Chapter Two

Sage

The calendar hung by the front door near the coat hooks. An old-fashioned painting of an outdoor Christmas tree with rabbits dancing around it showed above the squares for the month of December. The rabbits wore coats and hats, like a child’s fairy tale. Every time I went past it, it seemed to talk to me.

This month is about more than Christmas. This is your birth month. Christmas is your birthday. You’ll be thirty soon. Remember your vow to Caspian.

How could I ever forget?

Caspian was the center of my quick-beating snowshoe rabbit heart. The fact that we weren’t already mated should have been a crime. Except for two things. We were both alphas. And we were not fated.

The Alaskan wilderness was nothing compared to the wilderness of my spirit if Caspian could not be a part of it. Yet we’d both agreed early in our close friendship that a fated mate—our fated omega mates—deserved time and patience to find us. If we remained unmated by age thirty, we would commit to each other and start a family, adopting our children. It was both a happy and pain-filled vow. Such a long time to wait, to live close by each other, to be around each other’s scents yet keep our distance.

And what if our fated mates did show up? We wouldn’t stop being friends, but our love would always be there, a glimmering bond between us yet frozen forever, never to be fully formed to reflect the reality of our love.

I’d secretly hoped my fated omega never showed his face to me. It was such a betraying thought, if not downright disrespectful to my colony. But I couldn’t be swayed.

Now, finally, I was the first to turn thirty. There had been no signs of a mate for either of us. At long last, we could be together.

Caspian would be mine.

I had waited long enough. I grabbed my phone and immediately the screen saver, with a photo of Caspian, stared back at me. No matter how many times I saw that favorite photo, one I’d taken a couple of years ago when we’d gone to Anchorage together for a concert, my skin always tingled in response to his beauty. My breath hitched. Warmth pooled in my chest—and other places.

Caspian was a majestic Arctic wolf with a shadow of a beard and light-brown hair, hair that even when short seemed to ripple in an unseen wind. He was much taller than I was, with lean muscles and intense, golden wolf eyes. We had the same tastes, including clothes. At Christmas, we always wore matching sweaters.

I tapped his number, and there he was, smiling at me on the screen.

“What’s up, Sage?”

I took a deep breath. “You know what’s up. My birthday.”

He swallowed hard. Nodded.

“It’s on Christmas,” I reminded him.

“Like it is every year,” he said softly.

“I’m turning thirty.”

“I know.”

I blinked at him. He couldn’t have forgotten. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Cas. You know what.”

His wide smile glowed, showing white teeth. My wolf.

“Just teasing you, Sage. I know what it means.” His smile dropped, and his tone grew serious. “I want to marry you, little wabbit.”

The most we’d ever done was a bit of kissing and petting. We’d dared not do that too much or we’d never stop. For years, we danced around each other in a friendship kept at arm’s length. I was hungry for him. Starving. The fresh snowfall outside couldn’t cool my hot skin.

“Let’s go somewhere. Just you and me. Get away from here for a while,” I said. I’d been planning a trip in my mind, but not told him yet.

His eyebrows rose. “You mean like a honeymoon?”

“Yes. I mean just that.”

“Where are you thinking?”

“Somewhere different and new. No snow.”

“I don’t know why but I always wanted to visit San Diego,” Caspian said. “I’ve had dreams about that place, and I have no clue why.”

It sounded great. And somehow just right, though I couldn’t say why, either. “I’d love to go to San Diego for Christmas.”

“And for your birthday,” Caspian added.

I chuckled. “I’ll make the arrangements. When can you get off work?”

“They owe me tons of vacation time. How about this week?”

I was about to jump out of my skin with impatience. “What about tomorrow?”

“Say the time, and I’ll be at the airport, suitcase in hand.”

A last-minute flight. It would be expensive. I didn’t care. I had money saved. All I wanted was Caspian at my side. He was my true love. I had never questioned that part.

In snowshoe rabbit culture, fated mates were seen as nature’s purest pact. They bred strong and true shifters, even if breeds crossed. Arctic wolves believed the same. This deep, underlying faith was what had kept us both waiting for so long. Now the wait was over. Fated mates or not, we were each other’s twin soul.

“I’ll call you back with the final plan,” I said. My words came out breathless.

Caspian tilted his head. “I can’t wait.”

“You won’t have to after today. I’m going to look for an Airbnb right now. And book us a flight.” I was about to disconnect when Caspian’s voice stopped me.

“Sage.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I know that.”

“Yeah, but it’s, well—” He stopped, gulping hard. He did that when he got nervous. “It’s more than words can say. It feels fated.” He blinked hard.

“It does for me, too, Cas.”

“Do you think it’s because we’re two alphas? And that’s why we didn’t feel that instant knowing? And that has made us wait so long?” he asked.

I nodded. “Fate made us this way. I don’t know why.”

“But you’re okay, little wabbit?”

“More than okay. I love you back. More than words can say.”

He let out a little huff and put his hand to his chest. “I think you just stopped my heart for a sec there.”

I laughed. “My heart has been beating fast enough for the both of us these past years.” I cleared my throat. “Okay, enough with the mushy sappy sweets.”

“It’ll never be enough,” Caspian cut in.

Could my skin grow even hotter?

“Stop.” I held my hand up to the screen to block his image. “I’ve got a vacation to plan.”

“Go plan it. Now, please.”

“Yes, sir.”