Page 201 of The Heart of Winter

A knock on my door.

Not wanting to get caught lying in bed, I quickly got up and opened it.

My dad was standing there.

His face held that same endless joy, that same look of disbelief he’d worn since I came home, like he still couldn’t believe I was really here. His smile stretched wide, and his turquoise eyes were shining.

"Winter, sweetheart… I didn’t want to wake you earlier, but Finn is here. He wants to talk to you."

"Uh… what? Finn?" I blinked.

"Yeah. I figured I’d check with you first. I know this is a lot, and if you’re not up for it, he said he totally understands."

A little flustered, I sighed. "I’ll talk to him, Dad. It’s fine."

Then I forced a smile. I didn’t feel even a flicker of enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing Finn. I’d rather meet someone with mint-green freckles.

"Just let me freshen up first."

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, got dressed, taking my time with everything.

My head felt blank. I wasn’t feeling anything at all.

Then I headed downstairs to the living room, where Finn was waiting.

No one else was there. My parents had discreetly given us space.

Finn looked… Wow.

Completely different from how I remembered him.

He looked… bigger? Broad shoulders. And… what the hell? His neck glands were swollen.

What was going on? His scent… wait, why was I so acutely aware of his scent? It was unfamiliar. New. Different.

My nose inhaled before I even realized it.

Then it hit me.

Finn and I… we were Half Mates! I just suddenly knew it. It felt obvious, like, I guess, every alpha and omega just knew. The knowledge wasn’t a thought, it was suddenly part of how I sensed people, as if it had always been there.

And that intensity… wow. My instincts, long dormant in my beta body, had suddenly snapped awake, quivering and stretching inside me.

"Finn?"

"Winter!"

He looked just as stunned as I was, blinking, inhaling.

But he recovered quickly and pulled me into a hug.

God, his grip was strong. His muscles tensed under his jacket, solid and powerful. How was this even possible? It had only been a month and a half since I last saw him, but the change was incredible.

And that scent… now, with my face pressed against him, it hit me full force.

I’d never noticed anything particular about his natural scent before, nothing beyond his usual cologne, but now Finn smelled like… an alpha.

Since I came back—even in the chopper, the plane, the airport—I’d had the sense that everyone reeked, like my sense of smell had gone haywire. I convinced myself it was probably just sensory overload.

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