Chapter 143\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step closer, lowering my voice. \u201cYou had me, Ellie. And I would\u2019ve done anything-anything-to keep you safe. But you wouldn\u2019t let me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes glistened, but her expression stayed hard. \u201cYou had your chance, Nolan. You hurt me too much for me to forget.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That landed exactly the way she meant it to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence stretched between us, thick, heavy, and final.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she finally turned toward the door, I heard my own voice break the quiet. \u201cHe\u2019s using you, Ellie. Whatever charm he\u2019s spinning, it\u2019s not real. He wants something from you. Don\u2019t marry him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She paused but didn\u2019t look back. \u201cMaybe. But right now, I don\u2019t have the luxury of waiting to see who\u2019s genuine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then she was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood there for a long time after, staring at the empty doorway and wondering when exactly I\u2019d lost her-and why the hell I hadn\u2019t fought harder before it was too late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Borus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 143\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was never a good time to hear the kind of news Ellie had just dropped on me but there could hardly have\u00a0<\/p>\n
me\u2013but been a worse one either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had a meeting scheduled with Cassian to review the intel gathered since the border attack and to plan our next steps. It wasn\u2019t the kind of meeting I could postpone without raising suspicion or causing unnecessary panic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, despite feeling like someone had just torn out my insides and left me hollow, I did what I always did-I pushed it down and carried on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The intelligence reports didn\u2019t suggest any immediate threats, but Cassian agreed that increasing patrols for the time being was necessary. He didn\u2019t seem surprised when I told him that Felicity was involved, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I did my best to keep my cool through the meeting, even as my wolf paced with the need to take action. It felt like everything was falling apart around me and I had no choice but to carry on as if it was business as usual.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was going to go mad if something didn\u2019t change soon. Alpha or not, there\u2019s only so much a man can take.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But apparently, I wasn\u2019t doing as good a job at hiding it as I thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian was watching me across the table with that sharp, knowing expression of his. The kind that always made me feel like he was peeling back layers I didn\u2019t want seen. Every time I glanced up from the reports, his eyes were still there-steady, assessing. It grated on me more than usual.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, when the last of the paperwork was signed and the last of the reports discussed, he leaned back in his chair and said simply, \u201cYou\u2019re distracted today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly, setting my pen down. \u201cYou could say that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head slightly. \u201cThis wouldn\u2019t have anything to do with Ellie, would it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened before I could stop it. Cassian\u2019s perceptiveness was infuriating sometimes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told you?\u201d I asked, my voice coming out harsher than I meant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s brows drew together. \u201cTold me what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge whether the confusion in his tone was real. It was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s marrying Kieran,\u201d I said flatly. The words left an acrid taste in my mouth. It was the first time I\u2019d said it. It felt wrong and made my blood boil in an instant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reaction from Cassian was immediate-a flash of shock that he quickly tried to mask. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. \u201cShe\u2019s what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something dark flickered across his expression before he sat back again, running a hand through his hair. \u201d That\u2019s\u2026 unexpected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one way to put it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 143\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence between us stretched tight. I studied him closely. \u201cYou seem bothered by it,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI warned her about him weeks ago, when he first started pursuing her. I thought that she understood the danger he presented.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told you about this weeks ago?\u201d I asked angrily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe often confides in me,\u201d Cassian responded simply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some reason, that statement nearly broke my control. I knew that Ellie didn\u2019t trust me, not completely. She had no reason to. But to know that she trusted Cassian so completely made my wolf snarl with jealous rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gripped the edge of the table until my knuckles went white as I fought to control my reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she tell you that?\u201d I demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian hesitated, and that was all it took. The hesitation was enough to confirm there was something more beneath the surface. Whatever was going on between him and Ellie, I needed to understand it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been clear to me from the start that his interest in her was strange. He\u2019d been protective of her from the start, even when they\u2019d barely known each other. Then he helped hide her from me, now this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
At one point I thought they were lovers, or that Cassian at least had feeling for her. But that couldn\u2019t be the case if she was marrying Kieran over him. This didn\u2019t make any sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I needed answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I narrowed my eyes. \u201cYou\u2019ve been protective of her from the beginning, Cass. More than I\u2019d expect from anyone outside the family. So tell me what exactly is your relationship with her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a long moment, he didn\u2019t answer. He just looked at me, weighing something in his mind. Then finally, he spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d he said quietly. His answer was dodgy in a way that I wasn\u2019t used to from him. Cassian didn\u2019t talk around things, he wa direct, even blunt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain it to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a slow breath. \u201cMy father and I\u2026 we think Ellie might be my sister.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words didn\u2019t register at first. I blinked, certain I\u2019d misheard. Of course I knew the story of the lost daughter of Moonstone. Cassian had been travelling with his mother and sister when they were attacked. His mother had\u00a0<\/p>\n
been killed and his sister was never found.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that couldn\u2019t possibly be related to Ellie, could it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour sister?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded, eyes serious. \u201cMy long-lost sister. The timeline fits. Her age, her features-she looks like my mother did when she was young. And some of the memories she has from her childhood\u2026 they line up with the time before she disappeared.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him, utterly stunned. \u201cYou\u2019re telling me you think she\u2019s family?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chogter 143\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said simply. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not the only one. My father\u2019s convinced of it too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at him for a long moment, too stunned to speak. And the more I looked, the more I could see a family resemblance. They had the same cars, the same expressive eyebrows. Even their complexions were similar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How had I missed this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind reeled. It was almost too much to take in after the day I\u2019d already had. \u201cWhy haven\u2019t you said anything? Why keep something like that quiet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we can\u2019t prove it,\u201d Cassian said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have records, no solid evidence. Just similarities, fragments, and a few pieces that seem to fit. And with everything that\u2019s already happened\u2013the attacks, the rumors, the goddess-throwing something like this into the public would only make things worse for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rubbed a hand across my face. \u201cDoes she know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly. \u201cShe knows. But she hasn\u2019t known for long. I told her a few weeks ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sank back in my chair, staring at nothing for a long moment. It was almost too much-the day, the revelations, the weight of it all pressing in at once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s voice broke the silence. \u201cI understand you\u2019re upset about the engagement. But if you care about her at all, Nolan, you\u2019ll tread carefully. She\u2019s fragile right now. And she\u2019s scared.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that,\u201d I muttered. \u201cBut marrying Kieran isn\u2019t the answer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t argue. He just looked at me with that steady, unreadable gaze again-the same one that made me feel like he knew more than he was saying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he finally stood to leave, he said quietly, \u201cWhether or not she\u2019s my sister, I won\u2019t let anyone hurt her. That includes him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then he was gone, leaving me sitting there in the quiet, surrounded by maps, reports, and too many truths I didn\u2019t know what to do with.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 143 Chapter 143\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 I took a step closer, lowering my voice. \u201cYou […]<\/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-23712","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\/23712","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=23712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23712\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}