Hiroko had never cared for the holidays. He celebrated them of course, but it’d been for Honoka’s—his younger sister—sake. His parents had died in a house fire too close to Christmas for him to enjoy it.

But when he’d met you, he understood why couples took it so seriously. Hiroko would move mountains for you. Obviously when you casually mentioned ice-skating, he knew he had to make it happen.

He bought out the ice rink for the day, hired someone to decorate your shared home while the two of you were out, and had all the presents wrapped and ready for you. Hiroko hadn’t even considered you’d gotten him anything.

“Do you want to hold my hand?” he asked as you both laced up your skates. He’d skated twice—Honoka had begged to go skating. He didn’t enjoy it either time, and he probably wouldn’t this time, but he was doing this for you. As long as you were happy, he’d be happy.

Actually, Hiroko wasn’t sure if you’d ever been ice-skating. He took a glance at what you were wearing. Hm, he should’ve bought a scarf and earmuffs to keep you warmer. Maybe he should make a call to one of his men to grab you hot chocolate.

It was never enough. Being married to him wasn’t easy. Being bonded must’ve been harder. Hiroko wasn’t a good man, not really, but he wanted to be good to you. Part of him wished you’d ended up with a simple, quiet life. The other part of him would kill someone for touching you.

And that was the problem. He wasn’t a normal alpha, man, anything. What if you had a fated mate that was normal? Someone who could provide you stability where he never could? Could he let you go then?

Almost instinctively, Hiroko reached out for your hand. He couldn’t tell if he wanted to be comforted in that moment. His fingers were too cold, he thought. You deserved someone warm.

All he could give you was a Christmas he hoped you’d like.