297\u2013Burning Deep Within\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elgin:\u00a0<\/p>\n
We had arrived with our wives in the car. Of course, Graham insisted that his wife not come out. Meanwhile, I let my beautiful silver walk the trail with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My kids were in the car as well. We were having a great time, but the moment I reached the door, my mood began\u00a0<\/p>\n
to sour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They had managed to find themselves a better\u2013looking home in the rogue community, and that bothered me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a sturdy\u2013looking cabin. Who the fuck left this cabin here for them? It felt like they did not even have to work hard to find a place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had known earlier, I would have torn down this cabin before they took it over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the damage was already done. They were living there as if they had achieved something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Graham knocked on the door, Baxter and Madeline answered. Honestly, seeing the two of them together made me scoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I noticed how Madeline quickly scanned both of us. Of course she did. Her husband stood beside her in old clothes and a torn shirt, while we looked like models.\u00a0<\/p>\n
could only imagine how guilty she must have felt for not having us in her life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Baxter repeated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did not even want to look at Madeline, but it was not entirely possible to ignore her. We had a history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I was uneasy because Silver was watching me closely. There were children present, and that made things\u00a0<\/p>\n
worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Graham and I did not respond, Silver spoke instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who the fuck are you?\u201d Baxter demanded, his tone sharp enough to make my fist clench.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my wife,\u201d I told him, standing straight and meeting his gaze, giving her the respect she deserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter questioned it anyway. Of course, he knew she was my wife. There was something about his arrogance that kept him from behaving properly, even for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to speak with Madeline,\u201d Graham finally said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter tilted his head, one hand resting on the doorframe as he studied us. He stepped aside and turned to Madeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShould we hear them out?\u201d he asked her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded. I noticed how her hand reached for Graham\u2019s elbow and touched it lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a casual gesture, meant to signal that they should step outside. Still, that touch stunned me. I froze for a\u00a0<\/p>\n
moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why the fuck was she touching him like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two stepped outside and closed the door behind them, blocking our view of the inside. My eyes lingered for a\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
297\u2013Burning Deep Within\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
moment, and I saw Elara in the background.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was sure she lifted her head and looked at me. However, she did not try to come closer. She simply continued playing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon, we were outside, standing face to face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you must have seen, the kids are showing a new illness,\u201d Graham remarked. I did not know what had happened, but his mood seemed sour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean by we have seen? We don\u2019t have a television here,\u201d Madeline replied, her tone bitter and harsh as she folded her arms across her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It caught me off guard. She had always been sharp like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not before she left, but ever since she returned as someone with knowledge, she had become very full of herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour kids didn\u2019t suffer?\u201d Silva asked her, folding her arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, they have not,\u201d Madeline answered quickly, and I began to wonder how that was possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had three children. Maybe it was because they were powerful alpha kids. Something did not make sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEither way, the kids are suffering. That is the truth. There have been cases, and parents are complaining. If we don\u2019t act quickly, there will be consequences,\u201d I stated, keeping my tone steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had noticed Madeline growing tense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, then go ahead and do it. You don\u2019t need my permission,\u201d Madeline replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That alone made Graham and me share a glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to help us?\u201d I snapped, noticing Baxter flinch beside me,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would I help you? I know nothing,\u201d she replied, shrugging.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeline, you are a top researcher. You have helped children before. You have knowledge,\u201d I insisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I spoke, Baxter and Madeline exchanged a look and began to laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt mocking, and I did not know why, but it hurt. I never expected them to be so close that they could speak without words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is so funny? There are kids who are suffering,\u201d Silver snapped, thankfully stepping in because they were being insulting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you heard my wife. She doesn\u2019t know how to help,\u201d Baxter stated, gently touching her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was, once again, a casual gesture, but the fact that her body did not even react stood out to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It made them seem intimate with each other. I had not expected that. I thought she would give him a hard time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wasn\u2019t that what she had told us? That it was only a marriage of convenience?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease think about the children. I know you\u2019re angry and upset with others, but this has nothing to do with me or my children. We didn\u2019t do anything,\u201d Silver continued. \u201cIt was the stepsister you\u2019re keeping in your home who leaked everything. If you can help her, why not help children who are innocent?\u201d Silver grunted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t Yuvonne living with you?\u201d Graham asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
287\u2013Bug Clemp within\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched Madeline\u2019s face begin to turn red, likely from anger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you\u00a0<\/p>\n
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297\u2013Burning Deep Within\u00a0 Elgin:\u00a0 We had arrived with our wives in the car. Of course, Graham insisted that his wife […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19666,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19498\/revisions\/19666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}