Page 6 of Beary Mated Christmas

I cleared my throat. Damn it, this was going to be hard but not harder than leaving or watching him leave. “You won’t. Look, my wolf is so calm right now. It’s been so long since I saw my best friend. I missed you. Can we…we can share the cabin.”

I threw my heart down right in front of him. That wouldn’t have been anything to blink about before, but now, it was taking a chance of getting it stomped on again.

“I miss you too, Abel. More than anything. But if you are mated…”

“I’m not,” I said, cutting him off. “Are you? Is there an omega who is going to barge in here and accuse me of something?”

Denali shook his head. “No. No omega is mine.”

I was. I hadn’t admitted that in years but it was true. All these years apart and fuck me, I still belonged to him, heart and soul though my shifter instincts told a different story.

“Are you okay with us sharing the cabin?”

He nodded and came over to hug me. As soon as his skin brushed mine, it was all over. We were back to the beginning. Best friends. Maybe more. “I missed you so damned much,” I confessed again.

“Oh, me too, Abel. It broke my heart to leave you. Let’s stay here, together. We can have this holiday and catch up.”

“Okay,” I answered and turned my head to scent him. He smelled like Denali, but there still wasn’t the knock-me-on-my-ass smell I expected from a fated mate.

“Still the same?” he asked, letting me go.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “But that’s okay. We’re still friends, right?”

Denali growled a bit. “Yes. Friends. Come on, I’m assuming you still have books to bring in.”

“How did you know?” I gasped.

“Because,” he chuckled low and deep, making my tummy swirl. “Some things never change.”

Denali helped me bring my things in and in less than five minutes, we were joking and talking like we’d never parted. I guessed some souls were meant to be together and, even if I couldn’t have him as my alpha, I didn’t want to lose him ever again.

Chapter Five

Denali

Abel was here.

My Abel was here.

And not at the resort “here,” but in my cabin. Of all the mistakes that could have happened, both of us deciding to come here and having our cabin double-booked…unbelievable. I’d call it Christmas magic if I thought it could end well.

I half expected to wake up and find out it was all a dream. But no, he was here. My brother had once said that Fate didn’t make mistakes, and he might be right, but she was also great at messing with my emotions.

Tonight could only be described as awkward. Both of us watching our words, careful. I was cautious, not letting let my eyes linger too long on him. I was unsure what to do or how to act, but at the same time, feeling like nothing had changed. Because this was Abel. My Abel.

If ever I doubted that my love for him remained after all these years, that doubt had been wiped away. If anything, I loved him more.

“Let me whip up some dinner.” I needed a break from him. Just…just for a few minutes to pull myself together.

“I can help.” He got up, setting aside the book he kept pretending to read.

I shook my head. “No. Let me do it.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll just read my book.”

I could tell that I hurt his feelings, but working in the microscopic kitchen where we might brush against each other—I wasn’t ready for that.

First thing I did was to crack open the window. “You can grab the quilt off the bed if you want, but I prefer not to set off any smoke detectors.”