The Lodge isnothing like I expected. From the outside, it’s a massive timber structure with a steeply pitched roof, looking like something out of an alpine fairy tale. Inside, it’s all warm wood paneling, mounted animal heads, and the competing scents of whiskey, pine, and wood-smoke. The space thrums with energy—laughter, clinking glasses, and the low murmur of dozens of conversations happening at once.
I hesitate at the entrance, overwhelmed by the sensory assault. My omega instincts flare, urging me to retreat from this many unfamiliar people in an enclosed space. But Noah’s hand settles on the small of my back, his touch grounding me. Grayson flanks my other side, his solid presence creating a buffer between me and the crowd. Kai bounces ahead, already waving to people he knows, which seems to be everyone.
“Breathe,” Noah murmurs close to my ear. “We can leave anytime you want.”
I nod, drawing in a deep breath. Ever since my heat ended, even back on suppressants, I’ve been so much more aware of the scents and smells that the medication had previously subdued. Eventually I’ll get used to it, but it’s become very easy to getoverwhelmed in crowds. The scents eventually sort themselves out as I focus—different designations mingling together, food from the kitchen, the sharp bite of alcohol. It’s manageable. I’m a doctor, for god’s sake. I can handle a bar.
“Dr. Klinkhart!” A burly man behind the bar raises his hand in greeting. “Heard about that cave rescue today. Nice work!”
Noah guides me forward, his hand never leaving my back. “Thanks, Mike, but Dr. Chang here did all the heavy lifting. Emergency thoracentesis in a cave with nothing but a basic field kit.”
Mike’s eyebrows shoot up as he surveys me. “No kidding? That’s impressive.”
“Just doing my job,” I say automatically, feeling my cheeks warm. I’ve never been good at taking compliments.
“Well, your job deserves a drink on the house.” Mike gestures to a table that’s miraculously clearing out despite the packed room. “Your usual spot’s opening up, guys.”
Noah thanks him, and we make our way to the table as I distantly recognize that I’m slotting into a life these men were already living before I arrived. It’s impossible to know whether I’ll actually be able to make myself fit.
I notice several people nodding respectfully to Noah, a few giving curious glances my way. A table of first responders in the corner raise their glasses to us.
“Do you always get this kind of treatment?” I ask Noah as we slide into the booth.
“Small town,” he says with a shrug, but there’s something in his expression—a mixture of discomfort and resignation—that suggests it’s more complicated than that. “Everyone knows us.”
Kai returns with a tray of drinks before I can press further. “First round, as promised! Cherry coke for the mountain man because he is our designated driver, beer for the small-town doctor with a God complex, something fruity and sweet for ourhero of the hour.” He places a colorful cocktail in front of me, while keeping the shot for himself, “and tequila for the most handsome man in the room.”
“What is this, exactly?” I ask, eyeing the bright pink concoction.
“Trust me,” Kai winks. “If you’re going to celebrate, you need to do it properly.”
I take a cautious sip and am surprised by the pleasant balance of sweetness and tartness with an underlying kick of alcohol. “It’s good,” I admit.
“Of course it is. I have excellent taste.” Kai raises his shot glass. “To Holly Chang, who stuck a needle in a man’s chest while hanging upside down in a cave like some kind of medical spider-woman.”
“That’s not exactly how it happened,” I laugh, but clink my glass against his anyway.
“To Holly,” Noah and Grayson echo, their voices a harmonious rumble that sends a pleasant shiver down my spine.
As we drink, I find myself relaxing into the booth, sandwiched between Noah and Grayson with Kai across from us. The warmth of their bodies on either side of me feels protective rather than confining. It’s strange how quickly I’ve adapted to their presence, how natural it feels to be surrounded by them.
“So,” Kai leans forward, eyes sparkling with mischief, “now that we’ve established where you’ll be for Christmas, now we need to figure out how we’re celebrating it.”
I’m not sure how to respond. My family never celebrated Christmas when I was a kid, the holiday really only noteworthy by how jealous I would be of my classmates when they came back from winter break bragging about their presents. I’d planned to spend this year on call at the clinic.
The thought of spending a snowy Christmas morning wrapped up in a blanket in front of a fire surrounded by thesethree alphas makes my stomach twist with yearning. I want it so badly that the idea feels too dangerous to explore closely. Bond aside, I’ve only just met these men. Am I setting myself up for heartbreak by getting so close to them when I have no idea how we’re actually going to make this work over the longterm.
They all look at me expectantly, patiently waiting for my response. As if he sensed my surge of fear, I feel the steady pulse of Noah’s reassurance through the bond. None of them are going to ask for more of me than I give, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still want everything.
I still open my mouth to claim that Christmas doesn’t really make sense to spend together. But before I can tell a lie that I know is entirely born of irrational fear, we’re interrupted.
“Well, well, well. Noah Klinkhart slumming it with the locals? I thought you’d be back in the city by now.”
The voice is smooth and cultured, with an underlying edge that immediately sets my teeth on edge. I look up to see a tall man standing at our table, his attention fixed squarely on me despite his words being directed at Noah.
He’s handsome in a polished way—expensive haircut, tailored clothes, confident stance. Alpha, definitely, with an off-putting metallic scent that reminds me of blood. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, which are calculating as they sweep over me.
“Blackthorn,” Noah acknowledges coolly. “I didn’t realize tourist season had started early this year.”
