Chapter 179
I was in the living room, folding some laundry, when I heard a sound that
made my heart stop.
The front door unlocked. The handle turned. “Daddy!”
“My babies” he shouted.
He laughed a real, deep, booming laugh that I missed hearing.
He fell on the rug with the kids all over him.
“You are crushing me!” he groaned playfully. “Help! I am being attacked by
tiny wolves!”
I stood by the sofa, holding a folded shirt against my chest. I watched them. My heart ached. Despite everything that was happening between us, despite the coldness and the secrets, Astor was honestly a good dad.
He loved them so much. It was beautiful to see, but it also made me sad because he wasn’t looking at me. He was only looking at them.
“Did you bring us anything?” our son asked.
“I brought myself,” Astor said, tickling him. “Is that not enough?”
“No!” they both screamed, laughing.
They played for an hour. Astor built a castle out of blocks. He wrestled with them on the carpet. For a while, the house felt happy. It felt like the old days.
Then, it was time for dinner.
“Alright, time to eat,” I announced. My voice sounded a little nervous.
We all sat at the table. I had warmed up the leftovers that my parents brought yesterday. The smell of roast chicken filled the room.
Chapter 179
The dinner was… strange.
The kids were chatting non–stop.
“Daddy, I drew a picture of a wolf today! Isabella said.
“And I learned how to tie my shoes” Marco added.
Astor listened to every word and he nodded and smiled at them. “That’s amazing, buddy. Good job.”
But whenever he wasn’t looking at the kids, his face went blank. He didn’t look at me once. He stared at his plate. He ate his food quickly, like it was a
chore. When I passed him the salt, our fingers brushed for a second and the
sparks returned but he pulled his hand away like I burned him.
It hurt. But I kept eating and kept smiling for the kids.
After dinner, the kids grabbed his hands. “Storytime! Storytime!”
Astor let them drag him to their bedroom. I followed them quietly and stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
Astor sat in the rocking chair. He opened a big book about a bear who lost his hat. He didn’t just read the words; he did the voices too. He made a deep voice for the bear and a squeaky voice for the rabbit. The kids were mesmerized. Their eyes were heavy, fighting sleep.
Within ten minutes, they were both fast asleep.
Astor closed the book gently. He stood up and tucked the blankets around them and kissed their foreheads.
He looked at them with so much love it made my chest tight.
Then, he turned around and saw me in the doorway.
The warmth vanished from his eyes and the ice returned. He walked past me without saying a word, his shoulder brushing mine as he went to our
Chapter
bedroom.
I gave him a few minutes. I went to check the on things in the kitchen. Then, I
took a deep breath and walked to the master bedroom.
The room was dark. The only light came from the moon shining through the
window.
Astor was already in bed. He was lying on his side, facing away from the door. He was perfectly still. His breathing was slow and even.
He was pretending to be asleep just like he has been pretending like his haunted by something because I saw that man with his kids right now and the cold look in His Eyes vanished when he looked at them but when he looks at me it just comes back.
I don’t buy it anymore.
I didn’t get under the covers yet. I just stood there, looking at his back.
“Astor,” I whispered.
He didn’t move.
“I know you are awake,” I said.
He kept breathing slowly.
“You can try to regulate your breathing all you want,” I said, a little louder. “But you forget who I am. I am a White Wolf. I can hear everything. You are not sleeping.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Astor let out a long, heavy sigh. It was a sound of pure frustration.
He rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. He stared up at the ceiling, refusing to look at me.
“I just want one night of peace, Faith,” he said. His voice was tired and rough.
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Chapter 179
“Please. I am exhausted.”
“I am not going to fight you,” I said.
“I know that if we start talking, it will just turn into an argument,” he said. “You will ask me questions and I will get angry then we will yell and I don’t have the energy for it tonight.”
He started to turn away again.
I made a decision. I wasn’t going to let him turn away.
I didn’t walk around to my side of the bed. Instead, I climbed right onto the mattress from the bottom.
I crawled on my hands and knees until I was right next to him. Then, I flopped down on my stomach, propping my chin on his chest.
He flinched, looking at me with wide, shocked eyes. He wasn’t expecting
that.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I told you,” I said, smiling down at him. “There will be no argument whatsoever between the two of us tonight.”
“Get off,” he grumbled, but he didn’t push me away. “You are heavy.”
“I am not heavy,” I argued. “I am light as a feather. You are just weak.”
I saw a tiny twitch in his jaw. He was trying not to react.
“Faith, go to sleep,” he said sternly. He tried to look cold but I wasn’t buying it. I know my mate.
I reached out and poked his nose. He blinked. “Did you just poke me?”
“Maybe,” I said. I poked his cheek. “You have a frown line right here. It makes you look like a grumpy old grandpa.”
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Chapter 170
“I am not a grandpa,” he snapped, but his voice wasn’t as hard as before.
“You are acting like one,” I teased. “Grumpy grandpa Astor. I did a terrible
impression of an old man voice.
Astor stared at me. He was fighting a battle inside his head. He wanted to stay mad. He wanted to stay cold. But I was right there, in his face, being
silly.
I crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue.
Astor let out a short, sharp snort. He couldn’t help it.
“You are ridiculous,” he said.
“And you are smiling,” I pointed out.
“I am not,” he lied.
“Yes, you are,” I said. I poked the corner of his mouth. “Look at that. It is a smile. I found it!”
For a few seconds, the wall came down completely. Astor looked at me, and his eyes were soft. He let out a small chuckle.
“You are annoying,” he whispered. But he didn’t sound angry. He reached up, and for one heartbeat, his hand touched my hair. It was a gentle touch. It was
electric.
“I missed you,” I whispered.
Suddenly, Astor froze. The smile vanished. It was like he remembered who he was supposed to be.
He pulled his hand away from my hair. His eyes went flat and cold again.
He gently but firmly pushed me off his chest.
“Go to sleep, Faith,” he said. His voice was like ice again.
Chapter 179
He rolled over, turning his back to me. He pulled the blanket up to his shoulder, shutting me out.
I lay there on my side of the bed, staring at his back. My heart hurt, but I also proved my suspicions that something is going on with him but the most important thing is that I’ve just discovered that he is pretending and the question is why.
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