Nathan’s POV
"Father, what the hell did you say to Hailee?" I asked, not caring that my voice was slightly raised at him.
His brows lifted slightly, probably surprised by my tone.
"I beg your pardon?" he said calmly, but there was a warning edge to his voice.
"I said," I stepped closer, my jaw clenched, "What did you say to her?"
He didn’t answer right away. He just studied for a mont—too long—and I could feel my blood boiling beneath my skin.
"She was fine just monts ago," I snapped. "You scared her. What did you say?"
He exhaled slowly and exchanged glances with Mother, who seed confused with what was going on, before facing directly now.
"I didn’t scare her," he said, his voice level. "I had a conversation with her. That’s all."
"A conversation?" I echoed bitterly. "She looked like she was warned... threatened. You don’t call that scared?"
"I told her the truth," he replied simply. "The truth about how important this phase of your life is. About how crucial it is that you remain focused. Grounded. That emotions—relationships—can be distractions when not handled properly."
I laughed bitterly. "So you warned her off, basically."
"I asked her to be honest—with herself and with you. And from the look on your face, I’m guessing she was."
I clenched my jaw. "You had no right."
"I have every right," he said, firr now. "I am your father. The Alpha of this pack. And you are my heir. Everything you do now shapes what’s coming. And if you let yourself be ruled by feelings that aren’t returned—"
"They are returned," I cut in. "You think I’d be this angry if they weren’t? You think I’d be this hurt if she didn’t care?"
He didn’t respond.
He didn’t have to.
I could see it in his eyes—the doubt. He doubted Hailee loved , but I didn’t care.
"I love her," I said quietly, my voice cracking. "And you just went and made her feel like she wasn’t good enough. Like she was a problem."
"That was never my intent."
"Intent or not," I shot back, "you did."
He held my gaze, not bothered by my outburst.
"Hailee may like you as you think, but her heart is torn... she is indecisive, and I can’t let you be in such a situation."
I stared at him, my heart pounding, anger and frustration bubbling inside .
"What is going on here?" my mother asked, still clearly confused. She stepped forward, glancing between the two of us, clearly unsettled by the rising emotion in the room. "Both of you calm down and explain to ."
I didn’t even look at her. My eyes were still locked on my father’s.
"Please," I said, my voice low but sharp, "tell your husband to stay out of my love life."
"Excuse ?" she blinked, stunned.
But I didn’t wait for a response.
I turned around, my jaw clenched, my chest tight, and stord out of the room before either of them could stop .
I needed air.
I needed space.
I needed to not explode.
Because if I stayed one second longer, I’d say sothing I could never take back. And gods knew... we already had enough damage between us.
Back in my room, I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm down. But all I could think about was Hailee—her face when I found her, the way she looked so scared and troubled after talking to my father.
He did that.
And I hated him for it.
"You really like this girl?" my wolf suddenly asked.
I didn’t respond right away.
"Nathan," he said again, firr this ti. "Answer . Do you really like her?"
"I do," I whispered. "More than I’ve liked anyone before."
There was a pause.
Then his voice ca again, quieter now. "I like her too."
I blinked.
That... surprised .
"She’s strong. She’s honest. She makes us feel... grounded," he added. "But..."
I closed my eyes. "But she’s not our mate."
"No," he said. "She’s not. If she were... we’d know it. We’d have felt the bond from the beginning."
I sat up slowly, staring at the wall now, my chest tight.
"What happens if our mate cos along?" I asked, scared. "What then?"
"I don’t know," he admitted. "But you and I both feel it—we’re getting attached to soone who might not be ant for us."
I didn’t answer.
Because the truth was...
I was falling for soone I couldn’t even promise forever to.
And if fate had soone else planned for ?
What the hell was I going to do with all this love I already had for Hailee?
What would she do?
What if she was already falling for soone else, too?
Callum.
Dane.
I shut my eyes again, the ache in my chest deepening.
I didn’t know what was worse: Loving soone who might not be mine... Or knowing they might belong to soone else.
I sucked a deep breath and decided not to think much about it before I go insane.
But all through the night I stayed stuck in my thoughts until I drifted to sleep in that sa position.
I woke up to the sound of a knock on my door.
Fluttering my eyes open, I realized it was morning already.
The knock ca again, firr this ti.
I groaned quietly, rubbing my eyes as I slowly sat up. The morning sunlight stread through the curtains.
Dragging myself out of bed, I walked over and opened the door.
Dane stood there.
He looked a little too awake for this early, his arms crossed over his chest, expression unreadable—but not as smug as usual. Just... composed.
"I waited for you to co back last night," he said. "You didn’t."
I stepped aside without a word and let him in. He walked in slowly, eyes glancing around the room before turning back to .
"We didn’t finish our conversation," he added, "and I’d like to."
I leaned back against the wall, arms folded across my chest, trying to brace myself. "Alright," I said. "What do you want to say?"
He exhaled slowly. His gaze dropped for a second, and for a brief mont... I thought he was going to apologize.
Maybe admit it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe even back off.
But then he looked up again. "I like her."
I didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. But inside, anger rose.
"I like Hailee," he said again, clearer this ti. "And I want to pursue her."
Reviews
All reviews (0)