Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245: Leaving

Hailee’s POV

I did not sleep. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I tried. I really tried. I turned off the lamp and lay down. I closed my eyes and counted my breaths. I made myself count to one hundred. I told myself that the Beta had said Nathan was alive. I told myself the healer was with him. I told myself the bleeding had slowed. I told myself he was stubborn and would not give up. I told myself all these simple things like small stones I could hold in my hands.

But every time I closed my eyes, I saw him on the ground. I saw blood on his shoulder and side. I saw his mouth open like he was trying to breathe and could not.

I sat up and turned on the lamp. I stood. I sat. I stood again. My legs felt like they had little engines in them. They would not be still. I went to the window and pressed my forehead to the glass. The night was heavy and quiet. The lanterns along the paths glowed like tired stars. Somewhere an owl made a soft call. I could not answer it. I could only breathe and try to stay calm.

I picked up my phone. I typed a message to the Beta. Then I deleted it. I did not want to seem foolish. I did not want to seem weak. I set the phone down. Then I picked it up and typed again.

"Please tell him I am thinking of him," I wrote. "Please tell him I will come with Oscar in the morning if Peter allows it."

I stared at the words. Then I pressed send.

There was no reply for a long time. I put the phone on the bed and lay on my side, facing it, like it was a person keeping me company. I watched the dark screen. I watched the small clock in the corner. I waited. Every minute stretched like gum.

At last, the handset buzzed.

"Message received," the Beta wrote. "He is sleeping now. I will tell him in the morning."

I breathed out. It did not make me calm, but it kept me from shaking apart. I typed "Thank you" and put the phone down again.

I poured a glass of water. I held it in both hands and took small sips. The water sat in my mouth and felt like a stone. I swallowed anyway. I sat on the carpet with my back against the foot of the bed. I hugged my knees. I told myself a story about the time Peter and I hid in the south corridor with pastries we stole. I told myself about Mother laughing in the orange orchard. I did not think about Father. I pushed that door closed with both hands.

The hours crawled. The sky began to lighten, just a little. The dark blue turned to a softer blue, like the inside of a shell. Birds began to wake. My eyes burned, but I could not close them. When sleep finally came, it was like falling into a hole. It lasted only a few minutes. I woke with a start, heart jumping, because the phone buzzed again.

"Dawn report," the Beta wrote. "Fever low. Wounds dressed. He asked if you slept."

I stared at that last line. I did not know if I wanted to laugh or cry. "Tell him yes," I wrote, because I did not want him to worry. Then I added, "Tell him I will see him soon."

I put on my robe. I washed my face with cold water. I looked in the mirror. My eyes were swollen. My mouth was tight. I pressed my fingers to my cheeks until they turned pink. I combed my hair back and tied it with a simple ribbon. I was going to Peter.

The house was quiet. The halls smelled like clean wood and faint smoke from the morning fires. I walked quickly, but my steps were silent. I knew Peter woke early to read and write before breakfast. I went to his room and stood at the door for a second. I made my hands stop shaking. Then I knocked.

"Enter," he called.

I opened the door. The room was neat, as always. The curtains were open to the pale morning. There was a stack of papers on the desk and a cup of tea with steam rising. Peter sat in a robe with a book in his hand and glasses on his nose. He looked up, and in one second, he saw all of me.

"Hailee," he said softly. He took off his glasses. "Come in."

I closed the door and stood by it. "I need to tell you something," I said. My voice wobbled. I took a breath. "Oscar and I are leaving for Nathan’s place. We will be back in three days. Nathan wants his mother to see Oscar." I swallowed. "And Nathan is hurt."

Peter went very still. "Hurt how?"

"Rogues at the east fence," I said. "He got injured by a poisonous arrow. He is alive. The healer is with him. He has deep cuts. The bleeding has slowed. He is stubborn." My mouth twisted. "You know him."

Peter set the book down. He leaned back in his chair and studied me. He did not speak for a few breaths. Then he said, "No."

The word hit me like a door closing.

"Peter," I said, stepping forward. "Please."

"No," he said again, quiet but firm. "It is not safe. There were rogues last night. You will not walk into that danger with Oscar."

I held myself steady. "We will not walk. We will use the private jets with guards. We will be careful. Please."

"No," he said, and shook his head. "I will not risk you."

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