Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One Chapter 176: His Cofeee

Hailee’s POV

I placed a gentle knock on Nathan’s door and drew in a deep breath, composing myself. My palms were damp against the tray I carried.

"Co in," his deep voice called from the other side.

My heart skipped. Slowly, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room slled like him—strong, musky, faint traces of smoke from the cigarette he had last night. He was by the window, shirtless, the early light spilling across his back. His muscles moved with every slow breath, his skin tense, his presence filling every corner of the room.

I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on the tray. "Your coffee, Alpha," I whispered, setting it down carefully on the table near his bed.

For a mont, a tense silence stretched between us. I could feel his eyes on before I even dared to look.

Finally, he spoke. His tone was very low, as if he was speaking to himself.

"You knock like a stranger. Ten years ago, you would have walked straight in."

I swallowed hard. My voice trembled, but I managed, "Ten years ago, I wasn’t your maid."

He turned then, slowly, his piercing gaze locking on mine. The weight of it made my breath catch.

"And whose fault is it, Hailee?" he said, taking a step closer. "Why are you acting angry like I am the one at fault here!" he spat.

I swallowed hard but didn’t respond; rather, I looked away, not able to withstand his pain-filled eyes. Nathan reached for the tray. His fingers brushed the cup, and for one mont, I thought he might not drink it. But he lifted the coffee to his lips, took a slow sip—

Then he spat it out instantly, the dark liquid splattering across the floorboards.

"What the hell is this?" he snarled, his voice vibrating with annoyance. He slamd the cup back down so hard it rattled against the tray.

I frowned. "Coffee."

His head snapped toward , his eyes burning with irritation. "Coffee with sugar. You know I don’t take sugar in my coffee, Hailee. I never have!"

My stomach dropped. I knew. Goddess, I knew—but in my daze, my nerves, my panic—I had done it exactly the way Frederick used to like it.

And that mistake... Nathan had noticed.

He stepped closer, fury radiating from him. "So tell , Hailee," he said, his tone filled with rage. "Whose coffee did you think you were making? Certainly not mine."

My lips parted, lies tumbling out before I could stop them. "I—I’m sorry," I stamred. "I must have... mixed it up with how I used to make it for my late husband."

The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Nathan’s face darkened. His hand twitched once, then in a violent motion, he flung the cup across the room. It smashed against the wall, shards and coffee spilling down in a sharp, ugly ss.

"Don’t," he growled, his chest heaving, "don’t you dare stand here and tell you confused with him."

I bit my trembling lip, looking away... what the hell is wrong with . Why do I keep ssing things up?

Nathan took a step closer to . "Tell , Hailee. What does he have?" he demanded, his voice loud, breaking with sothing deeper than anger. "What did your husband give you that I couldn’t? What does he have that I don’t, that you had to leave for him?"

My throat closed. I opened my mouth, closed it again. Words burned inside , but none of them were the truth.

He took a step closer, his voice lower now, rougher, filled with hurt. "Tell what really happened. Why did you leave? Why did you destroy , Hailee?" His jaw tightened as his voice dropped to a whisper. "And in that video... you said you weren’t an oga. That you had secrets. What did you an?"

I froze. Every part of scread to tell him the truth—but I couldn’t. If I did, he would cling to , and I couldn’t let that happen. My life was already broken beyond repair... he deserved soone better. Not . A shattered, wolfless woman. So I did what I’ve always done. I lied.

"I left because I couldn’t cope anymore," I whispered, forcing the words out through trembling lips. "Being in love with three n—it was too much. I couldn’t breathe in that triangle anymore. I needed to escape."

His face went pale.

I swallowed hard, looking away before I added, "And... that day. The day you and I... slept together. I also slept with Callum and Dane the sa day." My chest felt like it was splitting open as I forced the words out. "You weren’t the only one. I gave myself to them too. And that sa day."

His nostrils flared. His hands shook. His wolf raged inside him, I could see it in the tremor that passed through his body. My words had cut him, deep and raw, and part of hated myself for saying them. But I couldn’t take them back now.

"So I couldn’t satisfy you?" He spat in pain, but I gave no response. "And your oga status?" he snapped suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "What about that? You said you weren’t an oga. Was that another lie? Or another secret you’ve kept from all these years?"

My lips trembled, but I forced another lie through my teeth. "I wasn’t an oga," I said, steadying my voice. "My father is a gamma. He and my mother had... issues, that’s why we ca to the Full Moon Pack. But later, they reconciled. And I went back with her. Back to my father’s side. There... I t the man I was betrothed to. We got married."

I lifted my chin, even as sha burned alive. "That’s the truth, Nathan."

But it wasn’t. Not really. And I prayed he couldn’t see it.

For a long, crushing mont, Nathan said nothing. He just stood there, staring at , his chest heaving.

Then—against everything I thought possible—I saw it. A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye, tracing down his cheek. He wiped it away so fast, so harshly, it was as if he wanted to erase the evidence it had ever been there.

His voice ca out rough, filled with rage and sorrow.

"Clean up this ss," he said, nodding toward the shattered cup and spilled coffee. "Then get out."

He didn’t look at again. Instead, he turned, shoulders rigid, and strode toward the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind him, and I heard the rush of water.

I knelt slowly, gathering the shards with trembling hands. My chest ached, my throat tight as I swallowed back my own tears.

I was hurting him and myself at the sa ti... but I knew this was the only way. Nathan deserved to move on.

I picked up the glass and got up to my feet as I turned to dispose of the shattered glass. That’s when I saw it.

By the edge of his bed, tucked carefully on the nightstand, was a picture fra. My fingers stilled. I reached out and lifted it carefully, my breath stalling in my lungs.

It was .

Not the woman I am now. But from years ago—young, smiling, alive with hope. A ti when Nathan and I were everything to each other.

The glass was cracked, a faint line running across my face.

I blinked hard, my heart twisting painfully, when suddenly—

A hand snatched it from .

I gasped, looking up. Nathan stood there, damp from the shower, his towel clinging to his waist. His jaw was tight, his eyes bloodshot.

Without a word, he hurled the fra across the room. It smashed against the wall, glass shattering to the floor.

He turned and glared at . "The woman in that picture," he said, his eyes locked on with hate, "is dead."

I froze, every muscle in my body trembling.

He stepped closer, his presence towering, his wet hair dripping against his temples, water sliding down the muscles of his chest. His towel hung low on his hips, but all I could focus on was his eyes—red-rimd, raw with a pain he tried to bury under fury.

"You," he spat, his lip curling. "You are nothing but her lookalike. An imposter. My Hailee died ten years ago when she walked away and never ca back."

The words hit . My knees weakened, my heart collapsing in my chest.

I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that burned behind my eyes. "Nathan..." I whispered, but no other words would co.

He shook his head once, violently, his jaw clenching so tight it looked like it might shatter. Then he turned his back on , his voice dropping to a low growl.

"Get out."

I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, forcing myself toward the door. I pushed it open, staring at his turned back one last ti before slipping out and closing the door softly behind .

The mont it shut, I leaned against the wall, my knees trembling. My hands still slled of coffee. I pressed them against my face, willing the tears to stay locked inside. I couldn’t cry. Not now. Not here.

"Mom!"

I lifted my head sharply.

Oscar and Oliver were rushing down the hall toward , their small faces pale, panic etched across them. My heart skipped.

"What is it?" I asked quickly, kneeling to catch them by the shoulders. "What’s wrong?"

Oliver’s lips trembled as he whispered the words that made my blood run cold.

"It’s Ozzy," he said. "He’s missing."