I turned back toward the ornament stall, suddenly needing to see that glass tree again, to feel the connection that had sparked my magic. “Still. Maybe we should?—”
The ornament was gone.
“Where did it go?” I moved closer to the display. “It was right here.”
The vendor smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Seems someone appreciated it even more than you did, dear.”
My heart sank with unexpected disappointment. “Oh.”
Dash’s fingers squeezed my shoulder gently. “Maybe it was meant to wake something in you, not stay with you.”
“Come on,” Dane looped his arm through mine. “There’s a stall that sells these caramel apple things that will make you forget your own name.”
We spent the next few hours wandering through the market, stopping at stalls that caught our interest. Dash helped me pick out gloves lined with the softest fur I’d ever felt.
Dane dragged us to a booth selling handcrafted wooden toys, where he had an animated twenty-minute discussion with the artisan about the proper technique for carving reindeer figurines.
As the afternoon melted into evening, the market transformed. The lanterns overhead glowed brighter against the sky, and the tempo of the music shifted to something slower, more enchanting. Families with children drifted away, replaced by couples walking arm in arm.
We found a small restaurant at the edge of the square, and over bowls of stew and crusty bread, I realized I hadn’t thought about my old life all day.
The holiday music that had once felt like an assault now seemed to blend naturally with the murmur of conversation and the distant sounds of the market. The Christmas decorations no longer felt like an aggressive reminder of everything I’d lost but like pieces of a puzzle I was slowly reassembling.
As we stood to leave, I cast one last look at the twinkling market, at the joy radiating from every corner, and I didn’t feel the need to shield myself from it.
Chapter 24
Barbara
Ichanged into a pair of flannel pajama pants covered in little hot chocolate mugs and a hooded sweatshirt with a gingerbread man in the center. The festive clothes were growing on me little by little. I’d never admit it to any of the guys, but I could at least admit it to myself.
After putting on cozy socks, I padded silently down the hall as I headed toward the stairs, drawn by the sounds of laughter and the faint smell of popcorn drifting up from below. After a day of unexpected memories and magic in Reinberg, the promise of a movie night with everyone seemed nice. Normal, if you ignored the fact that they turned into reindeer.
I paused at the top of the stairs, my hand on the wooden banister. Voices floated up from the living room, low and serious, a stark contrast to the festive atmosphere I’d been expecting.
“You’ve been avoiding her all week.” Cole’s voice was more serious than I’d ever heard it, which was saying a lot since he was pretty much always serious.
My foot hovered over the first step, my body going still. I knew instantly who “her” was.
“I haven’t been avoiding anyone.” Rudy’s voice rumbled up the stairwell, carrying that familiar note of stubborn authority that made my teeth clench. “I’ve been busy.”
Dane’s laugh held no humor. “Busy staring at the horizon from that hill for hours? Super productive, man.”
A beat of silence followed, during which I held my breath.
“Why are you keeping your distance?” Dash’s voice almost matched Rudy’s in its superiority.
My heart climbed into my throat. I knew I should announce my presence or retreat to my room, but my feet remained rooted to the spot, my ears straining to catch every word.
“What exactly do you want me to say?” Rudy’s voice sounded tired. “That I should join the rotation? Take her sledding? Bake fucking cookies?”
Something sharp twisted in my chest at his dismissive tone.
“Maybe just stop being an ass?” Kip spoke this time, his usually playful voice uncharacteristically serious. “Her magic responds differently to you since you’re our alpha. We all feel it.”
The wood beneath my palm grew cold, a thin layer of frost spreading from my fingertips across the banister.
“I don’t think I should.” Rudy’s voice dropped so low I almost missed it. “What’s the point?”
