Chapter 144

Chapter 144
Ellie POV
Kieran’s visits had become more frequent since the morning of the attack. It wasn’t unusual for him to show up at the packhouse under some pretense, usually to speak with Nolan about security, and then somehow find a few minutes alone with me afterward.
I had stopped trying to question it. Part of me didn’t mind the company, and another part knew it was easier not to fight the inevitable.
After everything that had happened, the thought of stability, of safety, had become a kind of lifeline. The boys were my first thought when I woke up, my last before I went to sleep, and every fear I carried was tied to them.
The dreams, the woman who had attacked me, the goddess’s whispers at the edge of my consciousness, it all felt like a storm brewing on the horizon.
So when Kieran suggested we make our arrangement official soon, I didn’t argue. He didn’t set a deadline or anything like that. I wasn’t even sure he was that serious about it. I think he was just testing the waters, making sure I didn’t try to back out.
He stood near the window of my sitting room, sunlight catching in his pale hair, the picture of confidence and calm. “We should make an announcement,” he said. “A formal one. It’ll quiet the gossip before it has a chance to spiral out of control. And it’ll make things safer for you. For all of you.”
He didn’t need to explain what he meant by all. I knew he was talking about the boys, even if he didn’t yet know the details.
I hesitated. “You really think now’s the right time?”
He turned, smiling faintly. “There’s never a perfect time for these things. But the sooner people see that you’re protected, the better.”
He had a way of making everything sound reasonable, inevitable even. It was part of what made him so dangerous, I supposed-the ease with which he could convince others to trust him. Still, the idea of being protected by him brought a strange sort of comfort.
“I think you should meet them,” I said quietly, surprising myself as the words left my mouth.
For a moment, Kieran looked caught off guard. Then his expression softened, and genuine excitement flickered across his face. “You mean the boys?”
I nodded. “They’re everything to me, Kieran. If you and I are really doing this, they should know you. They need to.”
He stepped closer, the smile widening. “I’d like that. I’m great with kids, actually.”
That made me laugh under my breath, an involuntary sound, small and uncertain, but real. “Are you?”
“Of course,” he said, the confidence in his voice absolute. “You’ll see. They’ll love me.”
His certainty was disarming. I wanted to believe him, wanted to think this would all work out somehow, that the boys could be safe, that I could keep them hidden from everything that had torn my world apart.
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But more than that, I wanted to believe that the boys would be happy. If Kieran could really be a father to them, and not just their protector
That was probably hoping for too much. I needed to keep my expectations realistic.
But then Kieran’s tone shifted-still smooth, still pleasant, but edged with curiosity. “Ellie,” he said, “you’ve never told me who their father is.”
The air seemed to change between us. I forced myself to meet his gaze. “It doesn’t matter,” I said softly.
“Doesn’t it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
The look on his face was pure skepticism. Obviously it mattered, but I couldn’t tell him. If Nolan somehow found out it would complicate everything so much more than it already was. I couldn’t risk it.
“No,” I said, more firmly this time. “Not anymore.” (1)
For a moment, he looked like he might press the issue, but then he only smiled again-gentle, reassuring, the perfect gentleman. “All right,” he said. “No more questions. I’m just honored that you’d trust me with them.”
He reached for my hand, and I let him. I told myself it was because I needed his help, because I couldn’t do this alone. But the moment his fingers brushed mine, a flicker of unease moved through me. I ignored it. I was too tired to question everything anymore.
Third Person POV
When Kieran left the packhouse that evening, his expression was unreadable to anyone who didn’t know him. To the guards and servants he passed, he was the picture of composure.
Even if they were becoming suspicious of his frequent visits to the packhouse, none of Nolan’s staff would suspect the truth behind what he was planning.
Why would they? He had Ellie fooled, and she was the one who should be the most cautious. He felt bad for her, the poor thing. She was so desperate to be safe, to be shielded from the madness that had been swirling around her for the past few years.
Kieran could give her that. He’d be happy to do it. Ellie was fun, he honestly liked being around her. It was a bonus, given the reason he wanted her had more to do with Nolan than with her.
As he walked down the sidewalk, no one spared him a second glance. Which was exactly how he wanted it. Right now, he was just a man taking a walk.
A most promising young alpha, calm, polished, gracious. But beneath the surface, his thoughts were sharp and calculating.
Ellie’s refusal to name the father hadn’t deterred him. If anything, it had confirmed what he already suspected. The timing, the secrecy, it all fit too neatly. The boys were his.
Nolan’s.
A slow smile curved Kieran’s mouth as he strolled down the sidewalk.
He couldn’t know why Ellie was hiding the truth from Nolan, but he was sure that she was. He’d never even
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entertain the idea of a divorce if he knew that the children were alive.
If the children weren’t Nolan’s, then Ellie must have conceived immediately after she vanished, and the twins would have been born premature. It was possible, but not likely.
The simpler answer was the one that made the most sense-and the one that delighted him the most.
Raising Nolan’s children. Winning the woman he had lost. Becoming the man who offered her safety and stability when Nolan could not.
It was perfect.
It was like the goddess had chosen to bless him specifically. He couldn’t have arranged a more perfect revenge if he’d tried.
He was going to spoil Ellie and her sons. He would make sure that she was happier than she had ever dreamed of being, so that every time they crossed paths with Nolan he would see the woman he had failed radiating happiness.
And the kids? He’d give them everything they could ever want. Raise them to be intelligent, polite, strong young
men.
They’d be the darlings of society in a few years, Kieran would make sure of that. And Nolan would know. He’d see the family resemblance as they aged, he was sure
of it.
He’d know that Kieran had taken everything from him and it would destory him.
Kieran had wanted to hurt his rival for a long time-but this… this would be exquisite.
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