Page 111 of Of Magic and Reindeer
Rudy’s jaw worked for a moment before he continued. “My mom left Silven shortly after I was born. He stayed in the North Pole as Santa’s lead reindeer, and she lived in Klarhaven, giving rides to human children in Reinberg.” He glanced at the others, who were listening attentively. “Shortly after she left him, his antlers fell off, and he lost his ability to fly.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“We didn’t know that’s why he lost them…” Cole crouched in front of us.
“So, he’s bitter that you still have yours?” Dash moved to stand behind Rudy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“I think it’s a combination of bitterness and hope that I’d fly to continue the family legacy.” Rudy’s thumb tracedcircles on the back of my hand. “When my magic fully manifested at seventeen and I moved to the North Pole, he was nice until he realized I couldn’t.”
The image of Silven yanking on Rudy’s antler made me nauseous. “I saw him when I was fifteen and went to tell my dad, but he… well, he said some things that set me off.”
“We’ll kill him,” Don growled, shocking all of us.
I reached over and took his hand. “No one is killing anyone, but he is definitely getting a stocking full of coal this year.”
Rudy’s shame leaked through our bond, a dark undercurrent beneath the triumph of his flight. His shoulders hunched forward slightly, as if he was already preparing for this joy to be stolen away.
“Hey.” I squeezed his hand and waited until his eyes met mine. “You flew, Rudy. You fuckingflew. With me. With all of us. And your father can’t take that away from you.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I always thought the bond was the missing piece.” His voice dropped so low I had to lean in to hear him. “But I never believed I’d be worthy of one.” He glanced around at the others, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “Especially not all nine of us together.”
I cupped his face between my palms, my thumbs brushing against the rough stubble of his jaw. “You aren’t broken, Rudy. You never were.” I held his gaze, willing him to feel the truth in my words. “I see you. Ichoseyou. We all did.”
Cole knelt beside us, his hand settling on Rudy’s knee. “You’ve carried us all, even when you thought you couldn’t fly.”
“Alpha doesn’t mean perfect.” Pierce’s deep voice rumbled from where he stood behind me. “It means you lead even when you’re scared shitless.”
Dash grinned, flicking a snowflake from Rudy’s hair. “And you’ve been scared plenty of times.”
“Remember when we found that polar bear in the stables?” Kip’s eyes were bright with the memory. “You stepped in front of all of us even though your knees were knocking together.”
Don nodded solemnly. “You protect us.”
“Even when we’re being complete assholes,” Vix said.
“Which is often.” Blitz elbowed Vix playfully.
Dane crouched down on Rudy’s other side. “The herd chose you.”
Through our bond, their emotions surged with love, loyalty, and fierce devotion, building a protective wall around Rudy that glowed like the Northern Lights.
“Besides.” Kip’s mischievous smile broke through the intensity of the moment. “Silven’s basically the Grinch with erectile dysfunction antlers.”
Rudy’s laugh started as a surprised snort before growing into a full, deep belly laugh that rippled through our bond, warming me from the inside out as the others joined in.
“Erectile dysfunct-lers,” Dane wheezed, doubling over.
Rudy pulled me closer in his arms, his body still shaking from laughter. His chin rested on top of my head as the others moved closer. The eight of them surrounded us, their presence solid as the mountain beneath us.
This, I realized, was what family felt like: belonging and unshakable loyalty.
“What now?” Blitz’s question floated over our heads.
I snuggled deeper into Rudy’s embrace, feeling his heartbeat against my cheek. “Now we go home and figure out how to deal with Silven.”
“I think we should do a public snowballing.”
“That’s too kind. Let’s drop him in a polar bear den.”
