Desired By Three Alphas Fated To One (Hailee) novel Chapter 271

Nathan's POV

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the packhouse was the silence.

A mourning silence.

The guards at the gate bowed their heads in respect. The air was thick with the heavy scent of grief, candles, and unfamiliar wolves who came to offer condolences.

Her father was gone.

I knew that already. She had called earlier. And even though I wanted to come the moment I heard it, things at my own pack had exploded—rogues near the border, council pressure, warriors to organize. I had to put out fires before I could leave.

But now I was here.

Finally.

I walked past the main house and stopped a few steps away, pulling my phone from my pocket. I didn't want to just walk in. I wanted to hear her voice first and then prank her.

I dialed her number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then her soft voice came through. "Hi…"

My chest loosened just from that single word.

"Hailee…" I breathed, my voice low. "How are you doing?"

She was quiet for a second.

Then, softly, "I'm… getting better."

Liar, I thought gently. But I understood. She was trying to be strong. She always did.

"Good," I said. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your place again. Something came up—"

I was about to lie more, but then—

Something hit me.

Not physically.

Scent.

A scent so strong, so deep, it slammed into my senses like a tidal wave made of warmth and lightning.

I stopped walking.

My breath froze in my lungs.

What… is that?

It wasn't just any smell. It was rich, warm, wild, and dangerously sweet. Like nutmeg and honey, mixed with fresh rain and a hint of wild forest after a storm. It wrapped around my mind, around my chest, and around every part of me.

My wolf inside me jerked violently.

He went from calm to feral in one heartbeat.

He sniffed the air through me, claws scratching at the inside of my chest like he was trying to escape.

And then he howled.

MATE.

The word shook through my whole body.

I staggered forward slightly, grabbing the nearest tree trunk for balance. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

Mate?

No. No, that couldn't be.

My heart pounded so hard I felt it in my throat. The phone was still pressed to my ear, but I couldn't hear anything. I didn't even know if Hailee was still talking.

All I could hear was my wolf.

MATE. MATE. MATE.

The scent grew stronger.

Closer.

It was pulling me… dragging me… somewhere to the side of the house. My feet moved on their own, following the smell like a man possessed.

I walked past the side entrance… around the corner of the building… toward the garden.

The garden.

My chest squeezed.

She loves gardens.

My wolf growled loud in my head.

FASTER.

I moved quicker, my boots crunching softly on the gravel. The closer I got, the thicker the scent became. It wrapped around me like warm hands. It made my whole body hum, my skin tingle, and my heart race.

I turned one more corner and stepped into the garden path.

And stopped dead.

She was there.

Hailee.

Standing a few steps ahead of me, her back turned, phone still pressed to her ear, her shoulders stiff. The wind blew softly, carrying her scent fully toward me.

Nutmeg. Honey. Rain. And something new underneath it.

Something glowing. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Something mine.

My wolf lost his mind.

Then she ran.

Her feet flew across the grass, her hair streaming behind her. She didn't slow down. She launched herself at me with full force, and I didn't even try to dodge.

I opened my arms and caught her, holding her tight as her body crashed into mine. The impact threw me off balance, and we both fell back, landing hard on the grass—with me on my back and her on top of me.

I barely felt the hit.

All I felt was her.

The warmth of her body. The shake of her shoulders. The scent of her so close made my head spun.

Her hands grabbed the sides of my face, her eyes wide and teary, staring down at me like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Nathan…" she whispered, voice shaking. "We're… mates."

Hearing it from her lips made something inside me crack open.

My wolf howled again, this time not in wild confusion, but in pure joy.

OURS. SHE IS OURS.

A slow, stunned smile spread across my face. Then it grew bigger. And bigger. Until I felt like my whole chest was smiling.

I laughed—choked, disbelieving, happy.

"This… this is real?" I whispered. "You… you're my mate?"

"Yes," she breathed, tears finally spilling over. "I got my wolf back. Her name is Aria. She… she confirmed it. You're my mate, Nathan. I'm yours."

Those words.

I had prayed for them. Begged for them. Dreamed of them.

Just a few days ago, Hailee had looked at me with scared, sad eyes and asked:

"What if I get my wolf… and find my mate? What happens to us then?"

Since that night, every prayer I gave to the moon goddess had been the same.

Please. Let it be me. Let her mate be me. Let her be mine.

And now here she was… telling me exactly that.

I lifted a hand and brushed her hair back from her face, my thumb running over her wet cheek.

"You got your wolf," I whispered, still stunned.

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Yes. I wanted to tell you in person."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "But you said you weren't coming."

I coughed, a nervous laugh escaping me. "That… was a prank."

Her jaw dropped.

She smacked my chest lightly. "Nathan! I almost lost my mind! When I felt my mate nearby, I thought it was someone else. I thought—I thought I was going to have to reject a stranger while being in love with you!"