CHAPTER 125: NOT REACHABLE

Nathan’s POV

"The number you are calling is not reachable at the moment."

The robotic voice cut through the line again, flat and cold. I dragged the phone from my ear and stared at the screen like it had betrayed me. Fifth time. Still nothing.

The food in front of me might as well have been invisible. I couldn’t eat. Couldn’t think about anything except why she wasn’t answering. My thumb kept hitting redial, over and over, like maybe if I called enough times, she’d finally pick up.

Text after text went out. No reply. No read receipts. Just silence.

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me at the table, but I didn’t care. Let them stare. Let them wonder. My chest was tight, my head pounding, and my wolf wouldn’t calm the hell down. He paced inside me, growling, snapping, and restless, like he could already sense something was wrong.

"Hailee," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, my heart hammering. "Come on, just... answer me. Please."

"The number you are calling is not reachable at the moment."

That damned voice again. I slammed the phone down on the table harder than I meant to, the sound making a few heads turn. My chest felt tight, like someone was pressing down on it, and my wolf still wouldn’t settle. He was pacing, snapping, restless.

"Son," my mother’s voice cut through the silence, soft but concerned. "What’s wrong?"

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My jaw clenched, and I kept my eyes on the phone, praying for it to light up. If I opened my mouth, I’d break.

The silence stretched until my father spoke, his voice calm but carrying weight. "Hailee’s mother was here earlier."

My head jerked up. I know because I spoke with her. I had asked her out to give her blessings to me and Hailee, but she only responded that she would think about it.

Father sighed, his expression grim. "She came to resign."

The words hit me like a blade straight through the chest. I stared at him, unable to breathe, unable to process. My wolf roared inside me, furious, terrified.

Resign? No. That wasn’t right. That couldn’t be right.

"Father..." My voice cracked. "What do you mean, resign?"

Father shifted. "She told me an emergency came up and she has to attend to it."

Father’s words echoed in my skull, but I couldn’t stay seated. My chair screeched back against the floor as I shot to my feet, my heart pounding out of control.

"Did she tell you what the emergency is?" I demanded, panic clawing up my throat.

Father frowned, shaking his head slowly. "No. Only that she had to leave immediately."

That was all I needed to hear. My chest tightened as if my ribs couldn’t contain the storm raging inside me. My wolf snarled, clawing for control.

I didn’t wait for another word. I spun on my heel, storming out of the dining room.

"Nathan!" Father’s voice barked after me, sharp and commanding. But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. My legs carried me faster, like something inside already knew the truth my mind refused to accept.

The front door slammed behind me, and I nearly ripped the car door off its hinges as I threw myself inside. My hands trembled on the wheel, but I jammed the key into the ignition and roared off toward Hailee’s house.

The drive blurred past in a rush of headlights and pounding heartbeats. My fingers gripped the steering wheel until it creaked, my jaw set hard.

When I finally skidded to a stop outside her house, I was out of the car before the engine even cooled. I sprinted to the front door and pounded on it, my knuckles aching from the force.

"Hailee!"

No answer.

I twisted the knob. Locked. My chest heaved as I shoved against the wood, my wolf thrashing inside me. Still nothing.

I sucked in a deep breath through my nose, desperate, searching for her smell. Her scent lingered faintly in the air, but it was drifting... fading. She wasn’t here.

My chest cracked wide open at the realization. Suddenly, a car pulled into the drive, brakes squealing slightly. My head whipped around, hope and dread clashing in my chest.

The door flew open, and Callum stumbled out, his face pale, his eyes darting to the locked house and then to me.

My wolf surged instantly. He’s here for her too.

Before I could speak, the low growl of a motor ripped through the air. A motorcycle screeched to a stop beside the curb, and Dane ripped off his helmet, his hair disheveled, his eyes burning with the same panic clawing through my veins.

"Where is she?" Dane’s voice was raw. He glanced at me, then Callum, then the house. "I’ve been calling her. Nothing. No answer."

My chest tightened. "You too?"

Dane nodded sharply, his jaw clenching. "I was with her... three hours ago." His voice faltered for a second before he straightened, shoulders squared. "I left when she told me her mother would be back soon."

Something inside me snapped. My fists curled at my sides as I stepped closer. "What were you doing with her?" I demanded, my voice sharp, my wolf rising to the surface.

Dane’s gaze flickered toward me, unflinching. "We were in her room." He deliberately paused. "We had sex."

The words hit like a blow to the gut, stealing the breath right out of me. Jealousy burned hot, violent, twisting inside my chest. My wolf snarled, baring teeth, demanding I tear something apart.

Dane didn’t look at me again. He kept his eyes fixed on the closest windows of the house, his voice low, steady. "Afterward, she told me to go. Said her mother would be back. But..." He trailed off, frowning deeply. "Something was off. I felt it. Even when I left, I couldn’t shake it. So I called. Over and over. And now her number’s off."

Callum cursed under his breath, dragging a hand down his face. "Same with me. I came straight here when I couldn’t reach her."

My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. Something wasn’t right.

My pulse was still hammering, my wolf restless, when the thought hit me like lightning. Lila.

Hailee’s only friend. If anyone knew where she was, it would be her.