Chapter 223

Chapter 223
The rogue nodded and vanished into the night.
The plan was simple now. Take the pups, lure Ellie, get rid of her. Then, she and Nolan would be together. They would raise his children as they always should have. Together.
Felicity poured another glass of wine with shaking hands, forcing the tremor to still. Soon. She would have what was hers again. The goddess might favor Ellie now-but Felicity had learned long ago that gods could be defied.
Nolan POV
The report from my scouts lay open on the desk, ink still drying. More rogue sightings. More missing traders. The pattern had been forming for weeks, like ripples converging toward something unseen.
I rubbed at the bridge of my nose, exhaustion throbbing behind my eyes. I should have been able to delegate this, to trust my captains to handle it, but instinct told me otherwise. Every time I thought of the rogues massing near the border, I remembered the old scars-the way chaos spread like wildfire when no one acted quickly enough.
I remembered Felicity’s loyalists infiltrating the pack house and the troops. No, if I
was right that this was her doing, I couldn’t delegate it. I couldn’t trust anyone else to foot out the truth.
I couldn’t risk it. Not again.
“Nolan?” Lance’s voice came from the doorway. “You look like hell.”
I glanced up. “Good morning to you too.”
Lance leaned against the frame, folding his arms. “You’ve been up all night again, haven’t you?”
“Probably.” I pushed the papers aside. “There’s movement in the rogue lands again. Too much to ignore.”
“That’s what scouts are for.”
“I need to see it myself.”
Lance frowned. “That’s reckless, even for you.”
“It’s necessary.” My tone left little room for argument. “If these rogues are being paid, I want to know by whom. We’ve chased shadows long enough.”
“And what do you plan to do-walk in there alone?”
“If I have to,” I said, rising. “Disguised, unarmed, quiet. I know the terrain. I’ll be in and out before anyone realizes I’m there.”
Lance stared at me, clearly unconvinced. I could see the concern in his eyes, but I didn’t let it reach me. I couldn’t. “Does Ellie know you’re doing this?”
“She doesn’t need to.”.
“Which means she should,” Lance muttered.
I gave a weary smile. “She has enough to worry about. I’m not dragging her into this until I know what’s out there.”
Lance sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re going to do it no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
“Probably.”
“Then at least tell me where you’ll be checking first.”
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I pointed to a map pinned on the wall, a thin red line marking the route along the western border-through the scattered villages and down into the old rogue basin. “Here’s where the reports start to converge.”
Lance studied it, then nodded reluctantly, “Fine. I’ll hold langs here. But you’d better come back, Nolan. The election scrutiny is bad enough without your disappearance making headlines,”
I smirked faintly, “You worry too much,”
“That’s what brothers are for.”
When Lance left, the silence returned-thick and heavy, pressing against the walls. I gathered my gear carefully plain clothes, a knife hidden beneath my coat, a hooded cloak to dull my scent.
I paused only once, eyes drifting toward the small framed photograph on my desk. It was one of the few I had left -a candid shot taken by a press photographer at a summit years ago.
Ellie stood slightly apart from me, her smile tentative, the sunlight catching in her hair.
I traced a thumb over her image.
“I’ll come back,” I murmured. “I have to.”
As I stepped out into the cool morning, I felt the faint tug of the mate bond-a pulse of warmth somewhere deep in my chest. Ellie was awake, somewhere in Moonstone, probably worrying over a dream she couldn’t quite understand. The connection between us still hummed, fragile but alive.
I drew his cloak tighter and started toward the waiting car.
There were too many unanswered questions, too many shadows gathering at the edge of our fragile peace. If Felicity was behind the rogue movements-and my gut told me she was-then every moment I hesitated put Ellie and the boys at risk.
I’d promised myself I would protect them, even if Ellie never forgave me.
And this time, I intended to keep that promise. No matter what it might cost me.
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