I Forgot I Loved You Alpha (Ellie and Nolan) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156 

Ellie POV 

The leaves were beginning to change colors, and the morning air carried a pleasant chill. It was fal,l and the twins seemed to love it. I took them for walks whenever I could, letting them nap in the stroller under the filtered sunlight while I breathed in pine and damp earth. 

It had been three weeks since I’d returned to Moonstone. Three weeks of pretending that the ache in my chest was fading. Some days, it almost felt true. 

And then Rae arrived. 

I spotted her through the window before I heard the knock-bright red hair catching the light like a warning flare, suitcase in one hand, a grin that said she’d come to stay whether I wanted her to or not. 

I opened the door before she could knock again. “Rae?” 

“Surprise,” she said, though it didn’t sound like one. “I hope you have coffee. That trip was brutal.” 

I blinked, half laughing, half crying as I hugged her tight. The smell of her shampoo, floral and sweet, hit me with a wave of familiarity that made my throat ache. 

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said when I finally stepped back. 

“Where else would I be?” she asked simply, brushing past me into the apartment. “You vanish in the middle of the night, don’t answer messages, and then I hear whispers that you’re in Moonstone again. Of course, I came.” 

“I’m fine,” I tried weakly. 

Rae gave me a look. “You look like you haven’t slept in a year.” 

“That’s what babies do to people.” 

“Mm-hmm,” she said, unconvinced, before crossing to the playpen where August and Ian were gurgling in unison. “Well, look at you two. Twice as cute as I imagined. Oh, Ellie, they’re perfect! I can never get over it.” 

Her voice softened as she leaned over them, letting them grasp at her fingers. They rewarded her immediately with smiles. It was easy to forget how open Rae was with people, how she could win over anyone in minutes-including babies. 

“They like you,” I said. 

“Of course they do,” she teased. “I’m charming.” 

I laughed, really laughed, for the first time in days. 

I wanted to believe it could be that simple, but the idea of being idl and waiting to see what came was terrifying to me. 

When I returned to work at the hospital the next day, Rae stayed behind to help with the twins. It was strange at first-leaving them with someone else-but when I came home that evening to the sound of laughter, all my tension melted. 

Rae was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Cassian, both of the in Cassian’s lap, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, while Ian was asleep 

I stopped in the doorway, smiling. “Looks like you had a full day.” 

surrounded by toys and baby blankets. August was perched against Rae’s shoulder. 

Cassian looked up, a grin tugging at his mouth. “They’re tougher than they look. I think August’s wolf is already coming out.” 

Rae laughed, light and musical. “He drooled on you. That doesn’t make him a warrior.” 

Cassian arched an eyebrow. “We all start somewhere.” 

Their banter filled the room easily, the kind of playful rhythm that made me feel at ease. Cassian was calmer these days, less intense, and I realized that Rae brought something out in him, a levity he’d been missing.