just what he needed for some fresh perspective on life.

Then he could come home in a few weeks and figure out his next step. There were shifter dating apps he could try and gatherings where shifters were welcome. He wouldn't mind having a mate who was another type of shifter, as the leap's laws allowed for any shifter to join. Magical people and humans were the only ones who weren't allowed to join the leap.

If a snow leopard took a magical or human mate, they were exiled from the group and treated as if they were dead, not allowed to communicate in any way with their family and friends. Sometimes, leopards would choose to abandon their mate and stay in the leap, but in the ten years he'd been alpha, he only recalled that happening once, a year ago.

He expected his truemate would be a shifter. Why wouldn't she be? He was alpha of the most powerful snow leopard leap in the country, and his truemate would lead by his side.

Humming to himself as he thought about what the future would look like with a mate by his side, he turned and headed into the house to pack.

He'd leave for Northernmost in the morning.