Where The Ice Gives Way (Charlotte and Blake) novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261 Growth

Emily

This morning I decided I’m making pancakes.

VPN

73

I don’t really know how it happens, but here I am, whisking batter in a bowl while Theo leans against the counter watching me with the

softest, stupidest look on his face.

The front door opens, and Blake walks in with Charlotte beside him, her hand tucked into his, hair still slightly messy from sleep. Gareth follows them in with his coat dusted in snow and his expression already softer than I expected it to be this early in the morning.

Blake stops in the doorway and blinks at me. “Are you cooking?”

Charlotte’s face lights up. “Oh my god, pancakes?”

“There is more than enough,” I say, smiling at them all. “I can make another batch.”

Gareth steps into the kitchen, breathing in deeply before he gives John a look. “I haven’t smelled something this good coming from this

house in the morning in a very long time.”

John presses one hand to his chest. “Wounded in my own home, Alpha.”

Charlotte laughs and slips away from Blake to help me set plates on the table. She moves around this kitchen like she belongs in every room she steps into, and maybe that is one of her gifts too. Making spaces feel warmer.

A few minutes later, we are all seated around the table. Plates are stacked, coffee mugs steam, and stomachs are being filled.

Gareth waits until I have taken a few bites before he sets his mug down.

“Emily,” he says gently, “this is not only a friendly visit.”

“Okay,” I say, swallowing my mouthful behind my hand.

“I wanted you to hear the outcome from me,” Gareth says gently. “Thomas Simmons has been found guilty of unlawful imprisonment, abuse of Alpha authority, forced exile, and the mistreatment of rogues.”

My fingers tighten around my fork.

“He has been stripped of his Alpha status permanently,” Gareth continues. “And he’ll remain imprisoned under Franklin authority, and he

will never have access to you, your family, or Munroe again.”

I breathe in slowly.

1/4

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

Chapter 261 Growth

VPN 73

Once, I think that would have cracked something open in me. Once, I would have needed every detail, because I would have wanted proof that someone finally saw what he was.

Now I feel… Well, I don’t feel anything.

“And Marcus?” I ask.

“Marcus has been found responsible for his part in the attempted forced claiming, the assault against you, and the attack on your father,”

Gareth says. “His condition was considered, and he will remain under guard until healers decide whether he is stable enough for

rehabilitation or long-term confinement. Either way, he will have no contact with you.”

“Oh, okay,” I say, putting a few more strawberries onto my pancake. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

Gareth studies me for a moment. “Do you want further updates when his tribunal proceeds?”

Theo turns his head toward me, watching closely. Ready to step in and protect me in any way.

“No,” I say quietly. I lift my chin. “Unless it affects my safety, I don’t want to hear more. I don’t need to know what happens, and I don’t

want the rest of my life to keep circling around theirs.”

Gareth’s eyes soften with something like pride as he inclines his head.

Then Blake clears his throat and slides two sets of keys across the table toward Theo and me.

I stare at them. “What are those?”

Blake winks at Theo. “Your problem now.”

Charlotte’s smile is too bright to be innocent, and Gareth stands, taking his mug with him. “We have another stop before training. John,

thank you for breakfast.”

“I didn’t cook it,” John says.

“I know. That is why I said thank you.”

1

John laughs, and the room loosens again as everyone leaves in a shuffle of chairs, coats, and Charlotte squeezing my shoulder on her way

past.

When the door closes behind them, I look at Theo.

“What are these for?”

Theo stands and holds out his hand, his smile softer now, almost nervous. “Let me show you.”

214

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

Chapter 261 Growth

We put on coats and boots, and John walks us to the door. Before we step out, he catches my shoulder gently.

“You know you don’t have to rush into feeling ready,” he says.

I look up at him.

VPN

His smile is small and fatherly in a way that makes my throat tighten. “But for what it’s worth, kiddo, I think you’ll be wonderful at

whatever life you choose next.”

I do not have words for that, so I hug him, and he wraps both arms around me carefully for a long moment.

Then we go.

The morning is pale and cold. Snow sits thick over the street, and the houses look soft beneath it. Theo keeps my hand in his as we walk

past Blake and Charlotte’s place, toward a larger house just beyond it.

We stop at the front fence, and I look up at the two-storey home with a wraparound deck. The roof is dark under its blanket of snow, and

big windows catch the weak morning light.

“This is our new home,” Theo says softly. Then he clears his throat. “Well, ours, and Blake and Charlotte’s, and Charlie and Jess’s, if they

accept. Future Alpha, Luna, Betas, Gammas. One big, chaotic leadership nightmare under one roof.”

I laugh, but it comes out shaky.

“Theo.”

“I know.” His fingers tighten around mine. “It is a lot.”

“It’s…” I look at the house again, at the deck, at the windows, at the space waiting for voices and footsteps and arguments over breakfast.

“It’s beautiful.”

His smile turns nervous again. “There’s more.”

He leads me around the side of the house and into the backyard.

A glass greenhouse stands near the edge of the yard, framed in dark metal, its roof catching the pale sun.

My hand flies to my mouth.

Theo takes me inside where there are benches along both walls, empty pots stacked neatly, bags of soil, little tools still clean and unused,

and packets of sunflower seeds lined up beside a small watering can.

Theo stands behind me, suddenly very quiet. “You said they needed sun,” he murmurs. “And space.”

3/4

11:48 Sat, Aug 1

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify