Chapter 1 A COLD CHRISTMAS WELCOME

Joyce’s pov

I stood behind the counter of Pine Ridge Books, watching snow fall outside. Christmas was three weeks away. Red and green lights hung from every storefront, and the massive pine tree in the town square sparkled with lights.

I felt nothing except the weight of the rejection letter in my pocket.

We regret to inform you that we cannot offer you admission to the Graduate Writing Program at this time.

Five years of night classes. Five years of writing, thinking maybe I could turn everything into something worth reading. Another rejection.

"Joyce, are you listening to me?" Harper waved her hand in front of my face. She'd been my best friend since kindergarten and worked here with me at the bookstore.

I blinked. "Sorry. What?"

She leaned against the counter. "I asked if you've thought about Taylor's invitation to the Christmas Eve bonfire."

Taylor Montgomery. The pack's beta. Handsome, kind, stable. He'd been asking me out for six months with the patience of a saint.

When I looked at him, I felt nothing.

"I haven't decided yet." I returned to the display of holiday romance novels I was arranging.

Harper's voice softened. "You haven't given anyone a real chance since Dalton left. That was five years ago."

The name hit me like a punch. Dalton Grey. The alpha's son. The boy who'd grown up next door to me. The boy who shattered my world on my eighteenth birthday and disappeared.

"I don't want to talk about Dalton." I kept my voice steady. I'd practiced that for five years.

The mate bond didn't care that he rejected me. It didn't fade. It just sat there, a constant ache, reminding me every day that my other half was out there somewhere.

Harper held up her hands. "Fine. But you're coming to the bonfire. I'm not taking no for an answer."

The bell above the door chimed. Mrs. Patterson walked in, her silver hair covered in snowflakes. She was the oldest wolf in our pack and one of my favorite customers.

"Joyce, dear, I'm looking for that book about the history of our pack. The one with the leather binding."

I knew exactly which one. "I have it in the back."

When I returned, Mrs. Patterson was examining the holiday romances with a knowing smile.

"You know," she said, "my mate proposed to me on Christmas Eve. Right there in the town square, under the big pine tree."

I'd heard this story before, but I never interrupted. There was something comforting about proof that happy endings existed.

"That's beautiful," I said, setting the book on the counter.

She looked at me with sharp eyes. "We'd been through hell to get there. He rejected me at first. Said I wasn't suitable for the alpha's younger brother. I was just a teacher's daughter. Not high-born enough."

My hands stilled. "How did you know he really meant it when he came back?"

"Because he showed me with his actions, not just his words. He courted me for three months. Brought me flowers every day. Sat through my father's lectures about honor and commitment. He learned to make my mother's favorite tea cake, even though he burned six batches." She smiled. "Some wolves take longer to understand what they have. The question is whether you're willing to wait for them to figure it out. And whether they're willing to prove they've changed."

Before I could respond, the door burst open. My sister Megan rushed in, her cheeks flushed.

"Joyce!" She grabbed the counter, breathless. "You'll never believe who's back in town!"

My heart stopped. I knew before she said it. The mate bond had been restless all morning, pulling at my chest.

"Who?"

Megan grabbed my hands. "Dalton Grey. He's back. And he's the new alpha."

The floor tilted. Harper grabbed my arm.

"That's impossible," I managed. "His father is still alive. Alpha Grey would never step down early."

"He stepped down this morning. They called a special council meeting at dawn. Dalton took over an hour ago." Megan's eyes were wide. "He's already moved into the alpha's house."

The alpha's house. Three doors down from mine. I'd see him every day.

My carefully constructed life was crumbling.

"There's more." Megan leaned closer. "He's been asking about you. He went to the diner this morning and asked where you work."

"Why would he be looking for me?" I pulled my hands away. "He made it very clear five years ago that he wanted nothing to do with me."

The memory hit me.

We'd been standing in the snow behind his house at midnight on my eighteenth birthday. The moment our mate bond was supposed to activate.

I felt it the second the clock struck twelve. My soul reached toward him. My wolf howled with joy, finally recognizing her other half.

But Dalton's face went pale. He stepped back from me.

Then he said the words that destroyed me.

I reject you, Joyce. You could never be my luna. You're too weak. Too ordinary. I need someone stronger.

"Joyce, you're shaking," Harper said.

I looked down at my hands. She was right. Five years, and his name still did this to me.

"I need some air." I grabbed my coat. "Can you handle things here?"

Harper nodded. "Take all the time you need."

I pushed through the door into the freezing afternoon. The cold hit my face and I welcomed it.

I walked toward the town square without thinking, my boots crunching in fresh snow. The massive pine tree towered above everything. Children ran around its base, throwing snowballs.

I stopped at the edge of the square and closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the tightness in my chest. The mate bond pulled hard.

"Joyce."

That voice. Deep and rough and familiar.

I opened my eyes.

Dalton Grey stood ten feet away, and suddenly I couldn't breathe for an entirely different reason.