Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Nolan tightened his hold on me, as if he could feel the moment the realization struck.
I leaned back into him, feeling his heartbeat against my back until the heaviness faded enough to speak again.
“What if Kieran doesn’t stop?” I whispered. “What if this escalates p>
His expression shifted then-something sharp and feral flashing behind his eyes before he reined it in.
“Then I stop him,” Nolan said. “Completely p>
The certainty in his voice should have frightened me.
Instead, it steadied me.
That night, sleep came hard.
I lay awake listening to Nolan’s breathing beside me, the steady rise and fall of his chest, his arm draped protectively over my waist. The warmth of him was a comfort, but unease curled low in my stomach, refusing to settle.
When sleep finally took me, it wasn’t gentle.
I was standing in the ruins again. The old forest that smelled of moss and something metallic.
The sky churned overhead, thick with storm clouds that glowed from within, lightning crawling through them like veins of fire. The ground beneath my feet was cracked stone, etched with symbols I didn’t recognize but somehow understood.
The air hummed.
She stood before me-vast and luminous, her form shifting between woman and something far older. Her eyes burned like distant stars. She wasn’t taking my mother’s form this time, not fully. This was more raw, more difficult to look at.
When I tried, it was like my brain was rejecting the sight of something it couldn’t process.
You are seen, the goddess said, her voice reverberating through my bones.
My mother’s voice, but layered with something else that almost hurt to listen to.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, my voice small against the storm.
She stepped closer, and the wind howled in response.
The storm moves, she said. And others would harness it for their own ends.
I swallowed. “Kieran p>
A pause. Not confirmation. Not denial.
Instead, her gaze sharpened.
The children of the storm must be protected.
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Chapter 271
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The words struck like a physical blow.
My chest tightened. “The boys p>
Thunder cracked overhead.
Blood of power. Blood of choice, she continued. They are watched. They are coveted.
Fear surged through me, hot and sudden. “By who p>
The goddess reached out, her hand hovering just over my heart.
By those who would break the world to claim it.
Lightning split the sky.
I gasped awake, heart racing, skin slick with cold sweat.
Nolan was instantly alert, sitting up beside me, hands already on my shoulders. “Ellie. Ellie, I’m here p>
I sucked in a shaky breath, clutching at his wrist as if he were the only solid thing left. “I had a vision p>
It wasn’t the first time I’d had a message from the goddess since the move back to Silver Fang, but it was the first one that had shaken me like this in a while. I leaned into him heavily, the hum of the bond steadying me.
His expression hardened. “What did she say p>
“The children of the storm must be protected,” I whispered.
“Children of the storm?” he asked, uncertain.
“The boys,” I explained, holding him just a little harder. “She warned me. Someone is watching them p>
Nolan pulled me against his chest, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other firm around my waist. His heartbeat thundered beneath my ear-fast, furious.
“No one touches them,” he said, the words more growl than speech. “No one p>
I pressed my face into his neck, breathing him in, anchoring myself in the here and now. Slowly, the panic ebbed, replaced by exhaustion.
I remembered the earlier visions I’d had, the ones about Nolan. Fierce, protective. Throwing himself between those he cared for and whatever threatened him. I remembered the boys running to him, happy and unafraid.
He held me until my shaking stopped, until my breathing evened out.
“We’ll increase security,” he said quietly. “No public appearances without full detail.
I’ll talk to Lance in the morning. Cassian too p>
I nodded weakly. “I’m scared p>
“I know,” Nolan murmured, brushing his lips against my hair. “But you’re not alone anymore p>
I let my eyes close again, trusting his arms to hold the line between us and the
storm.
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Chapter 271
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Outside, far beyond the walls of the packhouse, clouds gathered on the horizon- unseen, unheard, but moving
all the same.
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