Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Ellie POV
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The water was calm that morning, the sunlight spilling across its surface like liquid gold. Lance steered the boat, but his expression told me he was deep in thought. We had just passed into Moonstone territory.
The quiet should have been peaceful, but both of us were carrying too much weight for it to feel like anything other than heavy.
Lance broke the silence first. “He’s not himself, Ellie.”
I didn’t have to ask who he meant. Nolan’s shadow clung to every word we spoke these days.
“I know,” I said softly, wrapping my arms around myself. “It’s like something broke in him when he banished her. He’s angry. Suspicious. It’s getting worse, not better.” Lance’s jaw tightened. “I’ve seen it too. He’s pushing everyone too hard. And the thing is, we need him steady right now. The pack can’t afford an Alpha who’s unraveling.”
I stared at the rippling water, my chest aching. “I don’t know how to help him. I think part of him blames me, even if he won’t say it. If I hadn’t been here-if the goddess hadn’t tied me to him-Felicity would still be at his side, and he wouldn’t be I trailed off, unable to say like this.
“Don’t,” Lance said sharply. His gaze locked on mine, fierce and unwavering. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. None of this is your fault, Ellie. Felicity made her choices. Nolan made his. Don’t carry their sins on your back.”
The intensity of his voice made me swallow hard. Lance always had a way of cutting through my self-doubt before it could fester too deep.
Before I could answer, a whistle carried across the water. We both looked up to see another boat approaching from downstream. My breath caught when I recognized the tall figure at the helm-Cassian. And in the seat before him, two little bundles were bundled in soft blankets.
The moment I saw them, my heart stuttered. My boys.
Rae was on deck, watching for him. I could see her wave excitedly before moving to lower the anchor. Lance killed the engine and followed me out.
Cassian guided his boat alongside ours with practiced ease. I watched impatiently as he and Lance laid a plank between the boats.
I rushed across immediately, running to the boys. Cassian’s grin was easy, but his eyes softened when he lifted the twins one by one into my arms.
“They’ve missed you,” he said simply.
I didn’t answer-couldn’t. My throat closed up as I held my sons close, inhaling their baby-soft scent, brushing kisses across their dark curls. They were bigger now, at least it seemed that way. It had only been a week and a half, but it felt like a lifetime.
Guilt hit me sharp and unrelenting. How many moments like this had I already missed?
“They’re perfect,” I whispered hoarsely, though my chest ached like it was breaking in half.
The hours that followed blurred into joy and ache mingled together. We laid blankets across the deck of the boat, and the twins wriggled and laughed as we tickled their bellies, their sweet giggles carrying across the water.
1/2
Chapter 10
ATT
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Lance let one of them gnaw on his thumb, pretending to wince dramatically until the baby squealed with delight. Rae joined us not long after, her laughter ringing bright as she shook a rattle back and forth with the other twin.
It was Cassian, though, who surprised me most. He was usually so guarded, so controlled. But with the twins, his walls fell away. He crouched beside them, making ridiculous faces until they squealed, then lifting them high into the air so they could see the sun glittering on the water.
Rae’s cheeks went pink whenever his hand brushed hers as they steadied the boys together, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.