Chapter 162\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood on the balcony outside the guest quarters Alaric had offered me, my hands braced against the railing, the cold wind lifting my hair. The scent of pine and rain still clung to the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the only scent that was lingering. I could smell Ellie and the boys. Not nearby, but the ghost of their scent lingered in the halls of the Moonstone packhouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They spent a lot of time here, apparently. I found the thought oddly comforting. They were safe here, with Alaric and Cassian. As much as it hurt my pride and made my wolf whine to know that someone else was protecting my family, it was better than thinking of them being out there unprotected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or worse, with Kieran.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could hear the sounds of Moonstone life below: faint laughter from the courtyard, a wolf\u2019s low bark in the distance, the steady rhythm of a pack at peace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Peace. I almost didn\u2019t recognize it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silver Fang had always been too sharp for peace-too rigid, too watchful. Even when I had managed to bring peace to the pick, it picked itself apart with petty grievances and drama.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here, things moved at their own pace. I could understand why Ellie had found comfort in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly and pulled my phone from my pocket. For a moment, I thought about calling Cassian back, about asking questions I had no right to ask. But before I could talk myself out of it, there was a knock at the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian didn\u2019t wait for an invitation. He stepped inside, one hand shoved into his jacket pocket, the other carrying a bottle and two glasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we could use a truce drink,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I arched a brow. \u201cA truce?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian shrugged. \u201cYou didn\u2019t punch me today, even when I probably deserved it. That feels like progress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth twitched despite myself. \u201cFair point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian set the glasses down on the small table by the window and poured. \u201cMoonstone brandy,\u201d he said. \u201d Careful. It sneaks up on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We drank in silence for a while. The burn of the alcohol in my throat was a welcome distraction from the ache in my chest. The quiet wasn\u2019t uncomfortable, just heavy with things neither of us quite knew how to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, Cassian broke it. \u201cYou didn\u2019t react the way I expected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced at him. \u201cAbout what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKieran.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I set my glass down carefully, watching the light ripple through the amber liquid. \u201cNo. I suppose you expected shouting. Maybe a few threats.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 162\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cI\u2019ve done enough shouting for one lifetime. It never changed anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian studied me with that same infuriatingly calm expression he always wore. \u201cYou weren\u2019t surprised, though. You knew he\u2019d come sniffing around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw flexed, the old instinct to bristle still there, though muted. \u201cKieran\u2019s always been predictable that way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened between you two?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes narrowed slightly. \u201cYou want the long version or the simple truth?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was quiet for a long time. The wind outside shifted, carrying the faint sound of distant thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were teenagers,\u201d I began slowly, \u201cwe trained together under the Alpha Council\u2019s mentorship program. Young heirs from all the major packs-Silver Fang, Pine Ridge, Frost Hollow. The idea was to prepare us for future alliances.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian nodded. \u201cI was a few years behind you in that. And?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Kieran and I were paired often. We were evenly matched-physically, at least. But we were opposites in everything that mattered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian leaned back in his chair. \u201cMeaning?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed rules. He broke them. I believed in discipline. He believed in charm. It made him dangerous in a way no one saw.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one but you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer. I drummed my fingers against my forearm and paced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My voice stayed calm, but there was a tension beneath it that I could still hear, a faint edge of old bitterness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day, there was an\u2026 incident,\u201d I said after a pause. \u201cA training exercise that went wrong. He crossed a line I couldn\u2019t ignore. We haven\u2019t spoken as friends since.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian tilted his head. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to tell me what he did?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cBecause it won\u2019t change who he is now. Or who I was then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian frowned. \u201cThat sounds like you\u2019re protecting him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze lifted, steady and cold. \u201cI\u2019m protecting what\u2019s left of my restraint.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
We both went silent again, the air between us charged but not hostile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that he wanted more of an explanation, enough to make his own moral judgement. Cassian was smart enough not to trust the man who was sniffing around his sister. He knew as well as anyone that Kieran had his own motivations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 162 Chapter 162\u00a0 Nolan POV\u00a0 I stood on the balcony outside the guest quarters […]<\/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-23731","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\/23731","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=23731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23731\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}