Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nathaniel
T humping on the stairs draws my attention, the rhythmic sound unsettling in the quiet of the house. Blake had only just texted that he had picked up pizza and was on his way to collect Holden before heading home, and Dominic never makes that much noise.
Frowning, I set aside the knife I was using to chop ingredients for a salad and step out into the dining room to find Chloe coming down the stairs.
She freezes when she spots me, pink eyes wide, her small suitcase resting by her feet. Anxiety and something else thicken the air—something that ties my stomach into knots. Guilt. She was planning to leave. Without telling us.
“Chloe?” I keep my voice soft as I walk toward her. “What’s going on?”
She swallows hard, her fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides before she exhales a shaky breath. “I’m leaving.”
The words hit harder than I expect, knocking the air from my lungs. I don’t understand. Everything in me demands an explanation, demands to fix whatever has made her think this is her only option.
I shake my head, struggling to process the words. “Leaving? What do you mean, leaving?”
Chloe straightens her spine, meeting my eyes. There’s fear there, yes, but also determination. A kind of heartbreaking resolve that I don’t like seeing on her face. “I have to go. It’s… It’s not working out.”
I take another step forward, and she tenses, ready to bolt if I come too close.
“Chloe, please. Talk to me.” My voice comes out raw, pleading, because I can already sense her slipping away, and I don’t know how to stop it. “Whatever it is, we can figure it out.”
She flinches, and for a moment, I think she might reconsider. But then she shakes her head, her bun of pink hair wobbling in that way I find so adorable when she’s not breaking my heart. “I’m sorry. You were right. It’s not the right time. My career is changing, and you guys have so much going on with the resort, and— This is for the best.”
Anger replaces my confusion, and my hands ball into fists. “For the best? How can your leaving be for the best? We need you, Chloe. The pack needs you.”
She squeezes her eyes shut, her shoulders trembling. “No, you don’t. You’ll be better off without me. There will be another Omega for you, when you’re ready.”
Never . My Alpha pushes for dominance, pushes me to take her and claim her now so she can’t leave.
Struggling for self-restraint, I step closer, careful not to spook her. “That’s not true. We need you, Chloe. You’re our bonded mate.”
The moment the words leave my lips, I know they’re not enough. Her expression crumples, but she doesn’t change her mind. She’s already convinced herself this was all a mistake.
“I’m sorry,” she says again, quieter this time. “But this is the way it has to be. Please, don’t try to stop me.”
She grips the handle of her suitcase, her fingers trembling, her entire body betraying the war she’s fighting inside. My instincts scream at me to act, to do something—anything—to make her stay. But I don’t want to force her. I don’t want to trap her the same way Louie did.
With a deep breath, I shove aside my instincts, locking them behind a wall of ice. “Fine. If this is what you want, what you think is best, then I won’t try to stop you.”
A broken sound escapes Chloe’s lips—half relief, half heartbreak. “Thank you for understanding.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t understand, Chloe. I don’t think I ever will. But I’ll respect your choice, even if I hate it.”
I watch as she picks up her suitcase and turns away. With every step she takes away from me, my lungs compress until I can’t draw in a single breath as she slips out the door, closing it behind her.
I stand frozen, staring at the space where Chloe disappeared, my mind reeling.
How could she do this to us? To me ? After all our talks about taking risks, after the kisses, the night we spent together. I thought we had something real, something unbreakable.
But now, as the silence settles around me like a suffocating shroud, doubts creep in, insidious whispers that constrict my chest. Did my initial resistance ultimately convince her she wasn’t wanted? Did I push her away with my gruff exterior? Was I too focused on the resort project, always on my phone, never fully present?
I replay every interaction, searching for clues, for moments where I could have done something differently. The way her pink eyes sparkled when I brought her flowers, the softness of her body pressed against mine… I thought it meant something. But maybe I was fooling myself into seeing what I wanted to see.
Pain digs a hole in my chest, and a roar rips from my throat, all of my precious self-restraint shattering. I grab the nearest dining chair, the smooth wood splintering under my fingers, and hurl it across the room. It explodes on the side of the stone fireplace, raining splinters onto the hearth.
My chest heaves, anger and anguish twisting inside me. I clench my fists, the ring on my finger biting into my skin, and punch the wall with a sickening crunch. Pain lances through my knuckles, but I welcome it, letting it distract me from the agony carving my heart to ribbons.
How could I let this happen? I glare at the dent in the drywall, furious with myself. I knew, I fucking knew the timing was wrong. That it was too soon to let an Omega, even one as sweet as Chloe, into our pack when things were such a mess.
But I let myself grow attached, anyway. Let myself imagine that the universe had finally thrown me a bone. That she could be mine. Worse, I let Blake convince me to listen to my damn Alpha instincts howling at me that she was the one .
I grip the edge of the dining table, the wood groaning under my hands as I struggle to rein in my temper, my despair. Chloe’s sweet scent still lingers in the air, mocking me. Reminding me of everything I lost.
Of everything I can never have again.
The thunder of footsteps rushing down the stairs brings my head up as Dominic races down, his brow furrowed and gray eyes sharp with concern. “What the hell, Nat? What’s going on?”
I suck in a ragged breath, the words like ashes on my tongue. “Chloe left.”
Dominic blinks, clearly taken aback. He glances around as if expecting to see her pop out of the kitchen, a muffin in hand. “Left? Like, for a walk? Why didn’t you go with her? We still don’t know if it’s safe for her to be out there alone.”
A harsh laugh rips from my throat. If only it were that simple.
“No, Dom. She left . The pack. Misty Pines. Everything.” I gesture toward the door, flinging droplets of blood from my split knuckles. “She’s gone .”
Dominic stares at me, shock and disbelief warring across his chiseled features. “What? Why? I thought things were good between you two. More than good, if the way the bond was humming a few days ago was anything to go by.”
I flinch at the reminder. “Yeah, well, apparently I misread the situation. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Did she…” Dominic runs a hand over his hair, gripping the braid. “Did she say why? Was it… Did she leave because of me ?”
Frustration surges through me, hot and choking. “I don’t fucking know, okay? She said she couldn’t do this and hoped we’d find a new Omega.”
I stalk over to the window, staring out at the forest that no longer feels like a home. “Leave it alone, Dom. She made her choice.”
Even as I say it, everything inside me rebels. Chloe belongs here. With the pack. With me . The primal, possessive part of my psyche roars in denial, demanding I go after her. Claim what’s mine.
But I can’t force her to love me, and I won’t beg her to change her mind.
Dominic’s jaw clenches tight, the muscles in his neck straining against the fabric of his fitted T-shirt. “We have to do something. We can’t just stand here and let her leave.”
“We can’t force her to stay,” I grit out.
“The fuck we can’t. Something’s not right, and it hasn’t been for days. We— You at least deserve a reason for this decision.” Dominic strides toward the door and pauses with his hand on the knob, looking back at me. “Nathaniel, we need to go. Now .”
I shake my head. “She wanted to leave.”
Dominic’s lip curls in a snarl. “Is that what your Alpha is telling you?”
I turn my face from him, my jaw working in frustration.
“Fuck this.” The door slams shut behind Dominic, the sound echoing through the empty room like a gunshot.
For a moment, I stand frozen, once again left behind.
Then, cursing, I rush out after my bondmate.