Chapter 130
Nathan’s POV
I extended the claws on my right hand, watching them glint in the
harsh fluorescent lighting. The guard had rushed off to call for help
after seeing my “suicide attempt” with the mouse blood. I could
already hear the commotion outside–they would be contacting my
father immediately. Protocol demanded it.
But I knew my father too well. He would see through this deception in
seconds. The mouse blood might fool these wolves temporarily, but
Robert Reynolds hadn’t become Alpha by being easily fooled. One
look and he’d know I was manipulating the situation.
No, I needed something more convincing. Something real.
Wolf claws were remarkably sharp–capable of tearing through flesh
with minimal effort. I positioned my left arm over the small sink in
the corner of my cell. No need to make more of a mess than
necessary.
With clinical precision, I dragged my claws across my left wrist,
applying just enough pressure to create a real wound without hitting
anything vital. Blood immediately welled up, bright red against my
skin. I felt the sting, but it was distant, unimportant compared to
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what I would gain.
The cut wasn’t deep enough to be life–threatening–I wasn’t actually trying to die, just create a convincing display. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and pressed it against the wound, letting enough blood soak through to make it look serious. Then I leaned back on the bed and closed my eyes, arranging my features into an expression of
hopeless despair.
An hour later, the detention facility’s meeting room had been
converted into an impromptu medical recovery space. I lay on a bed
that had been brought in, my bandaged wrist resting visibly on top of
the blanket. Dr. Moore had cleaned and stitched the wound, looking
concerned but not fooled.
“This is not deep enough to be life–threatening,” he’d murmured as he
worked.
I’d said nothing, keeping my expression blank, waiting for the real
audience to arrive.
The door burst open, and my father strode in, his Alpha presence
filling the room instantly. Behind him came my mother, her face pale
with worry.
“Nathan?” My father’s voice was thick with emotion–anger, fear, and
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Chapter 130
something that sounded remarkably like guilt. “What have you done
to yourself?”
Mother pushed past him, rushing to my bedside. “My baby! Oh,
Nathan!”
She pulled back the blanket to examine my bandaged wrist, her hands
trembling as she gently touched the gauze. “What have they done to
you here? How could they let this happen?”
I averted my gaze, letting my body slump into the pillows. “I couldn’t
take it anymore,” I whispered, making my voice deliberately weak.
“The isolation, the silence… everyone treating me like I’m nothing.”
The guilt on my father’s face was exactly what I’d hoped for. I fought
to keep the satisfaction from showing in my eyes.
“Alpha Reynolds,” Dr. Moore began formally. “We’ve taken every
precaution with your son’s detention. There was no indication he was
at risk of self–harm.”
“Then you weren’t watching closely enough,” my mother snapped, her
protective instincts fully activated. “Look at him! My son has never
been in trouble before this… this misunderstanding with that Julia.
And now he’s driven to harm himself? This is unacceptable!”
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