Once Upon A Winter's Date Novels & Stories

On New Year’s Eve, Kian Newman never came home. Instead, he had someone deliver a container of frozen ravioli and sent me a single message: "Stay safe this year." I had barely locked the screen when a photo popped up in the company group chat. Isabel Wilkinson, Kian's assistant, had posted it. It was a lavish holiday dinner spread across the table, every dish clearly homemade. The caption read: "Someone spent all day cooking so I could have a taste of home. Love you."

“After the thaw begins but before the passes open fully. Fewer travelers. Fewer eyes. Fewer chances for accidents.” August had exhaled, relief and wariness mingling in the breath. He had expected resistance, delay, perhaps even refusal. Instead Winter had given him a date. A frame. A boundary. “And the name?” August had asked carefully. “You’re still going with…” Winter had turned then, face unreadable in the shifting firelight. The scar over his left brow stood out starkly, a pale slash against the shadowed planes of his cheek. His storm-gray eyes had met August’s without warmth, without hesitation.

Then they went back to Snow and pricked his tiny finger; he whined instead of crying from pain. The blood from all three of us mixed together in the bowl, and the most amazing thing happened because the bowl actually changed color, shifting from silver to gold and glowing softly. A smile bloomed across the faces of the elders, and I saw Marcus and Elena both smiling too. The elders raised Snow up high above their heads so that everyone in the entire arena could see him clearly. "His name shall be Zane Snow Winter," the head elder announced in a voice that carried across the entire arena, "the son of Jude Winter and Rosie Elsa Winter, the fifty-fourth young alpha of Winter's pack!"

" With that, I turned and grabbed Amelia's hand before walking away. "Charlie Holland! Charlie, stop!" Mom screamed from behind. Melanie tried to catch up, but in the end, she stopped in her tracks. As she watched my determined silhouette, she finally understood that some people, once lost, could never be found again. … It had been two years since I'd come to Valdora. This winter, it finally started to snow. On New Year's Eve, Amelia came knocking on my grandparents' door in the middle of the night. "Charlie, come out! It's snowing!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

"Their names were Suzy and Annie, right? You said they were your best friends. Why aren't they here?" "They're here, Mom. Suzy's outside," Winter replied with a smile. "It's my wedding day. Of course she came! And Annie, well, she's not..." Knock knock! There was a knock at the door. Winter and Jade exchanged a quick glance before Jade suggested, "Maybe it's your best friend." Winter smiled. "You're probably right. I'll get it!" She walked over and swung the door open, her smile still bright. However, when she saw Annie, her smile froze, and she stumbled back in shock.

“Mr. Calcifer, is this really fine? You know Mr. Jones is an important figure.” “My wife is important too.” “Your wife? Oh. Are you celebrating Mother’s Day with Ms. Carmela?” “Mother’s Day?” What date is today? She nodded. “Today is Mother’s Day, Mr. Calcifer. Don't tell me you have forgotten about it?” Mother’s Day? And Winter was going to spend it with her bodyguard? Not me? That is not something I want to happen. Winter is only mine, and no one could take her away from me. Not even that bodyguard of hers.

The world around us felt like it stopped. "Wow." From that day forward, Dallas and I started dating. Turns out going to the Snow Ball was the best decision - or agreement if you will - that I've ever made.

- WARD – December 24th It begins to snow overnight. There's only a soft dusting on the estate when we wake up on Christmas Eve, but the flakes continue to fall steadily. After lunch, when there are four inches of white powder on the ground, Lou bundles Ramona up in her winter gear and takes her outside for her first real glimpse of one of the season's greatest wonders.

At that moment it started to snow, Rose’s favorite season. It was the first snow. Her favorite day of the year. Rosalie had always loved the snow, but her love for the season grew because the snow had led her to meet Hakeem. They would’ve been in their little cottage, celebrating their first baby together. The snow would’ve been the icing on the cake as they enjoyed each other's company. When Hakeem finally looked at her with trembling lips, unable to speak, her heart broke all over again. But, she knew she’d take the bullet all over again.

A crescent moon nestled in faintly clouded glass, with three tiny snowflake crystals dangling from the edge like frozen stars. She reached out, fingers hovering just above it, heart tightening. WinterMoon. Her home. Or… the home she left behind. The sound of the crowd softened behind her. The music faded. That charm—that moment—was WinterMoon. The night skies. The quiet hush of snowfall on the hills. The scent of pine and frost and something wild. It was the silence of the woods and the hum of belonging. Her throat tightened. The warmth she’d felt only moments ago didn’t vanish—but it dimmed. The edges of it curled in on themselves. She didn’t touch the charm. She didn’t have to. Just lookin