Chapter 44

Nathan’s POV

The door slamuted against the wall, but barely heard it.

I didn’t remember the walk here. I didn’t remember crossing the hallway or the blur of faces I passed. I only felt the pull – a sharp, jagged tug in my chest that told me she was hurting.

The pain. Her pain.

My eyes locked on her instantly, cutting through everything else in the room. Emily stood there, looking far too

small and far too pale. She was like a statue, frozen in the middle of the living room.

And then, I saw her hand wrapped in bandages.

Inside me, the wolf didn’t just snarl. He tore at my throat, demanding a sacrifice for every drop of her agony.

“ What happened? ” The words weren’t mine. My voice was low, a deadly rumble that made the air vibrate. And I

saw my mother take a cautious step back.

But Emily didn’t move. She didn’t even answer. Her silence only made the fire in my veins burn hotter.

I said it again, every word a threat. Slower. More dangerous.

“ Nothing, ” Emily started, her voice trembling.

“ It’s nothing, Emily. ” I cut her off. “ When that pain ripped through you, I thought I had been wounded myself. ” I aised my own palm. “ So don’t you dare tell me it’s nothing – because I felt every agonizing second of it, too. ”

I had so much more I wanted to say, but her reaction shifted. It was strange – sudden.

“ Oh, well, I’m sorry that our bond forces you to feel! ” she cried out. Tears were about to spill from her eyes, but he sharply turned her head away and hurried up the stairs to the second floor.

I stood there, frozen, trying to understand what had just happened.

“ Go after her, ” my mother whispered softly.

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I snapped out of it and ran upstairs, catching her just as she reached the door to her room. I grabbed Emily’s wrist, lifting her hand, I needed to see her. I needed to know the truth.

I pulled her bandaged hand toward my lips. She froze in shock. I was careful – I didn’t want to hurt her- but my grip was firm. I needed her attention. I needed an explanation.

I pressed a deep kiss against the side of her hand, right where the bandages began. The contact sent a powerful wave of sparks shooting up her arm and through her entire body. I could feel her tremble.

I didn’t let go. I met her eyes, holding her gaze. “ Forgive me if you misunderstood me, ” I said quietly. “ But I am truly worried about you. ”

5:28 pm

Emily, please.

“ It was just an accident in the kitchen, ” she said, her voice sounding tired.

I didn’t believe her. I had spent enough time watching her, learning her habits while she lived in this house. I knew her well enough now to know she wasn’t the type of person to make such a clumsy mistake.

I stepped closer to her. “ Are you sure? You aren’t stupid enough to – ”

“ I’m sure, ” she interrupted before I could even finish the thought.

Emily wrenched her hand away from me and disappeared into her room, slamming the door shut in my face.

I stood there, staring at the dark wood. I could hear everything. I heard her long, shaky sigh. I heard the closet loors creak open and the soft thud of her footsteps. Then, the click of the bathroom door.

A moment later, the sound of running water filled the silence.

Asher, my wolf, went wild. The image of her naked, water sliding over her skin – hit me. A jolt of pure intensity looded my veins. I had to move. I backed away from the door before my control snapped.

I could have ripped that door off its hinges with one hand. I wanted to. But ignoring Asher’s frustrated whining, I

valked to my own room. I stood under my own shower and turned the cold water on to the maximum, trying to

reeze the fire she had started in my blood.

Emily’s POV

He was too close. Again. He was always too close when it was already too late.

His hand still held mine. His grip was warm, strong, and so careful – as if I were something precious. As if I

ctually mattered to him.

And then he said it: “ You aren’t stupid enough to- ”

He still thought I was that same brainless girl, He still saw me as “ stupid. ”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw every lie and every hurt back in his face. But instead, I did something

etter. I turned around and walked away.

“ That door slam was a work of art, ” Nyx purred in my mind. “ I’d pay to see the look on his face. Maybe we should nstall a mirror in the room for more drama? ”

I let out a shaky laugh and hurried to the wardrobe for clean pajamas. Finally. I needed to wash the day. I probably smelled terrible after a full day of training.

I stepped into the bath, the warm water wrapping around me like a much – needed hug. I sank deeper until the world disappeared, letting the steam pull the tension from my muscles. I could have stayed there forever, but eventually, the water turned cool, and my fingers grew wrinkled and pruned.

5:28 pm

PPP

wrapped myself in a plush towel and stepped back into the bedroom, only to be startled by a sharp, soft sound.

I froze, listening. I looked around the room, and then it happened again. The sound was coming from my training pants. I walked over cautiously and pulled it out – the phone Owen had given me.

The screen lit up with another short sound. A notification was waiting there, and below it, text pulsed: Slide to

anlock.

I did as it said. A chat window opened. There was Owen’s face at the top, and a message: “ Hey, you’re not asleep

yet, are you? ”

I stared at the keyboard. It had been eight years since I’d held a phone, and technology had clearly left me

behind. I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the glass. Was this a mistake?

Before I could back out, the phone buzzed again.

“ I see you’re still up. You read it, ” followed by a shy, lopsided – smiling emoji.

I could almost see that exact expression on Owen’s face. A genuine warmth spread through me — a quiet, peaceful eeling that didn’t hurt as the bond did. I decided that a little conversation was exactly what Ì`needed.

Holding the device with both hands was too painful for my burn, so I had to lie down on the bed and use one

inger to slowly tap out a reply.

“ No, I’m not sleeping. ”

I held my breath, watching the screen.

Nyx was pacing in the back of my mind, restless and annoyed. She didn’t like this idea; she wanted Nathan’s wolf.

But I just wanted to talk to someone without the drama and the mood swings.

“ What took you so long to answer? ” Owen asked. I was surprised thought my typing speed was fine.

I started to type an explanation – about the hand, the pain, the awkwardness — but he was faster.

“ Not sure if we should be talking? I get it. I’ll leave you alone. ”

That was it. My frustration boiled over. His lightning – fast typing and my own helplessness were too much. I gave

ip on the words.

I opened the camera, snapped a quick selfie against my pillows, and held my bandaged hand prominently agains

my chest.

“ There. See ” I hit send with a sharp tap.

“ What happened to you?! ” He sent a row of shocked emojis.

“ He’s a regular genius, isn’t he? ” Nyx remarked sarcastically.

5:28 pm

I let out a long, tired sigh. Typing was a lost cause. I found the little microphone icon and pressed it down to

record.

“ Hi … ” I started, my voice a little shaky at first. “ Don’t panic. I’m alive. Just … slightly burned. ”

I paused, biting my lip, then added in a whisper: “ Long story. And I’m typing like a one – armed grandma right now,

so this is faster. ”

I sent it. For a heartbeat – nothing. Then his voice reply came almost instantly.

Owen: “ Define ‘ slightly burned. ‘ Because I’m already halfway out on patrol thinking I need to come back and

break something. ”

I smiled.

I pressed record again.

“ Relax, hero, ” I said, softer now. “ It’s just my hand. I grabbed something hot. Stupid, I know. ”

A pause.

“ Still attached though. So … progress. ”

Sent. The three dots appeared immediately, dancing on the screen.

Owen: “ Good.

I blinked.

Then laughed.

“ Favorite problem? ” I recorded, raising a brow at the empty room. “ Wow. Is that really how you see yourself? ”

The answer came fast. Too fast.

Owen: “ No. That’s how he sees me. He’s jealous, Emily. And a jealous Alpha is a dangerous one. ”

It was a strange, sharp feeling – half – warmth, half – fear. Before I could overthink it, another message popped up.

Owen: “ I’m on the outer patrol. Middle of nowhere. The Alpha wanted to send me on a 24 – hour patrol in the worst part of the territory – the kind of place where the air smells like rotten eggs, and the mosquitoes are big

nough to carry you away. ”

I blinked. “ 24 – hour patrol? That’s basically an exile. ”

Owen: “ Yeah, he wanted me gone. But the Beta stepped in. Now I only have to do night shifts, and on a much better piece of land. I definitely owe the Beta a drink for that mercy. ”

I huffed softly, a stray lock of hair falling over my face. I muttered into the phone. “ So where exactly are you

now? ”

5:28 pm

A few seconds passed. The silence in the house felt heavy.

Owen: “ North ridge. … you’d probably love it. It’s quiet. No rules. No people or wolves pretending to be perfect. ”

I leaned back, closing my eyes.1 could almost imagine the cool mountain air and the smell of pine needles. “ Sounds better than here, ” I recorded, my voice barely a whisper.

There was a longer pause this time. The silence stretched out between us.

Owen: “ Come visit. ”

Owen: “ Kidding. ”

Owen: “ … mostly. ”

I smiled again. A slow, real smile that actually reached my eyes.

“ Tempting, ” I whispered. “ But I think Alpha would kill both of us. ”

The reply was instant, like he had been waiting to say it.

Owen: “ He already might p>

That – that did something to me. It felt warm. Dangerous. Like standing too close to a fire you know will burn you.

Nyx, my wolf, stirred in my head. She wasn’t happy.

“ He’s trouble, ” she muttered, her voice low and cautious.

Maybe. But for the first time today, I wasn’t thinking about Nathan.

And that felt even more dangerous.

Owen: “ Listen, I just heard that I’ll have a day off in a couple of days, and I’ll be able to come into the pack

¡ ettlement. ”

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He paused …

Owen: “ Let’s meet up. We can grab a coffee or some tea. I’ll even help you hold your cup if your hand isn’t up for t. What do you say? ”

My heart skipped a beat. It was so simple, and yet … it felt so forbidden.

“ Coffee? ” Nyx muttered in my head. “ You know he’ll smell the betrayal on you. Nathan’ll burn with jealousy. ”

“ Then let him burn, ” I snapped back, my thoughts like a cold blade. “ He isn’t the only one who gets to parade around with someone else. If he can have Stella on his arm, I can have a cup of coffee with a friend. ”

I didn’t care anymore. For the first time in a long time, someone was asking to see me just because they wanted

5:28 pm

I pressed record again.

“ Coffee sounds perfect. ”

I set the phone downrand stared up at the ceiling.

“ Emily, what are you doing? Are you crazy? ” Nyx muttered in my head.

“ Nyx, I don’t know, ” I replied to her. “ But I feel alive. Just let me enjoy this, even if it’s only for a little while. ”

Next Chapter Chapter 45

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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.