Page 31 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
I turn to find a short girl, barely older than me, in a matching staff uniform, smiling from ear to ear. Instinctively a light growl rolls in my throat. The last time an overly cheery attendant met me at a pack function I wound up her hostage.
“Sir?”
I’ve been staring too long. I’m sure this girl is the loveliest and not a mate-obsessed psycho, so I slip my bag off my shoulder and let her take it. Once the staff have taken everyone’s bags, an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair peeking out from beneath his hat arrives with a tray of steaming mugs. The smell wafts into my nostrils and at once I’m giddy with festive cheer.
“Hot chocolate!”
We each take a mug, and as we remain standing in a huddle in the entryway, I sniff the hot chocolatey goodness and take my first sip. I’ve never in my life tasted hot chocolate this velvety and delicious. Whatever supplier they’ve managed to convince to travel all the way up here, it’s worth the exorbitant price I’m sure they pay.
“That’s so good,” Katie says, looking first at Todd then Simon, then shyly at me.
I half grin but angle my body away.
The roof is stories above my head, a golden-beamed A-frame with a single sturdy rafter holding it in place. In front of us another set of glass doors lead into the main foyer, where a few Rocky Pack wolves are reclining on couches, sipping from the same mugs, looking cozy and chic in fair isle sweaters. Some kids, about the same age as Katie and me, walk past looking festively stylish, like they’ve stepped out of a department store’s Christmas catalog. They stop under the ridiculous and gorgeous Christmas tree, and a tall boy with dark-brown skin, curly bleached-blond hair, and a slight overbite catches my eye. He grins and winks. I bury my face in my mug of chocolate and pretend not to have noticed.
“Hello Elite Pack!”
Another new voice, this time a little less perky, grabs my attention. A girl with bright-red hair and pale-white freckly cheeks has opened the doors to the lodge, looking like it’s autumn and she’s ready for the gram in a cream roll-neck sweater, blue jeans, and a pair of knee-high camel-suede boots.
“Mia, it’s good to see you,” Jasper says, approaching and giving her a European-style air-kiss on both cheeks.
My face grows warm. Gosh, am I jealous of her too now? Or maybe of the air Jasper is kissing?
I step to join the others but notice Olivia hasn’t moved. She’s hovering a step behind me, her sunglasses pushing her thick brown hair back, mug of hot cocoa in hand, and a look of terror on her face. Or maybe it’s indigestion. But she doesn’t look comfortable.
“You coming?”
She doesn’t respond.
“Everything okay?”
“What? Huh?” Olivia shakes herself back into the room. “Uh, yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
She glares at me briefly, before marching to join the group. With a shrug I find a spot at the back.
“I’m so glad you could all make it,” Mia says, her voice undulating like a lullaby, but with a bass note of power to it. “My name is Mia, I’m the eldest daughter of Alpha Morven—or Daddy as I call him. You all must be tired after your journey. Our staff will show you all to your rooms in a moment, but first I wanted to welcome you to our packhouse and extend my services to you for the duration of your stay. I’m here if you need anything at all; the Rocky Pack wishes you the jolliest Christmas and a spectacular blood moon. We have some amazing activities planned while you’re here and I can’t wait to get to know all of you so much better.”
I swear she glances at Jasper when she says that last part. Glancing sideways and catching Katie’s eye, I lift my eyebrows to say “She’s really something,” and Katie has to stifle a giggle. We may be sort of fighting, but we’ll always get each other.
“So if you’d like to follow me…”
Mia turns with a flourish, and I wonder how anyone ever becomes that confident.
When we enter the foyer, everything is lit in this flickering warm glow from a fireplace the size of a bodega to our left. Everything smells of pine, cinnamon, and coal. It’s warming and inviting and—I hate to say it but—the most Christmassy-smelling place I’ve ever been. Way more festive than Santa’s grotto at Macy’s, which usually has the scent of sticky five-year-olds and stale popcorn.
And then I spot the view. Beyond the lounge area is a wall of glass, and outside the Rockies are bathed in moonlight. It’s like a painting, all the mountains rising on either side of a deep valley, jagged rock and smooth powder laid on top like a blanket. The moon is glowing down silver and blue, and I can only imagine what that vista will look like in the morning. Part of me is starting to get excited about sitting by the window, drinking more of this amazing hot chocolate, and watching the sunrise.
“This is the parlor,” Mia says, floating between sofas like she owns the place, which I guess she does. “This is where we usually host dignitaries from other packs, or as you can see, it’s where we like to gather before official pack dinners.”
Some of the well-dressed wolves from around the room glance over. I smile awkwardly as a man wearing an actual cravat nods in my direction, while a woman in a purple ball gown raises a brow then continues her conversation.
“What do you think?” Katie says, sidling up next to me, eyeing our host. “Robot or mind control?”
I snicker.
“Definitely mind control. Oh no, do you think it’s in the cocoa?”
We both feign terror but continue sipping our drinks.
