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Like Ashton’s jellyfish, learning to flow with the universe and just exist is a challenging lesson. It’s about moving with life’s ebb and flow and taking the time to slow down.
Snow has a similar effect. It’s a reminder that sometimes we need a break, a nudge from fate to relax and take it easy.
As I nestle in a window seat, sipping hot chocolate, I watch as the world outside transitions from vivid hues to a monochromatic expanse. We haven’t been here long, yet the twins have already dashed off in Max’s truck. Their departure, shrouded in an aura of mystery, was probably to comb through my apartment for clues or to deliver treats to Max’s lab. They promised to return before dusk, which arrives all too quickly in the winter months. Even now, the sun plays coy with the horizon.
This place, their home, sits securely within a gated community. Deltas strictly control all entry and exit points, adding a layer of exclusivity. Encircling the community is a dense forest, not quite a fence but a natural barrier, intended more as a deterrent than a fortification.
In the distance, the Omega Mountains stand tall, their snowcapped peaks a harbinger of the impending winter. From my vantage point on the north side of the estate, I have an unobstructed view of pine trees gradually donning their snowy mantles, their tips blurring into the overcast sky.
Thoughts of Lex drift into my mind as I gaze outside. He has always had a deep affection for snow, and a wave of nostalgiawashes over me. I miss my brother terribly. Our time together is scarce these days, limited mostly to Fridays with Thea, but in this moment, surrounded by the tranquility he loves, I decide to find more opportunities for us to reunite.
“There you are,” Devlin murmurs from the doorway of his small library. He’s leaning against the frame, casually holding a mug that I guess is filled with hot chocolate. This is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him—black dress pants, a white button-down with the first few buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, and, notably, bare feet. It’s this last detail that inexplicably heightens his appeal.
“Libraries are like omega crack,” I say, lifting my mug to my lips, allowing a small smile to play across them.
“Omega crack?” He smirks at me, evoking memories of our first encounter. Back then, I had no idea he was essentially alpha royalty.
Years ago, the great war erupted among the designations. In my view, it was bound to happen. Hormones, pheromones, and auras were a recipe for ego-driven chaos. At the castle, we learned about this in our designation history class. The war decimated omegas, leading to a shift from the simple alpha, beta, omega structure to the alpha, delta, beta, gamma, omega, and mage designations we have now.
The war ended when seven alpha families, including Devlin’s ancestors, united to create a sanctuary for omegas’ safety. This lineage makes Devlin not just an alpha, but royalty. Despite changes over the years, he remains one of the most eligible alphas in the city, and embarrassingly, I overlooked this fact that Friday night I almost,almostfell on his dick.
And he’s a perfect scent match for me.
“Books and fairy tales,” I continue, pulling myself back to the present. My gaze drifts around the library, no larger than a two-car garage. They lined three walls with floor to ceilingbookshelves, while the north wall features two bay windows with cushioned seats. “At the castle library, they restricted our reading selection to what Dean Finch approved. We had to smuggle in all the juicy books.”
Devlin’s lips curl into a mischievous smile, reminding me of a swashbuckling pirate. I can’t help but bite my lip as he strides toward a shelf on the west wall. “Name your poison,” he says, glancing back at me. “Fantasy? Dark romance? Rom-com? Paranormal? This entire west wall is fiction. The center shelves are all romance.”
“Who reads romance in this house, Dev?” I ask, sipping my cocoa, observing him over the rim of my cup. He exudes a princely air with his lean swimmer’s build and toned muscles, and his scent...
I forcibly push thoughts of his scent aside. It nearly drove me to madness just a few nights ago.
“They are for our future omega,” he whispers, scanning the shelves from top to bottom. I watch, my mouth agape, as he turns to me with a smile and settles into the seat opposite mine. He lounges casually with one leg drawn up, the other dangling off the seat. His demeanor is so unexpected, so unlike the Devlin I thought I knew.
“Did you each pick out a different book?” I clear my throat, settling in. A cream-colored folded blanket lies between us. I pull it over my legs, my bare toes wiggling against the soft plushness.
“We did,” he replies.
“What’s your favorite genre?” This library seems to house over a thousand books.
“I’m a simple man, Seraphina,” he says, my name deepening in his voice, stirring a flutter in my belly.
“I highly doubt that.” Most alpha heirs are anything but simple, even though I want to believe him. He’s soft-spoken, easygoing, and more laid back than any other alpha I know.
“I am,” he affirms. “I grew up in estates larger than this, but they never felt like home. My father’s craving for extravagance drove my mother and our pack away.” He says “extravagance” with a touch of disdain. “Amongst other reasons.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, feeling a genuine ache. “That must have been incredibly lonely.”
His smile is half-hearted, more a polite gesture than a true expression of happiness. “It was. But I had books,” he adds, his smile becoming warmer. “I enjoy stories with happily ever afters, love that endures time and trials.”
“I never would have guessed you were a romance reader,” I tease, understanding a bit more about him now. He is like a fairy-tale prince, and he looks like one too. Maybe he really is Prince Charming.
“I told you, I’m a simple man.” His lips tick up into a crooked smile that nearly makes my toes curl.
“And yet, you’re still an heir,” I point out, eager to understand him better.
That melancholic smile returns, and his eyes shift to a rich summer green, contrasting with the sentiment behind his smile. “I was born into this role. If I had a choice, it wouldn’t be what I’d choose.”
“What would you choose then?” As I ask the question, the need to know the answer almost overwhelms me.
