Where the Ice Sings

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

After dinner, Atlas and Dax ended up in the living room camped out on the couch with a movie. Atlas pulled Dax into his lap and eventually they both laid down with Dax tucked into his side. Neither of them paid much attention to what was playing, too aware of each other and the comfort of simply being close.

The movie had long since ended, the screen glowing blue in the dark while the credits rolled to no one watching.

Dax was still pressed against Atlas on the couch, cheek resting in the now familiar spot over his heart. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, the other draped behind his head. At some point in the night, her leg tangled with his, claiming his lower half and her breath warm through the fabric of his shirt.

Atlas had woken once in the early hours, stiff and half numb from the angle, but he had not dared move her. Not when she made that soft little sound in her sleep and burrowed closer like she belonged there.

He memorized the weight of her. The way her fingers curled slightly into his shirt. The quiet trust in how completely she let herself rest. His eyes drifted over her face in the dim light.

He wanted her. Badly so. The thought came low and steady, not rushed, not wild. Just certain. But wanting her and taking her were two very different things, and he would rather ache for a year than push her one inch before she was ready.

So he just held her. Let the night pass. Let himself fall asleep with her breath moving against him.

Morning came soft and gray through the cabin windows. Dax stirred first.

For a second she was dazed, warm, heavy and tangled. Then she realized she was still on the couch. Again.

A small smile pulled at her mouth.

There was a perfectly good bed ten steps away in the other room… and yet here she was, folded into Atlas like she had been built to fit there. She tilted her head back to look at him. His face was relaxed in sleep, stubble shadowing his jaw, lips slightly parted. He looked younger like this. Softer.

Her fingers lifted before she could stop herself, brushing lightly along his cheek. The scratch of stubble against her fingertips made her grin. Last night was real, she thought. All of it.

The kiss.

The way he held her.

How safe she had felt falling asleep on him.

Her chest fluttered, warm and nervous all at once. Then Atlas inhaled sharply.

Dax stilled.

His nose shifted against her hair, then her temple. Another slow inhale, deeper this time. His arms tightened around her instinctively, pulling her closer.

“Atlas?” she whispered.

He did not answer.

He breathed her in again, almost greedy, his face turning into her neck. His grip tightened, body shifting on top of hers before she could quite process it. A surprised laugh puffed out of her as he pressed his face against the side of her throat, stubble tickling her skin.

“Atlas,” she said again, half giggling, half confused.

He made a low growl noise, still not fully awake, arms firm around her like she might vanish. His body moved with sleepy, instinctive closeness, drawn by scent more than thought. Dax froze when she realized he was grinding against her pelvic area.

Her heart beat quickened when she felt a hard erection press into her and all the sudden she had to focus on breathing. Atlas continued to inhale, his breath giving her goosebumps down her neck to her shoulder. She didn't know what to do. He parted her legs with his knees and thrusted his strong hips into her, groaning into her ear.

She touched his face gently to bring him to and gave him a little shake with her other hand. “Hey. Wake up.”

His eyes blinked open slowly, unfocused at first. Dax saw a feral look in them, making her keep her hands up and close to her body. He inhaled again, right at her neck, and then everything snapped into place.

He froze.

Atlas pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes wide. “Whoa.”

Dax blinked up at him, her face telling him whatever was going on was too much.

"What's wrong?" Dax asked, unable to read his expression like he did hers.

He leaned down again, breathing her in like he could not help himself. “I can smell you.”

She frowned slightly. “You could smell me before.”

“Not like this.” His voice was rough with sleep and something deeper. “Your shift… it must’ve flushed the suppressants out of your system. This is your real scent.”

Understanding dawned across her face, followed by a flush of shy excitement. “That's possible?!”

"Yes, it is," Atlas said, leaning back slightly, keeping his eyes on hers. "When you shift, it's not just you changing shape. It's your body running at full capacity. Every molecule, every cell, it all wakes up. Anything that has been holding you back or anything that is not supposed to be there...They get pushed out. Metabolized."

"So...That's why I feel so clear? So awake" Dax asked, really paying attention to how she was feeling overall.

"Yeah, that is probably why your appetite came back last night too. And why....This feels so...Intense...Us" He replied, motioning between the two of them.

"Oh" Dax breathed out, a blush forming on her cheeks.

She didn't really know what to make of his wake up call and her mind was still stuck there. She felt a tingling that she had never experienced before and it left her breathless. It wasn't exactly bad and it kinda left her wanting more, as uneasy as she was to admit it. She couldn't erase the thoughts of his powerful hips against hers, and the thought of what else they could do or just how good they could make her feel if this is what she was already experiencing after some innocent dry humping.

His expression shifted to immediate concern. He pushed himself up onto his elbows. “I am so sorry. I did not mean to just… pounce on you. I was half asleep. Instinct kicked in before my brain did. Your smell just made me lose it”

Dax laughed softly, cheeks pink. “It is okay. You did not hurt me.”

“You sure?”

She nodded, smiling up at him. “Yeah. Don't worry. I still trust you.”

Relief loosened his shoulders. He sat back, giving her space, though his eyes kept drifting back to her like he was magnetized.

She propped herself up on her elbows. “So… what do I smell like?”

His mouth curved slowly, something warm and almost reverent in his expression.

“Very tranquil like. Like vanilla and lavendar” he said quietly. “Clean… but there’s something soft under it. Like wildflowers buried under frost. And warm too. It brings out the feeling of coming home after being out in the cold too long.”

“That’s… a lot better than I was expecting.”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “Trust me. It’s dangerous.”

She peeked up at him. “Dangerous how?”

His gaze softened. “Makes it real hard to keep my distance.”

Her stomach fluttered at that, but instead of fear, there was only that giddy, glowing feeling spreading through her chest.

She felt clearer. Lighter. Like something inside her had finally clicked into place.

They sat there for a moment, knees brushing, morning light filling the room, both smiling like they were standing on the edge of something new and wonderful.

Atlas rubbed the back of his neck, still looking a little guilty.

“Hey… I really am sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to just… pin you and start grinding like some caveman.”

Dax’s lips twitched. “You were asleep.”

“Still.”

She shrugged, a shy little smile pulling at her mouth. “It’s okay. I know it was instinct. You weren't really conscious."

His brow lifted. “Yeah?”

She hesitated, then ducked her head. “Yeah. And… it wasn’t so bad.”

Atlas blinked. “Not… bad?”

She peeked up at him through her lashes. “It was actually kinda hot.”

That caught him off guard. A slow grin spread across his face, equal parts flustered and pleased. “Good to know I make a decent unconscious impression. Hopefully it was better than the wake up call you gave me yesterday”

She huffed a laugh and nudged his arm.

Her smile faded into something softer, more nervous. “s*x still makes me...Anxious. The idea of it....But I don’t think it would be so bad...With you.”

Atlas’s expression shifted instantly, warm and serious.

Her first time, and she wants me. Damn. I can't mess this up.

"Wow...That means a lot, you saying that. I think it's pretty obvious I feel the same way about you." Atlas said, breathing out a laugh and looking down.

Dax giggled.

"Well...Maybe we can...Try...Something?" she asked hesitantly, not sure how to proceed with this conversation.

Atlas smiled at her.

"How about tonight, maybe we just… explore a little. Touching. Nothing you’re not ready for. You say stop, we stop. No pressure. Ever. This way you have some time to think about it too”

She nodded, relief easing her shoulders. “Okay. I’d like that.”

Atlas smiled at her again and nodded. He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on top of it.

The mood lightened after that, settling into something comfortable and sweet.

“So,” Atlas said, stretching, “mission for today. We go get your car?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, I forgot about my car.”

He grinned. “Now that the weather has calmed, it shouldn't be too bad to find it. We could drive… or we could shift and track it faster.”

Her answering smile was bright. “Let’s run.”

Outside, the air was crisp and clean. This time the shift came easier. Still intense, still powerful, and a little painful, but Dax did not fight it. She leaned into it. Let it carry her.

And suddenly she was there. Four paws in the snow.

Atlas huffed a pleased sound in his wolf form, circling her once like he could not help admiring how naturally she stood now. She gave a playful hop, surprising even herself at how much quicker she was able to take form. Still not as quick as Atlas, but she figured with more practice it would come just as natural to her.

They took off together into the woods.

After running for about an hour they found her car off the roadside. Atlas stayed in wolf form while Dax shifted back, quickly pulling clothes from the emergency bag she kept in her trunk. Atlas stayed on the other side of the car while she dressed, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.

Once Dax was dressed and warm, she noticed that Atlas did not shift back. Considering that she did not have clothes for him, she figured it would probably be best that he stayed wolf.

She glanced at him over the roof of the car. “You know, most people just drive with a golden retriever in the backseat. Not a giant supernatural wolf.”

He chuffed at her.

She smirked. “Want me to roll the window down so you can stick your head out?”

He barked once and hopped into the back. Dax chuckled and shook her head, climbing in the drivers seat.

By the time they returned to the cabin, Atlas shifted behind the trees and came back tugging on a pair of pants.

“I’m gonna put my stuff away,” Dax said, grabbing her bag.

“Okay. That's fine”

She stepped into the bedroom and froze. Her phone sat on the dresser. Right where she left it. She stared at it for a long second before plugging it in and pressing the power button. It was about time she faced what she was avoiding.

The screen lit up....And then it exploded.

Buzz. Buzzbuzz. Buzz.

Texts. Missed calls. Voicemails. Notifications stacked on notifications. Her stomach dropped.

Atlas appeared in the doorway, reading her posture instantly. “What’s wrong?”

She turned the phone toward him. The screen kept lighting up in her hand.

He winced softly. “Oh.”

Yeah. Oh.

She swallowed and looked down, opening a few messages.

Her coach.

Where are you?

We have training.

Call me. Now.

Her mom.

Dax what is going on???

You cannot just disappear like this.

If you ruin this season after everything I have done for you—

Her throat tightened. She looked up at Atlas, eyes glassy with the weight of it all.

“I have to go back,” she said quietly. “Maybe not right now, but soon.”

And just like that, the little world they built in the woods tilted toward reality.

Dax stared at her phone for another second, then locked the screen like she could quiet the world with one button. She looked up at Atlas, eyes already glassy.

“I...I...I don't want to leave you, but my season is about to start,” she said. “I can stay a couple more days… but that’s it.”

There it was. The moment that sat in the back of Atlas's mind that he had been dreading. Atlas nodded once. Slow. Measured. Like he had already been preparing himself for that answer.

“I know.”

She searched his face. “You could come with me.”

The words came out soft but hopeful, like she was offering him a place in a life that suddenly felt too loud and too far away.

Atlas’s chest tightened. The city flashed through his mind in hard edges and noise, no trees, no open air, nowhere to run without hitting pavement. The thought of trading sky for concrete made something restless shift under his skin. But none of that showed on his face.

“I’d love to,” he said gently. “You know I would.”

Her expression brightened just a little. “Then come back with me.”

He stepped closer, hands settling on her hips, grounding both of them. “Dax… your season’s starting. You’ve got early practices, press, sponsors watching your every move.” His thumb brushed small circles against her side. “You don’t need some guy from the woods standing in the corner pulling your focus every time you look at him.”

Atlas refused to be the reason to give her any chance of failure. He knew this was important to her, and what was important to her was just as important to him. He was trying to look at the bigger picture and didn't want to put her in a place where she would have to pick her career that she has been working towards her whole life, or him, who she just met. Because of them being fated mates, he knew that this was not the end of them and it never would be.

“You know you are not just some guy to me. You wouldn’t be pulling my focus,” she said quickly.

He gave her a look.

She sighed. “Okay. Maybe I’d be staring at you instead of my coach half the time.”

“Exactly.” His voice stayed soft, not teasing, just honest. “What you do takes everything you’ve got. It would not sit well with me if I made that harder.”

Her shoulders slumped a little. “I just don’t want to leave you here like this. I don't even know if I can.”

“You’re not leaving me,” he said. “You’re going back to the life you built. The one you love. That comes first. It should.”

Tears burned in her eyes now. “It feels wrong to walk away when this… when we just found this.”

Atlas rested his forehead against hers. “We’re not walking away. We’re just stretching the road between us a bit.”

She let out a shaky breath. “I can come back. It’s only two hours. Weekends, days off, whenever I can get away. I’ll make the drive.”

“I know you will,” he said. “And I’ll be right here when you do.”

She swallowed. “I can stay a couple more days though. I want to. I just… I needed to say it out loud.”

“I’m glad you did.” His voice dropped rougher now, the sadness finally slipping through. “Gives me time to get used to the idea of missing you.”

Her face crumpled a little at that. “I’m going to miss you too.”

Atlas pulled her into his chest, holding her tight, like he could memorize the shape of her there. “Then we make the most of the days we’ve got left,” he murmured into her hair.

Dax nodded against him, heart torn clean down the middle. She loved her career. The ice, the rush, the dream she had chased her whole life. Walking away from that now would hollow her out.

But leaving him, even for a little while, already hurt, she wrapped her arms around him tighter.

"I can come up and see you too. When things aren't so hectic, I'd love to see your life and watch you skate." Atlas added.

"Yeah...I'd love that. Fair warning, my mom will probably hate you and my coaches will definitely give you a hard time, but I don't care about any of that. They will just have to get over themselves," Dax said.

Atlas smiled.

"Well, don't lose my number," he said jokingly.

Dax gave him a face.

"Never! Of course not!" She exclaimed.

"Good, because you are stuck with me now."

Dax beamed a smile at him and threw herself into him for another hug. Atlas pulled her in tightly and rested his head on hers. He was trying to stay confident to lift Dax up but deep down he was dreading her leaving when it was time for her to go. The thought of going back to his secluded lifestyle didn't have the same appeal like it used to.

The rest of the day passed in a soft blur, the kind that felt ordinary on the surface but quietly precious underneath. They stayed close without trying to, bumping shoulders in the kitchen, trading lazy smiles across the room and talking about nothing and everything all at once. At some point, they wandered outside to the porch, ending up tangled in a blanket on the wicker love seat, just watching the afternoon fade to gold.

Dinner was simple, thrown together more with shared space than real effort. As usual, Atlas did most of the work and Dax was more there for his company. They ate side by side, knees touching under the table, conversation slow but heavy in the way that comes when both people know that their time together has an expiration date that neither one wants to think about.

Once they were finished, Dax stood and started to clear their plates from the table. Atlas stood and Dax frowned, wagging a finger at him.

"Uh uh," She said. "You cooked, let me clean up this time okay? Just go chill on the couch, I got this."

"I don't mind helping," Atlas said, grabbing a bowl.

Dax pointed a fork at him. "You. Couch. Relax. That's an order."

Atlas huffed a laugh. It was not every day you see an omega ordering her alpha around but he decided to let her have this one. He held up his hands and slowly backed out of the kitchen and went on the couch as he was told. He turned the TV on and flipped to the news, mostly for background noise. He could still hear her moving around the kitchen, hearing her light footsteps and the clink of dishes every now and then.

Then the music started...

Atlas got up from the couch and moved quietly down the hallway, drawn by his curiosity. He slowed when he reached the kitchen doorway and peeked around the wall.

Dax stood at the sink with her back to him, phone propped up nearby, music spilling into the room. She was completely in her own world, shoulders swaying, hips moving in an easy side-to-side rhythm as she rinsed a plate.

Then the beat dropped a little heavier.

Her hips followed it.

Atlas forgot all about being quiet.

He leaned against the doorway, arms folding loosely as he watched her move, a slow grin tugging at his mouth. She wasn’t trying to be sexy. That was the problem. It was natural. Loose. Confident in a way she probably didn’t even realize.

The sway of her hips turned into a playful little bounce. A roll. Smooth and perfectly on rhythm.

Damn, he thought. If she moves like that in my kitchen, what does she look like on the ice?

Something warm and low tightened in his chest as he watched, appreciating the rhythm, the way she just felt the music.

Dax suddenly slowed.

That prickling feeling crawled up her spine, the sense of being watched. She glanced over her shoulder—and froze when she saw him standing there.

Her eyes went wide. “How long have you been standing there?”

Atlas didn’t answer right away. His gaze was heavy, not teasing, not laughing. Just… focused. Like the sight of her had knocked the air out of him.

“Long enough,” he said quietly.

Color rushed into her cheeks. She turned back to the sink, half hiding her face. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Why?” he asked, pushing off the doorway and stepping into the kitchen. “I liked it. Seeing you move like that.”

She let out a nervous little laugh, still embarrassed, but she didn’t tell him to stop looking.

And he didn’t.

Atlas’s mouth curved when she smiled at him, and he gave a small nod toward the sink. “You can keep going, you know. I don’t mind the view.”

That made her laugh. She turned off the water anyway, dried her hands quickly, then walked straight toward him with a new kind of confidence. Before he could ask what she was doing, her arm slipped around the back of his neck and she started moving to the music again, this time right up against him.

Atlas blinked, caught off guard, a grin tugging at his mouth. “You're going to be the death of me” he growled.

She giggled and spun so her back was to him, hips rolling as she danced against him. This time it wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate, playful, and a little bold. His hands came to her hips almost on instinct, steadying her, holding her closer as she moved.

She laughed, breathless and bright, clearly enjoying herself now that the embarrassment had faded. He was enjoying it too.

The laughter softened. The air shifted.

Atlas leaned down, his mouth close to her ear, voice low and warm. “You wanna pause on cleaning,” he murmured, “and take this to the couch?”

Dax stilled.

Her heart kicked hard in her chest, the playful mood melting into something deeper, more serious. She turned her head, looking up at him over her shoulder.

His expression had changed. Still gentle. Still him. But focused now. Intent.

She remembered their conversation from that morning. Taking things slow. Learning from each other. No pressure. Her nerves fluttered, but not in a bad way. She bit her lip, then nodded.

Atlas’s hand slid from her hip to her hand instead, giving her fingers a light squeeze as he searched her face one more time, making sure.

She gave him a small, steady smile.

He laced their fingers together and led her toward the couch.