Chapter 179 CHAPTER 179
The palace doors opened slowly, and the cool afternoon air met them as Ethan and Isabel stepped outside together. The sky above Mooncrest was clear, pale blue stretching wide as though nothing complicated had ever happened beneath it. The royal car was already waiting at the base of the stairs, polished and still, the driver standing respectfully beside it.
Ethan had changed. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower Isabel had insisted on, and though the tension had not fully left his posture, there was less storm in his eyes now. He looked more like himself. Not the Lycan king who had nearly torn elders apart in fury, but the man underneath the crown.
Isabel was mid-sentence when they reached the top of the steps, animatedly describing something about how Pauline’s tea had once cured her from what she had dramatically declared was “imminent academic collapse.” Ethan actually laughed, the sound low and genuine.
That was when Celine appeared.
She was walking quickly toward the palace doors, her steps hurried, her expression focused. From a distance, she slowed slightly when she saw them. She had expected something different. Her mother, Lora, had told her the meeting that morning had been bad. That Ethan had not been himself. That the tension in the council chamber could be felt even by the guards.
She had come prepared to soothe him.
Instead, she saw him smiling.
The smile did not reach Celine’s wolf as easily as it reached her face. Something in her chest tightened briefly, but she kept walking.
Isabel noticed her first. “Celine!” she called out, waving lightly before Ethan could even turn fully around.
Celine reached them just as Ethan opened the car door for Isabel. He paused when he saw her.
“Celine,” he said, straightening. “What brings you here in such a hurry?”
She glanced between the two of them. “My mother told me the council meeting this morning did not go well. She said you were… unsettled.” Her eyes lingered on him, searching for signs of that agitation. “I came to see how you were.”
Ethan’s expression softened slightly. “I was in a bad state,” he admitted. “But Isabel managed to drag me out of it.”
He glanced sideways at Isabel with a faint smile.
“We’re just stepping out for a bit. Clearing our heads.”
Celine’s gaze flickered to Isabel briefly before returning to Ethan. “Where are you going?”
“To Pauline’s,” Isabel answered cheerfully. “Tea therapy.”
Celine hesitated only a fraction of a second before asking, “Would you like me to join you?”
The question was light, but it carried weight beneath it.
Ethan shifted his stance, adopting a playful tone that masked his hesitation. “Pauline’s isn’t exactly your kind of place. It’s loud, crowded, and smells permanently of cinnamon. I doubt you’d enjoy it.”
Celine arched a brow. “I like cinnamon.”
Isabel laughed softly, trying to ease the moment. Ethan’s voice remained gentle but firm.
“Next time we go somewhere more… refined, I’ll make sure you’re invited. Today is just a quick escape.”
Celine nodded slowly. “Of course. I understand.”
She did not press further. Wolves knew when territory had shifted, even subtly.
“Take care,” she said, stepping back.
Ethan gave her a reassuring nod, then helped Isabel into the car before circling to the other side. As the vehicle pulled away from the palace, Celine remained standing there for a moment longer than necessary, watching until it disappeared beyond the gates.
The city welcomed them with its usual rhythm of life. Vendors called from stalls. Children darted between market tables. The scent of baked goods and roasted nuts drifted lazily through the streets.
Pauline’s café stood tucked between two larger shops, its windows fogged slightly from the warmth inside. The small brass bell above the door chimed when Ethan and Isabel stepped in.
Pauline looked up from behind the counter and broke into a wide smile. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite pair of troublemakers.”
Alina, the waitress, hurried over with bright eyes. “Your Majesty…”
“Ethan,” he corrected gently, though he smiled when he said it.
Pauline waved them toward the inner room. “Private table is ready. I had a feeling you might come by soon.”
Ethan paused mid-step and gave her a look that was far too knowing to be accidental. “A feeling?” he asked mildly. “Or did someone make a call?”
His gaze shifted slowly toward Isabel.
Isabel blinked once, trying very hard to look innocent and failing spectacularly.
Pauline let out a soft laugh. “It was supposed to be a secret.”
Ethan raised a brow at Isabel. “So this was premeditated?”
Isabel crossed her arms defensively, though her grin betrayed her. “You were in a destructive mood this morning. I needed reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements,” he repeated, amused.
“Yes,” she nodded firmly. “Tea. Pastries. Pauline. The holy trinity.”
Ethan allowed himself to be guided toward the private room, still shaking his head. “I see,” he murmured as they walked. “So I was ambushed.”
“You were rescued,” Isabel corrected.
They settled into the familiar corner booth that had once held Ethan during long nights of searching and disappointment. The wooden table bore faint scratches from years of use. The scent of warm bread and steeped tea felt strangely grounding.
Isabel stood up before Pauline could even ask. “I’ll help bring the tray.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “I thought you retired from waitressing.”
“I did,” she replied, grinning. “But this place feels like home. It doesn’t count.”
She disappeared behind the counter.
Pauline leaned closer to Ethan with a knowing look. “Where’s the princess?”
“At the palace,” Ethan replied calmly.
Pauline’s gaze shifted toward the counter where Isabel stood laughing with Alina. “And you brought her instead.”
Ethan did not answer immediately.
Behind the counter, Pauline lowered her voice as she handed Isabel the tray. “You called him Ethan – not your majesty.”
Isabel blinked. “I always do. He doesn’t mind. He’s like an older brother.”
Pauline said nothing more, but the smile she gave held quiet amusement.
Isabel returned with the tray, setting down two steaming cups and a plate of pastries. Ethan inhaled slowly as he wrapped his hands around the mug.
“This place reminds me of when I was looking for Lisa,” he said softly. “Every time I came here, I hoped for good news. Pauline’s food felt like comfort before disappointment.”
Isabel listened carefully. “I used to see you here,” she admitted. “You always looked so… untouchable. Guards everywhere. Liam beside you. I thought you were someone I could never speak to.”
Ethan chuckled faintly. “Untouchable?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Powerful. Intimidating. Supernatural.”
He laughed quietly. “When you put it like that, I sound terrifying.”
“To people who don’t know you,” she corrected. “But once someone does, they realize you’re just… Ethan.”
He studied her for a moment. “The Silverpine elders wouldn’t describe me as gentle.”
“You almost tore them apart,” she said evenly. “That was understandable.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Are you comforting me?”
“No,” she replied, meeting his gaze. “I’m stating facts. Anyone who loves someone would want to tear apart the people who hurt them.”
Her words lingered.
Ethan leaned back slightly. “I wonder who you take after. Your mother or your father?”
She smiled faintly. “Both, I think. But I was closer to my mom. She loved stories. Bedtime was always witches and wolves. Good witches, bad witches. The good ones always saved the day.”
She paused, staring into her tea.
“If she came back and realized those stories were real… I don’t know how she’d react.”
Ethan’s expression softened. “We’re still searching for her. But we haven’t found a lead.”
Isabel nodded slowly. “Sometimes I wonder if I should stop hoping.” Her voice grew quieter. “By the time she disappeared, she wasn’t herself anymore. Sometimes I think maybe she had an accident somewhere and…”
She didn’t finish.
Ethan leaned forward slightly. “No. Don’t let your mind go there. You’re the most hopeful person I know. You don’t get to lose that.”
She blinked and smiled weakly. “Look at me. I came to comfort you, and now you’re comforting me.”
He smiled back. “I think that’s fair. If you steady me, I get to steady you.”
Her smile grew softer.
Without thinking, Ethan reached across the table and closed his hand gently over hers. It was not dramatic. Not intense. Just warm.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Ethan seemed to realize what he was doing. He cleared his throat lightly and withdrew his hand.
“Do you want to go to a theme park?” he asked suddenly.
Isabel blinked, then laughed. “Of course.”
“I’ll settle the bill,” he said, standing. “Before Pauline charges us double for emotional therapy.”
Isabel grinned as she rose.
Outside, the city buzzed on, unaware of the fragile balance being formed over tea and pastries - a king and a girl who refused to see him as one, finding something steady in the middle of chaos.