Chapter 36: Winter Wonderland
The snow had fallen thicker than usual this year, blanketing the rooftops in white and wrapping the Emberfang territory in a cold hush.
It was Lunar Solstice Eve. Everything felt warm and cosy inside. It was perfect.
For the first time, I wasn’t in the kitchen peeling potatoes or scrubbing silverware till my fingers cracked. For a change, I was up here, with Liam and Levi. My mates refused to let me lift a finger.
“You’re not a maid anymore,” Liam had whispered, stealing a kiss from my lips as I tried to polish the hallway vases.
So, I stopped working. I stopped being a maid. I was now their mate and I wanted to do something special for them.
I sat cross-legged on the floor of my bedroom, a faded shoebox of savings scattered in front of me. Coins. A few crumpled bills. Tips from past part-time work. I bit my lip, counting them again. Not much, but maybe enough.
They had given me a birthday I’d never forget—my first real dress, a warm coat, and a night under the stars with all three of them wrapped around me. I wanted to give them something too. Even if it was small. Even if it wasn’t enough.
I barely noticed the knock until the door opened.
“You’re planning something,” Liam said, poking his head in. He grinned when he saw the mess of coins.
Levi strolled in behind him, holding a red wool scarf in his hands.
“Is this about gifts?” he teased. “Sweetheart, you do know you don’t have to buy us anything.”