Nathan's POV
"You're not eating?" Father muttered, his voice low as he noticed me just pushing food around on my plate.
He frowned. "Is it because I scolded you for fighting with Callum? Is that why you're upset?"
I shook my head. "It's not that," I mumbled.
Because it really wasn't.
It wasn't his shouting that bothered me. I'd heard worse from him before. What was actually driving me crazy… was the thought of her.
That stupid, reckless girl.
I didn't know if she was okay. I didn't even know why I cared. She got hurt trying to stop me and Callum. She stepped right between us like an idiot—and paid the price for it.
Constantly, I kept seeing her face. The way she dropped to the ground. The way her body went limp.
I hated that image.
I hated her.
No—I hated how she made me feel.
Unlike every other omega girl in the pack, she didn't throw herself at me. She didn't giggle or try to impress me. She didn't care that I was an Alpha heir. She didn't even look at me the way others did.
And somehow… that got under my skin.
Ever since she and her mother came to this pack, I'd known there was something strange about her. Something I couldn't explain. It made me uncomfortable. It made me angry.
So I did the only thing I knew—I bullied her.
I pushed her buttons, mocked her, made her life miserable. I told myself it was because she was annoying… weak… nothing.
But today, when I saw her fall—
A knot formed in my chest, and I stabbed the fork into my food harder than I meant to.
"Nathan?" Father asked again, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, forcing a bite into my mouth.
He didn't believe me. I could tell.
Clara, my sister, chimed in, "You did a terrible job, brother. You and Callum should've ended that bitch's life."
I glared at her, my frown deepening.
"What are you saying, Clara? Shut up!" Mother cautioned, while Clara huffed and continued eating.
Mother turned to me. "You should get Hailee an apology gift, okay?" she suggested, but I didn't respond. There was no way I was getting her anything.
"So stubborn," my wolf huffed, and I rolled my eyes at him.
Dinner continued in silence, but I barely ate. After dinner, I went to my room, slumped on the bed with my arms folded behind my head as I used them as a pillow.
My thoughts went to what my mother had said. Hailee would be coming to the pack house tomorrow morning. She works a part-time job here as the library keeper.
"So are you going to get her the apology gift? To say you are sorry at least?" my wolf asked.
"No!" I said without hesitation. "I won't," I added in a tone of finality before shutting my eyes, wanting sleep to take me, but her annoying face kept flashing in my mind.
"Damn it!" I growled and tossed around the bed, punching my pillow in frustration. No matter what I did, her annoying, pretty face kept flashing in my mind.
She'd been brave enough to throw herself between two half-shifted Alpha heirs. No omega would dare do that. No one. It was stupid—but it was also kind of… gutsy.
I let out a long breath and sat up, rubbing my face.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself.
"You like her," my wolf teased, his tone smug and irritating.
"I do not like her," I hissed back in my mind.
"You're obsessed then?" he chuckled.
"Shut up."
"Then why can't you stop thinking about her?"
I groaned loudly and stood up, pacing the room. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think straight.
That girl was driving me insane—and she didn't even have to do anything.
"I need to take a run," I grunted and stepped out of my room.
Leaving the pack house, it was already night, perhaps 8 p.m. I told the guards I was going for a run in case anyone looked for me.
On my way, I passed a small coffee shop. The lights inside were bright. I simply glanced through the window and what I saw forced me to take a halt.
Inside, I saw Callum and Hailee standing together at the counter. They were talking to the person behind the counter. Callum pointed at something on the menu, and Hailee looked up at him, smiling a little.
My chest felt tight. I didn't like what I was seeing.
Why were they together?
Why was she smiling at him?
And why was Callum still in my pack? This was the weekend, he was supposed to go back to his pack and come back on Monday for school. Why the hell was he still in the pack and with Hailee?
I growled, wanting to storm into the coffee shop, but on what grounds? Why was I storming in? Hailee was nothing to me… in fact, the whole pack knew that I hated her, so why do I care if she is with Callum?
Grunting angrily, I looked away quickly and kept walking, my hands curling into fists. I was angry, and I didn't even know why.
I walked as fast as my legs could carry me, so I wouldn't turn around and go back.
Reaching the dark woods, I yanked off my shirt, dropped my pants, and shifted into my wolf. The change was swift. My paws hit the cold ground, and I took off running.
Branches blurred past me. The wind pushed against my fur. I ran harder, trying to clear my mind, but it didn't work.
All I could see was Hailee.
Standing too close to Callum.
Smiling at him.
That idiot was supposed to be back in his own pack. Why the hell was he still here? Why was he with her?
And Hailee… why was she smiling like that?
Did she like him?
I growled and pushed myself faster, my claws digging into the dirt. My breath came out in angry puffs, fogging up the cool night air. It didn't matter how far I ran—my mind was still stuck on them.
Callum was a chronic womanizer. I knew it. What if he tried something? What if she let him?
That thought made me stop running.
I stood there in the middle of the woods, panting heavily. My heart thudded in my chest, not just from the run—but from something else.
I hated this. I hated worrying about her.
I turned around and ran back to where I left my clothes. I shifted back into my human form, quickly pulling on my pants and shirt, my hands shaking slightly.
Then I did something stupid.
I headed straight for Hailee's house.
I told myself it was just to check. Just to make sure she was home and not out with Callum. That was it. I wasn't going to talk to her. I wasn't going to do anything.
I just needed to know.
Because if Callum… if he touched her…
My jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
She wasn't anything to me.
But the thought of him with her made something in me snap.
"Just a quick look," I muttered as I approached her home, a one-story building near the edge of the pack grounds.
Reaching her home, I went to the backyard and realized her room lights were still on. I frowned and took a deep breath, sniffing the air, wanting to know if she was at home—and then I got a whiff of her smell. Honey mixed with nutmeg. Fuck! She smells so good for an omega.
I sighed. Realizing she was home and no longer out with Callum, I turned around to leave, but suddenly, I heard a loud scream from her room upstairs.
My heart jolted at the sound of her scream.
Without thinking, I crouched low and leapt up, my hands gripping the ledge of her window as I hauled myself up with ease. I landed on the balcony silently, my breath ragged.
I didn't hesitate. I pushed the curtains open and jumped into her room, my eyes scanning around the room—and what I saw made my blood run cold.