Aw, he was such a good stalker. “I’ve never really claimed a favorite color,” I said with a nod, “but I am drawn to pink and black. And this is so cute, even if it is a little late for my battered phone.”
I loved that he’d gone for a practical and not over-the-top gift, which wasn’t Hunter’s usual style but fit me so well. “He’ll have thought of the phone situation,” Kellan said dryly from where he stood beside Finley, his hand on the bear’s shoulder. I loved how close they were, a bond that had only strengthened since Kellan almost died.
“Thought of my phone situation?” I asked, turning back to Hunter to find him with another gift in his hand. Ah, okay. This was more Hunter Reeves.
Over the next twenty minutes, I opened dozens of gifts which included clothes, shoes, bags, and as predicted, a brand-new phone to match the case.
“How many gifts did you get me?” I said as he handed me number twenty-three.
“Twenty-six of course,” Hunter said, bunching his brows like that was a ridiculous question. “You turned twenty-six, little mate.”
I wondered if these alphas knew that today they’d repaired wounds they hadn’t inflicted, and eased pain they didn’t cause. They were the gifts, while the rest was just glitter on top.
Really lovely, and thoughtful glitter.
Hunter’s next present was a pair of biker boots that had to be worth a fortune. I was instantly obsessed with the buckles and soft brown leather. Twenty-five was riding gloves, and twenty-six a matching leather jacket that fell to mid-thigh, and made all my biker girl dreams come true.
“I loved everything,” I said, staring wide-eyed at the massive pile of gifts surrounding me. “I need to start working out gifts for you if I need thirty plus. When’s your birthday, Alpha?”
His eyes darkened at my usage of the honorific I only pulled out on special occasions. “The tenth of October,” he said, his voice a delicious rumble. “And you don’t need to get us presents. We have everything we need with our pack.”
“Fuck yes,” Kellan called, “though if anyone wants to get me a set of gorgeous, one-of-a-kindFroydeblades, I won’t be mad about it.”
I locked that away to ask Slade about, since Kellan’s birthday wasn’t too far away.
It was going to be next to impossible to buy billionaires anything they didn’t already have, but I had to at least try.
As I gathered up Hunter’s gifts, I marveled over the fact that when I’d dragged myself out of bed this morning for training, I’d had no idea it was about to be one of the best days of my life.
The only way it could get any better, was if we got word that Fletcher and his witch had accidentally exploded in a workplace accident, and our world was no longer under threat.
CHAPTER 31
EMME
Finley volunteered to transport all my gifts to the house, leaving the rest of us to head back out to race.
Warrick even made it in time for the third race, with a slightly disheveled Cora along for the ride. They had a present for me too, which was a set of high-quality baking equipment, and as I hugged them both I found out their birthdays were in March and June. Which I added to the mental list I was making.
We raced all afternoon and I never won a race—or even came close—but I couldn’t have cared less. It was a fucking perfect day, whatever way I looked at it.
When we arrived back home, Finley and Kellan took off for training, while Slade patrolled with his enforcers around the compound. Christmas didn’t appear to stop Golden Claw shifters from living their normal lives, with the season bringing little more than a festive feel to the city.
“Just you and me, Emmeline,” Hunter drawled after our pack had scattered to their various commitments. “Whatever should we do with our time?”
There was only one thing on my mind as I took in the breadth of his muscles in a tight black shirt and jeans—we’d ditched the race suits a while ago.
“Anyone else in the house?” I asked, attempting to sound casual, but it came out breathy. “Outside of our dragon hostage?”
Slade had been down to feed and water the beast, and I tried to shove away my guilt that Talon hadn’t been part of the pack races today. No matter what my bond said, he wasn’t one of us yet. And unless his opinion of Fletcher changed drastically, he never would be.
At least he was safe down there, and while it wasn’t a five-star accommodation, he had a bed, a small bathroom, and got three-square meals a day. Slade kept him company as well, hoping to get more information from him, which was the best Talon could hope for.
“We have the house to ourselves,” Hunter said, and the rumbling purr in his voice had me forgetting all about the dragon. “Florence and Gerry are at the Christmas Day football match.”
My sports world solidly revolved around the shifter hockey league, but apparently there were other professional sporting leagues in the cities too. Florence was a diehard sports fan, and I wasn’t surprised that a Christmas football match was one of her traditions.
I was keen to start my own Christmas tradition, in this huge, gorgeousemptyhouse.
