Desired By Three Alphas Fated To One (Hailee) novel Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Her Wolf

Hailee’s POV

The whole house felt heavy.

Silent. Cold. Drowning in grief.

We were all gathered in the living room, the air thick with pain. My sons sat beside me—one on my left, one on my right, Oscar standing close in front of me as if he needed to guard me. They didn’t talk. They didn’t move much. Their presence just comforting me.

Peter stood near the entrance, speaking to elders and pack members who came to pay condolences. He kept his posture straight, his face calm, but I could see the truth in his eyes. My brother was breaking on the inside.

Mother sat on another couch, shaking with sobs. Two older women from the pack rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, whispering quiet prayers and words of strength. But nothing seemed to help. She kept crying, clutching the cloth on her lap like she was holding on to the last piece of her heart.

I just sat there.

Drained.

Empty.

My chest felt too tight. My hands felt too cold. My head still thundered with the image of Father’s last breath... the way his eyes drifted... the way his hand slipped from mine.

It didn’t feel real. It didn’t feel possible. My father—so strong, so strict, so unshakeable—was now gone. Just gone.

Ozzy tugged softly on my sleeve.

"Mom... are you okay?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

I forced a weak smile even though the corners of my mouth felt too heavy to lift.

"Yes, sweetheart. I’m okay."

I wasn’t okay. But my boys didn’t deserve more fear right now. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Oliver leaned against me, quiet but watching me like he could sense everything I was hiding.

I stroked their hair gently. "Stay here with Grandma for a bit, alright? I’m going to rest."

Oscar stepped forward. "Mom... should I come with you?"

His voice was full of worry.

I shook my head. "Stay with your brothers. I’ll be back soon."

Oscar hesitated, then nodded.

I stood up slowly, my body feeling heavier than it should, and quietly walked up the stairs toward my room. Every step felt like walking through thick, heavy fog.

When I entered my room, I closed the door and leaned against it, breathing shakily.

Everything had happened too fast. Father returning my wolf. My wolf waking up. My father... dying right after.

I walked to the mirror and stared at my reflection.

My eyes were swollen from crying. My hair was messy, falling around my face. My skin looked pale—almost sick. I barely recognized myself.

"Hi..." I whispered softly to the empty room.

But a warm voice answered inside my mind.

"Hi, Hailee."

I gasped a little, putting a hand to my mouth.

"My wolf..." I whispered.

"Yes," she replied gently. "I am here."

A tear rolled down my cheek. After so many years... after believing she was gone forever... she was here.

"Give me a name," she said warmly.

I closed my eyes, thinking.

Then I whispered, "Aria."

"Aria," she repeated. "Perfect."

A small smile tugged at my lips despite everything.

"Do you want to see how I look?" she asked.

"Yes," I breathed. "Please."

Her voice was playful. "Then undress."

I swallowed but obeyed, removing my clothes slowly until my skin met the cool air of the room.

"Now relax... and let me guide you."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Heat spread through my body—starting from my chest, rushing down my spine, cracking through my bones. My body bent forward, joints stretching, muscles shifting. Not a painful shift, but not easy either.

Then—

My wolf pushed forward.

When I opened my eyes, the mirror showed me something I never expected.

A huge red wolf stood in my place.

Gigantic. Powerful. Majestic.

Not soft or small like many she-wolves. Not gentle-looking. But strong. Large. Like an Alpha wolf.

Her fur was bright crimson. Her eyes glowed gold. Her presence filled the room like fire.

"Oh my God..." I whispered in shock.

Aria chuckled softly in my head. "Yes. I’m special."

She stepped closer to the mirror, admiring herself.

"And so are you."

I felt her pride, her strength, her warmth.

"Soon," she added, "your abilities will return. Maybe even stronger this time."

Abilities... the ones Father took from me.

My heart tightened with hope and fear.

After a moment, Aria’s voice softened.

"Hailee... we still have one more truth to talk about."

I tilted my wolf head slightly in the mirror. "What truth?"

"We will find our mate soon."

My entire body froze.

Mate.

The word stabbed straight through my chest.

"No..." I whispered in fear.

Aria sounded confused. "Why no?"

Because... because if I found my mate... if fate brought someone else to me...

"What happens to Nathan?" I whispered.

Silence.

Then a warm hum.

"You love him," Aria said softly.

It wasn’t a question. It was a fact.

"I know you do. Ever since my return, your mind has been filled with him. His scent. His touch. His voice."

I dressed quickly, smoothing my hair back. My eyes were still red from crying, but I didn’t bother fixing that. There was no point pretending I wasn’t broken.

When I opened the door, the house felt even heavier than before. Grief truly had a way of filling every corner.

I walked downstairs slowly, my fingers trailing along the wooden railing. As soon as I reached the bottom step, I saw him.

Alpha Dane.

Tall, calm, dressed in dark clothes out of respect, speaking quietly to Peter. Ozzy stood beside him—so close he was almost touching him. Ozzy’s eyes were wide and full of emotion. It was clear... painfully clear... that he missed Dane.

Dane noticed me first.

His eyes softened.

"Hailee."

I swallowed, forcing a steady breath. "Hi, Dane."

Ozzy looked between us and frowned slightly when Dane stepped away. His little face almost looking betrayed.

My heart twisted.

I bent over to him. "Sweetheart, I’ll be back soon, okay?"

He nodded, though he didn’t look happy about it.

I turned to Dane. "Let’s talk... outside."

He nodded once and followed me as I walked through the back doors into the garden.

The cool air hit my face gently. Flowers swayed in the light breeze, and the scent of wet earth calmed my shaking heart.

We stopped near the stone bench.

Dane was quiet for a while—too quiet. His eyes studied my face, reading the grief clinging to me like a shadow.

"I heard," he said finally.

I knew exactly what he meant.

"That my father passed?" I asked softly.

He nodded.

"My condolences, Hailee. He was a strict man, but a great leader."

"Thank you," I whispered.

Silence stretched between us for a moment. The kind of silence filled with heavy truths neither of us fully knew how to speak.

Then Dane exhaled deeply.

"That’s not the only thing I heard."

My heartbeat stumbled.

He was talking about the other thing.

The thing everyone was whispering about.

He held my gaze, not harshly, but firmly.

"It’s true... isn’t it?" he said quietly.

"You’re pregnant... for Callum."

I wrapped my arms over my stomach without meaning to.

A protective instinct.

A mother’s instinct.

"Yes," I said slowly. "It’s true."

Dane’s eyes darkened—not with anger, but with something close to hurt. Or maybe disappointment.