Chapter 179\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shook his head, incredulous. \u201cYou really don\u2019t hold back, do you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI find honesty saves time,\u201d she said. \u201cBesides, if we\u2019re going to be paraded around as the next great alliance, we might as well be honest about how ridiculous it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance couldn\u2019t help it he laughed again, something loosening in his chest. \u201cYou realize most people in your position would be fawning right now. Flattery. Feigned interest. You\u2019re\u2026 refreshingly different.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI get that a lot,\u201d Isla said. \u201cUsually right before someone decides I\u2019m \u2018too much.\u201d\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much for who?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone,\u201d she said, smiling without apology. \u201cExcept maybe you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat, the noise of the party faded \u2013 replaced by the soft crash of waves against the hull and the faint hum of the city lights in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked away first, taking a slow breath. \u201cYou really came to this party just to tell me we\u2019re betrothed?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to this party because I was curious,\u201d Isla said. \u201cMy father says you\u2019re impossible to pin down. That you avoid commitment the way most people avoid poison.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father sounds like an optimist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s just never met a man who can run quite so fast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled, a little rueful. \u201cYou don\u2019t pull your punches, do you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo point in pretending,\u201d she said, shrugging one elegant shoulder. \u201cI figured if we\u2019re supposed to build a future together, I might as well see what kind of man I\u2019m dealing with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla\u2019s gaze softened just slightly. \u201cYou\u2019re not what I expected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised a brow. \u201cMeaning?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI expected a spoiled heir. A man who hides behind his family\u2019s power.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHarsh,\u201d Lance said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAccurate?\u201d she countered, amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed. \u201cMaybe once. But not anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something flickered across her expression \u2013 a trace of empathy, sharp and brief. \u201cYou\u2019ve been through something recently.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething like that,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cA conversation I should\u2019ve had years ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith your brother?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance froze. \u201cHow-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI pay attention,\u201d Isla said simply. \u201cAnd people talk. The Silver Fang brothers are practically a legend in half the packs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 179\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gave a short laugh. \u201cLegends rarely get the story right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe it\u2019s time you start telling your own,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words landed deeper than she probably meant them to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a while, they stood in silence, the wind lifting her hair, the sea shimmering under the lights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t seem thrilled about this arrangement,\u201d Lance said finally. \u201cYou\u2019re witty and charming, don\u2019t get me wrong, but the emotion isn\u2019t there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled faintly. \u201cI\u2019m not opposed to it either. You\u2019re interesting, Lance Silver Fang. That\u2019s more than I can say for most of the men who have tried to win me over. But I won\u2019t be a pawn. If this alliance happens, it\u2019ll be on our\u00a0<\/p>\n
not theirs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
terms\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. \u201cYou\u2019re not what l\u2019expected either.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d she said, her grin returning. \u201cI\u2019d hate to be predictable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The wind shifted, carrying the faint sound of laughter from the deck. Isla\u2019s eyes sparkled in the fading light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk with me?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated, then nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They moved along the deck, the soft thud of their steps mingling with the rhythm of the waves. The conversation slipped into easier territory \u2014 stories of old pack feuds, mutual friends, the politics of hosting too many parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time they reached the bow, Lance found himself laughing again, not because he was trying to, but because she made it easy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was the lightest he\u2019d felt in a long time and it was so easy with her that it made him want to suspect it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he looked at her, really looked at her, he saw something unexpected -not just confidence, but resilience. A woman who knew exactly who she was and refused to be less.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She caught him watching and smiled knowingly. \u201cCareful, Silver Fang. You\u2019ll make me think you like me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smirked. \u201cI have a soft spot for pretty things,\u201d he teased. \u201cBesides, would that be so bad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends,\u201d she said. \u201cAre you flirting, or are you starting to believe this might actually work?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He thought about that for a moment, then said quietly, \u201cMaybe both.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla laughed softly, tilting her head toward the horizon. \u201cWell then,\u201d she said, her voice low and teasing. \u201cHere\u2019s to maybe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She clinked her glass against his. The sound was soft, bright, and strangely hopeful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time in years, Lance thought about the future and didn\u2019t think about running.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 179 Chapter 179\u00a0 He shook his head, incredulous. \u201cYou really don\u2019t hold back, do […]<\/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-23748","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\/23748","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=23748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23748\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}