He gives me a deadpan stare. “One of us smells like he’s been hauling cases of water around all day.”
I lift my arm and sniff dramatically. “Eau de entrepreneur. Very sexy.”
“Very sweaty,” he corrects, tossing me a ring of keys. “Lock the back while I count out the register.”
I catch the keys one-handed and hop off the counter, heading toward the storeroom. As I pass the display of spring water bottles, I pause, picking one up and holding it to the light.
The water catches the sunlight, sending prismatic reflections dancing across the shelves. It’s beautiful, this thing we’ve created together—not just the water company, but everything. Our pack. Our home. Our life here.
Three years ago, I was drifting, using my inheritance to fund one half-baked venture after another, never committing to anything or anyone. Now I’m a mated alpha with three partners, co-founder of a community cooperative, and somehow, improbably, happy.
Really happy.
I set the bottle back on the shelf and continue toward the storeroom, already mentally calculating how much time I have to shower, change, and maybe squeeze in a quick nap before we need to leave for the airport.
Twenty-two minutes early. I smile to myself.
Can’t wait.
Noah
The recycled air of the airplane cabin is dry against my face as I stare out the small oval window at the approaching Alaskan landscape. Beside me, Holly shifts in her sleep, her head resting on my shoulder, her breathing deep and even despite the turbulence we’ve been experiencing for the last twenty minutes.
I check my watch—we’re making good time, likely to land early. The thought of seeing Kai and Grayson again after three months sends a wave of anticipation through me. I’ve missed them more than I expected to, more than I’d ever admit aloud.
Holly stirs, her eyes fluttering open as she lifts her head from my shoulder.
“Are we landing?” she asks, voice husky with sleep.
“Not yet,” I tell her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “About forty minutes out.”
She stretches, wincing slightly. “My neck is killing me.”
“That’s because you fell asleep curled up like a pretzel,” I murmur. “Here, let me.”
I place my hands on either side of her neck, fingers finding the tense muscles with practiced precision. She sighs as I work out the knots, her eyes drifting closed again.
“Better?” I ask after a moment.
“Much,” she murmurs, leaning into my touch. “Thank you.”
The flight attendant approaches our row, a warm smile on her face. “Can I get you two anything before we start our descent? Maybe a glass of champagne to celebrate?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Celebrate?”
“Your honeymoon,” she says, gesturing to Holly’s hand where her ring catches the cabin light. “You’re the cutest newlywed couple I’ve seen all month.”
Holly blushes, that delightful pink that still fascinates me after all this time. “Oh, we’re not?—“
“We’d love some champagne,” I interrupt, squeezing Holly’s hand. “Thank you.”
The flight attendant beams at us and moves toward the galley. Holly turns to me with a questioning look.
“Newlyweds?” she asks, amusement dancing in her eyes.
I shrug, running my thumb over the simple band on her ring finger—platinum with three small inset stones, one for each of her alphas. “Technically, we’ve been mated less than a year. That’s practically newlyweds in designation terms.”
“I don’t think that’s what she meant,” Holly says dryly.
