Chapter 192\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rumors had a way of slithering through the halls of Silver Fang like smoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No matter how tightly I tried to keep control, whispers always found cracks to slip through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d learned to live with them over the years. The talk of my temper, of my failures, of my wife had always been part of the packhouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could remember the whispers when Ellie and I had first gotten married. They were scandalized that I\u2019d brought home a rogue, fated mate or not. Ellie hadn\u2019t cared. She\u2019d been confident, outspoken, and determined.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could lie and tell myself that\u2019s why I did nothing to stop the gossip. The truth was, I was still trying desperately to keep myself from feeling anything for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felicity was in my ear constantly back then. I let her fill my head with all kinds of ideas about Ellie. Her attitude was disrespectful to me as the alpha. Her confidence was arrogance that couldn\u2019t be tolerated from a rogue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And slowly it had broken her down. My rejection made her miserable, desperate. She did everything she could to get my attention. She tried everything to become the perfect mate, and I threw it in her face at every turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I scrubbed my hand down my face and tried to dispel the thoughts. The car accident that triggered her memory loss was a blessing in disguise. It turned Ellie back into herself. Back into the confident, stubborn woman I\u2019d married.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But lately, the rumors had started again, and this time they\u2019d taken on a sharper edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Alpha\u2019s mate is gone again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe she\u2019s not coming back this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat in my office, staring out at the storm gathering beyond the windows. My reflection in the glass looked tired\u00a0<\/p>\n
shadows under my eyes, jaw tight from too many sleepless nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d been telling myself I was giving Ellie space. That if I forced the issue, she\u2019d only retreat further. But the silence was eating me alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe Lance was right. Maybe I was overcorrecting, and this was the wrong thing to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance stepped inside, looking less polished than usual \u2013 his blond hair mussed, his expression unguarded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of us were less guarded with each other now, but at times it still felt strange to see Lance without the usual mask of charm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like hell,\u201d Lance said by way of greeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks,\u201d I muttered. \u201cI\u2019ll add that to the list of things I already know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance dropped into the chair across from me, stretching his legs out. \u201cHeard the rumors?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave a humorless laugh. \u201cYou mean the ones about my mate disappearing? Yeah. Hard to miss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chopstar 192\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not exactly subtle,\u201d Lance said. \u201cHalf the pack\u2019s acting like it\u2019s a scandal, the other half\u2019s pretending it\u2019s none of their business.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. \u201cIt is their business. I\u2019m supposed to lead them, and I can\u2019t even keep my family together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not how leadership works,\u201d Lance said quietly. \u201cYou can be a good Alpha and still be a flawed man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up at him. \u201cYou sound like you\u2019ve been practicing that line.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I have,\u201d Lance admitted. \u201cYou\u2019re not the only one doing some thinking lately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence settled between them, us broken only by the sound of rain hitting the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I spoke. \u201cI\u2019m starting to realize I don\u2019t know how to be what they need. Not Ellie, not the boys. I keep trying to do what I think is right, but all it does is push people away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing. Our parents didn\u2019t exactly give us a great example of a healthy family dynamic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I scoffed, but there was no heat to it. \u201cI should still be able to figure it out. I\u2019m the alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance studied me for a moment, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. \u201cYou ever think maybe that\u2019s the problem?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour whole life, you\u2019ve only ever been the alpha. Not a father, not a mate,\u201d Lance said, his tone soft but sharp.\u201d They taught you to be immovable and resolute. That\u2019s not what you need to be right now. You\u2019re trying to make\u00a0<\/p>\n
for it by being passive, letting Ellie set the pace, but she\u2019s stuck in place waiting, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
up\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down at my hands, scarred, calloused, steady. \u201cEllie used to say the same thing. That I didn\u2019t know how to let people love me because I didn\u2019t know what love looked like.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 192 Chapter 192\u00a0 Nolan POV\u00a0 Rumors had a way of slithering through the halls […]<\/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-23761","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\/23761","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=23761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}