LOGINThe portal burst open in a swirl of silver and gold, light scattering across the snow in shimmering waves. Wolves skidded to a halt mid snowball war. Pups froze with handfuls of snow. Even Marek paused with a snowball raised above his head.The king stepped through.And immediately tripped over a sl
I strung lights across the top of the house, weaving them around the chimney and down the far side. Magic flickered from my fingertips, helping the strands cling perfectly in place. Every spark of golden light that escaped curled like a lazy ribbon in the air.Someone below cleared their throat loud
Snow blanketed the entire pack territory in soft, perfect drifts. It made everything look gentle, like the world had been iced with sugar. The trees bowed under the weight of white powder, branches sparkling in the afternoon light. Smoke curled from chimneys. Laughter drifted through the cold air. M
The king watched silently. Marek nodded slowly beside me, jaw tight with agreement.Kaelan looked between us, breath shaking. His voice dropped to a whisper. “You do not understand. I… I spent so long believing I would never amount to anything. I believed I was only useful as your protector. Your sh
The snow had nearly stopped falling by the time the king summoned us. Only a few flakes drifted lazily through the gray morning sky. Wolves formed a loose circle around the clearing, whispering quietly among themselves, tension flowing through them like an undercurrent.The portal behind the king cr
His breath shuddered.I leaned closer, forehead resting against his.“I could not do it.”Marek closed his eyes, attempting to hold himself together, but his hands trembled at his sides.“I love you,” I whispered. “I love this pack. I love this world. I love who I am here.”He opened his eyes, and e
The morning should have been peaceful.The snow outside was soft and glittering. The packhouse smelled like cinnamon and fresh bread. Wolves wandered the hall with sleepy eyes and warm mugs, draped in scarves and half buttoned jackets.And I, finally, had a moment of quiet.A mistake, apparently.Be
AVELINE’S POVI woke up to knocking.Not gentle knocking. Not polite knocking.Frantic knocking. Loud enough to rattle the entire doorframe. Loud enough to make me sit up so fast I nearly rolled off the bed.I groaned and pressed my hands to my face. “If this is another Christmas question, I swear I
The screaming always came first.Sometimes it was my screaming. Sometimes it was my father’s. Sometimes it was the wind tearing through the portal, filled with voices I could not recognize. This time, it was my father’s voice, raw, broken, desperate.Forgive me.It ripped through my sleep like a bla
I should have known something was wrong the moment I heard Lucian shout, “Where did all this glitter come from.”Glitter was never a good sign. Glitter meant festivities. Festivities meant decorations. Decorations meant Christmas. And Christmas meant the pack was about to commit crimes against inter







