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Chapter 131
Rachel’s POV
The moonlight illuminated Nathan’s face as he stood before me in the garden, his presence both comforting and terrifying
all at once.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft for an Alpha. “I can’t keep hiding how I feel.”
His eyes drifted to my rounded belly, concern flashing across his features. “Could we sit down and talk? You should be resting.”
I nodded cautiously, one hand protectively cradling my belly.
We walked toward the garden swing, and I watched in amazement as Nathan gently steadied it for me to sit.
As I settled onto the swing, Nathan leaned forward, his eyes locked with mine. The pine scent that was uniquely his wrapped around me like a familiar blanket.
“Rachel, he began, his voice low and vulnerable in a way I’d never heard before. “For a long time, my heart has been like a stone in my chest.”
I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“I told myself it was a good thing—that it made me a stronger Alpha. I truly believed that.” His jaw clenched as he forced himself to continue. “I needed an heir, so I went looking for a-
“A breeder,” I finished for him, my voice calm despite the old hurt surfacing. “And then what?”
Nathan’s eyes flashed pain at my directness. I knew this wasn’t easy for him. Alphas didn’t discuss their weaknesses, especially not with those they considered beneath them.
“Then I met you,” he continued, his voice dropping even lower. I smelled your scent…” He inhaled deeply, as if reliving
that moment.
I remembered it too–the fear that had coursed through me when I first met his intense gaze, when I first smelled his overwhelming Alpha scent.
“You’re the kindest, bravest person I’ve ever met,” he said. “Your voice… your singing calms the restlessness in me.”
“Yet you decided to kill me after I gave birth to your child?” I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice.
Nathan’s shoulders slumped. “I was a coward, Rachel. I was afraid–afraid of ending up like my father,”
“Are you still afraid?” I asked softly.
“Yes,” he admitted, his voice trembling slightly. “A million times more than before.”
I watched the Alpha of Ironjaw Pack–the most feared werewolf in the Eastern territories–reveal vulnerability I never thought possible. His pine and winter mountain scent intensified as his emotions deepened.
“When you disappeared,” he continued, his eyes reddening with unshed tears, “just smelling your fading scent in the air
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Chapter 131
was enough to keep me in agony night after night. It was a hundred times worse than when my father died.
I took a deep breath. “Maybe you’ve changed, but I need to be sure. My heart won’t let me trust easily.”
was cruel to you, Rachel,” he said. “I don’t deserve another chance. I’m a fool. You should order me to leave, tell me through our mind link that you never want to see me again.”
The pain in his voice was unmistakable. Despite my efforts to remain detached, I felt our mate bond stirring, responding to his confession.
Nathan reached for my hand, and the moment our skin touched electricity shot through the mate bond.
I gasped as the connection flared to life–and I felt something else: Nathan’s awareness of our baby, that primal Alpha connection to his offspring that had guided him to the island.
“You have every right to banish me, Rachel,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “If that’s what you want, I’ll go against every Alpha instinct I have and leave.”
His eyes met mine, sincere and vulnerable. “But know that I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life tormented by the mate bond, unable to think of anything but you. My heart will forever call for you.”
Hearing his confession made me a little sad. He liked me. He loved me. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I quickly wiped them away. I felt my heart soften despite my best efforts.
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