Her amused icy eyes found mine, and she smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. All of us are mates, right?”
“Potential and hopeful,” Kian murmured with another blush on his face.
“Rowan told me mates see each other at any point of their life. Sick, injured, happy, healthy, sad, and naked.” Pink blossomed on her cheeks. “If we’re going to be mates, I don’t have to hide myself from you, right?”
Kian choked on his spit and launched himself into a coughing spree, and I just nodded my head about a thousand times.
She laughed again, and the sound of it sent tingles down my spine.
Her uniform was on, but she hadn’t put on her socks or shoes. Her bare feet were plunged into the thick snow, and hard-to-see snowflakes littered her white hair. She looked like a snow goddess.
“Shouldn’t you wear shoes?” Kian grabbed her bag from me and dug around until he found her pair. He held them out to her, but she shook her head.
“No way! This feelssogood.” She dug her feet in further, and her eyes fluttered shut as she smiled.
“You’re crazy,” I told her with a mock shiver.
“Arctic shifter.” She shrugged. “You two are the crazy ones.”
“Wanna play a game?”
Her eyes popped open, and she tilted her head. “What kind of game?”
“Aninnocentgame of tag.”
Kian groaned.
“You run, and we’ll catch you. I promise Kian won’t use his magic.” I pouted my lip out.
“But then I stand no chance at all,” Kian whined. “I’m not athletic.”
She grinned, placing her hands on her hips. “Okay. When do we start?”
“Now.” I smirked, separating my feet and getting into my stance. “Run!”
She turned and sprinted away, her long hair flowed beautifully behind her, blending in with the falling flakes of white.
I groaned, tilting my head back and tucking myself into my waistband. “She’s so fucking hot when she runs.”
“Werewolves and their need to hunt their prey,” Kian muttered as he walked in the direction she went.
I gave her a few more seconds before I took off, running through the snow covered forest.
Sniffing the air, I followed her bearberry scent. Her scent was so sweet, and I could pick up her mates′ scents intertwined within it. She smelled strongly of embers, peppermint, and blueberries, with a faint hint of blood and cinnamon.
That meant Alister had injected her with his venom recently. I couldn’t lie. It made me jealous—but not of Alister. I was jealous that their relationship had progressed faster than ours, and that her other mates have had her in more intimate ways.
The scent of bearberry took a sharp left, so I followed. As her scent got stronger, I caught sight of her breaking out of the forest’s edge.
My muscles burned as I pushed myself faster, tapping into my magical energy.
I closed the distance between us quickly, but she stopped short, and instead of grabbing her, I tackled her into the snow. My forearms held me up inches from her face, and my knees fell to each side of her.
She laughed loudly, and a grin stretched across my face. Her hair spilled out around her, and her cheerful expression made my heart melt. I wanted her to look that happy every second of every day.
She reached up and ruffled my hair before pressing a teasing kiss to my nose.
My heart slammed so hard I could hear my pulse in my skull. Her lips were right there. All I had to do was dip my head down, and I could kiss her.
