Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Ellie POV
I heard Cassian curse before I even noticed Nolan. When I lifted my eyes, the sound
of heavy footfalls pounding toward me was drowned out completely by the thundering of my own heart.
And then he was there.
Stormy eyes locked on mine, Nolan’s grip closed around my upper arms-strong, but not painful. Cassian caught him immediately, trying to pull him back, but Nolan didn’t move, rooted to the sidewalk as if glued in place.
I couldn’t speak at first, stunned not only by his sudden appearance but by the frantic look in his eyes. The way he held me, desperate, unwilling to look away-even as Cassian tried to reason with him.
“Ellie,” he breathed again. His voice shook with disbelief. “You’re okay. You’re really all right p>
The sound made my chest ache. I had heard from Lance and Rae about the state he’d been in since my disappearance, but seeing it was another matter entirely.
“Ellie, say something,” Nolan urged, a thread of desperation in his tone.
“Nolan… why are you here?” I managed. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hear his response.
His expression flickered-hurt, raw. He let go of my arms but didn’t step back. I could feel the heat of his body so close to my own and it made warmth spread across my skin.
“I was looking for you. I’ve been looking for you every day since… Why are you here? Why did you leave? I thought you were kidnapped. Worse-have you been in Moonstone this whole time?” His voice was low, unguarded in a way that I’d never really heard him.
“Yes,” I admitted softly, wrapping my arms around myself. “I’ve been here the whole time. I’m sorry, Nolan. I know you must have been worried p>
“Why?” His voice cut me off, sharp. “Why would you do this p>
“I didn’t know who I could trust,” I said quietly. “I was afraid whoever was behind that attack wouldn’t stop if they learned I’d survived. I needed to be somewhere they couldn’t find me p>
“I could have protected you. I wanted to protect you,” he said softly. The tone made my heard ache.
“You wanted to?” I repeated, disbelief lacing my words.
“Of course I did. You’re my wife. You were hurt, grieving, and then you were just gone. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through, trying to find you? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you at least send word that you were alive p>
He stepped even closer, his hand brushing mine as if he was barely restraining himself from reaching out to hold it.
“Like I said I didn’t know who I could trust. Cassian agreed to hide me, and that’s what he did. I’ve been here ever since. I got a small apartment, a job… I’ve just been laying low,” I explained. My words sounded absurd as I said them, especially as Nolan’s eyes widened in confusion.
“Cassian hid you here p>
“Yes p>
1/2
Chapter 90
+25 Bonus
Nolan’s head snapped toward Cassian, eyes blazing with barely contained rage.
“You’ve been hiding her from me this whole time?” he demanded, a low growl lacing his words.
“I have,” Cassian admitted evenly. “Since the moment she left the hospital, she’s been under my protection p>
“Under your protection?” Nolan’s voice was a snarl. “You took her from her home. From her pack p>
Cassian’s expression hardened. “I took her somewhere she could be safe. Where she could process what she’d been through and have a life of her own. A life where she could choose for herself, instead of being treated like a prisoner-or a commodity p>
“You dare p>
“Enough!” I burst out, stepping between them. My voice cracked on the word.
“That’s enough, Nolan. Cassian didn’t do anything I didn’t ask him to. I needed out. I
needed somewhere safe to clear my head, and he gave me that. It wasn’t his idea, it wasn’t his plan. It was mine. So stop p>
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