Chapter 181
Chapter 181
“Ellie and the boys p>
Nolan nodded once. “I want to be part of their lives. I just don’t know how without breaking everything all over again p>
Lance studied him, seeing something rare for his older brother, honesty stripped bare of armor. His own guilt settled like a stone in his stomach. Lance had a relationship with the boys. He was there at their birth. August and lan recognized him, reacted when he visited.
Nolan was a stranger to them.
“You’ve been giving her space p>
“Yes p>
“And it’s killing you p>
Nolan let out a breath that was almost a laugh. “Pretty much. My wolf is going insane knowing that they’re out there and I’m not around to protect them. It’s destroying my focus p>
“You ever consider just telling her that p>
“She deserves peace,” Nolan said quietly. “I’ve caused her enough pain. I don’t want
her to think I’m trying to pull her back before she’s ready p>
Lance tilted his head, thinking. “You’re overcorrecting p>
“Maybe p>
“No, I’m serious,” Lance said. “You’ve gone from overbearing to absent. There’s a middle ground somewhere, and if you want her to see you’ve changed, you’re going to have to find it p>
Nolan’s eyes lifted toward him, thoughtful but tired. “You sound like you actually care if this works p>
Lance shrugged. “I do. I was serious when I said that I love her, Nolan. But I’m smart enough to see that I’m not the one she needs. Besides that, you’re my brother. I spent most of my life angry at you for things I didn’t understand. I’m not making that mistake again p>
Something in Nolan’s expression softened. “That means more than you know p>
Lance gave him a half-smile. “Besides, I met the woman you made me promise to marry. If I can forgive you for that, I can forgive you for anything p>
Nolan actually laughed-quiet, genuine, the sound easing some of the tension from the room.
For the first time in years, it felt almost normal between them.
Nolan POV
When Lance left, the silence of the office returned. The rain had slowed, leaving streaks of water running down the windows, catching what little light broke through the clouds.
I sat back in my chair, staring at the space my brother had just occupied.
It felt strange, this new version of us. There was still distance, but it wasn’t sharp anymore. It was something that could be crossed.
1/2
Chapter 121
+25 Bonus
I glanced down at the reports scattered across my desk. Rogue activity, border patrols, trade requests-none of it mattered as much as it should. Not when my thoughts kept circling back to the same place.
Ellie.
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting her name echo in my mind. I could almost hear her voice, soft and steady, see the way she tilted her head when she smiled. The boys’ laughter. The sound of their heartbeat the one time I’d held them both.
I wanted to be part of that again. To be worthy of it.
But wanting and deserving weren’t the same thing.
I’d hurt her, and that truth wouldn’t change just because I regretted it.
I’d spent the last weeks giving her space, letting her rebuild the life she wanted in Moonstone.
I told myself it was the right thing to do-that she needed distance to heal-but every day that passed without her voice chipped at something inside me.
Lance’s words lingered. You’re overcorrecting.
Maybe he was. Maybe waiting in silence was its own kind of cowardice.
I was putting all of the expectation on her. All of the emotional labor of making a decision. It wasn’t fair of me.
I was being selfish again.
I rubbed a hand over my face, staring at the flickering light of the desk lamp. “You’re
a fool, Nolan,” I muttered under my breath.
But even fools could try again.
Maybe it was time to stop hiding behind good intentions.
Maybe the next step wasn’t waiting-it was showing her I’d changed. I had to show her, it couldn’t just be words. I’d lied to her too many times for my words to mean anything.
I didn’t know how yet. But I would figure it out.
And when I did, I’d make sure that when she looked at me again, she wouldn’t see the man who broke her.
She’d see the man trying to become something better.
2/2
Chapter 187