The main hall was warm, the fire crackling in the central pit, the long tables laden with food. Aria sat at the head of the table, Wren asleep in her arms, watching her family around her.
The family had gathered for the first time since Wren's birth, and the hall hummed with the particular warmth of a household reunited. Xavier was at her side, his hand resting on her shoulder. Liam sat across from them, his gold eyes bright with the particular intensity he brought to everything. Rael was beside him, visiting for the summer, his dark hair longer than it had been, his expression carrying the particular calm of someone who'd finally found a place to belong. Selene sat at the far end, her weathered face carrying the particular warmth she reserved for these moments.
And Wren, small, perfec
