Chapter 228\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae hadn\u2019t realized how much she\u2019d missed the sound of laughter until Cassian showed up at her new apartment with two cups of coffee and a grin that made it impossible not to smile back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know,\u201d she said, leaning on the doorframe as he carried another box inside, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to move every piece of furniture yourself. I do have arms.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian shot her a look over his shoulder. \u201cI noticed. They\u2019re holding coffee, though, not boxes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly. I\u2019m supervising.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He huffed a laugh, setting the box down beside the couch. \u201cYou\u2019re doing an excellent job of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The apartment was small but bright\u00a0<\/p>\n
sunlight spilling through wide windows, the faint scent of new paint still\u00a0<\/p>\n
clinging to the walls. Rae had been living out of borrowed rooms for months, between work and visiting Moonstone, and for the first time in a long while, she felt something that resembled stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian filled the space easily. He\u2019d rolled his sleeves to his elbows, and a faint sheen of sweat made his forearms gleam in the light. Rae tried not to stare, but subtlety had never been her strong suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Cassian noticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He smirked, pausing mid-lift. \u201cYou\u2019re staring, Rae.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rolled her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re imagining things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm. Am I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The teasing lilt in his voice made her stomach flutter. \u201cYou\u2019re impossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He grinned. \u201cAnd yet, here I am, helping you move boxes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She snorted, covering a smile. \u201cYou volunteered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t hear you refuse,\u201d he countered easily, setting the last box down. \u201cThere. That\u2019s everything from the truck.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae offered him his coffee as a peace offering. \u201cTruce?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took it, brushing his fingers lightly over hers. \u201cFor now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They stood like that for a moment, too long to be casual, the air between them humming faintly. Then Cassian cleared his throat and stepped back, breaking the spell with his usual steadiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d he said, surveying the room, \u201cwhat do you think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae looked around. The furniture was mismatched \u2013 a sofa from a thrift store, a rug she\u2019d found at a market, a few plants lining the windowsill. It was imperfect and cozy, and hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s perfect,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian smiled, the expression softening his whole face. \u201cGood. You deserve that. But you know, if you wanted it to be a little more perfect, I could help with that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words were simple, but something about the way he said them made her chest tighten. For a man who rarely spoke his emotions outright, Cassian\u2019s sincerity hit harder than any flowery declaration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp how? I\u2019m not letting you buy me furniture or anything,\u201d she said sternly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot even if I want to?\u201d he asked with an amused smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked down at her cup, hiding the smile that tugged ather lips. \u201cYou keep saying nice things like that, and people are going to start talking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He arched a brow. \u201cLet them. At this point, I\u2019d encourage it\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
That earned him a genuine laugh. \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to say that. You\u2019re supposed to deflect and make a joke.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I don\u2019t want to joke,\u201d he said, tone quiet but certain. \u201cMaybe I\u2019d rather take you to dinner instead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae froze mid-sip. \u201cDinner?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian looked almost amused by her surprise. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing where two people sit down, eat food, and pretend it\u2019s casual while one of them tries not to stare too obviously.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She blinked at him, torn between laughing and blushing. \u201cYou mean like a date?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head. \u201cYeah, Rae. Like a date. A real one, this time. Not carry out at the park.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence that followed was brief but full. Then she smile bright, genuine, a little breathless. \u201cI\u2019d like that. But aren\u2019t you concerned that people will talk? The future alpha of Moonstone on a date with a commoner\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting hung up about rumors is my sister\u2019s thing, Rae. I don\u2019t give a damn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae laughed, a startled little huff as she looked into his eyes. She could tell that he was being completely serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really don\u2019t care,\u201d she said in awe. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed o.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy? Because people without enough going on in their own lives might have an opinion on who I choose to spend my time with? The only opinion that matters in this case is yours, sweetheart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae felt her cheeks warm. \u201cThen it\u2019s a date.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s answering smile was slow and warm, the kind that reached his eyes. \u201cGood. Tomorrow night?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow night,\u201d she confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gathered his jacket and empty coffee cup, pausing at the door. \u201cAnd don\u2019t lift any boxes while I\u2019m gone. That\u2019s an Alpha\u2019s order.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae laughed outright. \u201cYou\u2019re not my Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u65e5\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 228 Chapter 228\u00a0 Third person POV\u00a0 Rae hadn\u2019t realized how much she\u2019d missed the […]<\/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-23797","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\/23797","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=23797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23797\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}