Chapter 209\u00a0<\/p>\n
That Last phrase seemed to settle everything\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gossip that had hounded me for weeks- the whispered questions about my visions, the rumors of divine messages-now twisted into reverence. The missing mate of Silver Fang\u2019s Alpha wasn\u2019t a scandal anymore. I was\u00a0<\/p>\n
chosen\u00a0<\/p>\n
A messenger\u00a0<\/p>\n
A daughter of prophecy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric turned toward me. \u201cWould you like to say something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked \u201cMe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled. \u201cYes, you\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
My throat went dry, but I stepped forward anyway. Dozens of faces watched me all waiting\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
some skeptical, some reverent,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say,\u201d I admitted softly, my voice carrying through the quiet. \u201cI spent most of my life believing I didn\u2019t belong anywhere. I didn\u2019t know who I was or where I came from. I just knew I wanted to help people. I thought that was enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked out across the crowd, my eyes finding familiar faces \u2013 Lance, Claire \u2013 and then, almost without meaning to, Nolan\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was standing near the back, half-shadowed, but I saw the faint flicker of emotion in his eyes. Pride. Relief. Something unspoken and heavy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*When I came here,\u201d I said, my voice steadier now, \u201cI found family again. Not just by blood, but by choice. I found people who reminded me what kindness looks like, what strength can be when it\u2019s not cruel. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m the messenger people think I am, but if the goddess did guide me here, I think it was so I could finally stop running,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crowd was utterly still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then someone started to clap-quietly at first, then louder until the hall was filled with applause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(blinked back tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Werk stryped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. \u201cWelcome home, Elaine,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I whispered, my voice thick with emotion\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ler, when the hall began to clear, I found myself standing by one of the tall windows overlooking the courtyard. The sound of celebration drifted faintly from outside \u2013 laughter, music, voices raised in joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alark had explained to the crowd that they had suspected who I was for a long time and that it had been confirmed by DNA. I almost expected someone to challenge he claim, to demand proof. No one had\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ketand me, Nolan\u2019s reflection appeared in the glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou handled that beautifully,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned, surprised. \u201cYou were here the whole time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t be,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iulled faintly, \u201cYou must be relieved. The announcement makes things easier for you politically. It explains\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 209\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
away all of the time I\u2019ve been spending in Moonstone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut that\u2019s not why I\u2019m relieved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My breath caught. \u201cThen why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
He met my gaze, his expression unreadable but soft. \u201cBecause now they know the truth about who you are, and why you were protected. It takes the whispers away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes them away from you, too,\u201d I said. \u201cNo one will think you chased me away. No one will blame you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shook his head. \u201cLet them think what they want. I just wanted you to have your name back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The way he said it \u2014 quiet, reverent\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
quiet, reverent\u00a0<\/p>\n
made my heart ache. It was so sincere, lacking the quiet control that often\u00a0<\/p>\n
made him feel cold. Everything I thought I knew about Nolan was shifting over the past few weeks. It made me hope, despite everything, that this was something real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor still believing in me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled faintly. \u201cAlways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, neither of us moved. Then Alaric called from across the hall, and Nolan gave a small nod. \u201cGo to him. It\u2019s your day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I turned away, the crowd began to gather again around me and my father. I felt hands clasp mine, words of blessing and praise filling the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But my gaze drifted once more toward the back of the hall, where Nolan stood watching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t see the cold alpha of Silver Fang. I saw the man who had knelt before our sons and smiled. The man the goddess had shown me not as a threat, but as a protector\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
And when the crowd called my name \u2013 Elaine of Moonstone, Messenger of the Goddess I felt it settle over me not as a burden, but as truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you\u00a0<\/p>\n
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A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 209 Chapter 209\u00a0 That Last phrase seemed to settle everything\u00a0 The gossip that had […]<\/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-23778","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\/23778","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=23778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}