Chapter 170\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ballroom of Frost Hollow\u2019s great hall gleamed in the chandelier light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, their light reflecting off the ice-carved pillars that lined the walls. The gathered Alphas-some young and restless, others gray-haired and calculating-moved through the room like actors across a stage. Their laughter was polite. Their smiles were weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood near the far wall, the silver crest of the Silver Fang Pack gleaming faintly against my dark suit. I hated these events-the pretense, the politics-but appearances mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Especially now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The summit for the throne selection had drawn nearly every Alpha within a thousand miles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each one of them vying, in their own way, for power, for influence, for the goddess\u2019s favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t here to compete. Not anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The election was the last thing on my mind right now. It hardly seemed to matter anymore. The ambition to elevate myself and my pack beyond what we were was gone. All I could manage right now was to try to maintain\u00a0<\/p>\n
what I had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was here because I couldn\u2019t afford not to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the room, I saw familiar faces-some that turned away when they noticed me, others that lingered just long enough to whisper. I\u2019d gotten used to that. The once-favored heir of Silver Fang, now the disgraced husband whose wife had vanished to Moonstone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ignored the whispers the best I could, until one reached my ears anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c-heard she\u2019s been having visions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say the goddess speaks through her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s why she left him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOr maybe she just came to her senses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The laughter that followed was low but sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened. I didn\u2019t turn toward them. Didn\u2019t need to. I knew the type-small men puffed up by rumor, eager to see a giant fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a slow sip of my drink instead, letting the burn of the whiskey steady me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d promised myself I wouldn\u2019t rise to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I owed it to Ellie and to Silver Fang not to fall apart. I had to be strong, to be cold and detached from all of this turmoil no matter how much it hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I stayed still. Controlled. Polite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even when Kieran Pine Ridge decided to make his entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other Alpha was impossible to miss. He strode into the room with that effortless confidence that made people\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 170\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
turn and look without quite knowing why. His hair was a touch too long, his smile a touch too sharp, and his presence-like always-demanded space it didn\u2019t need.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched him work the room, greeting allies, shaking hands, accepting the occasional flirtatious glance. When Kieran\u2019s gaze finally found me, his smile widened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSilver Fang,\u201d he greeted, approaching with a glass of wine in hand. \u201cDidn\u2019t think I\u2019d see you out of your fortress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKieran,\u201d I said evenly. \u201cYou\u2019re late.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to make an entrance.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth twitched. \u201cYou always did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran chuckled, swirling his wine. \u201cStill so serious. You should learn to enjoy yourself. Events like these are all about appearances.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you must be having the time of your life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That earned a laugh-low, amused, but edged. \u201cCareful. People might think we\u2019re getting along.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll try to contain my enthusiasm,\u201d I said coldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, we stood there like that\u2013two wolves circling without teeth. The silence stretched until Kieran leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping just enough that only I could hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMoonstone suits her, you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t move. \u201cSo I\u2019ve heard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe seems\u2026 happier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I didn\u2019t bite. \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran\u2019s brows lifted. \u201cGood? That\u2019s all?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need your version of pity, Pine Ridge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho said anything about pity?\u201d Kieran\u2019s smirk was lazy, but his eyes gleamed with something sharper. \u201cYou just surprise me, that\u2019s all. The Nolan I knew wouldn\u2019t have let her go so easily.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Nolan you knew,\u201d I said quietly, \u201cnever existed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time, Kieran\u2019s smile faltered. It was brief, but enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He recovered quickly, though, raising his glass. \u201cTo second chances, then. For both of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I inclined my head, but didn\u2019t drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran\u2019s grin turned sly again. \u201cYou know, those boys are quite impressive. Cute, strong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there it was. The taunt I\u2019d been waiting for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air between us seemed to cool, the faintest ripple of tension spreading through the space. A few heads turned, sensing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped closer-not enough to draw attention, but enough to make my presence inescapable. \u201cIf your idea of charm is circling what you can\u2019t have, then by all means, enjoy your sport,\u201d I said evenly. \u201cBut if you ever forget\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 170\u00a0<\/p>\n
that she is under my family\u2019s protection, even Pine Ridge won\u2019t be far enough to hide you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words weren\u2019t loud. They didn\u2019t need to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran\u2019s smirk returned, though it didn\u2019t quite reach his eyes. \u201cAh, there\u2019s the Nolan I remember.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u65e5\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 170 Chapter 170\u00a0 Nolan POV\u00a0 The ballroom of Frost Hollow\u2019s great hall gleamed in […]<\/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-23739","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\/23739","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=23739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}