Chapter 147
Chapter 147
Nolan POV
I stood there long after she was gone.
The silence hit me harder than I expected. The air still carried her scent-soft, familiar, maddening and the faint warmth of the boys lingered on my hands where their tiny fingers had held mine. It felt unreal.
They were real. Alive. Breathing. Laughing.
My sons.
And she’d kept them from me.
I turned away before anyone could see what was happening on my face. My chest burned, and I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or relief or grief-probably all of it tangled together until I couldn’t tell one from the other.
“Hell of a thing, isn’t it p>
Kieran’s voice came from behind me, low and amused. I stiffened. He was leaning against a tree, arms folded like he was watching a play.
“You should go,” I muttered.
He smirked. “You know, I really thought you’d be happy for her. She’s done well for herself p>
I turned on him. “You stay the hell away from her p>
Kieran lifted his eyebrows, all mock innocence. “Oh? But we’ve gotten rather close. Ellie and I understand each other p>
The growl that tore out of me was instinctive. “You don’t understand a damn thing about her p>
“Oh, I think I do,” he said, smiling like he wanted me to hit him. “I think I understand what it’s like to be left behind, what it’s like to want something you can’t have.” He tilted his head, his tone turning razor-sharp. “And from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like she’s yours anymore p>
“She’s my wife,” I snapped.
“Was,” he corrected. “Once that divorce goes through p>
My hands curled into fists. “It won’t go through p>
That made him laugh, loud, cruel, and disbelieving. “You think dragging this out is going to fix anything? You think clinging to her on paper will keep her from walking straight into my arms p>
I took a step forward, barely keeping my temper in check. “If you go near her again p>
“You’ll what?” he interrupted, eyes flashing with something dark. “Kill me? You’d prove her right, you know. About what kind of man you are p>
The words hit harder than I wanted them to.
1/4
Chapter 1447
+25 Bonus
The truth was, I didn’t know what I would do. What I could do. My life was already too complicated. The rogue attacks, Felicity, the campaign p>
Some small part of me whispered that it was right for Ellie to want to protect the
boys from this life, but I quickly pushed the thought aside.
Chaotic or not, this was their life. They were the heirs to Silver Fang, they belonged here.
They belonged with me.
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Kieran smiled, satisfied, and walked away.
“You can’t stop her from choosing, Nolan,” he called over his shoulder. “You never could p>
I stood there until he was gone, my pulse hammering in my ears.
He was wrong. He had to be.
Ellie and I – we’d been through too much, burned through too much history for her
to just cut me out of her life like this. I wouldn’t let him use her, or the boys, to hurt me. I couldn’t.
By the time I got back to the pack house, the sun had set. I went straight for my office.
As I passed the sitting room, Lance called out to me.
“You’re late. Did something happen p>
“Yes p>
I answered without looking at him and continued down the hall to my office. I pushed
the door open hard enough that it slammed against the wall.
Lance followed me in warily. “Nolan, what the hell p>
“You knew p>
“Knew p>
“About the twins p>
He didn’t deny it. Just sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest. “I did p>
“For how long?” I demanded.
“Since the night Cassian took her out of Silver Fang,” he said quietly. “I helped him p>
The words knocked the air out of me.
“You what p>
Lance met my eyes. “I was planning to help her escape before the attack. Afterwards… we used my boat to get her to Moonstone p>
I took a step toward him, disbelief turning to fury. “You hid it from me? You watched
me lose my mind searching for her and all the time you knew that she was safe p>
2/4
*25 Barum
“I did what was best for Ellie p>
“Best for Ellie?” I laughed bitterly. “You mean best for you p>
His expression darkened. “Don’t make this into something it isn’t p>
“I trusted you,” I said, my voice shaking with something that felt too much like heartbreak. “You’re my brother, Lance. And you hid my family from me p>
His voice was steady, though I saw the guilt flicker in his eyes. “I did what I had to. She was terrified, Nolan. And you gave her every reason to be p>
That hit harder than a punch.
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Because he wasn’t wrong-not entirely. But hearing
it said out loud still ripped something open in me.
“I would’ve done anything for her,” I said. “You know that p>
“Then prove it now,” Lance said softly. “Stop chasing her like she’s prey. Let her come to you if that’s what she wants. Let her breathe p>
A million thoughts ran through my mind. Lance was in love with Ellie, he’d told me
that himself. Did he do all of this with the goal of driving us apart so he could win her over?
“The boys… have you seen them p>
There was a long pause before Lance nodded. “Yeah. I was there when they were born p>
That was like a shard of ice through my heart.
I had missed the birth of my children. He had stood where I should have been. I clutched the edge of my desk hard enough that my claws scored the wood.
I startled at the sight. I was so angry that I was shifting without meaning to.
I lowered my head and breathed slow and steady, forcing my wolf back. This would
only make things worse. I couldn’t attack Lance, no matter how much his betrayal tore into me.
I had to maintain control.
“Nolan, this wasn’t personal p>
“Wasn’t personal?!” My head snapped up and I glared at him.
“Listen… there was a lot that we didn’t know at the time. Ellie was afraid. She knew… she kept telling us that she was sure the attack was meant to kill the babies. She was afraid that whoever was after her would come back if they found out the twins were still alive. She’s kept their existence a secret to keep them safe.” “From me?” I demanded, my voice breaking on the words.
“Nolan… there were spies in the pack house p>
I stared at him, jaw tight. The words made sense. They were even right. But I
couldn’t accept them. Not yet. Not
3/4
Chapter 147
+25 Bonus
while I still saw the image of my sons’ faces burned behind my eyes her holding
them like she’d built a life that didn’t need me in it.
I turned for the door, every muscle in my body trembling.
“This isn’t over,” I said quietly. “Not with her. Not with you p>
“Nolan,” Lance called, but I didn’t turn back.
I stepped out into the night air and took a long breath, trying to steady myself.
Ellie had my sons. My blood. My life.
And she thought she could keep them from me.
The worst part was, I couldn’t even blame her.
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus
Comments
Support
Share
GET IT