Chapter 243\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just this morning, he\u2019d taken both of the boys out for a walk around the courtyard before breakfast, fed them. during a meeting he was supposed to be focused on, and spent the afternoon in the nursery playing with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could see the tension in his shoulders when he\u2019d been forded to walk away to attend to pack matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that this was part of us adjusting. That his attachment to them would become more stable and secure with time. For now though, it was painfully obvious how badly Nolan wanted to make up for the time he had lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Late that night, long after the packhouse had gone quiet, I woke with a start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I didn\u2019t know where I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I remembered-the stone walls, the faint scent of the garden, the sense of being watched over instead of watched for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned toward the nursery instinctively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The beds were empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Panic flared sharp and immediate. I was out of bed before the fear could settle, heart pounding as I pushed the door open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soft lamplight spilled into the hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there-just outside the nursery-sat Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was in the old rocking chair someone must have brough up from storage, his long legs awkwardly folded beneath him. August slept against his chest, Ian curled under his arm, both boys limp with deep, untroubled sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s head had fallen back against the chair, eyes closed, one hand resting protectively over their backs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked\u2026 peaceful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood frozen in the doorway, breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dream flickered through my mind without warning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two boys running through the forest. Laughing. Calling for Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The massive, black wolf was watching them with that undeniable protective intensity that Nolan so often exuded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once, that vision had filled me with terror. With the certainly that it meant losing them. Losing everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, watching them sleep against him, something inside me softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dream didn\u2019t feel like a warning anymore,\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like a promise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No matter what might come next, no matter what threats loomed for us, the boys could always run to their father. Nolan would be there, watching over them and keeping the safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The floor creaked softly beneath my feet as I stepped closer Nolan stirred immediately, eyes snapping open, alert even half-asleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie?\u201d he murmured, voice rough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled. \u201cSorry. I woke up and didn\u2019t see them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mean to take them,\u201d he said quickly, glancing down at the boys. \u201cIan woke up crying. August followed. I\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 243\u00a0<\/p>\n
was just going to settle them and-\u201d He gestured vaguely, sheepish. \u201cI think I fell asleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head, stepping closer. \u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything wrong. You don\u2019t have to explain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
He studied my face for a moment, searching for something disapproval, perhaps, or unease. When he didn\u2019t find it, his shoulders relaxed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re good sleepers,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cOnce they feel safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed past the sudden tightness in my throat. \u201cThey always have been. I\u2019ve been lucky. They\u2019re very easy babies. Of course, Claire always reminds me that means they\u2019ll be difficult teenagers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached out, brushing my fingers over August\u2019s hair, then lan\u2019s. They didn\u2019t stir.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan watched my hand, something unreadable passing through his expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI missed this,\u201d he admitted. \u201cAll of it. The late nights, their little hands gripping my shirt. I missed so much because of my-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met his gaze. \u201cYou\u2019re here now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said. \u201cI am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lingered there, the quiet wrapping around us. The moment felt intimate without being heavy, tender without being fragile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eventually, Nolan shifted carefully. \u201cDo you want me to put them back in their cribs?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hesitated. Then I shook my head. \u201cLet them sleep.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded, adjusting his hold slightly, making room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without quite deciding to, I lowered myself onto the arm of the chair beside him. I rested my head briefly against his shoulder, the warmth of him solid and reassuring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bond hummed between us. Not sharp and electric like it often was, but steady like an engine rumbling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside, the wind moved through the trees. Somewhere deeper in the packhouse, a guard changed shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here, in this small circle of light, everything felt still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time since the dreams started, I wasn\u2019t afraid of what the future might hold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not while this existed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not while we were here-together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 243 Chapter 243\u00a0 Just this morning, he\u2019d taken both of the boys out for […]<\/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-23812","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\/23812","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=23812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23812\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}