Chapter 174

Chapter 174
Third person POV
The sun was sinking low over Moonstone, painting the city streets in warm tones. The air carried that early evening hush when the world seemed to hold its breath.
Cassian climbed the stone steps of Ellie’s apartment building two at a time, a small box tucked under his arm- something he’d promised to drop off for the twins. He’d spent the morning on patrol and the rest of the afternoon in council meetings that had gone nowhere.
Seeing his sister always steadied him. Reminded him why all the tedious diplomacy mattered.
When he reached her apartment, he knocked once, waited, and frowned when there was no answer.
“Ellie?” he called softly.
The door opened a few seconds later-not to Ellie, but to Rae.
She looked surprised, but pleasantly so. Her red hair was pulled into a messy braid, and she had one of the twins balanced on her hip, a small blanket draped over her shoulder.
“Oh. Cassian.” Her smile was immediate, warm. “She’s not home yet.”
He relaxed slightly. “Where’d she go?”
“The temple,” Rae said. “She said she needed to clear her head. She should be back soon.”
Cassian nodded, stepping inside. The apartment was softly lit, filled with the faint scent of milk and lavender. The other twin lay asleep in a woven bassinet near the couch, his little chest rising and falling in peaceful rhythm.
Rae shifted the baby in her arms, brushing a kiss against his forehead. “They just ate,” she said. “I think he’s about to knock out, too.”
Cassian smiled despite himself. “Hello, lan,” he cooed, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his chubby cheek.
Rae smiled at the soft display and gently bounced lan. Cassian watched as the baby drifted off.
“You’ve gotten good at that,” he said softly.
She grinned. “Necessity. They like me better than bottles.”
“That’s because you have patience,” he said.
She laughed. “Or because they can sense how terrified I am of dropping them.”
He chuckled, setting the small box on the coffee table. “What’s that?” Rae asked, nodding toward it.
“Something I found at the market,” Cassian said. “Wooden teethers shaped like wolves. Thought they might like them when they start chewing on everything in sight.”
Rae couldn’t contain the fond smile that wanted to break loose. It was rare to see these warm moments from Cassian, but she was noticing them more and more. Usually, it centered around the boys or Ellie. It was obvious to anyone paying attention how much he cared about his family.
Rae found that a very attractive trait. Cassian was a broad-shouldered, deep-voiced alpha. Seeing him act soft and nurturing with his nephews made her heart skip, despite her best efforts to fight the affection that was growing for him.
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Chapter 174
Rae smiled, genuine and a little soft. “That’s… actually really sweet,”
He shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “They’re my nephews,”
“I know,” she said quietly, “You’re a good brother,”
He didn’t answer that. Good wasn’t a word he associated with himself much lately, Especially when it came to the way he was handling things with Ellie. It felt a little like betrayal every time he met with Nolan,
Rae must have sensed it, because her tone gentled. “She talks about you a lot, you know,”
He looked up, brow raised. “Ellie?”
“Mm-hmm.” Rae smiled faintly. “Says you were always the one who stood up for her. That no matter how bad things got, she knew she could count on you.”
“When we were kids, or now?”
“Both,” Rae answered. “She told me that she’s been having a lot of memories come back lately ever since this business with the goddess started. Says it’s like it unlocked all of the memories that had been lost.”
Cassian leaned back against the wall, exhaling slowly, “She makes me sound better than I was.”
“I don’t think so,” Rae said. “You love her. That’s obvious,”
“Of course I do,” he said, almost too quickly. “She’s my sister.”
Rae tilted her head. “And yet, sometimes I think you forget she’s not a little girl anymore.”
That gave him pause. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she’s been through hell, Cassian,” Rae said softly. “And she’s still trying to
find herself. You want to protect her and that’s beautiful-but she doesn’t need guarding anymore/She needs space to figure out who she is now.”
Cassian went still, her words landing sharper than she probably intended.
“I don’t mean that as criticism,” Rae added quickly. “I just… I see how she looks at
the world now. Like she’s trying to balance being who she was before and who she’s supposed to become. That’s not something anyone can do for her.”
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