Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One-Chapter 33: The Decision

Nathan’s POV

Just like Hailee had wanted, I made my way back to the festival. The place was jam-packed with people, not just from our pack but from the neighboring pack. The celebration was in full swing, but my mind wasn’t in it. I was worried, anxious about what Father and Hailee might be discussing. I wished we were both called to talk. I was scared that he might scare her.

"Damn it. He better not make things harder for me," I muttered to myself.

"And who’s about to make things hard for my favorite cousin?" I heard the amused voice of Dane. For a moment, I had forgotten about him.

I turned and looked him straight in the face. He had that annoying smirk that always got on my nerves.

"I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I want you to stay away from Hailee," I demanded, my voice sharp with possessiveness.

Dane let out a scoff, clearly unbothered by my outburst. "Well, this is new... I’ve never seen you like this, Nat."

"That’s because I’m in love with her!" I snapped, the words leaving my mouth without a second thought.

I noticed Dane’s brow furrow in surprise, but my attention drifted away the second I spotted Hailee heading our way. "We’ll finish this later," I muttered and moved past him, heading straight for her.

As I approached, I sensed something was different. Something about her felt off, like the air around her had shifted. And when our eyes met, I saw it—pain, plain and raw.

My heart sank as I wondered what my father must have said to her. God, it better not be what I was thinking. She reached me just as I stepped out from the crowd, her eyes clinging to mine like she’d been looking for me too.

Her steps were slow... careful.

And that pain I’d seen?

It was still there—hiding behind her calm expression, but I knew her well enough to see right through it.

She stopped in front of me and drew in a shaky breath. "Can we talk?"

Just those three words. But the weight behind them was heavy. Heavier than anything I’d felt all night.

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, of course."

Without saying more, I gently reached for her hand—not holding it, just guiding her as we moved away from the noise, the lights, the music, and most importantly... the eyes.

Because there were so many.

Watching. Whispering. Wondering.

And I didn’t care.

We made our way toward the edge of the clearing, behind one of the stone arches near the gardens. A quieter spot where everything, and the sounds of the festival, faded into a distant hum.

I turned to face her fully.

"You okay?" I asked, my voice low, gentle.

She hesitated for a second, then gave me a soft, sad smile.

"I need to tell you something," she said.

My stomach clenched.

The way she was looking at me... it wasn’t how I wanted her to look at me.

It wasn’t warmth... or desire.

It was like she was about to rip something out of her chest and hand it to me... broken.

I stepped a little closer. "What did he say to you?" I asked carefully. "Was it my dad? Did he... did he threaten you or something?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. He didn’t threaten me. He was actually... kind. In his own way."

I blinked, confused. "Then what—"

"It’s not about what he said, Nathan. It’s about what I need to say."

She drew in a long breath and looked away for a moment, like the words she needed were hiding somewhere in the dark.

Then she looked back—really looked.

And gods, it hurt.

Because I already knew.

Somewhere deep in my gut, I already knew.

Still, I stood there, waiting. Hoping I was wrong.

"I want to be honest with you," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I said the same thing to Callum just now."

My heart stopped. Callum?

Her eyes searched mine, and I could see the guilt swimming in them.

"I’m confused, Nathan," she went on. "Everything’s moving so fast. You. Callum... It’s like suddenly everyone’s looking at me, and I don’t know what to do with that."

I swallowed hard, my panic rising.

"I like you," she said quickly. "I do. And I like Callum too. Maybe not in the same way. Maybe I don’t even know what I feel yet, but... I want to get to know both of you better before making any decisions." freēnovelkiss.com

I stared at her, the words hitting me hard like a punch.

"So, what are you saying?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"I’m saying..." she hesitated, then said it anyway, "Let’s just be friends. For now."

Friends.

The word hit like a slap.

"And you said the same thing to Callum?" I asked stiffly.

She nodded. "Yes."

A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. "Great."

"Nathan—"

"No," I cut in, taking a step back. "You have no idea what you’re doing to me."

Her eyes widened. "Nathan—"

"I love you, Hailee," I said, my voice rising. "Do you even understand that? I have never felt this way about anyone before. And you’re here telling me you want to just ’get to know’ us better, like this is some game?"

Tears welled in her eyes, and I forced myself to breathe.

"I’m sorry..." I apologized immediately.

She nodded and sucked in a deep breath before she went on. "This is what’s best, Nathan... for everyone. I’m confused right now, and I just hope you can understand that," she said gently, her voice barely holding together.

There were so many things I wanted to say—so many ways I wanted to beg her, show her how real this was—but the look in Hailee’s eyes told me she’d already made up her mind. There was no going back.

"Alright... if that’s what you want," I said, turned and walked away. I couldn’t stay another second because if I did, I might break down—and I wasn’t going to break down in front of her.

I didn’t go back to the festival. Instead, I stormed straight to the mansion. I needed answers from my father.

Pushing through the living room doors, I found Father and Mother on their way out and blocked their path, my furious gaze locked on him.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is fre(e)novelkiss