Chapter 211

Chapter 211
Before he could answer, Lance appeared with a glass in each hand. “You two look like you’re negotiating a treaty, not at a party.”
I accepted one of the drinks with a grateful smile. “Maybe we’re just out of practice.”
“Speak for yourselves,” Lance said cheerfully. “I am having the time of my life. I’ve danced so many people I’ve lost count and won two drinking contests.”
“Of course you have,” Nolan muttered.
Lance winked at me and melted back into the crowd, leaving us alone again.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The music swelled, laughter rising like waves around us.
Finally, Nolan said, “Thank you for inviting me. And for keeping up appearances at events like this.”
I frowned. “You mean for the election?”
He nodded. “It matters. People notice when we’re together. When we’re… civil.”
I looked down at my drink, my pulse quickening. “It isn’t just for appearances.”
He blinked, clearly caught off guard. “It’s not?”
“No.” I hesitated, heart pounding. “Nolan, about the divorce-”
He stiffened instantly. “I know,” he said quickly, before I could finish the thought. “It’s fine. I won’t make this harder for you than it already is.”
I froze. “That’s not what I—”
“I understand why you want to end it,” he interrupted, his tone steady but his eyes dark. “You deserve your freedom. I just hope it makes you happy.”
The way he said it – controlled, distant – felt like a door quietly closing.
My throat tightened. “That’s not what I was going to say,” said softly.
But he’d already looked away, nodding toward the band. “You should dance. People will expect it. Tonight’s about you.”
My pulse stuttered. “And you?”
“I don’t dance,” he said simply. “Not like that.”
I smiled sadly. “I remember.”
For a moment, our eyes met – and in that heartbeat, the air between us changed.
The noise of the crowd faded. The scent of pine and moonlight wrapped around me, achingly familiar.
I remembered our first pack gala – how I’d stood alone at the edge of the dance floor, watching him from across the room, wishing he’d just look at me the way he was looking at me now. Wishing that he’d treat me like his mate, like he wasn’t ashamed of me.
I was a rogue thrown into the middle of pack politics and traditions that I barely understood. I was so afraid that I’d embarrass him, so I had stood there frozen with indecision and anxiety while Nolan had played his part alone.
Back then, he hadn’t noticed me at all.
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Chapter 211
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Now, it felt like he couldn’t look away.
I wanted to tell him I missed him. That the bond was still there, a soft pull beneath my skin that hadn’t weakened with time or distance. That the spark whenever we touched still made my heart skip a beat.
I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t sure about the divorce anymore. That I wanted to wait, to call it off. That it just didn’t feel right anymore. The thought of divorcing Nolan made my heart ache in a way that I couldn’t describe in words. It felt like I couldn’t breathe when I thought of truly leaving him behind.
But all of the words stuck in my throat.
He was looking at me with those sharp, stormy eyes as I stood there silently. I could see the tension in every line of his body. He thought he knew what I was thinking. He thought that I was going to call him out for delaying the deal we’d made. How could I make him understand how wrong he was?
Before I could try again, Rae and Cassian were stumbling off of the dancefloor and toward us.
“Ellie, come dance with me!” Rae called out, excited and a little drunk.
“In a minute,” I called back, smiling despite myself.
Cassian was at her side with a broad smile on his face, one hand hovering near her back as he guided her through the crowd.
When I looked back, Nolan’s expression had already shuttered again – polite, unreadable, safe.
“I should go,” I murmured. “People are expecting me to socialize.”
He nodded once. “Goodnight, Ellie.”
“Goodnight.
As I turned away, I felt the faintest tug in my chest — that invisible thread between
us stretching, straining, refusing to break.
The music rose again behind me.
I didn’t look back, but I felt him watching me until I disappeared into the crowd.