Chapter 166
Chapter 166
Ellie POV
The apartment was warm and soft-lit, the kind of cozy that made the rest of the world feel far away. Rain tapped gently against the windows, and the smell of Claire’s baking still lingered in the air-vanilla and cinnamon and comfort.
Rae sat cross-legged on the floor, helping me fold the twins’ laundry while Claire lounged on the couch, glass of red wine in hand, her bright green eyes alight with amusement. The twins had gone down for the night, and for once, everything was quiet.
It felt like a small miracle.
“You know,” Rae said, holding up one of the boys’ tiny onesies, “I’m starting to think they have more clothes than I do p>
“They do,” I said with a grin. “And they still manage to get every single thing dirty by noon p>
Claire laughed. “That’s because you gave birth to two future chaos agents. I swear, they take after their uncle p>
I rolled my eyes affectionately. “Don’t you start p>
“What?” she teased. “Cassian was a handful even as a pup. Alaric told me he once tried to sneak a wolf cub into the packhouse because he thought it looked lonely p>
Rae’s laughter rang out, bright and unguarded. “Oh, that actually makes so much sense p>
I raised a brow at her. “And how would you know that p>
Rae froze halfway through folding a blanket, color creeping up her neck. “I-I don’t. I just meant… he seems like the kind of guy who would do something like that p>
Claire smirked. “Uh-huh. The kind of guy, huh p>
Rae’s blush deepened. “I walked into that one, didn’t I p>
I leaned back against the couch, smirking. “Completely p>
“Oh, don’t tease her,” Claire said-though her grin gave her away. “You’ve seen the way he looks at her p>
I gasped, mock-dramatic. “You’re right. He does look at her. Like she’s the first sunrise he’s seen in years p>
Rae groaned and dropped her face into her hands. “I hate you both p>
“No, you don’t,” I said, laughing. “You love us. Almost as much as you love my brother p>
Rae’s muffled voice came through her palms. “You are impossible p>
Claire raised her glass. “To impossibility, then p>
I lifted my tea mug. “And to Rae-future Luna of Moonstone, maybe p>
Rae peeked out from behind her hands, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare p>
But her laughter broke through again, soft and genuine, and the air around us felt lighter for it.
For the first time in weeks, I felt normal. Not the fragile, holding-it-together kind of normal-but the real kind. The kind that came with good friends, gentle teasing, and the safety of knowing no one here expected me to be
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Chapter 106
+25 Bonus
anything but myself.
When the laughter finally faded, we sprawled across the living room in companionable quiet.
Claire turned the music low, some old ballad humming softly in the background. Rae reached for one of the twins’ stuffed toys and absently turned it over in her hands.
“They’re really lucky,” she said quietly.
“Who?” I asked.
“The boys. They have you p>
Something in her tone tugged at me. I smiled faintly, looking toward the nursery door. “I don’t know about lucky.
I make it up as I go. Some days I’m just praying I don’t screw them up before breakfast p>
Claire smiled knowingly. “That’s what makes you a good mother. The worrying means you care p>
Her words should have comforted me. Instead, a familiar guilt stirred deep in my chest-the ache that came every time I thought of Nolan.
He had only met the twins once. One single, fleeting meeting, and then everything had fallen apart. They wouldn’t even remember him.
And somehow, that hurt the most.
It was my decision to keep them away, and I doubted it was the right one more each day. Nolan had been so gentle with them; he’d looked at them with such awe. As if they were the most incredible things he’d ever seen in his life.
It felt deeply wrong to keep them apart. Yet, that old fear remained.
Yes, he seemed different now, but what if this was temporary? What he turned back
into the cold, cruel Nolan that I had been married to?
I forced the thought aside and focused on Rae’s easy laughter as she shared a story about nearly falling asleep during a meeting in her office. Claire and I were still laughing about it when I realized I was staring at the window again, at the faint shimmer of moonlight breaking through the clouds.
The goddess had been silent since the vision. Silent, but not gone. Some nights, I swore I could feel her presence hovering at the edges of my dreams-watchful, patient, like a tide waiting to pull me under again.
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