Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Apologies

Hailee’s POV

He stepped in, but I didn’t lift my head from the book in front of me. There were so many things I wanted to say to him. God, I wanted to yell. To scream at him. To tell him he had no right to call me names.

But he was Nathan—the Alpha heir.

And to everyone else... I was just an omega.

"I need a book... I can’t find it," he said suddenly.

I wished I could spit in his face and tell him to go to hell. But instead, I stood slowly and walked to the shelves, my back turned to him.

"What’s the name?" I asked, already running my fingers over the spines of the books.

There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"... How to apologize to a lady?"

My hands froze.

I turned around slowly, unsure if I’d heard right—but before I could say a word, his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against him.

I gasped.

"Nathan—" I tried to push him off, but his grip tightened.

"Just... wait," he muttered, almost like he was struggling to breathe. His jaw clenched, and for the first time, he looked unsure of himself. "This... this is hard for me, alright?"

I stilled, my heart racing.

"I’m not good at this," he muttered. "Apologizing. Especially not to girls."

His voice dropped lower. "I didn’t mean what I said. I don’t see you as a loose girl. It’s just that... Damn it—" he swore under his breath and suddenly let go, stepping back and dragging his hands through his hair in frustration.

I held his gaze and something in me wanted to soften. To believe him.

But then Clara’s words echoed in my head—he only kissed you because of a bet.

And just like that, my heart turned to stone again.

"Keep your apologies to yourself... I don’t need it," I spat, turning back to the desk without waiting for his response.

I dropped into my seat and stared at the book in front of me, pretending to read. But the words blurred. My fingers trembled slightly as I held the pages down.

He was still there.

I could feel his presence, his eyes locked on me.

I waited for him to say something else. To push. To bark an order like he always did.

But instead... he turned around and left.

The door clicked softly behind him.

I exhaled, slowly sinking back into the chair. My shoulders sagged. What was that?

Since when did Nathan, the proud, sharp-tongued Alpha heir, start apologizing?

And more importantly... why?

Why did he look so frustrated? So torn? What changed?

This was the same Nathan who once made me feel like dirt beneath his feet. The one who wouldn’t even breathe in my direction unless it was to insult me.

And now... this?

A soft buzz pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced down at my phone. A message.

Callum.

Hey. You okay?

My brows lifted.

Callum? Asking if I was okay?

Since when did any Alpha heir ask me that... when did they start becoming nice?

A small, almost invisible smile touched my lips as I typed back:

Yes. I’m fine.

His reply came seconds later.

Good. I’ll come pick you up after your closing time. You don’t get to say no.

I blinked at the screen.

I didn’t even know what to reply to that. Before I could decide, the library door creaked open again. I looked up—expecting maybe one member of the royal family.

But instead, a guard stepped in... holding a large bouquet of red roses in his arms.

"For you," he said, walking over and placing it gently on the table in front of me.

My mouth fell open slightly. "M-Me?"

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