Chapter 169\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to go through the motions-feeding the boys, tidying the apartment, answering messages from the hospital \u2013but everything felt distant, muffled. The world had lost its edges, like I was still trapped in that dream. When I closed my eyes, I could still see Nolan, all gnashing teeth and fierce eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the boys finally went down for their midday nap, I found myself standing at the window, staring toward the\u00a0<\/p>\n
mountains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It sat just before the northern border of the pack\u2019s main territory, built into the cliffs like part of the land itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe that was what I needed. Rae had told me to seek a priestess if I couldn\u2019t make sense of it myself, and I had to admit that I couldn\u2019t. I had no excuse not to try, and in light of that dream, I needed answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This felt different. It wasn\u2019t the vague warning that I was used to. This was pointed, urgent. I knew that much, and the thought made my stomach turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time the boys woke, I\u2019d already packed a small bag with bottles, blankets, and extra clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The drive took less than an hour, but the road wound upward through the forest, the air growing cooler with every turn. The temple appeared slowly, carved from pale stone, its roof crowned with silver crescents that gleamed in the sun.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I parked beneath an old pine tree and stepped out, holding one of the twins against my shoulder while the other nestled in the sling across my chest. The sound of wind chimes drifted down from the temple\u2019s courtyard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The path was narrow but familiar. As I walked, I thought about the dream again-the chase, the fear, the moment the black wolf appeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The blue-eyed wolf had felt wrong, almost\u2026 empty. Its presence was colder than any wild creature\u2019s should have been. There was something about it that didn\u2019t belong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet it had found me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time I reached the top of the hill, my thoughts were tangled, my chest tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A young acolyte stood near the entrance, sweeping the steps. She looked up when she saw me, her expression softening. \u201cYou\u2019re welcome here,\u201d she said simply, as if she\u2019d been expecting me. It was a standard greeting for a temple, but one that I hadn\u2019t heard in a very long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard. \u201cI need guidance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile was kind. \u201cThen you\u2019ve come to the right place. The head priestess is busy at the moment, but she should return soon. Feel free to wait inside.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw her eyes flick to the boys curiously and smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded and returned her attention to cleaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, the air was cool and still. Candles flickered in carved alcoves, their light reflected in the smooth white stone. The faint scent of myrrh lingered, soothing and heavy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the far end of the hall, the great statue of the goddess stood tall and serene, carved from moonstone, her eyes inlaid with silver. I approached slowly, the sound of my steps echoing softly against the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 169\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The twins were quiet, their little breaths even and calm. I was relieved that they were sleeping so soundly today. My mind was so distracted that I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d be able to function at all if they were fussy on top of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped before the statue, unsure what to say. Prayer had never come easily to me, and I felt completely out of place. Looking at the statue directly was difficult, like I was looking at an image of someone I had wronged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what you want from me,\u201d I whispered. \u201cIf you\u2019re trying to warn me, I\u2019m listening. But I don\u2019t understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence that followed felt alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knelt, one hand braced against the stone floor. \u201cIf this gift-this connection-is really from you, then show me what to do with it. Because right now, all I feel is afraid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The candles flickered, a subtle shift in the air. The faintest warmth brushed my skin-like a breath, like comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at the goddess\u2019s face, her stone eyes catching the light in a way that almost seemed to glimmer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guilt that had been gnawing at me eased just slightly, replaced by something softer. Resolve, maybe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t ready for answers. But I was ready to keep listening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goddess hadn\u2019t abandoned me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 169 Chapter 169\u00a0 I tried to go through the motions-feeding the boys, tidying the […]<\/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-23738","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\/23738","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=23738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}