Jules
Sunday morning, November 21st
Jules woke to a dying fire and an empty cabin.
For a moment, she just lay there on the couch, wrapped in blankets that still smelled like Lex, trying to orient herself. Weak morning light filtered through frost-covered windows. The fire had burned down to embers, and the chill in the air told her the generator was still struggling.
But that wasn't what made her chest tight.
The cabin was too quiet.
Lex was gone.
She sat up, pushing tangled hair from her face. "Lex?"
Silence.
His boots weren't by the door. His coat wasn't on the hook. She padded to the window and looked out at the pristine snow, noting the single set of footprints leading away from the cabin toward the road.
He'd left without waking her. Without saying goodbye.
After everything last night—the kiss, the revelation, the way he'd held her—he'd just... left.
Don't panic. He probably just went to check on the road conditions or something. His truck was gone, so maybe that was it.
But a cold knot of dread was already forming in her stomach. She thought about his pack member's visit last night. The way Lex's whole body had gone rigid when he'd come back inside.
Maybe he'd come back and Lex had gone to deal with that. To protect her.
Or maybe he'd realized what a mistake this all was.
She was still standing at the window, spiraling, when she heard the crunch of tires on snow. Her heart leaped, but it wasn't Lex's black truck that pulled up. It was Adam's.
Faye jumped out before the vehicle had fully stopped, wading through the snow toward the cabin. Jules barely had time to open the door before her best friend was inside, stomping snow from her boots and pulling her into a fierce hug.
"Oh my God, are you okay? Lex texted and told Adam he told you. About what he is." Faye pulled back, searching Jules's face. "Are you freaking out? You're freaking out, aren't you? I wanted to tell you, but it wasn't my secret to tell, and Adam made me promise, and?—"
"Faye." Jules managed a weak smile. "Breathe."
"Right. Sorry." Faye took a dramatic breath. "Okay. I'm breathing. Are you okay?"
"I'm... processing." Jules glanced past her to where Adam was climbing out of the truck, his expression serious. "Where's Lex?"
Adam and Faye exchanged a look that made Jules's stomach drop.
"He's at a pack meeting," Adam said, stepping inside and closing the door against the cold. "Riko called everyone in this morning. It's about..." He hesitated.
"It's about me," Jules finished quietly. "Isn't it?"
Adam's jaw tightened. "Stan's been running his mouth. Got some of the older members riled up about too many humans knowing about the pack. Lex went to handle it."
"Handle it how?"
Another exchanged look. This time, Faye was the one who spoke. "There might be a challenge. If Stan pushes it."
"A challenge?" Jules's voice came out sharper than she intended. "Like a fight?"
"It won't come to that," Adam said, but he didn't sound entirely convinced. "Riko's a good alpha. He'll shut it down."
