Later, Henri had one more little confession for me.
Before going up to my nest for the night, he pulled me aside but was too nervous to say why. I kissed him until he forgot to be anxious, and he told me what was on his mind.
Henri admitted he enjoyed watching me on the cameras and not just for “security purposes,” which I’d already assumed was the case. He was worried I would be upset about hisinterest, reiterating that his cameras are only in public spaces and he didn’t violate my privacy in that way.
Obviously, I had to ask, “Do you want to put your cameras in other places? Like my nest?”
Based on his cock’s excited reaction, I took that as a yes. I told him I’d like that too, so I expect to have some shiny new cameras overlooking my nest in the near future.
I finished my Yule gifts for them just in time. I was cutting it close because of all the quality time we’ve been spending together, celebrating our no-longer-clandestine relationship. That didn’t leave much room for me to sneak in gift preparation.
The pile of presents under the tree kept growing and growing over the past few weeks until eventually that entire corner of the living room became unusable. Our stockingswerehung over the fireplace, but they’ve since been relocated after being stuffed full.
And now Yule Day is here, and it’s time to unwrap everything with my pack.
My pack.
The fire is roaring, festive music is playing, and everyone is gathered around the tree. There are tons of snacks and drinks laid out, courtesy of Henri. He went all out with the classic treats, gingerbread cookies, snowball cookies, sugar cookies, peppermint bark, fruitcake, and a Yule log, along with insulated pitchers of hot chocolate, eggnog, spiced cider, and coffee.
I sit in a cushy armchair near the tree while my alphas pass out the presents. Cato puts a gift from him in my lap, ensuring it’s the first one I open. I bounce excitedly while I wait for them to be ready.
They sort everything into six slightly more reasonable piles next to our seats, plus one smaller lump near Magnus’s stack.
“Let’s look at our stockings first,” Henri says.
I reach for mine, but Cato nudges the box he put in my lap and says, “Open my gift.”
“We’re doing stockings,” Charm says. “Besides, why do you get to decide whose gift she opens first? Let Hestia decide.”
“Because I know she’ll love it,” Cato replies smugly.
“She’ll love all of our gifts,” Orion says.
My giggle interrupts their argument.
“I’ll open Cato’s gift, and then we can do stockings,” I say placatingly.
They agree, and I thank Cato politely for my gift before tearing through the shiny green wrapping paper. Underneath is a white wooden box with a fancy clasp. I push the latch and it pops open, revealing rows of gourmet chocolate bars nestled in the silk-lined interior. It looks like it should hold jewels or a crown or something, not food.
The chocolates are the fancy, expensive brands, the same as the ones I keep finding mixed in with my snacks. Every bar is a different flavor, creamy chocolate and dark, flavored with pistachio or fruit and nut, cognac or cherry liqueur.
“These look delicious, thank you!” I say, hugging Cato.
He vibrates with a pleased purr.
“I noticed you always eat those brands first, so I figured they were your favorite,”he says.
“Have you been looking through the snacks in my rooms? Did you eat some of them?” I ask suspiciously.
Cato grins, sharp teeth flashing. “I would never take food from you, pet. I noticed when I was refilling your snack stashes.”
“How long have you been doing that?” I ask, more suspicious than ever.
It did seem like my caches never ran out…
“Since you moved in,” he says unabashed.
I sigh. I kept catching whiffs of chocolate in my rooms but assumed it was the candy I had in there. I should have realized that snack stashes aren’t infinite. Cato must have been scent marking my things too based on the way his chocolate scent lingered.
