Desired By Three Alphas Fated To One (Hailee) novel Chapter 286

Hailee's POV

"Fredrick?" I whispered again, my voice shaking.

He didn't answer.

He just watched me, like I was a puzzle he had already solved.

My heart hammered painfully against my ribs.

"Fredrick?" I called once more, louder this time. "What… what are you doing here?"

For a split second, hope tried to rise in my chest. A foolish, desperate hope.

Maybe he's here to help me.

Maybe Nathan sent him.

But that hope died the moment Fredrick finally moved.

He stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him with a slow, deliberate click.

The sound echoed like a gunshot in my ears.

My stomach dropped.

Fredrick walked forward calmly and took the chair in front of me, sitting down like this was a casual meeting—not a dark room, not me tied up, not a choke collar burning cold against my skin.

He lifted one hand slightly.

The men behind him moved immediately.

My kidnappers.

They came toward me without a word.

Panic surged through me.

"Wait—!" I gasped, my body tensing instinctively.

But they didn't hurt me.

They cut the ropes around my wrists.

Then my ankles.

The bindings fell away, leaving my skin sore and numb.

Relief flashed through me for half a second—

Until I realized what they didn't remove.

The collar.

The cold metal was still wrapped tightly around my neck.

I swallowed hard and touched it instinctively, my fingers trembling.

The moment my skin brushed it—

Pain shot through me.

I hissed and jerked my hand back.

My wolf snarled weakly inside me.

Trapped.

Caged.

Fredrick watched all of this silently.

Then he lifted his gaze to meet mine. My throat felt dry.

"What is this?" I whispered. "Why am I here?"

He leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other, completely relaxed.

"You ask questions the same way you always have," he said mildly. "Straight to the point. No patience for games."

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

"Where is Nathan?" I demanded.

The frown on Fredrick's face deepened slightly.

"That," he said calmly, "is not your concern."

Fear crawled up my spine.

"You drugged me," I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to stay strong. "Your men drugged me."

Fredrick nodded once, like I had stated an obvious fact.

"Yes."

"You kidnapped me."

"Yes."

"You put this on me," I whispered, my fingers hovering near the collar without touching it again.

"Yes."

My chest rose and fell quickly. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Why?" I asked.

He studied me for a long moment before answering.

"What do you think?" Fredrick said calmly. "That I would let you go after all these years?"

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

"Fredrick…" I whispered. "You're scaring me."

He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped. His eyes never left my face.

"Ten years, Hailee," he said quietly. "Ten long years."

I stared at him, my throat tight.

"For ten years," he continued, his voice calm but heavy, "I have loved you. I watched you grow. Watched you laugh. Watched you raise your boys—and you knew."

I shook my head slowly. "I knew you cared. I knew you liked me. But—"

"No," he cut in softly. "You knew I loved you."

Silence pressed in around us.

"And still," he went on, "you never chose me. You smiled. You thanked me. You trusted me. But you never accepted me."

I swallowed. "Because I couldn't. I didn't feel that way. I tried, Fredrick… I fucking tried, but I couldn't."

His jaw tightened.

"And now," he said, bitterness creeping into his voice, "now I hear that you're mates with Nathan. Nathan."

He spat the name like poison.

"You belong to him," Fredrick continued. "The Moon gives you to him. Fate ties your soul to his. After everything I waited for."

My hands trembled at my sides.

"Fredrick, this—this isn't you," I said, forcing myself to stay calm. "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

He stood slowly.

Walked closer.

Each step made my heart race faster.

"If I can't have you," he said quietly, "then no one will."

Cold fear slid down my spine.

"You'll stay here," he continued. "With me. Forever."

My stomach dropped.

"No one will know where you are," he said calmly, like he was talking about the weather. "Not Nathan. Not Peter. Not the council."

I shook my head, my panic rising.

"No seer will find you. No witch will see you. This place is sealed. Shielded. Buried under layers of old magic."

I backed up instinctively until my shoulders brushed the cold wall.

"You can't do this," I whispered. "They'll look for me."

"I brought you food," he said gently.

The smell hit me before I could stop it—warm soup, fresh bread, fruit. My stomach twisted painfully, hunger and nausea mixing together.

I didn't move.

I didn't reach for it.

I just stared at him.

"You must be hungry," he continued, walking in fully and setting the tray on the small table near the wall. "You haven't eaten since earlier. You need your strength."

I laughed weakly, the sound cracked and broken.

"My strength?" I whispered. "You took it from me."

He ignored that.

Instead, he pulled a chair closer and sat across from me, his posture relaxed. Familiar. Intimate.

Like we were sharing a quiet meal.

Like we were a couple.

"Do you remember," he said softly, picking up a bowl and stirring it slowly, "the winter you were so sick?" he went on, smiling faintly. "Your illness was contagious. Everyone else was terrified of getting close, but I stayed. I brought you soup every night."

I clenched my hands at my sides.

"I sat by your bed," he continued, his voice warm, nostalgic. "You used to hold my sleeve in your sleep. You wouldn't let go."

My chest hurt.

"That doesn't mean what you think it means," I said quietly.

He looked at me like I hadn't spoken.

"You were always safest with me, Hailee," he said gently. "You always calmed down when I was there."

"That's not true," I whispered.

He stood and walked closer, holding the bowl out toward me.

"Eat," he said softly. "Please."

I shook my head.

"I won't eat if you stand that close," I said.

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—annoyance, maybe—but then he stepped back slightly.

"Alright," he said calmly. "I'll sit."

He placed the bowl down again and sat back in the chair, watching me.

Waiting.

The silence stretched.

My stomach betrayed me with a painful twist.

He noticed.

A small, satisfied smile touched his lips.

"You see?" he murmured. "Your body still listens to me."

I swallowed hard and stepped toward the table, every movement cautious. I picked up the spoon with trembling fingers and took a small sip.

The warmth spread through me despite myself.

Fredrick watched like this was a victory.

"Good," he said softly. "That's my girl."

The words made my skin crawl.

"This place," he continued casually, leaning back, "I had it prepared years ago. I always knew one day we'd need somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe."

"Safe?" I whispered bitterly.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "From politics. From pack games. From men like Nathan who only love you because fate told them to."

I looked at this man and realized, indeed, Fredrick was going insane.