Chapter 227\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Alaric adjusted one of the cribs, I sank onto the edge of the bed, my thoughts turning inevitably toward Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t seen him since the night of the celebration. Part of me had expected him to reach out, to ask when he could see the boys again. But the silence stretched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told myself it was a good thing. We needed distance, space to heal. And yet, every time the twins reached for my hair the way they did his, I felt the ache all over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric seemed to sense my thoughts drifting. \u201cYou\u2019re thinking about him,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t deny it. \u201cIt\u2019s hard not to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned against the wall, arms folded. \u201cHe\u2019s trying, Ellie. I\u2019ve seen it. Cassian\u2019s spoken with him several times since the announcement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying doesn\u2019t erase what happened,\u201d I said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Alaric agreed. \u201cBut it\u2019s the only way to change what comes next.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what comes next. I don\u2019t know what I want to come next,\u201d I admitted softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you do,\u201d Alaric said gently. \u201cI think that you just don\u2019t want to admit it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I looked at him, my stomach twisting with anxiety. Alaric had a way of seeing right through me. I was afraid of what he might say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw you two dancing,\u201d he answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The response seemed to hang in the air between us before it landed heavily on my shoulders. The dance. The not- quite kiss Nolan and I had shared. Of course, people had seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rubbed my palms together, staring at the floorboards. \u201cThe public\u2019s going to find out about the boys soon. I can\u2019t hide them forever. And when that happens\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone will have questions,\u201d Alaric finished for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d I looked up. \u201cThey\u2019ll know Nolan\u2019s the father. That he has his heirs. And that I kept it secret.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric\u2019s expression softened. \u201cYou did what you had to do to protect them. Anyone worth their salt will understand that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not everyone is worth their salt,\u201d I murmured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smiled faintly. \u201cTrue. Which is why we\u2019ll face it together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, but the unease didn\u2019t leave me. \u201cI should talk to Nolan about how to handle it when the truth comes out. The rumors haven\u2019t stopped since the campaign for king began. It\u2019s going to cause even more issues for him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s wise,\u201d Alaric said. \u201cBut don\u2019t rush into it tonight. You\u2019ve had enough change for one day. Settle in first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d I hesitated, then added softly, \u201cDo you think he\u2019ll be angry?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt you?\u201d Alaric asked. \u201cNo. At himself? Probably.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 fair.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He rested a hand on my shoulder. \u201cYou\u2019re stronger than you give yourself credit for, little moon. The goddess doesn\u2019t waste effort on the unworthy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish she\u2019d send clearer messages,\u201d I muttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alaric chuckled. \u201cIf she did, we\u2019d stop listening.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
We worked together for a while longer, unpacking clothes and folding blankets. The boys babbled happily from their cribs, making a game out of grabbing each other\u2019s hands. Watching them, I felt the warmth of belonging and the ache of uncertainty twist together again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Alaric finally left me to rest, the sun had already dipped below the trees. The packhouse had quieted, soft voices echoing distantly from the halls. I sat by the window rocking one of the twins while the other dozed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside, the night was calm \u2013 but I couldn\u2019t shake the flicker of foreboding that had been creeping at the edges of my dreams.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something was shifting. I could feel it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the border mountains lay cloaked in mist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Somewhere beyond them, Nolan was out there. I didn\u2019t know where or why, only that the bond between us hummed faintly now and then, like a heartbeat reaching across the dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay safe,\u201d I whispered, not sure if the words were for him or myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The baby stirred in my arms, sighing softly before settling again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pressed a kiss to his forehead and closed my eyes, letting the rhythm of his breathing calm me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tomorrow, I told herself. Tomorrow, I\u2019d speak with Nolan. We\u2019d need to decide how to face the truth together \u2013 for the twins, for the packs, and for whatever the future might hold for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For tonight, though, I allowed myself to rest. The goddess had given me this moment, this quiet in the storm. I\u2019d take it and hope that, wherever Nolan was, he could feel it too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u00a0<\/p>\n
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