Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One novel Chapter 270

Chapter 270: The Moment

Hailee’s POV

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

We just stood there in the garden... surrounded by flowers, silence, and a pain neither of us knew how to explain. The air felt thick, awkward, a little sad. Even the wind moved slowly, almost careful not to break the silence.

Finally... I breathed in deeply.

I couldn’t drag this moment out any longer. I owed him honesty.

"Dane..." my voice came out small. "I’ve made my decision. I know who I want to be with. No more confusion... no more guessing."

Dane gave a small scoff and lowered his eyes.

"I know," he said simply.

My heart skipped. "You know?"

He looked up again, this time with a small, sad smile tugging at one side of his mouth.

"It’s Nathan," he said quietly. "Of course it’s Nathan."

My eyes widened. "You... you didn’t even ask. You didn’t even guess."

He shook his head slowly. "Hailee... it was obvious. You look at him the way a woman looks at the man she’s ready to fight the world for. I... I just kept trying anyway. Hoping for a miracle."

My chest ached.

"Dane... I’m sorry," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I’m sorry for leading you on. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I never wanted to—"

He lifted a hand gently, telling me it was okay.

But was it really?

His face was calm... too calm. No anger, no tears... just an emotionless mask that made it impossible to know what he felt.

Then quietly, he asked:

"Did you ever... even for a moment... love me?"

The question stabbed straight through my chest.

I breathed out shakily. "Yes. I did. I had feelings for you. I had feelings for all three of you. None of it was fake."

He swallowed, his jaw tightening for a second.

Then he nodded. "Thank you... for telling me the truth."

I wiped a tear quickly before it fell.

"I want you to be happy, Dane," I whispered. "Truly."

He looked away for a moment, staring at the rose bushes.

"I hope so too," he breathed.

I exhaled softly. "And... Ozzy is your son. I want you to know that he’s always welcome with you. You can see him anytime. And when he’s old enough... if you want... he can stay with you permanently."

His eyes softened for the first time.

"Thank you," he said, his voice low. "I... appreciate that more than you know."

Silence fell again, but this time it wasn’t sharp. It was soft. It was understanding.

"I believe there’s a woman out there for you," I whispered. "Someone special. Maybe even your true mate."

Dane chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy one. It was a tired, forced smile. "Maybe."

"I mean it," I said gently. "You deserve it."

He met my eyes. "You got your wolf back."

"Yes," I nodded. "Her name is Aria."

"I felt it," he said quietly. "Her aura is strong. Very strong."

I gave a small smile. "Your wolf will lead you to your mate soon."

He nodded slowly. "Hopefully."

But there was no excitement in his voice.

Then he took a slow step toward me.

"Can I... hug you?" he asked quietly. "Just once."

My chest squeezed.

"Yes," I whispered.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me... pulling me into a hug that felt warm, sad, soft, and final. I felt him breathe me in deeply—almost like he was memorizing my scent one last time.

My heart hurt for him.

And Aria whispered softly inside me, "He cared for you deeply."

"I know," I answered silently.

When Dane pulled back, his eyes shimmered with something that looked like pain—hidden quickly under a calm expression.

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently.

"Call me whenever you need my help... don’t hesitate."

I nodded... not trusting my voice to speak.

"Goodbye, Hailee," he whispered.

"Goodbye, Dane," I replied.

He gave one small nod, turned around, and walked away slowly.

I stood there frozen as his figure disappeared into the path that led out of the garden.

Only when he was completely out of sight did I finally breathe out.

A long, shaky breath.

Aria spoke gently inside me.

"You did a good thing. You were honest. You gave him peace."

"I still hurt him," I whispered back. "And that... hurts me too."

"I know," she said softly. "But sometimes... truth hurts first before it heals."

I closed my eyes, letting the cold air brush across my skin.

Letting my emotions settle—pain, guilt, relief, sadness—all of them mixing inside me like waves crashing into each other.

I wrapped my arms around myself and breathed in slowly.

Then I heard a familiar pattern of footsteps.

I turned my head, and Peter walked into the garden. He shouldn’t have had time to come here—he was supposed to be inside with the elders, attending to guests, talking to people who came to mourn with us.

Yet here he was.

His eyes scanned my face, and his expression softened.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

I nodded, though not fully convincing. "Yes... I just ended things with Dane."

Peter raised a brow, stepping closer. "How do you feel?"

I took a slow breath. And answered the truth.

"Relieved," I said quietly. "Maybe because... he understood. He didn’t fight me. He didn’t force me. He just... accepted it."

Peter’s eyes softened more.

"That’s how you know you did the right thing," he said. "Anything forced will always break."

Then, unexpectedly, he stepped forward and pulled me into a small side-hug.

Not tight.

Not overwhelming.

Just enough to comfort me.

"You will be fine," he murmured."

My eyes burned again, but I didn’t cry.

Not this time; rather, I focused on him as I studied his emotionless face, which he had been wearing since Father died.

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