Reindeer Wishes
As the lanterns spiraled toward the aurora, Neve’s men watched with varying expressions of awe, pride, and wonder. Each man felt the pull of the bond, that invisible thread connecting them all to the silver-haired woman who’d changed their lives.
Rudy stood tallest among them, his broad shoulders carrying an unspoken authority against the night sky.
His eyes never left Neve as she laughed, joy manifesting as literal magic around her body.
After years of feeling broken because he couldn’t fly, he now understood his purpose had always been to stay grounded and to be the anchor for not just her, but for the herd.
On his lantern, he’d written: Let me be worthy of leading them all, especially her.
Beside him, Pierce watched with careful eyes, noting every detail of the moment.
For someone who’d spent years maintaining control, the chaotic whirlwind that was Neve terrified and thrilled him.
As sparks danced across her skin, he felt an unfamiliar loosening in his chest. The rigid structure of his existence softened around her light.
He’d written: May I learn to let go sometimes.
Dash stood steady, eyes sharp, like a man who could read the horizon even when no map existed. His gaze shifted between Neve and the sky, marveling at how her magic had blossomed. The weight of protection was one he carried naturally, but with Neve, the burden felt lighter somehow.
His wish had been straightforward: Chart a course that leads us all home.
Dane couldn’t contain his grin as he watched Neve’s face light up with delight.
The bond hummed between them, and he felt it like a physical touch.
From the moment he’d first transformed in front of her on that rooftop garden, he’d known she was special.
Now, watching her embrace her magic so fully, he felt vindicated in his immediate attraction to her chaos.
His lantern carried words that mirrored his playful heart: More adventures, more laughter, more her.
Vix shifted from foot to foot, unable to keep still as Neve’s magic sparked to life. The fiery one of the group, he had always felt too much and too intensely. In Neve, he’d found someone whose passion matched his own, someone who didn’t try to dim his light but rather added her glow to his.
He’d scrawled: Keep burning bright enough for all of us.
Cole stood slightly apart, observing with his typical quiet intensity.
He had always been the cool, collected one and the voice of reason among chaos.
Neve had melted something inside him that he hadn’t realized was frozen.
As she laughed beneath the dancing lights, he felt that warmth spread through the bond they all shared.
On his lantern, he’d written: May we always feel warmth from the cold.
Kip leaned toward Neve, eyes shining, his whole body strung tight with giddy energy as he watched the spectacle.
Of all the reindeer, he had embraced the joy of their bond most easily, finding in her a kindred spirit who might roll her eyes at his antics but always ended up laughing alongside him.
Seeing her joy made his heart swell with pride. He’d known all along she had it in her.
His lantern had been covered with doodles surrounding his wish: More snowball fights, cookies, and Neve always in the middle.
Blitz yearned to reach out and touch Neve, but he waited patiently, not wanting to pull her out of the moment.
He had always rushed from one thing to the next.
She had taught him to slow down and savor moments like this one.
For once, he let the moment stretch, holding it close instead of sprinting past it.
For his lantern, he’d written: Patience to keep me in step with her.
Don’s expression remained serene as always, but his eyes betrayed the depth of his emotion. Calm had always been something that made him feel out of place, but with Neve, it became a kind of completeness. With her, his stillness wasn’t a flaw; it was a foundation.
Don’s lantern carried only a single word, written with quiet certainty: Home.
For a moment, the entire village faded away, and only the ten of them existed, bound together by something ancient and new all at once.
Magic swirled around their lanterns, arranging them just how they’d be flying through the veil on Christmas Eve. The entire sky lit up as they reached the aurora.
When the final lantern disappeared into the cosmic light, Rudy was the first to move, stepping forward to stand beside Neve as her magic continued to shimmer around them all.
The others followed, forming a protective circle around their mate as villagers whispered and pointed.
Not out of fear, but out of reverence. Santa’s daughter had returned, and her power was magnificent.
The bond between Neve and her men pulsed with shared emotion: pride, love, desire, and beneath it all, a profound sense of rightness. Each man felt it in his own way, but the sentiment was the same. They belonged to her, and she to them, in a way that transcended ordinary understanding.
As Neve turned to face them, her eyes reflected what they all felt in their hearts. Wonder. Gratitude. Home.
Love.
And most importantly of all—joy.
Thank you for reading Of Magic and Reindeer!