All Chapters of Son Of The Betrayed-A Wolf Shifter Romance: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Reeves jogged toward us through the snow, with Mason walking a few paces behind him. Mason carried a heavy box overflowing with tangled strings of lights, his expression exactly like a man who had already been bullied into free labor before breakfast.Reeves stopped a foot away from us, a wide grin breaking across his face as he looked at Takoda. “Heard you got drafted,” he chuckled, adjusting his collar against the wind.Takoda’s sharp expression went entirely flat. “By Harmony,” he grunted, his hands digging deeper into his jacket pockets.“Same thing as legal conscription, man,” Reeves countered, shifting his amused grin toward my face. “Mrs. Bellamy says you two are on garland duty.”I blinked in surprise. “She assigned us duties already?”Mason adjusted the box in his arms with a low groan. “She assigned the whole damn town before breakfast, Ana.”That sounded terrifyingly accurate.Reeves glanced over his shoulder toward Rosie’s Cafe, where Harmony had just stepped inside the gl

I was still thinking about Takoda’s laugh when I got home. Which was annoying, because I had an entire evening available to focus on literally anything but that damn sound; homework. Finals. The fact that Winter Lights volunteering apparently started at an hour normally reserved for farmers and bad decisions. But no, my brain had to keep replaying Takoda's laugh.The front door had barely shut behind me before Grandma's voice floated from the kitchen. "Did he ask you?" she called out.I froze immediately, then with a small shake of my head, I looked toward the ceiling, groaning quietly. "No," I called back.The kitchen went quiet, and a second later, Trin leaned around the doorway holding a cookie. "Oh, he definitely asked her," she declared.I pointed a finger at her. "You're impossible," I muttered.Grandma appeared in the doorway next, carrying a large ceramic mixing bowl. "Did he?" she pressed."Maybe," I mumbled, looking away.Trin gasped, nearly dropping her cookie, and Grandma s

The stranger stopped a few feet away from the wooden posts. Snow crunched loudly beneath his heavy winter boots while the cold mountain wind moved through the open space, whipping up a fine white powder that swirled between us. For a heavy moment, nobody spoke a single word. The man looked at me, then shifted his gaze to Takoda, and then right back to me again. A slow, knowing grin spread across his features, deep lines crinkling at the corners of his dark eyes.Well. That expression couldn't possibly mean anything good for my sanity."There she is," the man stated, his voice a deep chuckle that vibrated through the crisp alpine air. He slipped his large hands out of his pockets and adjusted the thick collar of his canvas coat.I blinked in surprise, pulling the scarf tighter around my chin to shield myself from a sudden gust. "Do I know you?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled by the wool.Beside me, Takoda looked like he was actively considering committing a homicide on the mountain

The drive back down the mountain road passed significantly easier than the tense drive up; it felt comfortable. It wasn't because we talked the entire time, but because we didn't need to force words into the space anymore. The truck heater hummed softly between our seats while the snow-covered pine trees rolled past the frosted windows. Every now and then, I'd point out a landmark to break the silence: a stray deer, an abandoned hunting cabin, or a ridiculous local billboard advertising homemade fudge. Takoda would always answer me, sometimes with actual words, and sometimes with a quick, knowing look.By the time the borders of town finally appeared between the trees again, the afternoon sun sat much lower in the winter sky. The small town looked exactly like a classic Christmas card. White powder covered the rooftops, pale smoke curled from brick chimneys, and twisting Christmas lights were already beginning to glow as the daylight faded out. Winter Lights season had fully arrived.

Trin reached the door before anybody else could move. The fire crackled softly behind us, filling the silence that had settled over the room. Grandma remained seated in her armchair, though the mug in her hands had gone perfectly still. Harmony looked ready to either run, scream, or throw something; possibly all three.Another scrape sounded across the porch. The sound of it seemed to travel through the front door itself. Trin tilted her head slightly, her gaze locking onto the deadbolt. She was listening, and for a moment, nobody breathed. Then her shoulders relaxed, only a fraction. "It's okay."The knot in my chest loosened slightly, but it wasn't enough. Harmony pointed a finger toward the entryway. "That response is wildly unhelpful, Trin."A small smile touched Trin's mouth. "Trust me."Trin had always been able to sense things others couldn’t, and reaching out she unlocked the deadbolt. The metallic click echoed through the foyer and as she pulled the door open, cold air swept