Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Ellie POV
It was a beautiful day, cool and calm with the smell of autumn flowers in the air. It was hard for Nolan to let me go out, his protective instincts still on high alert. But he had agreed to let me meet up with Rae and Lance for lunch.
It was nice to have an almost normal couple of hours sharing drinks and jokes with my friends. It almost made me forget the chaos and drama that had become my life. But that didn’t last long.
The moment I stepped into the packhouse, Felicity was there-like a shadow I couldn’t escape. Her eyes were sharp, dangerous, and they locked onto me immediately.
“Well, well,” she said, voice dripping with condescension. “Look who’s back. The great goddess-chosen mate herself p>
I stiffened, trying to keep my emotions in check. Every muscle in my body tensed, every instinct telling me to fight or flee, but I didn’t move. I refused to give her the satisfaction.
“What do you want, Felicity?” I demanded.
“I know what you’re doing,” she said pointedly. “I see the little touches, the fake innocent looks you give him. You’re up to your old tricks again. You think you can use the mate pull to steal him from me p>
“Nolan isn’t some shiny trinket to fight over,” I snapped. “He’s got free will, Felicity. What he feels and what he wants, that’s for him to decide p>
“What he feels is love and desire for me!” she shouted, stomping closer to me. Her eyes blazed with rage as she invaded my personal space.
“You’re delusional,” I said coldly, my tone harder than I felt. “You can’t just decide what Nolan feels, Felicity. You’re not the center of his world p>
She laughed, sharp and bitter. “Oh, honey, don’t be naive. Nolan is mine. He doesn’t care about all that mate nonsense. He doesn’t believe in it-he doesn’t need to. He’s chosen me. Always has. He only gives you any attention at all because he pities you p>
The words hit me like a blade, and I fought the urge to react. I reminded myself of what I had to protect. My secret. My babies. I couldn’t let her see the cracks in my
armor.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” I asked, keeping my voice level despite the churn of anger and disbelief inside me.
She smirked, leaning closer. “No, it’s just a warning. There’s a reason he can’t- won’t-turn away from me. Something dark in his past that binds us together forever. Something you could never understand p>
I felt my stomach twist with unease. Her words weren’t just lies-they carried the weight of truth, hints of things I’d never known about Nolan, about him before me. And part of me hated that she could unsettle me so easily,
even now.
“I don’t need to understand his past,” I said firmly, holding my chin high. “It’s none of your concern what happens between us. Whether you believe it or not, I’m not going anywhere p>
Felicity’s lips twitched in a mock smile. “We’ll see about that.” And with that, she turned and stalked away, leaving a trail of icy tension in her wake.
Nolan POV
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Cassian spread the evidence he’d gathered across the table in the meeting room. His methodical nature contrasted sharply with the storm of emotions I was feeling. “Look at this,” Cassian said, pointing to several documents and reports. “The attacker wasn’t acting alone. He’s just a hired gun. Someone wanted her out of the picture-but not for personal reasons. They were paid, directed, controlled p>
My jaw tightened as I studied the evidence. Slowly, pieces of the puzzle began to align in my mind. “So… she wasn’t targeted because of us personally,” I muttered. “It wasn’t a vendetta-it was a job p>
Cassian nodded. “We can’t say that for sure. Whoever orchestrated this had their reasons. And whoever hired him has resources and connections. They knew exactly what they were doing. And they knew Ellie’s movements, her schedule. She was lucky to survive p>
The words hit me harder than I expected. Lucky.
A flash of memory invaded my mind. The thud of the rogue slamming into me, the feeling of my arm tightening around his throat a second too late to stop him from reaching her.
I had failed to protect her, and then she vanished.
I had been searching for her for months, imagining all the worst scenarios, and now knowing that she had been intentionally protected-carefully, strategically-brought a mix of relief and guilt that twisted my gut.
Ellie is my wife, my mate. I should have been the one protecting her all this time. A bitter taste filled my mouth as I looked at Cassian, but I forced it down.
“Did you find any clue about who contracted him?” I asked, my voice tight.
Cassian shook his head. “Nothing concrete yet. But I’m working on tracing the money, the orders. We’ll find something. We always do. But… I did want to bring up a possibility that may offend you p>
I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.
“Your speech yesterday, about having traitors hidden here in the pack… what if that’s exactly what happened p>
“You’re suggesting that whoever hired that rogue is a member of Silver Fang,” I said tensely. My wolf howled in rage at the possibility.
“They knew her movements, her whereabouts and… it seems like they knew she was pregnant. It couldn’t have been an outsider, could it?” he asked, looking at me with that same calm, steady gaze that always pissed me off.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. “You’re right, and I hate it p>
Cassian’s eyes softened slightly. “Whoever did this spent a long time planning it,” he said carefully. “You need to take a long, hard look at those closest to you. Are you sure that everyone in the pack house can be trusted p>
“Damn it,” I growled. I straightened to my full height, my muscles tense with the need for action, though there was none that I could take. “I’ll find them. Whoever helped with this, no matter how small their role, I will find them all p>
“I’m confident you will,” Cassian said calmly. “I suspect that when you identify one,
the rest will show themselves like rats fleeing a sinking ship p>
“Rats. That’s exactly what they are. Vermin, and I will find them p>
Cassian’s hand landed on my shoulder with a firm thud. The contact pulled me back
to the present. I looked down
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at the documents on the desk again.
“Thank you,” I said reluctantly. “For continuing to aid in the investigation p>
“She means a lot to all of us,” he replied softly. “Don’t forget that p>
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. My anger, my frustration, my need to control everything—it was all there, but beneath it was a fierce protective drive. I wouldn’t allow anything to hurt her again. Not now, not ever.
Whatever Cassian’s motivation, I knew that he felt the same. My wolf might bristle with jealous rage when he was near, but I knew that he would keep Ellie safe in any way possible. For now, I had to trust him.
We were allies in this fight, whether we liked it or not.
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