Ayla's POV
The walk back from the lake felt warmer than it should have.
Ryker had been complaining since we left the water's edge, dragging the fishing gear behind him with the energy of someone who had genuinely suffered.
"I almost died," he said, for the fifth time.
"You were standing in waist-deep water," Soren said.
"It was freezing."
"You deserved it."
Ryker pointed at him. "You laughed."
"You screamed."
"I did not scream."
Kael walked ahead carrying most of the fish without comment, entirely removed from the argument the way he always was when he'd decided it wasn't worth entering.
Tala hummed softly. "This feels nice."
She was right, and I was slowly running out of ways to argue with that.
The cabin wrapped warmth around us the moment we pushed through the door. Snow me
