Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

KEELY

K eely stood in the middle of the snow-covered field, her breath coming in ragged bursts as she stared at the chaos unfolding around her. The once peaceful North Pole had turned into a battleground. Her heart raced as she watched in awe and horror, her mind barely able to process what was happening. Magical beings she had never imagined were really true now stood before her, defending the very essence of Christmas from an unimaginable enemy.

Cris, in his massive moose form, charged through the snow, his antlers gleaming as he plowed into Frost's minions—hulking creatures that looked like twisted, evil versions of the abominable snowman she remembered from an old holiday special. Except these monsters weren't cartoonish. They were terrifying. Their fur was matted and dark, their eyes glowing with an eerie blue light, and when they opened their mouths, they revealed jagged, razor-sharp teeth that seemed to sparkle with the promise of violence. Even worse, they wielded bows, shooting arrows made of ice that exploded into dangerous shards as they neared their targets.

Every time one of those arrows landed, it shattered with a loud crack, sending jagged pieces of ice in every direction. Cris dodged them with impressive agility for his size, but Keely could feel the strain as he fought and the toll it was taking on him. She had never felt more helpless—or more out of place—in her life.

There was no time for hesitation or second-guessing. She had chosen to stay, and now, standing among elves and reindeer shifters, she needed to find a way to contribute. Cris had told her to stay safe, but Keely was committed to helping in whatever way she could. She refused to be a bystander.

Holly appeared by her side, her usually bright eyes now sharp with focus on the job at hand. The small elf moved with surprising speed and grace, clutching a glowing staff in her hand. "Keely! We have to protect the workshop—the letters to Santa!" Holly shouted over the noise of the battle, pointing toward the large workshop behind them. "If Frost gets his hands on the children's letters, it could weaken everything past the point we can save it."

Keely's heart skipped a beat. The letters. She had seen how important they were—how they helped fuel the spirit that made everything possible here. If they were destroyed, the damage could be irreversible.

"I'm with you!" Keely replied, her voice strong despite the fear twisting in her gut. She darted after Holly, her boots slipping slightly on the ice as they ran toward the workshop. Arrows of ice whizzed past them, and one exploded just a few feet away, sending shards scattering. Keely ducked, narrowly avoiding the sharp pieces, her pulse racing.

As they reached the workshop, they were met by Tinker, who was frantically working on reinforcing the building's magical defenses. The usually jovial elf was all business now, his hands moving with precise efficiency as he tinkered with a glowing mechanism by the front door. "This isn't going to hold for long," Tinker warned, his voice tight with worry. "Frost's magic is too strong. We need to secure those letters, fast."

Keely's mind raced. She wasn't magical like the others, but she was inventive. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was think outside the box.

An idea began to form. "Wait," she said, her voice hurried. "The toy designs we've been working on—some of the prototypes. We could use them! They're interactive, right? Designed to inspire creativity. What if we modified them to create distractions? Or defenses?"

Tinker's eyes lit up. "That might just work," he said nodding.

Keely didn't hesitate. She sprinted toward one of the workstations inside the workshop, where a few of her prototypes were still in development. Her fingers moved quickly, grabbing a handful of toys—a flying dragon that shot out bubbles, an enchanted snow globe that created mini-avalanches, and a wind-up bear that played holiday tunes. Working together, she, Holly and Tinker were able to modify them, tweaking the enchantments just enough to enhance their capabilities.

"These won't hold off Frost's minions for long," Tinker warned as they finished setting up the makeshift defenses. "But they'll buy us some time."

"That's all we need," Keely replied, her voice steady with newfound confidence.

They hurried outside, just as another wave of Frost's icy minions advanced toward the workshop. Keely's heart pounded in her chest, but there was no time to think about fear. She launched the flying dragon into the air, its wings beating rapidly as it soared above the battlefield, releasing a barrage of shimmering bubbles. The bubbles, however, weren't just for show. They expanded in size, creating barriers that blocked the incoming ice arrows, causing them to explode harmlessly in midair.

Holly waved her glowing staff, sending a wave of magic through the snow globe. Suddenly, mini avalanches formed around the feet of Frost's minions, tripping them up as they tried to advance. Some of them snarled in frustration as they tumbled to the ground, their icy bows shattering upon impact.

The wind-up bear toddled forward, playing a cheery holiday tune that sounded almost absurd amidst the chaos of battle, but the enchantment Tinker had added caused the tune to disrupt the flow of magic in the air. The creatures faltered, their connection to Frost's magic weakening just enough to give Cris and the other defenders an edge.

Keely's breath came in short gasps as she watched her creations in action, her pulse racing with a mix of excitement and fear. For the first time since the battle had started, she felt like she was making a real difference. She glanced toward Cris, who had shifted back into his human form, donned a red Santa suit and was now fighting hand-to-hand with one of the larger creatures. His eyes caught hers for a brief moment, and there was a flicker of pride in his gaze—he saw what she had done.

But the battle was far from over.

A deep, bone-chilling cold swept through the air, and Keely's gaze snapped to the far edge of the battlefield, where a figure in shimmering, ice-covered armor stepped forward.

Frost.

His presence alone sent a shiver of fear down Keely's spine. His cold blue eyes glowed with malice, and with a single flick of his wrist, a massive wall of ice erupted from the ground, barreling toward the defenders. Cris barely had time to dodge out of the way, but others weren't as lucky—some of the reindeer shifters were knocked back, their forms crumpling in the snow.

Frost's cold, hollow laugh echoed through the air as he strode forward, his minions rallying around him. "You think you can stop me with toys and trinkets?" he sneered, his voice as cold as the air itself. "Christmas is mine to control now."

Keely's heart sank, but she refused to give in to fear. She glanced toward Holly, Tinker, and Cris, knowing that they were depending on her. She had to think, had to find a way to outsmart Frost before it was too late.

Her gaze flickered toward the workshop, and an idea began to take shape.

"Holly," she whispered urgently, "I need your help."

Together, she, Holly and Tinker raced back inside, Keely's mind spinning with possibilities. If they could combine magic with the power of imagination, if they could create something that even Frost wouldn't see coming...

"We have to act fast," Holly said urgently.

Tinker nodded. "We were starting to beat them back, but now that Frost is here…"

As they worked, Keely could feel the tension all around her, but she also felt surrounded by the magic and creativity of the workshop, she knew one thing for certain: she belonged here. She might not be magical—although shifting was a kind of magic—but maybe she and the others could turn the tide on Frost.

She would do whatever it took to protect this place, to protect Christmas, and to protect Cris. Whatever Frost was going to throw at them, Keely and the others were ready. The letters to Santa were safe, stowed safely away in a hidden vault beneath the workshop, but they were far from out of danger. Frost's icy minions still surrounded the North Pole, and outside, the battle raged on. They had to find another way to fight back—and fast.

Tinker was already rifling through the collection of half-built toys when Keely's eyes landed on one of the newer prototypes she'd been working on—a laser light projector designed to create dazzling holiday displays. The idea was simple: children could program the toy to project snowflakes, Christmas trees, or even dancing reindeer onto walls or ceilings, creating their own light shows. But it was more than just a toy—the light it emitted was a powerful laser. They'd been working to make it safe enough for kids, but right now, that wasn't of paramount importance.

"We can use this," she said, grabbing the laser projector from the workbench.

Tinker turned to her, his brow furrowing. "That's a light projector, Keely, not a weapon, and we still haven't worked out the kinks."

"Maybe not for kids, but for what we need it for, it's just fine," Keely said as her fingers flew over the controls, adjusting the settings as she talked. "It's a laser—a light or heat laser. What's the best thing to kill ice and snow with?"

Tinker nodded. "You just might be on to something. If we can amplify it enough to disrupt Frost's dark magic and his minions, we can use it to hit his forces where it hurts."

Holly grinned. "That might actually work. We'd need to boost the energy output, though. And aim it. Oooh, I've got an idea," she said rushing over with a set of tools—the likes of which Keely had never seen before.

Holly began tweaking the projector's inner workings, her fingers moving with precision and speed as she rewired the device. "If we can reconfigure the power source to tap into the workshop's main power grid, we can give it enough juice to take down those ice monsters."

Keely worked alongside her, adjusting the output settings and recalibrating the targeting mechanism. Sweat trickled down her brow as she focused, her mind racing. She pushed everything else aside—the sounds of the battle, Cris's safety, all of it—zeroing in on the task at hand.

"There," Holly said finally, standing back and wiping her hands on her coat. "It's ready. We've increased the output tenfold. We should be able to fire it like a cannon."

Keely gripped the newly modified laser projector, feeling the hum of magic and power coursing through it. "Let's test it."

Together, the three of them moved outside, positioning the projector near the entrance of the workshop. Keely adjusted the targeting mechanism, her hands trembling slightly as she lined up the shot. Further afield, Cris and the other defenders were still battling Frost's forces—hulking abominable snowmen that were hurling shards of ice in every direction.

Keely took a deep breath and activated the projector.

A beam of pure, shimmering light shot out from the device, cutting through the snow-filled air like a hot knife through butter. The beam struck one of Frost's minions directly in the chest, and the creature let out a guttural roar as the light engulfed it. The ice creature was disintegrated in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing but a puff of mist behind.

"It works!" Keely shouted, adrenaline surging through her. She quickly recalibrated the projector, aiming it at another approaching creature. This time, when she fired, the beam sliced through not one, but two of the monsters, dissolving them into nothingness.

Tinker cheered beside her. "You did it!"

But Keely didn't have time to celebrate. More of Frost's forces were closing in. Cris closed the distance between them and kissed her. "You are amazing."

Grabbing the gun, he repositioned the projector, his hands flying over the controls as he fired shot after shot. Each beam of light tore through the icy minions with precision, turning them to mist before they could reach the workshop.

As he continued to fire, her eyes flickered toward Cris. His movements were quick, fluid, and powerful—there was something undeniably captivating about watching him fight. The way his muscles flexed, the raw determination in his eyes... her breath caught in her throat.

She realized she was in love with him. Completely, hopelessly in love.

Cris was more than just Santa's Chief of Staff, more than a moose-shifter with a protective streak. He was the one who had shown her the magic of this place, the one who had believed in her ideas and trusted her to help save Christmas. And now, seeing him fight so fiercely to protect everything they both cared about, she felt drawn to him with an emotion that was undeniable. Could they be fated mates?

Her mind swirled with questions, but before she could dwell on them, another ice arrow whizzed past, shattering against the side of the workshop. Keely snapped back to reality, focusing once again on the battle. Cris aimed the projector at the source of the arrow and fired, obliterating another of Frost's minions in a burst of light.

The tide of the battle was turning. The defenders were rallying, pushing back against Frost's forces with renewed strength. Cris, Holly, Tinker, and the others fought fiercely, and with the help of the laser cannon, they began to drive the icy creatures back toward the edge of the battlefield.

Finally, after what felt like hours of fighting, the last of Frost's minions crumbled under the force of the defenders' combined efforts. The battlefield grew quiet, save for the howling wind and the soft crunch of snow beneath their feet.

Cris lowered the projector. Keely's heart was still pounding, but the adrenaline was beginning to fade, leaving her exhausted but relieved. They had done it—they had held off Frost's attack. For now, at least, the North Pole was safe.

Cris appeared at her side, his breath coming in short gasps, his dark eyes searching hers. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice rough but full of concern.

Keely nodded, her heart fluttering at the intensity of his gaze. "I'm fine. Thanks to this." She gestured toward the projector, giving him a small, tired smile. "And thanks to you."

Cris's expression softened, and he reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. The simple touch sent a jolt of warmth through her, a reminder of the connection between them that had only grown stronger since they'd met.

"We couldn't have done this without you," Cris said softly, his voice low and full of meaning

Keely's breath hitched, her chest tightening with emotion. The weight of the battle, the magic, the undeniable bond between them—it was all too much to ignore. She looked up at him, her heart pounding, her voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know what happens next," she said, her eyes locking onto his, "but I know that I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose you."

Cris's gaze darkened, and the air between them crackled with unspoken desire. He stepped closer, his hand lingering on her cheek as his thumb brushed over her skin. "You won't lose me, Keely," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "You're my fated mate. I love you. I knew it the moment I met you."

Keely's heart soared, her fears melting away in the warmth of his words. There it was—confirmation of the bond she had felt growing between them from the start. Fated mates . It was real. "I love you, too," she said softly.

And then, before she could say more, Cris leaned in, his lips brushing against hers, soft at first, then deepening as the heat between them flared to life. Keely melted into the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck as she let herself fall completely into the moment.

In that kiss, there was no battle, no danger—only them. Only the magic that had brought them together.