Nn POV


    Security increased without announcement.


    That was the key.


    I doubled patrols around the packhouse andyered additional wards through routes most people never noticed- service corridors, garden paths, the stretch of forest that curved just close enough to the nursery windows to make my instincts itch.


    The changes were subtle. Quiet. The kind that wouldn''t register to anyone who wasn''t already trained to look for patterns.


    I didn''t want August andn to feel it.


    They were too young to understand tension, but not too young to absorb it. Wolves learned the emotional weather of their home early. I refused to let fear be the first thing my sons remembered about Silver Fang.


    It had been for me. I wanted it to be different for them. I wanted home to be a ce that they knew they could run to when they were afraid, not a ce that housed fear.


    So the guards smiled. Voices stayed low. No one drew weapons in the open halls. If the packhouse was forced to be a fortress, then it would wear the shape of a home.


    The twins'' first birthday arrived under gray skies and careful nning.


    No grand celebration. No visiting packs. Just family, a handful of trusted friends, and a nursery rearranged to amodate a low table covered in soft-colored cloth and a cake Rae had insisted on helping prepare.


    Ellie had hovered nearby the entire morning, torn between excitement and anxiety, checking the boys'' outfits at least five times before Rae gently shooed her away.


    "They''re babies,” Rae had said fondly. "Not emissaries."


    Ellie hadn''tughed-but she had rxed, just a little.


    When the time came, August andn sat on a thick quilt spread across the floor, staring at the cake with wide-eyed fascination.


    Blue frosting coated their fingers within seconds. Ian immediately attempted to taste everything at once. August was more methodical, poking the cake with deep suspicion before deciding it was eptable.


    Ellie''sugh-soft, genuine, unguarded-was worth every sleepless night.


    I watched her from the edge of the room, my wolf settling for the first time all day. She looked lighter here, surrounded by people who loved her, hands steady as she helpedn wipe frosting from his cheek.


    For a moment, the storm receded.


    Everything that mattered to me in all the world was in this room, smiling and celebrating together. It made my heart swell with so much affection that it almost hurt.


    Lance arrivedte, as usual, slipping in with I at his side. She carried a small, carefully wrapped package, her smile bright but her eyes thoughtful in the way I''de to recognize.


    They knelt with the boys, Lance making exaggerated noises that earned delighted shrieks. It would never cease to


    +25 Bonus


    amuse me how much the boys loved their uncles. Both Lance and Cassian were wrapped around their chubby little fingers in ways that no one outside of the family would ever believe.


    The shameless yboy racecar driver and the powerful, unrelenting alpha in


    training both melted at one look from the twins'' wide, grey eyes.


    I caught I''s gaze across the room. She nodded once, a silent request.


    It sent a faint sense of unease through me, all of the anxiety and unease of the past


    weeks rearing up for just a moment, but I didn''t let it show.


    This wasn''t the moment for me to lose sight of what mattered.


    We spoketer, after the cake was reduced to crumbs and the twins had worn themselves out enough to be carried off for naps. The packhouse settled into a soft lull, voices drifting low as people cleaned and lingered.


    I and I stepped into the corridor just outside the nursery.


    "Thank you," she said first, inclining her head slightly. "For inviting us.


    "You''re family," I replied simply. "You don''t need to thank me."


    She smiled faintly. "That still feels strange to hear."


    })


    We walked slowly, the quiet between usfortable. I respected I-herposure, her intelligence, the easy way she handled Lance even at his most unpredictable-but there was something moreyered beneath it. Something she carried carefully.


    She stopped near one of the tall windows overlooking the inner courtyard. "There''s something I think you should know," she said.


    I turned to face her fully. "Go on."


    "My family," she began, choosing her words with care, es from Pine Ridge. A sm influential."


    .ne now, but once...


    I nodded. Pine Ridge had produced more than its share of ambitious houses. It didn''t surprise me at all to learn this.


    “The marriage arrangement,” she continued, “was never about Lance. Not really." Her mouth tightened. "It was about cement. About proximity to you."


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    Cede is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a ir for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cede''s storytelling style is immersive and addictive-perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.