Chapter 134\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood at my office window, the early light spilling over the training fields below. Even from here, I could hear the murmur of pack life, guards changing shifts, warriors gathering for patrols, the occasional bark of orders. carried by the wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It should have been reassuring, a sign that Silver Fang was running like the well-oiled machine I\u2019d built.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, everything felt fragile. One word from the elders\u2019 council could change everything-my candidacy, my future, the stability of the pack itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, the official list of candidates would be announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as I turned back toward my desk. The documents scattered across it, patrol reports, supply lists, letters of endorsement, all blurred together. None of it mattered until the list came through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. \u201cYou\u2019re pacing,\u201d he said lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking,\u201d I corrected gruffly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re pacing,\u201d Lance repeated with a faint grin. \u201cYou\u2019ll wear a hole in the floor if you keep it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t bother answering. He was trying to lighten the mood, but I was too anxious for that to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The elder council\u2019s messenger was late, which only made the wait worse. I could still hear the way Elder Harrow had spoken at the last meeting, cold and condemning, his voice echoing in that vaulted hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018The goddess may have spared you once, Alpha, but I see no blessing in you.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clenched my jaw. That man had been my father\u2019s fiercest critic, and he\u2019d made it no secret that he saw me as a curse carried forward. It didn\u2019t help that he openly favored Kieran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t even enough for him that I had passed his ridiculous test at the altar. He was still determined to undermine me and destory my chance at the throne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shouldn\u2019t let it bother me, but it did. Maybe it was the was he looked at Ellie when she confronted him. To have an elder look at my wife with such open contempt and suspicions made my blood boil. I hadn\u2019t been able to get the thought out of my head any time I had to interact with the elders since.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the knock finally came, both me and Lance turned sharply. A young attendant entered, bowing slightly as she held out a sealed envelope marked with the royal crest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the council, Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took it, my pulse quickening. The wax seal cracked under my thumb. I unfolded the parchment inside, eyes scanning the short list of names.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there it was. My name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
134\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cApproved,\u201d I breathed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The weight of the uncertainty lifted in an instant. My lack of faith and personal tragedies weren\u2019t going to hold me back. Not from this. The council had found me worthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance let out a low whistle. \u201cYou did it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My shoulders eased, though only slightly. My relief lasted barely a heartbeat before I saw another familiar name a few lines below my own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d I muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance caught the look in my eyes and sighed. \u201cDon\u2019t start. He\u2019s your competition, don\u2019t obsess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I couldn\u2019t help it. The memory of Kieran\u2019s hand on Ellie at the last event flashed through my mind. The way she\u2019d looked startled, uncomfortable, and the way I had nearly lost control because of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pushed the thought aside. There were more important things to focus on now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The campaign was just beginning. There was work to be done, meetings, announcements, and events to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could say as much, the office door burst open again, this time without knocking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A beta stumbled in, his chest heaving, eyes wide. \u201cAlpha-rogue attack. Border patrols are holding, but it\u2019s bad. They came out of nowhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance straightened immediately. \u201cWhere?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEastern ridge,\u201d the beta said breathlessly. \u201cThey\u2019ve already taken down two of ours. The reinforcements are en route, but they\u2019re calling for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t hesitate. My body moved on its own before I had even fully processed the words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair, my voice sharp and commanding. \u201cDouble the patrols along the north edge. I want the perimeter sealed tight. No one gets through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance was already moving. \u201cYou\u2019re going out there?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sitting behind a desk while my men are bleeding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have captains for that,\u201d Lance said, matching my stride. \u201cYou\u2019re on the king\u2019s ballot now. You can\u2019t afford\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t afford to look like the kind of alpha who hides behind his title. I\u2019m a lot of things, but not a coward,\u201d I snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That ended the argument.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ride to the eastern ridge was short but tense. The trees grew denser here, the terrain rougher. The smell of blood hit us before we even saw the first fallen wolf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chopka 195\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I arrived, chaos reigned. The rogues were faster, stronger. It was like something had driven them into a frenzy. But my warriors were holding formation, their training evident in the tight defensive lines they\u2019d built around the perimeter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leapt out and shifted mid-run, bones cracking, muscles surging as my wolf burst free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My huge, black furred form broke through the chaos with a howl that reignited the fight in my warriors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world sharpened-the scent of iron, the pounding of hearts, the tang of rage on the wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tore into the nearest rogue, claws slicing through fur and flesh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My wolf had been clawing to get out for weeks now and it showed in the vicious snarl that cut through the din of the battle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The creature fell, lifeless before it hit the ground. Another came from the side-I caught it mid-leap and threw it down, snapping its neck in one clean motion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was distantly aware of Lance shifting and joining the fray. I was equally proud of my little brother for not hesitating and concerned that he was now involved, given his less that stellar training record.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More were coming. Too many.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFall back to the ridge!\u201d I barked above the fray. \u201cTight formation-no one breaks rank!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The warriors responded instantly, their discipline turning chaos into order. The rogues began to falter, their numbers thinning under coordinated strikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the assault broke. The surviving rogues scattered into the trees, retreating as quickly as they\u2019d come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood amid the carnage, my breath ragged. My fur was streaked with blood-not all of it my own. Around me, my warriros regrouped, checking the wounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shifted back, sweat cooling on my skin as I scanned the treeline. Something about the attack didn\u2019t sit right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was a soft point in our patrols because ther forest was so thick here. It wasn\u2019t realistic to form a sustained attack against Silver Fang here. So what was this? A test, a warning?\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d been organized. Too organized. Rogues didn\u2019t coordinate like that unless someone was pulling the strings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exchanged a grim look with Lance, who had shifted back as well, his clothes splattered with mud and blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t random,\u201d Lance said, voicing what we were both thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked back toward the distant hills, where the faintest scent of ash hung in the wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A warning, maybe. Or the first move in something bigger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Either way, one truth settled cold and heavy in my chest-\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
* Moute 134\u00a0<\/p>\n
Someone was targeting Silver Fang,\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 134 Chapter 134\u00a0 Nolan POV\u00a0 I stood at my office window, the early light […]<\/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-23703","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\/23703","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=23703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23703\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}