Noel was putting carafes of coffee and boxes of donuts on one of the tables on the back patio when she saw Connor rowing up to the dock with Krampus. She waved and went back to her task. Connor and Krampus docked and walked up to Noel.

“You two are the first ones to get here, well, other than Avery and me,” said Noel. “My friends should be here soon.”

“I gave mine the address, but knowing them…they’ve probably stopped for eggnog lattes on the way, and to take a group selfie,” said Connor, rolling his eyes.

“Now, what was that about eggnog lattes?” rang a voice.

Noel turned. Her jaw dropped.

When Connor had said he was inviting seven friends to help with deliveries, she’d expected seven hunky bear shifters to show up, ready to drive with her brothers.

Instead, there were seven gorgeous shifter women, tall, muscular, with designer clothes on that made Noel feel very plain.

Noel gulped. She had no idea that Connor was in a harem situation, with seven women who were apparently willing to come all the way up to The Wreath at his beck and call. How did he have seven girlfriends, but no fated mate? Or had he just not claimed one of the women as his own yet? A lot of things made no sense to Noel, but one thing was sure – Connor obviously had some sort of relationship with these seven absolutely gorgeous women.

“Noel, meet the gang,” said Connor. “Annie, Bonnie, Cassie, Dellie, Ellie, Fannie, and Ginnie. Ladies, this is Noel, the woman running the charity event.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” said the woman in the center of the V-shaped group. “I’m Annie.”

“Noel,” said Noel, shaking Annie’s hand. “Thank you all for coming out to help support a great cause.”

“Are your friends nearly here?” asked Connor.

“The guys should be here soon,” said Noel. “Can I get you ladies anything to drink? Some scones? Anything?”

Noel took orders and served up plates of food, on the house – Avery had given her advance permission to do that. Noel was surprised to see that the seven female shifters ate just as much as male shifters like Connor.

Just as they were finishing their first cups of coffee, in came trouble.

“Noel?” said a deep voice. “Girl, the directions you gave us to this place were whack.”

Connor turned to face the front of the bakery. Seven men had entered the bakery. They were all tall, burly, and, from the looks of their hands, they were all shifters.

Connor felt like the world had stopped and he was about to fall off of the planet Earth. Noel was sexy, badass, sassy, and of course, fun as Hell. Connor had never felt a connection with anyone like that before, but the only reason he let himself get that close to her was that he thought she was the one, his fated mate.

Whether or not Connor considered Noel to be his fated mate hinged on one thing, one simple thing.

Noel had to be single.

Connor wasn’t about to share a mate with anyone. He knew ménages were real, but there was no way that he was destined to be in a ménage.

From the looks of things, Noel was, and Fate had served her lovers in spades – a seven of spades, to be exact. Seven men filed into the bakery. Each one looked immaculately groomed, with a stylish haircut and beard. Connor knew what he looked like – a scraggly mess of a man. He may have been a pilot, but these were the kind of men who would fit in sitting in First Class. They were the kind of men who would treat women to eight-dollar mimosas made with tiny bottles of sparkling wine and complimentary cartons of orange juice. What woman would want the man who was making corny jokes over the PA system? What woman would want him, when she could nab a seven-leg (seven-cock?) ticket to ‘the mile-high club?’

Connor felt embarrassed. He’d thought Noel was single – but apparently, she already had seven men in her life, seven shifters, who’d probably claimed her. Why had she flirted with him if she had these men in her life? Was she trying to grow her own harem? There was no way Connor would ever share a mate. Snow White had seven dwarves in that old fairy tale. He didn’t want to be in a reverse harem, especially as dwarf number eight.

“Yeah, chiquita, who knew that we’d need snow tires?” said another one of the men who had entered the coffee shop, removing his sunglasses.

“The frikkin’ car slid off the road,” said a third man, taking off his lightweight hoodie. “Good thing we managed to get it back on the road, even if it is, uh, a little worse for the wear.”

“Nothing you guys couldn’t fix, of course,” said Noel with a smirk. “Alright, these are my seven favorite guys. They’re here to help us with deliveries.”

“Seven of my girls, seven of your guys, we can match them up, send them off in pairs,” said Connor. “You and I can handle logistics and the airdrops.”

“The what now?” asked Noel.

“Some of the places on the map Avery gave us are not easily accessible via car. That means we’re going to have to airdrop the gifts, Santa style, but instead of a sleigh…well, it turns out Krampus has a chopper we can borrow,” said Connor. “I’ll need a navigator, someone who knows her shizz, so, you game?”

“Of course she’s game,” said one of Noel’s brothers, before she could answer. “Noel ain’t afraid of nothing. She’s a badass babe.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Annie. “By the way…should we do introductions now, or later?”

“Oh, sorry,” said Noel. “This is Arlo, Bastian, Cassius, Damien, Edgar, Finn, and Gilliam. Guys, these are…Annie, Bonnie, Cassie, Dellie, Ellie, Fannie, and Ginnie.” Noel listed off the names of the women using her fingers.

“You memorized those names fast,” said Ginnie. “Impressive.”

“Noel always was the smart one,” said Arlo with a grin. “Well, ladies, and gentleman, I hope you don’t mind us stealing away Noel for the night. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“We have quite the night in store for her,” said Bastian.

Connor felt his pulse quicken. He’d had no idea that Noel even had a reverse harem, and now, this guy was talking about showing her a good time?

“Fine,” said Connor.

“If they’re having fun, we should have fun too,” said Annie. “Why don’t we hit up one of the restaurants in town?”

“Sounds good to me,” agreed Dellie.

“I guess this is where we part ways for now,” said Noel. “Everyone, make sure to get a good night’s sleep tomorrow night because deliveries start early on the morning of the twenty-third. I need everyone here at five in the morning so that we can make all these deliveries. Tomorrow, make sure that all the cars in order.”

“Trust us, we know how to maintain cars in this weather,” said Fannie. “We’re used to driving in the snow.”

“We’re not – so maybe you can give us some pointers,” said Finn.

Connor felt his stomach churn. It was bad enough that he’d fallen for a gal who already had a reverse harem, but now, one of her men was flirting with one of the women he practically considered an older sister? Gross.

“Alright, well, we best be going,” said Noel. “See you all soon, real soon.”

“Whew, you didn’t tell us you had a girlfriend,” said Annie.

“If he had, you know we would’ve stalked the heck out of her social media,” said Bonnie. “So exciting. When’s the wedding?”

“Ugh, she’s not my girlfriend,” said Connor.

“I saw the way you looked at her,” said Cassie. “You two definitely have some type of vibe going on.”

“She’s just…not even a friend, really,” said Connor. “She’s annoying, is what she is.”

“Then why did you agree to help her out?” asked Dellie.

“It’s a long story,” said Connor.

“We’ve got time,” said Ellie.

Connor and the seven sorority sisters walked into the restaurant. Over appetizers, Connor explained his situation – everything from the intervention at Clan Marron’s lodge during Thanksgiving to life on Camp Kringle and how he had to get off of The Naughty List.

“And that’s the story,” said Connor, sipping at his root beer. “That’s the truth.”

“It’s crazy, is what it is,” said Ellie.

“Is this crazy?” asked Connor, unbuttoning his shirt, revealing a black t-shirt underneath. Connor pulled up the t-shirt and showed the word written across his chest.

“Okay, that’s freaky-deaky,” said Fannie. “Connor, that’s not your mate mark…so did you claim your fated mate?”

“Sir, I’m going to need to ask you to put that away,” said the manager, coming over to the table. “Another table has complained, and we do have a ‘no shirts, no shoes, no service’ policy.”

The manager didn’t point to the other table, but Connor spotted them anyway, a set of giggling women in their twenties. He nodded at them and made them burst out into laughs before he pulled down his shirt.

“Th-thanks,” said the manager, walking away, blushing. The manager had to admit that the lumberjack types got her hot and heated too…

“So, did you claim your mate?” repeated Fannie.

“No,” said Connor, pulling down his shirt again. “I told you. My mark got taken from me. Do I have to shift into a flying frikkin’ reindeer to prove it to all of y’all?”

“No,” said Ginnie, turning over Connor’s hand. “Your paw prints…they’re gone. These look like hoof prints. You must really be a reindeer now.”

“Okay, so if all this is true, and you have to get off The Naughty List, why didn’t you call us sooner, so we could help figure out the problem?” asked Fannie.

“I was trying to take care of this by myself. When the opportunity came up to help Noel, I decided that could be my way to get off The Naughty List,” said Connor. “She said she needed help, and, well, I know sorority girls know how to get shizz done. After all, you raised nearly half a million dollars for that children’s fibromyalgia charity when you were undergrads.”

“I can believe that all this Christmas magic stuff is real,” said Ellie. “Heck, I’ve always believed in it. Here’s what I can’t believe: that you aren’t doing this to try and get closer to Noel. I just can’t believe it.”

“Heck, Cassie’s cousin’s now-husband, well, he got his entire frat and their local alum network together when Cassie cousin ran that car wash for fibro, the one our sorority helped out with,” said Dellie. “He had everyone go to the car wash and donate generously. If that wasn’t because he was in love with her, then…well, I’ll believe that werepigs can fly.”

“I’ve never seen a pig shifter fly, but a reindeer shifter? Well, I’m living proof that’s possible,” said Connor. “Fine. Look. Obviously, Noel’s hot. She’s got the curves I wish I deserved. But, she’s a distraction. I should be trying to get off The Naughty List, but…all I can think about is her.”

“I knew it,” said Bonnie. “Of course you’re into her.”

“Even if I am, it doesn’t matter,” said Connor. “You saw those seven guys she was with. She said they were her ‘friends,’ but come on. You all saw them.”

“They are pretty hunky,” said Annie, crossing her arms. “But, maybe they are just friends.”

“Uh-huh,” said Connor. “Fannie, you’re the expert on this – was that a reverse harem or not?”

“I’ll put it this way,” admitted Fannie. “They do remind me a lot of my aunt’s reverse harem. Speaking of which, you don’t need five more volunteers, do you? Because I’m sure they could drive out here to help.”

“I think we’re good, but, see?” asked Connor. “Of course a woman like her needs to have multiple men to satisfy her desires. There’s no way I’d ever be enough. All I can do is…well, just try and get off The Naughty List and then, get over Noel, and find my fated mate.”

“So what’re you gonna do with us while we’re in town?” asked Edgar. “We could all go ice skating or something.”

“You’ve got shit balance,” said Noel. “Why don’t we just stick to the classics: making paper snowflakes and watching Christmas movies?”

“Wouldn’t be Christmas without Damien managing to mess up making paper snowflakes,” scoffed Finn. “It’s tradition!”

“Speaking of tradition, are you going to be bringing that boy over for Christmas crafts?” asked Gilliam. “Or, are you too scared that your boyfriend, plus your seven older brothers, plus seven pairs of sharp scissors, might not be as sweet a combination as cocoa and peppermint sticks?”

“I told you, he’s not my boyfriend,” grumbled Noel. “Anyway, if he were, you seven would’ve definitely hazed the heck out of him.” Noel picked at her plate of food, very unlike herself. Her seven brothers had cooked up a feast at their rental house. There were rice and black beans, made with her family’s secret ingredients – cumin and Key Lime juice. They’d made Cubano sandwiches, but even the delicious ham and cheese filled delights couldn’t fill the hole in her heart.

“Uh-huh,” said Arlo, munching on one of the day-old donuts. “Then why did you two bicker like an old married couple?”

“Good point, good point,” said Bastian, giving his brother a fist bump.

“He’s just a guy, okay?” asked Noel. “I’ll admit I liked him, but…obviously, he and I just aren’t compatible.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassius. “You’re smart, funny, capable. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

Noel quirked a brow. “Uh-huh. So why did the seven of you always scare off my dates?”

“Because our friends were the ones asking you out, and they’re all stone-cold bastards like us!” said Damien. “You know we never let you roll with us and get into trouble. You’re not a shifter, Noel, and that means, well, you uh…never got into fights over beach volleyball that ended in the waves. You never had problems at the nightclub that led to back-alley brawls between our ragtag pack and groups of tigers from out of state. We didn’t want you to be part of that life.”

“Of the shifter life?” asked Noel.

“Of our wild and crazy life,” said Edgar. “We’re bad boys, and you, you’re a good girl. We wanted to help you stay that way. You’re the only one of us that ever managed to go get your own place. We’ve always been…well, kinda messy.”

“Kinda? I’ve smelled your underwear, hombre, and I know, uh, you’re more than ‘kinda’ messy,” said Finn. “Your boxers have more skid marks than the I-95.”

“Whatever, homes,” said Edgar, throwing a piece of Cuban bread at Finn. “The point is, we’ve never been against you dating. We just…don’t want you doing any of this bad girl shit.”

“Like casual sex?” asked Noel.

“No,” said Finn. “Like…getting involved with the wrong crowd. Getting a record. It was hard for us to stay out of trouble, and, uh, well, let’s just say our track records aren’t perfect. We just wanted you to not make our same mistakes, especially because you didn’t have the shifter advantage on your side.”

“Always makes me wonder why Mom and Dad picked me as their last adopted kid, given I’m a girl and I’m not a shifter,” said Noel.

“Because they loved you. Simple as that. The same shit you feel when you meet your true love, your fated mate, whatever people wanna call it, you feel towards people that are just meant to be family,” explained Arlo. “When they got the call, that a kid needed a home, they answered, eight times. Fate set them up with seven shifter dudes the first time, but on the eighth try, they got you. That’s just sometimes how Fate is…and it’s proof Fate ain’t just for shifters.”

“Well, apparently, Fate’s treated Connor real well,” said Noel with a sigh. “I didn’t realize he already had a harem of seven women. When he said he didn’t have a fated mate, I guess he was telling the truth. He doesn’t have a mate. He has mates.”

“You’re back late,” said Krampus, looking at the clock in the cabin.

“My sisters are hard to shake,” said Connor.

“Oh,” said Krampus, turning a page of his latest book – Dante’s Inferno. “Here I was, thinking you’d be spending the time trying to seduce Noel.”

“Noel?” asked Connor. “No way. Turns out she has seven mates.”

“Seven what now?” asked Krampus, closing his book. “That doesn’t sound right.”

“I know what I saw,” said Connor, walking toward his room. “I’ll make sure all this drama doesn’t affect my performance.”

“Wait,” said Krampus. “Come here.”

Connor walked over to Krampus.

“Here,” said Krampus, pulling a snow globe out of his pocket, a pocket that had been empty two seconds earlier. “There are limits to what any man can do to suppress his…manly feelings of whatever you’re feeling.”

“What are you saying?” asked Connor.

“You can have your bear back until it’s time for The Ride,” said Krampus. “It’s crazy for me to let you have him, but…you already know how to fly. I’ve seen you in the air. You’re not behind on your training. Just remember – your bear goes back in this ball come Christmas Eve morning, and you’ll still need to earn it back.”

“Yeah, by getting off The Naughty List and claiming a mate,” said Connor, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe I wasted all this time hoping…never mind.”

“Thinking Noel was the one?” asked Krampus.

Connor nodded.

“Hold your hand out,” said Krampus. “You know how it goes.”

See you later, kid, said Comet.

Connor put his hands on the snow globe. He felt the forces in his body churn. Then, that storm of forces was switched with another magical whirlwind, the one trapped inside the snow globe. Sparks of red and gold and green turned into ribbons that wrapped around Connor’s hands. He could practically feel the satin texture of real fabric against his palms, the sharpness of a ribbon’s edge against the webs between his fingers.

He heard a familiar roar and smiled to himself.

“Thanks, Krampus,” said Connor. “I’m…going to go for a swim. Care to join me?”

“Unless it’s a swim through the waters of Lethe, I think I’ll pass,” said Krampus, thumping his book against the table. “This Dante guy, he’s describing a real lost paradise here. If only Hell were as nice as he described it.”

Connor furrowed his brow, confused.

“Go,” said Krampus. “Shoo, bear. Leave a tired demon to his romance novel.”

Connor walked outside and walked down to the shore of Camp Kringle. At first, he didn’t shift. He just walked to the dock and sat on the edge.

On the edge of the dock, Connor could see a partial panorama of The Wreath. Across The Wreath, there was one ornament that caught his eye – the small bakery, hooked onto The Wreath by its dock rather than a silver wire hook. The bakery’s lights were all off, but the Christmas lights around the bakery were blinking in red and green and blue and yellow.

Connor looked up. There was light pollution from The Wreath, but not much. Above, he could see The Milky Way. To Santana, was it The Milk And Cookies Way? Connor put his palms on the dock and leaned back, thinking about The Ride.

Before, he’d been worried about everything, about figuring out how to balance the responsibility of The Ride with the passion he felt for Noel. After all, Christmas Eve was his deadline, wasn’t it? He had until Christmas Eve to claim his fated mate, or else, he’d lose his mate forever.

His bear grumbled. Connor agreed with the bear – he’d put work and family ahead of himself for too many years, and now, Connor was paying the price.

Connor shifted without thinking. It felt so natural, turning back into his bear, that he forgot that, in his shift, his clothes would burst when he shifted. That included his worn work pants, his flannel shirt, and the work boots around his feet. Even the belt around his waist snapped.

Connor dove into the water. He felt the icy cold water against his skin after it seeped through his fur. It chilled him to the bone. It was a welcome change from the warmth he’d felt, either in the bakery, helping Noel out, or working on Camp Kringle, his body hot from swinging an ax for hours each day. For the first time in a long time, Connor felt truly alive.

He pulled out of the water and shook his face. Droplets of water fell from his tufted ears and hit the lake, forming small rings in the lake’s surface. As the lake stilled, Connor saw his own reflection – a reflection of himself in his bear form, a sight he’d never thought he’d see again, once he’d realized Noel had seven mates.

He looked past his reflection, at the tiny dots of light scattered over the lake, not unlike the dots of light twinkling around the edge of the roof of the bakery.

Connor looked up at the sky. At least he’d still be able to fly once all this was over – once he’d lost his shift, his mate mark, his Clan, and his chance of finding a fated mate. After all, with no mate mark, how would Connor find and claim a fated mate?

He knew that it didn’t matter how far he flew – he’d never be able to change his Fate or escape his past mistakes.