Chapter 232 I’ll Keep You Warm
Emilia’s POV
I regretted coming to this mountain the second I got there. What kind of idiot chases some mythical Snow Diamond in the middle of a blizzard at night? Oh right. Me. The idiot who decided romantic legends mattered more than survival instincts.
I found a small cave and huddled at the entrance, my teeth chattering so violently . My phone? Dead. No signal. Just a useless brick of metal and glass.
The wind howled like it had a personal vendetta against me, and I was pretty sure I was about to turn into a human popsicle. I forced my frozen legs to move, jumping up and down like a lunatic, trying to work up some warmth.
The darkness pressed in around me, heavy and suffocating. I didn’t dare go deeper into the cave. Who knew what kind of creatures or spirits were lurking back there? So I stayed at the entrance, curling into myself as snowflakes settled on my hair and clothes, slowly turning me into a snowman.
"Great, Emilia," I muttered through numb lips. "This is exactly how you wanted to die. Frozen solid on a Japanese mountain because your husband went to see his ex."
"Maybe... not the best... decision..." Eve stirred weakly in my mind.
Time lost all meaning. Minutes? Hours? I couldn’t tell anymore. My mind started to fade, everything going fuzzy and distant.
Then I heard it.
"Emilia! Emilia Taylor!"
My name, carried on the wind. Was I hallucinating?
"Emilia Taylor!"
No. That was definitely Sebastian’s voice. I forced my frozen throat to work. "I’m... here..."
Within seconds he appeared through the snow like some avenging angel, his face caught between relief and fury. He grabbed me and pulled me against his chest so hard I lost my breath.
"You scared me to death," he said, his voice breaking. "I thought I’d never see you again."
Despite everything, despite my anger, my hurt, my stubborn pride, I burst into tears. My body shook with sobs as I clung to him.
"Promise me you won’t run off like this again," he said. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
I wanted to snap back, to say something sharp and cutting, but I’d used up all my energy just calling out to him. All I could do was lean against him weakly.
"It’s too cold. Come on, I’ll carry you down the mountain."
He bent to lift me onto his back, but a distant rumble echoed through the night. Sebastian froze.
"Avalanche," he said grimly. "We can’t risk going down in this." He looked around, then took my hand. "Let’s get deeper into the cave."
"No," I said at once, my claustrophobia flaring despite the cold.
"Emilia."
"I said no!"
I tried to bolt back toward the entrance, but Sebastian caught me easily. "What’s wrong?"
"I’m scared," I admitted quietly. "I can’t... I can’t be in there."
Understanding crossed his face. He pointed to a spot near the entrance where some light still filtered in. "Then we stay here. I won’t let anything happen to you."
We huddled together at the mouth of the cave, caught between the darkness inside and the deadly cold outside. Sebastian tried to give me his coat, but I refused. I wasn’t going to let him freeze because of one stupid, impulsive decision of mine.
"Don’t be ridiculous," I said when he tried again. "If you freeze to death, who’s going to annoy me for the rest of my life?"
He pulled me closer instead, wrapping his arms around me and breathing warm air onto my frozen hands.
The cold was bearable at first, but as dawn crept closer it turned brutal. Even pressed against Sebastian’s chest, I couldn’t stop shaking. My hands and feet felt like blocks of ice.
"So... cold..." I got out through chattering teeth.
Sebastian’s face tightened with worry. Then he started pulling off his coat, then his sweater, then his shirt.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" My eyes went wide. "I haven’t forgiven you yet! I am not having sex with you in a freezing cave on a mountain."
"Emilia," Sebastian said through his own chattering teeth, his jaw clenched. "Can you be serious for once? Put. On. My. Clothes."
Before I could take in what was happening, his body began to shift. Bones cracked and reformed, fur sprouted across his skin, and within seconds a massive black wolf stood where Sebastian had been.
My jaw dropped.
The wolf was enormous, his midnight-black fur thick and luxurious. He moved closer, and I felt something I hadn’t felt in weeks. A presence in my mind. Sebastian’s voice, clear and commanding, breaking through the walls I’d built.
"Put on my clothes. Now. Then get over here where it’s warm."
I stared at the pile of clothes, then at the giant wolf watching me with those familiar green eyes. Something in my chest loosened. A tiny crack in the wall of anger I’d built around my heart. He’d shifted to keep me warm. He was willing to stay in wolf form, in the cold, just so I wouldn’t freeze.
Slowly, I pulled on his sweater, still warm from his body heat. Then his coat. They were way too big, but the warmth was immediate and glorious.
"Stop being stubborn and come here," Sebastian’s voice ordered in my mind.
I took a reluctant step toward him. His massive tail swept around me at once, pulling me against his warm, furry body. I gasped as the heat wrapped around me, his fur softer than any blanket.
"If you think sex would warm you up faster, I don’t mind," Sebastian said, and I could hear the smirk in his mental voice.
"I’d rather we both die of hypothermia," I shot back, but I burrowed deeper into his fur anyway.
His whole body seemed to rumble with laughter.
We stayed like that a while, and slowly, feeling came back to my fingers and toes. The shaking eased. I was actually... comfortable.
"Hey," I said. "I can shift too now, you know."
"Took you long enough to figure that out," Sebastian replied, amusement coloring his tone. "But you’re fine where you are."
I kicked his leg indignantly. "You could’ve said something earlier!"
A low growl rumbled through his chest. "Respect your Alpha."
I froze. Right. Sebastian wasn’t just my husband. He was an Alpha. The leader of the Silver Moon Pack. And here I was, kicking him like a petulant child.
But instead of the dominance play I expected, his tail curled tighter around me, almost protectively. His head dipped, and his wet nose nudged my cheek gently.
"Sleep, little witch," he said softly. "I’ll keep you safe."