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Chapter 1: Jason's POV

They seemed frozen.

We watched silently, waiting for some movement, but there was nothing. The puny humans were too dumb to do anything with what they had found.

I glanced at Fiona, the lady beside me—the only other person on this mission with me. The look lasted longer than it was supposed to, as my eyes settled on her cleavage that exposed half of her breasts, those beautiful tilts, full and soon to be mine, but hardly heaving. Clearly, she was holding her breath for more stealth.

I looked away, back at our targets, once again considering the possibility that they were frozen by the snow. After all, humans generally needed our help to survive in this climate in the first place.

"Let's go," a man said suddenly.

I tensed up a bit as I watched from above, hoping the crew would take the chest with them and leave us with no choice but to kill them altogether. That'd make things interesting.

We had no weapons—only our hands, though they could become dangerous claws if the need arose. I was already imagining tearing them apart when I spasmed in response to a short tap on my arm.

Her hand was so cold...

"They're gone. We didn’t have to do anything," she said, jumping down from the ledge in the icy cave. I followed suit, glad to be out of the rather uncomfortable position.

She hugged me suddenly, tightly, endearingly...

I felt a heat rising within me at the contact of her skin with mine. I could never get used to these kinds of actions from her, and at the same time, I could never get enough.

It’s more exciting, as I've known her since childhood and had been in love with her since the day I could talk. We'd been taking liberties since then, morally aided by our betrothal, but never anything more. The wedding was just two weeks away...

"You weren't paying attention; we could have missed it," she whispered.

Her warm breath on my neck added a new layer of excitement to what I was already feeling. I would have taken her there and then if not for my strong discipline and composure—just as strong as my physical strength. The rules were the rules...

I kissed her neck, savoring the taste for the moment it lasted before pulling away. “We should take it with us,” I said.

Her sweet smile of agreement was like a rainbow on a difficult day, making everything right again. She’s just 18, the flower of youth! She stood just an inch shorter than me, with delicate, highly defined features—high cheekbones, a perfectly sculpted nose, and those lips I could kiss all day if she let me. Her bright blue eyes glistened with a curiosity and kindness, humility and confidence. If she was not the prettiest lady in both the Frostwood and Ashford packs, she was not too far from it.

I forced my eyes off her to look at the chest. The contents were unknown, but the symbol carved into it indicated its origin. It’s from the Frostwood pack and definitely contains something of historical value. It wasn’t something that humans could mess around with.

Without a word, I hoisted it onto my shoulder, balancing it to handle the weight efficiently. We trudged through the snow, slowly talking about a lot of unimportant things. The wedding didn’t come up, but it hung in the air between us. It was the one thing on our minds: the joining together in the flesh of two young people, best friends and lovers since childhood.

We didn’t really have a choice. Our betrothal made it inevitable. Had it been any other people, it would have been a problem, but in our case, the pressure made it even better. Now, the wedding is rushed to happen a month after her birthday—two weeks from now—but I can hardly wait. I yearned for it, wished it would be over so I could have her and satisfy the raging desires within me now, so wild it was almost suffocating to be around her without being able to do much. It’s lucky that we’ve known each other for a good 17 years; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to have a smooth, natural conversation with her at this point.

I jolted back to reality to find her tapping my arm. What was it with me zoning out these days?

“Daydreaming again, huh?”

Her voice was a warm, sweet breeze bringing me a certain calm that everything would be alright and anchoring me to the present.

“You do the same,” I accused, holding her gaze. She didn’t deny it but instead changed the topic.

“We’ll be parting now,” she said, making me take a sweeping glance and find that we were at the border. There wasn’t any problem with her crossing into the Frostwood pack; she was welcome any day. But with her saying to leave, I reckoned she had something to do, in which case, I wouldn’t hold her back.

I looked to the horizon, to the Ashford pack. It was more beautiful than mine, but soon to be mine anyway. They’d be more like merged after the wedding, unity within our peoples being the point. It’s not done yet, but I could feel the responsibility weighing down on me already, like the crate had been before I dropped it.

She pecked me on my cheek—a sisterly kiss—but that was the last straw! I eliminated the distance between us, invading her space and holding her tight as I seized her lips in a passionate kiss. She responded immediately with a fervency that indicated she wanted me as much as I did her. It was a wonder why she held back, how she managed it. A sisterly kiss? The nerve!

After pulling away reluctantly, I offered to escort her.

“No, thanks,” she said, a rejection that would cost us both. If she knew of the consequence, she would jump at the offer. If I knew, I would have insisted. It happened that letting her go now might as well be letting her go forever. I was about to meet someone—someone who would change the course of my life forever...