Nathan's POV
Hailee was pressed against the wall of her room, looking terrified. The moment she noticed me, she didn't hesitate—she ran straight to me and jumped into my arms. Instinctively, I caught her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and clung to me, her arms tight around my neck, trembling like a leaf in a storm.
I didn't understand what was happening, but I held her close.
"What's wrong?" I asked, surprised by the tenderness in my voice. It didn't sound like me.
Her words came out fast, almost breathless. "A snake… under my bed. It moved. I swear it moved."
I frowned. My brow furrowed as I stared at her. A snake? She was a wolf—how could a snake scare her this much?
Still, her fear was real. I felt it in the way her body shook against mine.
"Hailee," I muttered, trying to lower her to the ground gently. "Let me check it out."
But she wouldn't budge. She held on tighter, shaking her head.
"No. No, don't let it bite me!"
"It won't. I won't let it," I said firmly, trying again to place her down. She refused, gripping me like I was her only shield. "Hailee…"
I let out a breath and finally gave up on reasoning. In one motion, I turned and dropped her—carefully but decisively—onto her reading table. She let out a surprised yelp, but at least she was off me now.
"Stay," I ordered, pointing my now-clawed finger at her before crouching down.
I reached under the bed, my eyes narrowing, my senses sharpening. Sure enough, I caught the flicker of movement—hissing, coiled, ready to strike.
With one quick motion, I plunged my hand forward, claws extending. The snake lunged, but I was faster.
One clean swipe.
The serpent's body twitched once, then went still, limp in my grip. I stood, holding the dead snake by its tail, and turned to Hailee.
She stared at it, wide-eyed, then at me.
I raised a brow. "Seriously? This is what had you climbing me like a tree?"
She didn't say anything—just kept shaking a little.
I threw the snake to the floor with a sigh.
"Next time," I said, "maybe you should kill it yourself."
She frowned. "You know I don't have my wolf yet," she spat back, but I could notice the bitterness in her voice.
As werewolves, some are lucky enough to get their wolves as early as their fourteenth birthday, just like me, but if you don't have your wolf at fourteen, then on your eighteenth birthday a ceremony will be held for you, and there you can get your wolf and possibly find your mate. Hailee didn't get her wolf yet, and she has to wait for her eighteenth birthday for it, so right now she was more like a human…
Our eyes interlocked for a moment, but she quickly looked away—and that was when I noticed what she was wearing.
A sheer, thin nightgown. Silk. Pale. Barely decent.
And now that she was perched on her reading table, her legs crossed tightly, I couldn't ignore the way the soft fabric clung to her skin. Her pointed nipples were visible through the material, hard either from fear or the cold… or maybe something else.
My body reacted before my brain caught up. Heat surged low in my abdomen, and I clenched my jaw, stepping back slightly. Damn it.
I tore my gaze away and ran a hand through my hair, forcing my thoughts to cool off.
She didn't notice. Or maybe she pretended not to. Her arms wrapped around herself, hugging her body, still trembling, still looking so damn fragile.
"I saw you with Callum," I muttered, my voice low, rougher than before.
"What?"
I turned to her. "On my way to the woods, I saw you and that new kid at the coffee shop… so?"
She blinked and swallowed hard, acting like she was caught.
"He… he called me and said he needed coffee," she finally said, looking away again. "I didn't think it was a big deal."
"It looked like a big deal from where I was standing," I said, my voice sharper than I meant it to be. "You laughed at something he said."
"I'm allowed to laugh, Nathan," she snapped, but her voice cracked at the end, too shaky to hold the anger. "Why are you so bothered anyway?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but stopped myself. Why was I so bothered? It wasn't like she was mine.
I looked at her again. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, but her shoulders were tense, defensive. She looked so small up there—perched on the edge of the table in that damn nightgown, still trying to hide how scared she was. Or maybe… how hurt.
"Whatever. You can do whatever you want with him. I don't care… you omegas are all the same."
She stiffened.
Her head turned toward me slowly, her eyes narrowing. "What did you just say?"
I didn't answer at first. I could feel her energy shift. The room, once filled with fear, now burned with anger.
"What do you mean 'you omegas are all the same'?" she asked, her voice sharp. "Say it."
I folded my arms, my jaw tight. "I mean you're all the same. Always trying to be seen. Attaching yourselves to anyone in power. Seeking attention, hoping you'll be noticed. By someone important. By someone royal."
Her mouth dropped open. I saw the pain flash across her face before she covered it with anger.
"You think that's who I am?" she snapped. "Some pathetic omega just begging for attention?"
She stepped past me and pointed at the door. "Get out. Now."
I didn't move.
"I said get out, Nathan!" she shouted, her voice shaking with emotion.
Something in me snapped.
In two steps, I was in front of her. I grabbed her wrist—not roughly, but enough to make her freeze—and then I pressed her back against the wall.