Chapter 103\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a beautiful day, cool and calm with the smell of autumn flowers in the air. It was hard for Nolan to let me go out, his protective instincts still on high alert. But he had agreed to let me meet up with Rae and Lance for lunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was nice to have an almost normal couple of hours sharing drinks and jokes with my friends. It almost made me forget the chaos and drama that had become my life. But that didn\u2019t last long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment I stepped into the packhouse, Felicity was there-like a shadow I couldn\u2019t escape. Her eyes were sharp, dangerous, and they locked onto me immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, well,\u201d she said, voice dripping with condescension. \u201cLook who\u2019s back. The great goddess-chosen mate herself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stiffened, trying to keep my emotions in check. Every muscle in my body tensed, every instinct telling me to fight or flee, but I didn\u2019t move. I refused to give her the satisfaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want, Felicity?\u201d I demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what you\u2019re doing,\u201d she said pointedly. \u201cI see the little touches, the fake innocent looks you give him. You\u2019re up to your old tricks again. You think you can use the mate pull to steal him from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan isn\u2019t some shiny trinket to fight over,\u201d I snapped. \u201cHe\u2019s got free will, Felicity. What he feels and what he wants, that\u2019s for him to decide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he feels is love and desire for me!\u201d she shouted, stomping closer to me. Her eyes blazed with rage as she invaded my personal space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re delusional,\u201d I said coldly, my tone harder than I felt. \u201cYou can\u2019t just decide what Nolan feels, Felicity. You\u2019re not the center of his world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She laughed, sharp and bitter. \u201cOh, honey, don\u2019t be naive. Nolan is mine. He doesn\u2019t care about all that mate nonsense. He doesn\u2019t believe in it-he doesn\u2019t need to. He\u2019s chosen me. Always has. He only gives you any attention at all because he pities you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit me like a blade, and I fought the urge to react. I reminded myself of what I had to protect. My secret. My babies. I couldn\u2019t let her see the cracks in my armor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that supposed to scare me?\u201d I asked, keeping my voice level despite the churn of anger and disbelief inside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smirked, leaning closer. \u201cNo, it\u2019s just a warning. There\u2019s a reason he can\u2019t-won\u2019t-turn away from me. Something dark in his past that binds us together forever. Something you could never understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt my stomach twist with unease. Her words weren\u2019t just lies-they carried the weight of truth, hints of things I\u2019d never known about Nolan, about him before me. And part of me hated that she could unsettle me so easily,\u00a0<\/p>\n
even now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need to understand his past,\u201d I said firmly, holding my chin high. \u201cIt\u2019s none of your concern what happens between us. Whether you believe it or not, I\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity\u2019s lips twitched in a mock smile. \u201cWe\u2019ll see about that.\u201d And with that, she turned and stalked away, leaving a trail of icy tension in her wake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 103\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian spread the evidence he\u2019d gathered across the table in the meeting room. His methodical nature contrasted sharply with the storm of emotions I was feeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at this,\u201d Cassian said, pointing to several documents and reports. \u201cThe attacker wasn\u2019t acting alone. He\u2019s just a hired gun. Someone wanted her out of the picture-but not for personal reasons. They were paid, directed, controlled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened as I studied the evidence. Slowly, pieces of the puzzle began to align in my mind. \u201cSo\u2026 she wasn\u2019t targeted because of us personally,\u201d I muttered. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a vendetta-it was a job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian nodded. \u201cWe can\u2019t say that for sure. Whoever orchestrated this had their reasons. And whoever hired him has resources and connections. They knew exactly what they were doing. And they knew Ellie\u2019s movements, her schedule. She was lucky to survive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit me harder than I expected. Lucky.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A flash of memory invaded my mind. The thud of the rogue slamming into me, the feeling of my arm tightening around his throat a second too late to stop him from reaching her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had failed to protect her, and then she vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had been searching for her for months, imagining all the worst scenarios, and now knowing that she had been intentionally protected-carefully, strategically-brought a mix of relief and guilt that twisted my gut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie is my wife, my mate. I should have been the one protecting her all this time. A bitter taste filled my mouth as I looked at Cassian, but I forced it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find any clue about who contracted him?\u201d I asked, my voice tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian shook his head. \u201cNothing concrete yet. But I\u2019m working on tracing the money, the orders. We\u2019ll find something. We always do. But\u2026 I did want to bring up a possibility that may offend you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour speech yesterday, about having traitors hidden here in the pack\u2026 what if that\u2019s exactly what happened?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re suggesting that whoever hired that rogue is a member of Silver Fang,\u201d I said tensely. My wolf howled in rage at the possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew her movements, her whereabouts and\u2026 it seems like they knew she was pregnant. It couldn\u2019t have been an outsider, could it?\u201d he asked, looking at me with that same calm, steady gaze that always pissed me off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. \u201cYou\u2019re right, and I hate it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s eyes softened slightly. \u201cWhoever did this spent a long time planning it,\u201d he said carefully. \u201cYou need to take a long, hard look at those closest to you. Are you sure that everyone in the pack house can be trusted?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn it,\u201d I growled. I straightened to my full height, my muscles tense with the need for action, though there was none that I could take. \u201cI\u2019ll find them. Whoever helped with this, no matter how small their role, I will find them all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confident you will,\u201d Cassian said calmly. \u201cI suspect that when you identify one, the rest will show themselves like rats fleeing a sinking ship.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRats. That\u2019s exactly what they are. Vermin, and I will find them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s hand landed on my shoulder with a firm thud. The contact pulled me back to the present. I looked down\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 103\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
at the documents on the desk again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I said reluctantly. \u201cFor continuing to aid in the investigation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe means a lot to all of us,\u201d he replied softly. \u201cDon\u2019t forget that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. My anger, my frustration, my need to control everything\u2014it was all there, but beneath it was a fierce protective drive. I wouldn\u2019t allow anything to hurt her again. Not now, not ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whatever Cassian\u2019s motivation, I knew that he felt the same. My wolf might bristle with jealous rage when he was near, but I knew that he would keep Ellie safe in any way possible. For now, I had to trust him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We were allies in this fight, whether we liked it or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 103 Chapter 103\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 It was a beautiful day, cool and calm with […]<\/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":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23672","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=23672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23672\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}