Chapter 238\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance hadn\u2019t realized how heavy the Alpha\u2019s crown truly was until it sat on his head even temporarily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d laughed about it once, teased Nolan relentlessly about the constant meetings and the political headaches. He used to say Nolan enjoyed the chaos, that he liked drowning himself in work because he didn\u2019t know how to exist without responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now? Lance wasn\u2019t laughing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first few days after Nolan\u2019s injury blurred together in a haze of obligations: patrol schedules needing revision, border reports pouring in, warriors seeking direction, neighboring Alphas demanding updates as if the pack wasn\u2019t already stretched thin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Papers stacked high on Nolan\u2019s desk felt like walls closing in every sheet a problem that required a delicate hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone wanted answers. About Moonstone. About the rogues. About Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every time, Lance gave the same reply, his voice calm even as fear churned quietly beneath the surface.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive. He\u2019ll recover.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was true\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
but it didn\u2019t stop the tidal wave of worry gripping the pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He slumped back in Nolan\u2019s chair now, rubbing the tension from his temples. The desk felt too big, the room too quiet. Nolan always made the job look seamless, like breathing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance wondered how many times his brother had ever sat exactly like this simply never let anyone see.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow the hell does he do this every day?\u201d Lance muttered under his breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually with less complaining.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He jerked upright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
exhausted, overwhelmed\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla leaned casually in the doorway, one eyebrow arched, arms folded across her chest. Her outfit was simple \u2013 fitted jeans and a soft gray sweater \u2013 but she carried herself with a kind of quiet authority that made her look effortlessly regal,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d Lance said, gesturing vaguely at the chaos around him. \u201cIt\u2019s a disaster zone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed.\u201d Isla walked further into the office anyway, stepping around a collapsed tower of letters with a wry smile. \u201cWhich is why I thought you might need help,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance blinked, \u201cHelp. From you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gave him a pointed look. \u201cDon\u2019t sound so shocked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not shocked,\u201d he lied. Badly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re definitely shocked.\u201d She moved behind the desk and began sorting papers with impressive speed. \u201cMy father trained me in pack administration before I could ever shift. I\u2019ve been sitting in on council meetings since I\u00a0<\/p>\n
was nine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance stared. \u201cSeriously?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla glanced up, amused. \u201cWhat? You think all I do is crash boat parties looking pretty?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
ChaMe 238\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
this\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 not what I said.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she agreed, lips twitching. \u201cBut you thought it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not all given the freedom to be irresponsible party boys in our youth,\u201d she teased.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth, then closed it. She had him there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They fell into a rhythm \u2013 a surprisingly steady one. Isla pulled out reports and grouped them by urgency, scribbling quick notes and arranging them in neat lines. Lance was left to sign what she handed him, occasionally stopping to ask for clarification, which she provided without hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For once, the office didn\u2019t feel suffocating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla\u2019s presence was grounding in a way he hadn\u2019t expected. She didn\u2019t look at him as if he were a temporary replacement. She didn\u2019t pity him or tread lightly just because Nolan was injured.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She treated him like an equal \u2013 like someone capable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was\u2026 nice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After several minutes, Isla finally straightened, pushing a completed stack aside. \u201cYou really care about him,\u201d she said softly. \u201cYour brother.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance hesitated. Vulnerability didn\u2019t come easily to him. But Isla\u2019s gaze was open, patient.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly. \u201cYeah. I spent a long time being angry with him \u2013 for things he couldn\u2019t have changed even if he tried. I thought he was harsh because he wanted to be, because he enjoyed being cold.\u201d He exhaled, rubbing a thumb along the edge of a folder. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize he was just surviving. Trying to keep everyone else alive too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isla\u2019s expression gentled. \u201cGuilt clouds everything. Pain, top. But sometimes stepping into someone else\u2019s shadows lets you see what they\u2019ve been carrying.\u201d She tapped the desk lightly. \u201cMaybe this role \u2013 even temporarily will give you both something you didn\u2019t know you needed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lance snorted softly. \u201cPerspective?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cConnection,\u201d she corrected. \u201cAnd maybe a bit of humility\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He shot her a wry look. \u201cYou\u2019re wiser than you look.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smirked. \u201cYou\u2019d better remember that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moonstone was quieter than Silver Fang \u2013 softer around the edges, like the whole territory breathed in a gentler rhythm. Peaceful in a way I\u2019d almost forgotten existed. No constant tension humming beneath the pack\u2019s surface. No waiting for the next strike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat by the window in the guest room, sunlight spilling across the floor in warm bands. My arm still ached with every breath, but the pain wasn\u2019t sharp anymore. More of a reminder along with a bruise deep in my ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 238 Chapter 238\u00a0 Third person POV\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Lance hadn\u2019t realized how heavy 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-23807","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\/23807","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=23807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23807\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}