Ellie's pack bond didn't just fail -- it blew up in public.
Returning to Pineview Ridge, she knows the whispers are coming, so she does the only thing that makes sense:
Hires herself a fake set of Alphas and pretends she's already over it.

Her goals are simple:

? Reopen her grandmother's old café
? Survive small-town gossip season
? Avoid her ex and any "so what happened to your pack?" conversations

What she doesn't plan on is Evander Ridgeway.

Grumpy, broad-shouldered firefighter Alpha.
Former enemy.
Her almost-first-everything.

When a shorted-out Christmas tree turns her opening day into a smoke show, Evander is the one standing in her café -- arms crossed, jaw clenched, smelling like ash and winter air -- acting like she's his problem to solve.

And he's not alone.

There's Finnian "Finn" Archer, the quiet carpenter Alpha who keeps fixing things in her café "just because."
And Theo Mariner, the charming paramedic Alpha who flirts like it's a reflex and watches her like he's memorizing every breath.

Ellie wants a fake Alpha to shut down the pity and the questions.
Evander shows up with a counteroffer:

If she needs a fake boyfriend for the town to see...
She's getting the whole pack.

Three Alphas.
One arrangement.
All pretend.

Then the threats start.
Anonymous notes. Sabotaged supplies. Hints that her old pack isn't finished with her yet.

Suddenly, the fake relationship isn't just about gossip control -- it's a shield. Evander, Finn, and Theo close ranks around her, turning "for show" dates into constant protection, constant touch, constant heat.

It's supposed to be an act.
Smile for the town. Hold hands. Kiss under the mistletoe so everyone believes she's already moved on.

But as staged scenes turn into real touches...
As "practice" kisses go off-script...
And as three Alphas start looking at her like she's theirs -- on and off the clock -- Ellie has to face the one thing she swore she was done with...

What if the pack she hired to pretend... is the forever she didn't know she was waiting for?

Tropes:

•
? Ex-Rivals to Lovers

•
? Second Chance

•
? Protective Alpha Trio

•
??Forced Proximity (thanks, blizzard)

•
? Cozy Café Owner Omega

•
? Fake Dating Gone Very, VERY Real

•
? Knotting + Heat Tease

•
? "Touch her and die"

•
? Small-Town Holiday Shenanigans

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• RomanceHolidaysChristmas

• Publication Date: December 28, 2025
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 558 Pages
• File Size: 19 KB