Third Person’s POV


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    Thinking of Eugene’s rave reviews about the view from Yellowstone Mountain after a snowfall, Lance decided to push forward.


    He turned to Adide and said, “The road ahead is getting pretty rough. If you’re tired or the cold is getting to you, just say the word. I’ll carry you.”


    “I’m not that fragile, Lance. Don’t forget I’m a Gamma.”


    With their fingers locked together, they began their ascent to the summit.


    The snow was already past their ankles, and the narrow trail was choked with dried, thorny vines that acted like natural barbed wire.


    A few times, the jagged thorns snagged on Lance’s expensive cashmere coat.


    Lance awkwardly untangled a vine, caught Adide’s half–smirking expression, and quickly tried to save face.


    “Nobody reallyes up here, so the path is a bit of a mess. But trust me, Eugene said the view from the top is absolutely mind–blowing.”


    “Mhm, I believe you.”


    Adide offered a bright smile, her cheeks flushed a vibrant red from the biting wind, looking like a tempting red apple.


    The higher they climbed, the worse Lance’s gut feeling became.


    Looking around, there was nothing but charred, ck, skeletal tree trunks and a monotonous, endless white void of snow.


    If there were some bubbling streams, crisp white snow, and maybe a few winter plums for a pop of color, that would be romantic.


    But this? This was a wastnd. Not a single living nt in sight.


    “Eugene, I’m going to kill you,” Lance growled to himself.


    When they got back, he was definitely going to toss that guy into the training camp for sc serious “re–education.”


    But he was supposed to be the charming Alpha here; he couldn’t let their date end i


    awkward stalemate.


    Lance scanned the area and spotted a wide, steep slope to the north.


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    It was covered in a thick nket of snow with no trees or boulders in the way–it was a natural ski run.


    His eyes lit up. “Change of ns!”


    He scooped Adide up by the waist. Leveraging his superhuman wolf agility, he blurred across the snow in a series of powerful leaps and sprints, cutting through the woods until they reached the peak.


    Standing at the edge of the cliff, he pointed toward the horizon where the sun was beginning its slow descent.


    “See? No flowers, but it’s still beautiful, right?”


    “We can wait here for the sunset. And once the light fades, we’ll just slide straight down that slope! Trust me, it’ll be a total rush!”


    nod.A


    Adide gave him a fond, indulgent nod.


    Before themy a starkndscape of blinding white and skeletal ck branches–like a raw, unedited charcoal sketch. It had a certain deste, wild majesty to it.


    The north windshed at her face, and her ears were starting to go numb.


    Still, Adide forced a smile. “Alright. Let’s sit and wait for the sunset.”


    Lance was finally having some fun, and she was more than willing to humor him.


    They had over two hours until sunset, but the sky was already bruising over, the clouds hanging low and heavy.


    She nced at the male wolf beside her and thought, “Fine, I’d give my life for you.”


    But sliding down the mountain? She figured Lance was just talking big. They had zero gear.


    You needed at least a snowboard to tackle a slope that steep.


    Lance, however, was dead serious. He stood up and stomped on the snow to test the density,


    “The pack is thick enough,” he said confidently. We can just use our coats as sleds and sli down.”


    Back in the war, he’d pulled off crazier stunts than this.


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    They sat side–by–side on the snow, Lance pulling Adide tight into his embrace to shield her.


    The howling wind drowned out everything else the romance was effectively dead. Adide felt every bit of her energy being diverted to just staying warm.


    She buried her face into his cedar–scented chest wondering for a split second if she’d actually lost her mind, sitting on a frozen mountain in the dead of winter.


    Minutes ticked by until their limbs felt like blocks of ice.


    Adide checked the sky–it was getting darker, and the wolf inside her was starting to pace restlessly. She finally couldn’t take it anymore.


    “I don’t think there’s going to be a sunset tonight honey. How about we head back?”


    Lance stood up, looking at the sky with a sh of disappointment.


    Everything was a heavy, leaden gray. He felt a bit defeated.


    He’d wanted some peak romance, but honestly, sitting by the firece at the packhouse wrapped in a nket sounded a hell of a lot better right now.


    “Fine,” he sighed. Then an idea struck him.


    “Since the view’s a bust, let’s go for the thrill. I’ll slide down first to scout the path. Stay here for a second.”


    Adide’s eyes went wide.


    “For real? You’re actually going to slide down? This slope is a cliff, Lance! We don’t have boards!”


    “It’s fine, trust me,” Lance said, waving her off with a cocky grin.


    “We used to do this all the time on the front lines. Not just me–all the scouts. We had to cross snowy peaks to nk the enemy; I’ve got plenty of experience with this.”


    He scooted toward the edge of the drop and looked back at her.


    “Give me a shove. I’ll go down and check thending.”


    “But Lance,” Adide said, peering nervously over the edge into the endless white void,” you pick up too much speed and can’t stop, you’re just going to tumble.”


    Lance tapped his chest, oozing confidence. “Don’t sweat it. Even if I lose my footing, I’ll just tuck and roll to stabilize. I’llnd just fine.”


    Sara Lili


    <strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.