His expression was unreadable, polite mask firmly in ce, but his eyes-those sharp, calcting eyes-flicked to Ellie across the room, then back to me.


    Damn it.


    Of all the careless, reckless things I could have said, I''d chosen the one that would hand Kieran ammunition against me on a silver tter.


    I cursed under my breath, clenching my fists to keep from showing just how much


    the slip unnerved me. Thest thing I could afford was for Kieran to think there was distance between me and Ellie, or worse, that I didn''t value her.


    He''d seize on it in an instant, twist it, and use it to drive a wedge between us.


    Lance didn''t seem to notice-or didn''t care that Kieran might have overheard. He shoved past me, muttering, She deserves better than you."


    I stood frozen for a long moment, jaw tight, chest burning. My wolf snarled inside me, torn between rage at Lance and the cold dread coiling through me at the thought of Kieran using my own words against me.


    When I finally looked back toward Ellie, she was still with ric, still smiling, still oblivious to the storm gathering around her.


    And for the first time that night, I felt like I was already losing.


    Ellie POV


    "It seems too strange to be true," I said, looking at ric closely.


    There was a physical resemnce between us if I really looked, but it wasn''t as though I really resembled him. It was so strange to think that he could be my father.


    I should probably be feeling stronger about this. Ever since Cassian had confessed to me back on the boat that he suspected I was his long-lost sister, I''d been turning the idea over in my mind.


    The vision from the goddess seemed to confirm it. Maybe that was why I found it so easy to ept this.


    “I can''t remember anything really, little bits and pieces.”


    "That makes sense," ric said, lightly touching the scar behind my ear. "You had a serious head injury. And it seems you''re prone to memory problems."


    "Is that a joke?" Iughed.


    He smiled at me, amused but not unkind. "Just an observation. It makes me think of how you acted as a child. Always so forgetful. You misced your ne constantly. I told your mother not to let you have it, that you were too young. But she insisted."


    "Ne?" I asked with a slight frown.


    "A moonstone ne," he exined. "Perhaps... one day soon, after we''ve confirmed who you are for certain, there will be many things to teach you about the family."


    He had a faraway, almost dreamy look in his eyes for a moment.


    I didn''t interrupt. I could only imagine how strange it was for him to be in this situation. The thought of losing the


    Chapter 12)


    +25 Bonus


    boys for most of their lives only to meet them again as adults..... I couldn''t even begin to imagine how it would make me feel.


    His restraint was honestly impressive. He had managed to keep his feelings under control through everything, even after he was convinced that I was the lost child he''d been looking for.


    "Of course, there''s no pressure on you," he added after a moment.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, that you''re a grown woman with a family of your own. I don''t expect you to drop everything and rejoin Moonstone. Whatever you choose to do in the future, I''m happy just knowing that you''re safe.”


    My heart swelled with an odd warmth at his words.


    It was strange to think of him as my father, but somewhere deep down, a part of me knew that this feeling wasn''t wrong. It wasn''t just wishful thinking. It was too much like what I felt for my children to be anything but real.


    Support


    Share