Chapter 229
Chapter 229
“Not yet,” he said over his shoulder, and left before she could respond.
For a long moment after the door shut, Rae just stood there in the quiet, her heart fluttering, like it hadn’t in years.
Ellie POV
I had spent the afternoon unpacking what little I’d brought from my apartment-mostly the twins’ things. Their toys now lined a low shelf, the small rocking chair sat by the window, and the moonstone lamp I’d bought mouths ago glowed softly in the corner.
Now, with the boys down for a nap, I stood in the middle of the nursery, letting, the stillness wash over me
Moving in had felt strange at first, but as I walked through the halls, flashes of memory kept surfacing – quick, unsteady, but growing stronger.
I saw myself running barefoot through these same corridors as a child, Cassian chasing after me. I heard our mother’s laughter echoing down the stairwell. I remembered the scent of honey cakes cooling in the kitchen and Alaric’s deep voice reading to us by firelight.
Everywhere I turned, the ghosts of my past brushed against me like whispers.
I turned slowly, my gaze falling to the window seat. In my mind’s eye, I could see my younger self sitting there, legs swinging, watching the rain. The image was so vivid I almost reached out.
“I remember,” I murmured.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed having memories that belonged to me – not just fragments of stories told by others, but real, living flashes of who I’d been.
A soft knock came at the door. Alaric poked his head in, smiling when he saw my expression
“Settling in p>
I nodded. “It feels familiar. Like I’ve been here all along, and just forgot p>
“That’s because part of you never left,” he said.
I smiled faintly. “I keep getting flashes – me and Cassian playing in the gardens, or hiding behind your desk during meetings. It’s strange, but… comforting p>
He stepped inside, his eyes warm. “The goddess is generous when she knows you’re ready to remember p>
I hesitated. “Do you think she’s preparing me for something p>
Alaric’s smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful calm. “Perhaps. But not everything she shows is a warning Sometimes, it’s a reminder of who you are, and what you’ve already survived p>
I looked down at the sleeping twins. “I hope so p>
He rested a hand briefly on my shoulder. “Rest tonight. Tomorrow will bring its own answers p>
After he left, I lingered by the cribs, watching my sons sleep Their tiny hands twitched in dreams, fingers curling like they were grasping something invisible. Maybe the goddess whispered to them too.
I brushed a curl from lan’s forehead, then August’s, and smiled softly.
So much had changed, and yet some part of my heart still ached for Nolan for the family we might have been, for the home we’d both broken trying to protect. But here, surrounded by memory and moonlight, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time.
1/2
425 B
Hope.
I sat down heavily, feeling the weight of too much thinking settle heavily on my shoulders.
The moment I sat, I felt the breath leave my lungs. A chill washed over me as a flash of silver stole my sight.
Then I saw him in front of me, Nolan. His massive wolf form snarled viciously as he lunged forward, his jaws snapping.
I didn’t scream. I didn’t have enough air in my lungs. In the vision, there was another wolf with him. Just as large but with a copper brown coat. I knew instinctively that it was Cassian.
My heart raced wildly as Nolan lunged in front of Cassian. I couldn’t see beyond the two of them, but the bright flash of red that filled my vision was enough.
A choked sob tore from me as my vision cleared and I found myself once again in the pale light of the bedroom. August and lan slept soundly a few feet away, but my heart was thundering with fear.
That wasn’t a memory. It wasn’t a dream. That was a vision a warning.
I jumped to my feet and tore out of the room in a run. Cassian wasn’t home, I knew that. If I had been able to see him right now, I might be able to maintain some semblance of control. But I couldn’t.
I crashed through the door of Alaric’s office in tears. Without a word, he scooped me into his arms and held me tight, his voice soothing as he shushed and reassured
me.
His words didn’t sink through the panic. The goddess had never given me a vision that was so direct and dire.
Nolan and Cassian were in danger.
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