Page 2 of Primal Snow

Vicky doesn’t seem at all impressed, already on her phone, tuning them both out. “Ugh, baby, could you not? I swear, you’re like an overgrown toddler sometimes.”

Jay pulls her even closer, practically onto his lap. “Come on, Vic. You know you love it.”

She flicks her chocolate-brown hair over her shoulder with a dramatic sigh. “If by‘love it’you mean‘wish I could legally put you in a timeout,’ then yeah, totally. I’m obsessed.”

I can hear the dismissal in her tone, and it’s not like she’s trying to be subtle. She’s wrapped up in her designer ski suit, clutching her purse like it’s a status symbol, and her gold bracelet gleams in the dim sunlight.

Jay smirks, his arm tightening around her waist as he leans in closer. “Careful, sweetheart. Keep talking like that, and I might have to put you over my knee.”

“Oh, hold on. I’m recording the story for my followers,” she says with a giggle, adjusting the angle of her phone like it’s a NASA launchpad. “Hi, lovelies! Just popping in for a second to tell you to get ready for some killer mountain view vlog in a little bit! #AlaskaAdventure #BaeAndI #WinterGoals.”

“#MyBoyfriendIsACheat,” Mia chimes in, shooting a glare at Derek, her voice lethally icy.

“Again? Really?” He tosses around his seat, visibly growing frustrated.

“Aww, poor you!” She shows him no mercy. “And guess what? You’ll only have your hand for the wholeweek we’re here!”

Derek lets out a strangled groan, and the car ruptures in laughter—me excluded.

We’re not exactly a cohesive unit, but somehow it works. All of us are pursuing different majors, and our paths crossed by sheer luck—or misfortune. Study groups with my girls turned into late-night hangs, and before we knew it, we were inseparable. Then, Vicky started going out with Jay, who introduced us to his boys. Mia hooked up with Derek at a party, and they’ve been on and off for months now—he’s clearly still in his fuckboy era, but she refuses to listen. And recently, Chase and I just happened organically. We’ve tackled plenty together as a group—midterms, hangovers, even that disastrous camping trip last summer where Jay nearly set the forest on fire.

This is unlike the other adventures. For the first time, we’re all coupled up… and so far away from home.

“Lighten up, you little grump!” Chase leans over me and his breath tickles the sensitive skin behind my ear, pulling me away from my thoughts. “I do have some plans for later that you might enjoy a whole lot more,” he whispers, kissing the spot.

I turn my head to look at him and immediately get lost in his smoldering eyes, smiling involuntarily.

For a second, I feel better. He has this way about him… I don’t know, he’s always positive, well-mannered, andwarm. He’s a textbook privilege, born into East Coast old money and heir to a generational empire. His family could probably buy out half of Alaska if they wanted, but here he is, playing mountain man like it’s some kind of novelty. Totally the Disney prince type of guy, but withbook boyfriend rizz and a lethal face card. And I was only kidding earlier, he‘s obviously super smart. I mean, we all are—surprisingly. Stanford, hello?!

Yet, as he focuses on the road, my nerves return. I glance out the window as the cabin disappears behind us. All I see is endless white.

It’s fine, I tell myself.Totally fine.

But deep down, I know it’s only goingto get worse.

Chapter 2

The wind slices through my jacket like a knife as I grip the edges of my snowboard, trying not to fall. I hate this. I hate everything about it. The cold. The snow. The fact that I’m careening down an actual mountain like a suicidal penguin.

Chase is ahead of me, looking annoyingly flawless as he shreds powder, as if he were born not only with a silver spoon in his mouth but also a snowboard strapped to his feet. Just as perfect as he is on his surfboard. It drives me crazy how effortlessly good he is at literallyeverything. But wearing all black, with that ski mask,goggles, and a helmet… damn, he’s forgiven. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Behind me, I can hear Mia screaming—whether in joy or terror, I’m not sure. Either way, it’s fitting background noise for the hell I’m currently enduring. Meanwhile, Vicky zooms past us all on her skis, flaunting her talent like a show pony.

“Babe, lean into the turn!” Chase calls over his shoulder, mid-air as he launches off a small mound of snow, popping his snowboard into a jump.

“I’m leaning!” I shout back, wobbling dangerously. My legs burn, and I’m pretty sure my thighs will never forgive me for this.

And then it happens.

I hit a patch of ice—or maybe my body just gives up—and suddenly, I’m sliding. Fast. Too fast. The trail blurs as I veer off-track, the cheerful chaos of my friends’ voices fading into silence.

“Shit!” I yell, trying to dig the edge of my board into the snow, but it’s useless at this point. Gravity is an asshole.

The world tilts, and I tumble into the thick stretch of trees to the side. Pine branches whip past me, clawing at my jacket, tearing at my face, scraping at my sanity.

Finally, I come to a stop, half-buried in a snowbank. My snowboard sticks up at an awkward angle nearby, and my lungs burn from the cold air.

“Fucking great,” I mutter, pushing myself upright. I lean against a massive pine tree, trying to catch my breath.

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