Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One-Chapter 30: Silent

Hailee’s POV

I wanted to knock... really, I did. But something in me said, Girl, screw it. Just see if the door’s open. So I did. My fingers curled around the doorknob, my heart pounding in my ears. When I pushed it gently, it gave way with a soft click. Open.

Cursing softly under my breath, I sucked in a deep breath and stepped inside. There he was. Nathan. Standing by the window, his broad back turned to me, hands resting on the frame as he stared out toward the bonfire—the place I was supposed to be. The place he had walked away from.

He didn’t hear me at first. But the moment he did, he swiveled around. Our eyes met. Surprise flickered across his face—real, raw surprise. Like he couldn’t believe I was standing in his room. Maybe he didn’t expect me to come after him. Maybe he thought I was too busy enjoying my night with Dane.

I swallowed hard, my hand still resting on the doorknob. Then, slowly, I shut the door behind me. But I didn’t move from it. I didn’t walk forward, and he didn’t step closer either. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

He just stood there, still as ever, but holding my gaze with this calmness that didn’t match his eyes. Because his eyes? They weren’t calm at all. They were screaming. I saw the pain in them—the disappointment, the betrayal he didn’t want to admit he felt. And gods, it hurt to see it. It hurt more than I thought it would.

I looked down for a moment, just to catch my breath, before forcing my voice out. "You disappeared."

His jaw tightened. "You noticed?"

I nodded slowly. "I did."

He let out a bitter breath, looking away for a second before turning his eyes back on me. "I just didn’t want to see it," he said quietly. "You, with him."

"Nathan..." I whispered, but the rest of my words got stuck in my throat. What was I supposed to say? That I didn’t mean to hurt him? That I did what I did so him and Callum won’t get into a fight? That I didn’t expect all of this to spiral? Because even I didn’t know what was happening anymore.

Still, I found myself taking one step forward. Just one. And he didn’t move. He let me stand there, halfway between the door and him. Then he asked, his voice low, almost breaking, "You like Dane?"

I shook my head. "No... I don’t... you don’t expect me to have feelings for someone I just met barely a few hours ago," I said. But deep down, it felt like a lie I was telling myself.

He looked at me with disbelief, then gave the smallest, bitter nod. "And Callum... do you have feelings for him?"

Now this question— I could not respond to it... I don’t know why, but I couldn’t deny it the way I did with Dane. Not because I didn’t want to... but because I didn’t know what the truth was anymore. Did I have feelings for Callum? Maybe. Probably.

Nathan gave a small, bitter laugh. Not loud. Not mocking. Just... sad. "That’s what I thought," he muttered, turning his eyes back to the window.

"I just..." I paused, searching for the words. "I don’t know what I’m doing, Nathan. Everything’s changing. I feel like I’m being pulled in a million directions and no matter what I do, someone gets hurt."

With his back turned against me, he nodded. "I understand....." he whispered.

My heart hurt as I waited for him to ask... I wanted him to ask if I had feelings for him too, but he didn’t... rather he just simply said, "Can you please leave... I bet Callum is waiting for you, and tell him I said congratulations."

I stood there. Frozen. Those words hit harder than I expected. My throat tightened. Just like that? That was it? No fight? No questions? No why?

I blinked away the sting building behind my eyes and turned without another word. I opened the door slowly and stepped into the hallway, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear the click of the door closing behind me. I walked a few steps. One. Two. Three—

Then I stopped. My fists clenched at my sides. No. This wasn’t how it was going to end. He didn’t get to push me away like that and act like he didn’t care when it was so clear he did.

My feet spun around before I could stop them, and I stormed right back to the door. I didn’t even knock this time. I pushed it open. Nathan was still standing there. But not like before. He had his back turned again... only this time, I saw his shoulders slightly hunched... his hand wiping quickly at his face. And when he turned around—our eyes met again. Red. Glassy. He’d been crying. Seeing that broke something inside me. But it also set something else on fire.

"This is it?" I snapped, walking fully into the room, my heels clicking sharply against the floor. "You’re just giving up? Just like that?" He said nothing.

"Did you even like me?" I asked, voice rising. "Or was it all just talk? All those moments, those stares... the things you said to me?" Still, nothing.

I marched right up to him, my hand trembling slightly as I pressed it to his chest—hard. "You were supposed to fight," I hissed. "You were supposed to talk. Shout. Get angry. Say something."

He looked at me, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark and unreadable. But still he was silent.

My anger spiked. "Say something!" I demanded, pushing his chest again. "Anything! Come on, say something, you dickhead!"

And then... He grabbed me. His hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me forward, and before I could breathe, before I could even think—

He kissed me. Hard. Hungry. Like it hurt not to. Like he’d been holding back for too damn long.

My breath hitched as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me impossibly closer, his mouth pressing against mine in a fiery kiss. I didn’t even think. I just reacted. My hands flew up, tangling in his hair as I kissed him back with everything I had. Every confusion, every ache, every feeling I didn’t have a name for—I poured it into that kiss.

And then... Without thinking, I jumped. My legs wrapped around his waist, arms locking around his neck, and he caught me like it was the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t stop. Nathan kept walking. One arm held me up effortlessly while the other curled around my back, holding me so close I could barely breathe. We were still kissing, still tangled, still burning like we didn’t care where we were or what came next.

He walked aimlessly through the room, not looking where he was going, his lips never leaving mine. We bumped gently into a chair, then a shelf, but neither of us cared. His breath was heavy. So was mine. My fingers dug into his shoulders. His fingers pressed into my back. I could feel every inch of him, the tension in his body, the heat in his chest.

"Nathan..." I breathed between kisses, my voice trembling.

"Hailee," he muttered against my lips, then kissed me again. Rougher. Like he was afraid I’d disappear if he stopped.

I didn’t want him to stop.

But then— Click. Creak. The door swung open. And everything shattered. We froze mid-kiss. Nathan’s arms still around me. My legs still around him. Our breathing was ragged, our faces flushed, our mouths parted by inches. And standing in the doorway was...

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