Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One - Chapter 250

Chapter 250: What If
Hailee’s POV

I took a deep breath before walking back into the dining hall. The smell of delicious meals and fresh bread filled the air, but I couldn’t taste a thing. My thoughts were still tangled around Nathan’s father’s words.

He rejected them all because of you.

Nathan sat at the end of the long table, propped up in his chair with pillows, his mother fussing gently beside him. Oscar sat near him, talking fast, his small hands moving in excitement as he described the fountain in the garden. Then Nathan looked up and saw me. The smile that spread across his face was small but real, like sunlight breaking through clouds.

“You’re here,” he said quietly, relief in his voice.

I forced a smile and nodded, moving closer. “You didn’t think I’d miss lunch, did you?”

His mother smiled too, patting the seat beside her. “Sit, dear. You must be tired from the trip.”

“Thank you,” I said, sitting down. I could feel Nathan’s father’s eyes on me from the far end of the table, but I didn’t look at him. Not yet.

Oscar was talking about how big the garden was, how the maid had shown him the swing under the pear tree, and how the guards had saluted him when he passed. Nathan chuckled softly, the sound warm despite his exhaustion.

“I told you,” he said to Oscar, “this place is full of secrets if you look hard enough.”

Oscar grinned. “You used to hide from Grandma there, didn’t you?”

Nathan laughed quietly. “Maybe.”

The lightness in his voice made my chest ache in a good way. Seeing him smile—truly smile—after everything he’d been through, it felt like breathing again after being underwater too long.

I tried to eat, but my stomach was tight. Nathan’s father didn’t speak much during the meal, only asked about Oscar’s school, and nodded as Nathan’s mother talked about the birthday guests arriving tomorrow. But I could feel his gaze flicker to me now and then, quiet and assessing, like he was still weighing his thoughts.

When lunch ended, Oscar ran ahead with his grandmother, and Nathan’s mother followed, calling after him with soft laughter. That left Nathan and me alone for a moment.

He leaned back slowly, watching me. “What did he say to you?”

I froze. “Who?”

He raised a brow. “My father. He doesn’t usually ask people for private talks unless it’s important—or uncomfortable.”

I hesitated. “It wasn’t anything serious.”

He gave me that look—the one that said he knew I was lying. “Hailee.”

I sighed, my hands twisting in my lap. “He just… showed me things. Told me about the proposals you’ve turned down. The women you could’ve married.” I paused, meeting his gaze. “He said you refused them because of me.”

Nathan’s lips parted slightly, but he didn’t speak. He only looked at me.

“Is it true?” I asked softly.

He nodded once. “Every word.”

My throat tightened. “Why?”

“Because,” he said quietly, his voice rough, “I already found what I wanted. What would I do with anyone else?”

The honesty in his tone shook something inside me. “Nathan…”

He smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “He wants to protect me, Hailee. That’s what my father does. But he doesn’t understand that you were never the problem. You were the only thing that ever made sense.”

I didn’t know what to say. My heart was pounding too hard, my hands trembling on the edge of the table.

He noticed. “You’re shaking,” he said, his voice gentler now.

“I just…” I swallowed hard. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“You won’t,” he said simply. “You being here already healed more than you think.”

He reached across the table, his fingers brushing the back of my hand. The touch was soft, careful, but it sent warmth straight up my arm. “You don’t have to promise anything,” he said. “Just stay for these three days. Let me have that.”

I looked at our joined hands. My voice came out low, barely above a whisper. “I can do that.”

He smiled—really smiled this time. “Good. That’s all I need.”

I stood to help him up, but he caught my wrist, his thumb brushing gently over my pulse. “Hailee,” he murmured, “I’m not asking for your heart right now. Just your time.”

For a moment, the world stilled. The faint light from the window painted soft gold across his face, and I couldn’t help but think how easy it would be to fall all over again.

Then, faint laughter echoed from the garden—Oscar’s laughter—and it brought me back. I smiled weakly. “Rest, Nathan. You promised me that earlier.”

He let go of my wrist slowly, eyes soft but knowing. “I’ll rest if you share my bed with me,” he said, half-teasing.

I tried not to smile. “You never change.”

“Good,” he said with a lazy grin. “Then you know what to expect.”

I turned to leave before my heart gave itself away completely. But as I reached the door, his voice stopped me again.

“Hailee,” he called.

I looked back.

“Don’t let what my father said scare you,” he said. “He doesn’t understand that sometimes, love isn’t a choice.”

For a long moment, I just stood there, watching him—his tired smile, his bandaged chest, his eyes that still held that same dangerous tenderness.

And I realized… I was still madly and hopelessly in love with this man.

I went back to my room after leaving Nathan’s side. The moment the door closed behind me, the air felt too still. I slipped off my shoes, sat on the bed, and stared at the wall for a long while. My chest still felt heavy, full of words I hadn’t said.

I needed to clear my head. So, I drew a warm bath. The water steamed softly, curling around me like mist. I sank into it, closed my eyes, and let out a slow breath. But even as I tried to relax, all I could see was him—his tired smile, the way his hand had lingered on my wrist.

When I got out, I changed into a dress, brushed my hair, and went to find Oscar. He was in the kitchen with Nathan’s mother. They were baking something together, flour on their fingers and smiles on their faces.

I smiled at the sight. He looked happy—and safe. I didn’t want to interrupt that. So I quietly turned back down the hall.

I told myself I would go back to my room and rest, but instead, my feet took me in another direction. Before I knew it, I was standing outside Nathan’s door again. The sun had already begun to fall, painting the sky with streaks of orange and soft gold. My heart thudded in my chest.

I knocked lightly.

“Come in,” his voice called, low and tired.

I stepped inside. He was seated on the bed, papers spread out before him, a faint crease between his brows.

I frowned. “You’re supposed to be resting,” I said, walking closer.

He didn’t look up right away. “I am,” he said lightly, though the stack of reports in front of him said otherwise.

“You call this resting?” I crossed my arms.

He finally looked up at me, that familiar half-smile tugging at his lips. “You’re right. Maybe I’d rest better if you were here to make me.”

I rolled my eyes, though my heartbeat betrayed me. “Nathan, you’re impossible.”

He leaned back, the humor fading to something softer. “Then make the impossible happen. Just lie with me. I’ll rest, I promise.”

I hesitated. “Nathan—”

“Please,” he said quietly. “Just stay for a while. No arguments. No questions. Just… stay.”

I wanted to pretend I didn’t want to, but the truth was, I did. I wanted to feel his warmth, his steadiness, the peace that always seemed to find me only when he was near. So I nodded, slow and shy, and walked over.

I lay beside him carefully, choosing the side that wasn’t injured. His arm came around me gently, pulling me close. The sound of his heartbeat filled my ear—steady, strong, real.

He inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling against me. “You smell the same,” he murmured, voice low and almost sleepy. “Every time you’re near, my wolf goes quiet. He never does that for anyone else.”

I smiled faintly. “Maybe he’s just tired.”

He chuckled softly, the vibration running through me. “No. He’s calm. Because he knows you’re safe. Because you’re here.”

For a moment, we didn’t speak. His thumb brushed gently against my arm.

“Do you ever think about it?” he asked suddenly.

“About what?”

He turned his head toward me, his gaze tracing my face. “How life might’ve been if I’d asked you to be mine earlier.”

I looked down at his bandaged chest, my heart squeezing. “Maybe we would’ve been happy,” I said. “Maybe not. Life doesn’t usually wait for us to figure things out.”

He smiled sadly. “Still, I wonder. Maybe we would’ve been a family—you, me, and Oscar. Maybe everything would’ve been easier.”

I reached up and brushed a stray hair from his forehead. “Maybe,” I whispered. “But we can’t change what’s already done.”

He nodded slightly, his eyes softening. “No. But we can still decide what comes next.”

Before I could answer, he leaned in—slowly, almost cautiously—and kissed me.

This kiss wasn’t hurried. It wasn’t desperate. It was deep and quiet, full of everything we hadn’t said in years. His lips were warm, gentle at first, but there was something under it—something that ached.

When he pulled back, his breathing was uneven. “Hailee,” he whispered, his voice rough, “if I don’t stop, I might lose control.”

My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. I met his gaze, my eyes wide, trembling slightly. “And what if…” I swallowed, my voice barely a whisper. “What if I want you to lose control?”