Chapter 243
Chapter 243
Just this morning, he’d taken both of the boys out for a walk around the courtyard before breakfast, fed them. during a meeting he was supposed to be focused on, and spent the afternoon in the nursery playing with them.
I could see the tension in his shoulders when he’d been forded to walk away to attend to pack matters.
I knew that this was part of us adjusting. That his attachment to them would become more stable and secure with time. For now though, it was painfully obvious how badly Nolan wanted to make up for the time he had lost.
Late that night, long after the packhouse had gone quiet, I woke with a start.
For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.
Then I remembered-the stone walls, the faint scent of the garden, the sense of being watched over instead of watched for.
I turned toward the nursery instinctively.
The beds were empty.
Panic flared sharp and immediate. I was out of bed before the fear could settle, heart pounding as I pushed the door open.
Soft lamplight spilled into the hall.
And there-just outside the nursery-sat Nolan.
He was in the old rocking chair someone must have brough up from storage, his
long legs awkwardly folded beneath him. August slept against his chest, lan curled under his arm, both boys limp with deep, untroubled sleep.
Nolan’s head had fallen back against the chair, eyes closed, one hand resting protectively over their backs.
He looked… peaceful.
I stood frozen in the doorway, breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my heart.
The dream flickered through my mind without warning.
Two boys running through the forest. Laughing. Calling for Nolan.
The massive, black wolf was watching them with that undeniable protective intensity that Nolan so often exuded.
Once, that vision had filled me with terror. With the certainly that it meant losing them. Losing everything.
Now, watching them sleep against him, something inside me softened.
The dream didn’t feel like a warning anymore,
It felt like a promise.
No matter what might come next, no matter what threats loomed for us, the boys could always run to their father. Nolan would be there, watching over them and keeping the safe.
The floor creaked softly beneath my feet as I stepped closer Nolan stirred
immediately, eyes snapping open, alert even half-asleep.
“Ellie?” he murmured, voice rough.
I smiled. “Sorry. I woke up and didn’t see them p>
“I didn’t mean to take them,” he said quickly, glancing down at the boys. “Ian woke
up crying. August followed. I
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Chapter 243
was just going to settle them and-” He gestured vaguely, sheepish. “I think I fell asleep p>
I shook my head, stepping closer. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t have to explain p>
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He studied my face for a moment, searching for something disapproval, perhaps, or unease. When he didn’t find it, his shoulders relaxed.
“They’re good sleepers,” he said quietly. “Once they feel safe p>
I swallowed past the sudden tightness in my throat. “They always have been. I’ve been lucky. They’re very easy babies. Of course, Claire always reminds me that means they’ll be difficult teenagers p>
I reached out, brushing my fingers over August’s hair, then lan’s. They didn’t stir. Nolan watched my hand, something unreadable passing through his expression.
“I missed this,” he admitted. “All of it. The late nights, their little hands gripping my shirt. I missed so much because of my p>
I met his gaze. “You’re here now p>
“Yes,” he said. “I am p>
I lingered there, the quiet wrapping around us. The moment felt intimate without being heavy, tender without being fragile.
Eventually, Nolan shifted carefully. “Do you want me to put them back in their cribs p>
I hesitated. Then I shook my head. “Let them sleep p>
He nodded, adjusting his hold slightly, making room.
Without quite deciding to, I lowered myself onto the arm of the chair beside him. I rested my head briefly against his shoulder, the warmth of him solid and reassuring.
The bond hummed between us. Not sharp and electric like it often was, but steady like an engine rumbling.
Neither of us spoke.
Outside, the wind moved through the trees. Somewhere deeper in the packhouse, a guard changed shifts.
Here, in this small circle of light, everything felt still.
I closed my eyes.
For the first time since the dreams started, I wasn’t afraid of what the future might hold.
Not while this existed.
Not while we were here-together.
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