บททั้งหมดของ Alora's Windsong: บทที่ 151 - บทที่ 160

“I think this has been the best Christmas ever.” The words slipped out before I could stop them — soft, real, honest.I sat curled up on the sofa with a blanket around my legs, watching Sarah on the floor with Storm. Blaise had just finished snapping the last piece of the train track together, and now Storm and Sarah were lying on their stomachs, watching the trains go around in circles and making ridiculous sound effects that had Storm giggling so hard he hiccupped.Sarah tapped the roof of the engine. “Look, — choo choo!”Storm squealed. “Make it crash!” He crashed his engine gently into hers and rolled onto his back with laughter as they derailed.The room glowed from the fire. Wrapping paper was piled in mountains in the corner. Hot cocoa cups sat half-finished on the coffee table. Beth and Sam were taking photos of Storm’s train track domination, Jenna and Oliver were curled up in the oversized chair together, and Ryker and Lyra were arguing quietly about who ate the last c

The packhouse glowed with warm gold lights and evergreen garlands, the bonfires crackling steadily on both ends of the field as the cold pushed hard against our pack and college flags flying high on their poles. This year, our New Year’s celebration centered around something Blaise built himself, a tower topped with a carved full moon painted silver and white. When midnight came, the moon would slide down the pole like the city ball drops, but ours was a pack tradition in the making.Families filled the packhouse with blankets, snacks, soft chatter, and lawn chairs. Sam brought three boxes of fireworks and sparklers and set them on the table beside Beth’s massive bowl of punch, which Storm had already tried to taste twice. His wolf pajamas were smeared with cookie crumbs and frosting, but he danced proudly through the crowd.Cline and Michael put the fireworks in place on a timer to go off at midnight.Blaise tightened the last bolt on the moon drop mechanism. “Alright,” he said, bru

Ella shifted from foot to foot, hugging her coat tighter as the airport doors slid open again and again. The air smelled thick with human perfumes, fast food, and too many bodies crowded into a single place. The noise scratched her nerves like claws.She kept glancing at the arrival gate, anxiety chewing at her nails.Please just land, she thought. Please just get here so I’m not alone in this.Passengers poured out in slow waves, tired parents pulling luggage, kids dragging stuffed animals, businessmen glued to their phones and briefcases.Then she saw him.Eric stepped out with the same easy confidence he’d always had, dark curls a little longer, shirt wrinkled from travel, backpack slung over one shoulder. His face lit up the moment he spotted her.“There she is,” he grinned. “I swear you look shorter every time I come home.”She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite form.“How was your flight?” she asked.“Long,” he exhaled, stretching his shoulders before walking beside her to the

Doreana couldn’t breathe.Her back was pressed to the cold stone wall of her cellar, knees pulled tight to her chest, fingers clawing at her own arms as if she could hold herself together. The candles around her sputtered, wax trembling down their sides like they were frightened, too.Every time she blinked, she saw him.Shade.His face, if it could be called a face, blended out of darkness like rot spreading through skin. Those red coals where eyes should be. That smile that didn’t move his mouth, but the air around him.She felt him watching her through the cauldron as clearly as she felt her own heartbeat.The cellar felt smaller now. Shadows too close. The air is too thin.“He’ll kill me,” she whispered, breath shaking violently. “He’ll kill me slowly. He’ll take my soul first.”Another tremble rolled through her.Then—Wind.Magic.Pressure.Thorn appeared in the center of her chamber like the space tore open and refolded itself around him.No sound.No warning.Just power.His e

The morning broke colder than usual; a thin frost stretched across every rooftop and railing in the territory. The packhouse lights blazed long before sunrise, warriors moving through the yard with urgent purpose.Nothing about this dawn was ordinary.Storm was still asleep on the couch in our den, curled under two blankets, cheeks warm from the night before. Blaise didn’t leave his side for a moment. He sat on the floor next to him, leaning back against the couch, sharpening the edge of a new blade with slow, deliberate movements.Ryker paced the living room, issuing orders through the mindlink.*Kira and Thorn are on their way. Get the outer patrol doubled. Rotate the warriors every two hours.*Beth and Sam walked through the kitchen, coffee mugs in hand, trying to wake themselves up as the house filled with a quiet tension.The moment Thorn’s aura crossed our border, the lights flickered, just once, as if the land itself recognized him.Blaise rose instantly, shoulders tensing.Kir