Chapter 261\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bond flared softly, not painfully. Not insistently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just warm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, when the packhouse had settled and the boys slept soundly down the hall, Nolan and I retreated into the quiet of our shared space. There were no grand declarations no frantic urgency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just hands, warmth, and the steady reassurance of being held by someone who finally understood how to hold me without breaking either of us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world beyond the walls could wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For tonight, this was enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third Person POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elder Rowan had never liked waiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not to say that he was an impatient man, rather he was a man of action. Sitting around and doing nothing wasn\u2019t in his nature. He didn\u2019t allow others to solve his problems for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paced the length of his private chamber in Pine Ridge with sharp, restless strides, fingers flexing as if he were gripping an invisible blade. The walls were adorned with the history of the pack-banners, relics, portraits of alphas long dead-but none of it soothed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s face haunted every report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every poll.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every whisper of public support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cursed alpha of Silver Fang had turned tragedy into triumph. He had taken injury, scandal, and hidden heirs and spun them into a narrative of sacrifice and devotion that the kingdom was devouring eagerly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan seethed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was not how it was supposed to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran was meant to ascend. Groomed, polished, controlled A king shaped carefully by those who understood\u00a0<\/p>\n
power.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not this brute. This manipulator hiding behind children and a goddess-touched woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan stopped pacing and turned sharply as a servant announced the arrival of the Silver Fang envoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan didn\u2019t wait for others to solve his problems. He took the direct approach. It was better that way. Better not to leave anything to chance. Especially when it came to deliate matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSend them in,\u201d he said curtly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The representatives entered cautiously-two council members and a political liaison, their expressions carefully neutral. Rowan studied them with a predator\u2019s patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve seen the polls,\u201d Rowan began without preamble. Silver Fang\u2019s influence is swelling. Your alpha\u2019s popularity threatens to destabilize the balance of power.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the envoys shifted. \u201cNolan\u2019s campaign has broad support.\u201d He said it as an acknowledgement devoid of endorsement. Cautious. Too cautious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSupport built on illusion,\u201d Rowan snapped. \u201cAnd illusions can be shattered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved closer, lowering his voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKieran is the rightful choice,\u201d Rowan continued. \u201cHe offers stability. Predictability. And Pine Ridge offers a reward to those wise enough to align themselves early.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words were suspended in the air between them. The implication clear, but indirect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The liaison frowned, deep and uncertain. \u201cYou\u2019re asking us to undermine our own alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m offering you influence,\u201d Rowan corrected. \u201cTrade routes. Council weight. A future where Silver Fang\u2019s voice still matters-without placing a volatile, cursed alpha on the throne.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence stretched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan smiled thinly. \u201cPublic support matters. A single fracture in Silver Fang\u2019s unity would be\u2026 illuminating.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The envoys exchanged uneasy glances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They knew, as everyone else did, that Nolan\u2019s public persona had fractured over the past year. He was losing his control over the way others saw him. His frantic search for Ellie, the rumors swirling about Felicity, all weakened him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was a weakness that couldn\u2019t be allowed on the throne\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Kieran know about this offer?\u201d one of them asked carefully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan waved the concern aside. \u201cKieran doesn\u2019t need to know. This is about safeguarding the kingdom from a mistake it will regret.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned back, satisfied as hesitation flickered across their faces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hatred burned bright and focused in his chest-not just for Nolan, but for the way the kingdom had begun to forgive him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan would not allow it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And if Kieran proved too hesitant to strike first\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowan was more than willing to act in his stead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This election was too important to let Kieran\u2019s ego or Nolan\u2019s arrogance sway it. It was too important to leave to the fickle whims of the common people and their arbitrary popularity measures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The polls showed that people liked Nolan. Found him relatable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kings should not be relatable. They should be inscrutable, powerful. They should be ruthless. Kieran had been groomed for power and he had the most important factor of his side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had trained advisors who would work behind the scenes to ensure that the kingdom ran like a well oiled machine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that included Rowan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
214\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 261 Chapter 261\u00a0 The bond flared softly, not painfully. Not insistently.\u00a0 Just warm.\u00a0 Later, […]<\/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-23830","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\/23830","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=23830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}