Chapter 246\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae had expected Moonstone to feel quieter after Ellie left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was anything but. Cassian was a constant presence, thankfully. The two of them were growing closer every day. Rae was aware of the rumors that were spreading around Moonstone that the alpha\u2019s son was courting a\u00a0<\/p>\n
commoner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in Silver Fang, that rumor would have been devastating. It would have sparked turmoil and unease. Here, people seemed more amused than anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no judgment when she was out with Cassian, no whispers behind her back. It was so unlike what she was used to back home. It made her grateful every day that she\u2019d made the move to Moonstone permanent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire was a common presence now, too. She had always been around, always easy to talk to. With Ellie gone, they\u2019d fallen into a strange, unspoken routine-shared meals, long walks through the city, quiet conversations that stretched late into the evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was comforting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That, more than anything, was what unsettled Rae.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They sat together now at a small caf\u00e9 near the temple, sunlight filtering through wide windows. Claire stirred her drink absently, gaze distant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t believe she went back,\u201d Claire said, breaking the silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae glanced up. \u201cEllie?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d Claire\u2019s mouth twisted. \u201cSilver Fang, of all places.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae frowned slightly. \u201cIt\u2019s her home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire let out a quiet, humorless laugh. \u201cIs it? Or is it just where Nolan is?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words landed wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae set her cup down slowly. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire shrugged. \u201cI just don\u2019t understand how she could choose someone like him. After everything we know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae studied her friend carefully. \u201cWhat exactly do you think we know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire hesitated. Just for a second. Then she waved a hand dismissively. \u201cYou\u2019ve seen the reports. His temper. The violence. The way people talk about him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s unease deepened. \u201cPeople talk about everyone. He\u2019s pha of a pack that\u2019s had a lot of issues for decades. I\u2019m not the biggest fan of Nolan, either. But he\u2019s changed.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire leaned forward, lowering her voice. \u201cKieran would never have put her in danger like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae stiffened. \u201cKieran isn\u2019t her mate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean he wouldn\u2019t have protected her better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something cold slid down Rae\u2019s spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire took a sip of her drink, then added casually, \u201cAnd after what happened with Cassian, when Nolan was injured\u2026 I thought she\u2019d see reason.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s breath caught. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire blinked \u201cYou know. The attack. When Nolan was stabbed. He was reckless and chasing glory, wanting the praise for protecting Cassian. If he\u2019d died what kind of situation would Ellie and the boys be left in? Not to mention what would happen to Silver Fang. He\u2019s alpha, he has greater responsibilities to consider than his personal friendships. It was selfish.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae stared at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat reckless action saved her brother\u2019s life,\u201d Rae said slowly. \u201cIt saved my boyfriend\u2019s life. You think he should have let Cassian die.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s smile faltered \u201cI-Rae, that\u2019s not what I mean.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Rae said. \u201cIt\u2019s exactly what you meant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire looked away first. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean anything by it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ree nodded, forcing herself to relax. \u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the sense of wrongness didn\u2019t fade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It followed Ree all the way back to the apartment, coiling tighter with every step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan\u2019s fine,\u201d I said into the phone, gently. \u201cHealing well. You don\u2019t need to keep apologizing, Cassian.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have been faster,\u201d Cassian replied. \u201cI should have \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made a choice. You\u2019re both okay,\u201d I interrupted. \u201cThat\u2019s what mattered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could almost hear him exhale on the other end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you be so calm about this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCassian, my mate protected my brother. The situation was terrible no matter what. Because of Nolan, you both got to come home. Freaking out now isn\u2019t going to change what happened, and it isn\u2019t going to help him heal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not resting, is he?\u201d Cassian asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly,\u201d I admitted. \u201cHe\u2019s not working too much; he just won\u2019t stop fussing over the boys.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s probably a good thing,\u201d Cassian said, sounding amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you figure that?\u201d I asked curiously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan is always so tightly wound. Playing with the boys is probably the best stress relief he\u2019s ever had.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t thought of it that way,\u201d I confessed softly. \u201cI was worried he\u2019s pushing too hard because he\u2019s trying to make up for lost time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s part of it,\u201d Cassian admitted. \u201cYou aren\u2019t still feeling guilty are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can I not? The bond between them is so obvious and was standing in the way of it. I deprived them all of this because I was selfish and-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 246 Chapter 246\u00a0 Third person POV\u00a0 Rae had expected Moonstone to feel quieter after […]<\/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-23815","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\/23815","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=23815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}