It was his turn to be waved off by Cora, who on occasion forgot he was a big, scary dragon. “Emme would have murdered you and she’s the only one in the world you’re afraid of, Alpha Slade. I felt fairly safe.”
I waited for Slade to refute her claim, but he just smirked and shook his head, before heading down the tunnel that I assumed led through to the track.
Cora smiled brightly, and she looked so smug that I had to stifle my laughter. While it was at times terrifying to have Slade as a mate, I wouldn’t change him for the world. Cora didn’t mind dangerous males either, and I wondered what she’d say when she found out there were two of them. Talon remained a pack secret for now, but eventually the news would come out.
Golden Claw was going to lose their damn minds.
Kellan linked his arm through mine and started to lead me after Slade, but we were stopped when Finley stepped into our path. I looked over the bear shifter, his suit of gold and black making him look massive—his broad shoulders gave the illusion of nearly blocking the tunnel we stood in. Which wasn’t as important as the somber expression on his face.
I waited for him to reveal his thoughts, but before he uttered a word, Kellan piped up. “I’ll head on in and get everything ready. Fin will bring you through to the track, pretty mate.”
Everyone else followed Kellan, and Hunter dropped a hand on Finley’s shoulder as he passed. When we were alone, Finley inhaled deeply, and then released it just as slowly. His eyes were wide and a little glassy. I’d never seen him this obviously nervous before.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my heart hammering harder than usual. My palms felt clammy, but I resisted the urge to wipe them on my suit and give my own nerves away.
Finley lowered his gaze to meet mine, and his impossibly thick, dark lashes fluttered, hiding the whiskey depths briefly. “I wanted to wish you a happy birthday,” he said, the gruffness of his tone deeper than usual. “But I don’t want to make it awkward for you. Not now, or ever again. Especially not when we’re celebrating your first birthday and Christmas with the pack. If you’d rather I wasn’t here today, I can leave.”
“No!” It was an instinctive reaction, but I didn’t regret it. “It wouldn’t be as special a day if our entire pack wasn’t here.”
Finley nodded, and I was relieved when the strain on his features eased. “Okay, well, I’m relieved to hear that. Happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Em.” The smile he shot me was soft and knowing. “How are you dealing with the surprise? If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know what to do with a day dedicated to you.”
He’d hit right on the confused emotions coursing through me. It was uncomfortable to have aspects of this day centered on me, but I appreciated it as well.
“I’m touched,” I said, feeling an innate sense of gratitude, “that you all wanted to celebrate the day, even belatedly. It’s awkward, but in a weird way. Like… I’m not used to these strong surges of excitement and happiness and nerves. It’s like a fucking emotion-rave is in full swing inside, and I don’t know if I’ll cry, laugh, or throw up.”
Finley’s expression held understanding as he smiled. “Let them do this for you,” he told me. “It’s a day for them as much as it is for you. It will make all of them happy to shower you in love, attention, and presents.”
I chose to ignore the presents part, focusing instead on the way Finley had phrased that last piece of advice. “Them?Doyounot want to be here, Fin? Because I would understand.”
Maybe. I had no idea really.
His expression shuttered, and I was taken by surprise when he pressed his lips to my cheek. It was a light touch, but it burned into my skin, and I barely managed to hold back my gasp.
“I don’t deserve to celebrate this with you,” he said, “but if my presence doesn’t upset you, then I want to be here more than anything. Your first birthday with the pack is… a gift for me too.”
The air was tinged in cherry-vanilla, and I had no idea what to say after that revelation. The relief I felt that he wasn’t leaving was far too strong for the emotional distance between us, but it wasn’t the day to deep dive into how fucked up I was. Nah, that could wait for tomorrow.
“Come on, Ice,” he said, and I was finally rewarded with those dimples and a full-blown smile. “Let’s not leave our asshole pack waiting any longer. They’ve been planning this surprise for a long time.”
I fell into step beside him, and weirdly, there was a sense of comfort and calm between us. “You’re sticking with Ice Queen,” I said, not sure how I felt about it now that his tone had changed. “And here I thought you were trying to mend bridges.”
Finley’s smile never wavered, and dammit… I was addicted to dimples. Just sign me up for life. “At first I told myself it was in reference to your icy heart, and how you could keep your true mates at a distance…”
Harsh but fair. “And now?”
“Honestly, I should have known all along that I’d chosen a name to represent one of my favorite places in the world. The ice is my peace, and all along, you were too. No matter how hard I denied it.”Peace.Fuck, if I could have chosen to be his anything, that would have been top of the list. “Do you know how to skate?”
I shook my head, my reply rough: “Nah, my mom wasn’t big on letting me out of the house. Or teaching me anything. Or allowing fun. I’ve never stepped foot on ice, except if I was in a city that snowed, and then it was just a pain in the ass as I tried not to slip on my way to work.”
Finley nodded as if he wasn’t surprised. “Yeah, I had a similar mother, but she let us out in our area. Mostly when she was fucked up on booze and additives. There was a lake out the back of our land, and during winter I lived out there. Fell in more times than I can count, after getting on there too early in the season.” In my head I pictured a little wet bear, and it was too fucking adorable.
“My mother hated me being around,” I told him. “Hence why she locked me in my room most of the time. If I hadn’t had that sneaky escape into the garage below, I’d have lost my mind long ago.” Mom had always been paranoid about me leaving the house, and I still had no idea why, orwhoshe’d been hiding us from. The monsters were already inside.
“Our moms would have been friends, if they weren’t complete narcissistic assholes,” Finley said dryly. “But at least they’re both dead. Silver lining.”
A morbid but sadly true statement.
We were through the tunnel now, and I saw the others standing by an impressive lineup of cars, parked near the entrance to the track.
