Chapter 254\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae tried to tell herself she was overreacting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d done that for days now-forced herself to breathe through the unease, to catalog Claire\u2019s behavior as stress or jealousy or misplaced loyalty. It would have been easy to dismiss the feeling entirely if it hadn\u2019t been so persistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her wolf wouldn\u2019t let it go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The pressure sat behind her ribs, tight and insistent, the same instinct that had driven her to protect Ellie all those years ago. The same instinct that had told her to leave Silver Fang when watching Ellie suffer had become unbearable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That instinct was screaming now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire had canceled their plans twice this week. The excuses were vague-headaches, errands, things she \u201cforgot\u201d she needed to do. When Rae suggested rescheduling, Claire had smiled too quickly and changed the subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just avoidance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was secrecy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae followed her at a distance through Moonstone\u2019s upper district, keeping her head down, letting the flow of people carry her forward. The city was busy at this hour-priests moving between temples, merchants calling out prices, guards stationed at every major intersection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire walked like she knew exactly where she was going. Like she was on a mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That alone set Rae\u2019s nerves on edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She watched Claire turn down a narrow side street near the civic quarter, far from the residential blocks where she usually lingered. Rae hesitated only a second before following.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 was small and discreet, tucked between a bookshop and a tailor. The kind of place people chose when they didn\u2019t want to be noticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae slowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire stepped inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae waited, counting to ten under her breath, then slipped in after her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 was dim, lit by soft lanterns and the glow of enchanted windows that filtered the late afternoon sun. Only a few tables were occupied. Rae scanned the room instinctively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she saw him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran sat in the back corner, posture relaxed, one arm draped casually over the chair beside him. His expression was pleasant, open, the kind of smile he wore when he wanted someone to trust him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire was already sliding into the seat across from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s stomach dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stayed near the entrance, half-hidden behind a display of dried herbs and tea blends, her heart hammering as\u00a0<\/p>\n
she strained to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d Claire hissed under her breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 254\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran smiled. \u201cAnd yet, here I am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said this would be quick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be,\u201d he said easily. \u201cAs long as we\u2019re still aligned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s hands curled into fists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire leaned forward, lowering her voice. \u201cEverything\u2019s changed. Nolan\u2019s popularity-this narrative around Ellie and the children-it\u2019s spiraling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was always a possibility,\u201d Kieran replied calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Claire snapped. \u201cYou said people would remember who he really is. You said the truth would come out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran\u2019s smile thinned. \u201cAnd it will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s pulse roared in her ears. She knew she should walk away. Call Cassian, or just try to forget this ever happened. Her mind was reaching for any rational explanation. Anything that she could tell herself to make this\u00a0<\/p>\n
better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t think of anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire dragged a hand through her hair. \u201cShe\u2019s happy, Kieran. Happier than I\u2019ve ever seen her. She trusts him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the problem,\u201d Kieran said, his tone sharpening. \u201cShe shouldn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae felt sick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI only wanted to help her,\u201d Claire continued, her voice shaking. \u201cShe deserves better than a man who neglected her for years. Who made her miserable. She loves him, but is that really enough to overcome everything else? The things she told me about him, the way he treated her\u2026 he\u2019s scum.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u00a0<\/p>\n
still believe that?\u201d Kieran asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Claire said fiercely. \u201cHe\u2019s manipulating her. Using the bond, the children, the goddess-everything-to keep her trapped.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran leaned back, studying her. \u201cThen you\u2019ve done well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s breath caught. The full weight of what she was hearing settled like a stone in her stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve kept me informed. You\u2019ve made sure I know where she is, who she trusts, what she fears,\u201d he continued smoothly. \u201cThat matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s face paled. \u201cI didn\u2019t give you much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave me insight,\u201d Kieran said. \u201cThat\u2019s more valuable\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae\u2019s vision tunneled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t a misunderstanding. This wasn\u2019t Claire\u2019s concern twisted by fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was betrayal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A chair scraped softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rae realized too late that she\u2019d shifted her weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s head snapped up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their eyes met.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
For one frozen second, no one moved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran looked at her steadily, that charming smile of his doing nothing to hide the calculating look in his eyes. Even now, he was looking for a way to spin this,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 254 Chapter 254\u00a0 Third person POV\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Rae tried to tell herself she […]<\/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-23823","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\/23823","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=23823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23823\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}