Chapter 194\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood outside Alaric\u2019s study, smoothing the front of my blouse anxiously before I knocked. There was really no reason to feel nervous. I had hardly slept last night and my conversation with Cassian had been both comforting and further complicated my feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe that was the reason that I was nervous about the unexpected summons from Alaric that had come this morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d his familiar voice called.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was seated behind the old oak desk, papers spread in neat rows, glasses perched low on his nose. He looked up when I entered, his expression softening instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie,\u201d he said warmly, motioning me inside. \u201cI was just about to send Cassian to find you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly. \u201cI thought I\u2019d save him the trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gestured toward the chair opposite him. \u201cSit. There\u2019s something we need to talk about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took the seat, folding my hands in my lap. \u201cYou wanted to talk to me about something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. \u201cIt\u2019s past time the pack knew the truth. You\u2019re my daughter, that\u2019s not a rumor I intend to let the gossip mills twist for their own amusement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath caught at the word daughter. Even now, it felt fragile, too precious to touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to make it official?\u201d I asked carefully. \u201cWhat exactly would that mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rumors are already widespread. People have taken note of how much time you spend here. And how much time you spend with Cassian. It\u2019s better not to let people get the wrong idea. I want to make an announcement about your identity. Let the people know that my daughter has finally come home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric sat forward and watched my expression closely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back in the chair and nodded slowly. \u201cIt makes sense. There are enough rumors flying around without letting this one get out of hand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly,\u201d he said. \u201cI would let go get a blood test done before we make the official announcement. Not because I doubt it, but because I know what this world can be. A public acknowledgment from me will protect you and the boys, but it will also raise questions. The council will want proof bloodlines, documents, anything they can file away to make sense of something they don\u2019t understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned. \u201cSo the blood test is for them?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric\u2019s eyes softened. \u201cYes. Not for me. I don\u2019t need a test to tell me you\u2019re mine. I want you to know that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit her harder than I expected. Warmth bloomed in my chest, followed by a rush of emotion I could barely name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it the first moment I saw you,\u201d Alaric continued, his voice low. \u201cYou had her eyes. And when you looked at me, it was like seeing a ghost I\u2019d been waiting my whole life to meet again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked rapidly, trying to keep my composure. \u201cIt feels so strange to have a family after all this time. I\u2019m not sure that I really have a place here in Moonstone anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 194\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
His smile was sad but steady. \u201cThere\u2019s no time limit on love, Ellie. Not a father\u2019s. And certainly not the goddess\u2019s. No matter where you go in life, you will always be my daughter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked down, tracing the grain of the wood beneath my fingertips. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 strange. I spent most of my life wondering if I even had a family. Now I have one and it\u2019s almost too much to take in. Being married to an alpha is one thing, but being the child of one\u2026 it will change the way people look at me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric nodded. \u201cI imagine it is. But you don\u2019t have to figure it all out today. We\u2019ll take it slow. Just like you\u2019re doing with the boys. None of this changes who you are, Ellie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the mention of the twins, I felt my expression soften. \u201cThey\u2019re growing fast. I keep waiting for it to slow down, but it doesn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it never does. You blink and suddenly they\u2019re grown. They\u2019re lucky to have you as their mother. I see so much of you in them. They have your eyes,\u201d Alaric said, smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do?\u201d My voice went quiet. \u201cI only see Nolan when I look at them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That name changed the air between us, not sharply, but enough to make Alaric\u2019s gaze sharpen with quiet understanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been thinking about him,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
>\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated, then nodded. \u201cI try not to, but it\u2019s like he\u2019s still here somehow. With the boys. In the dreams. In the memories that keep coming back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 194 Chapter 194\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 I stood outside Alaric\u2019s study, smoothing the front of […]<\/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-23763","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\/23763","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=23763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23763\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}