CHAPTER 139: MARRIED?

Nathan’s POV

"What did you find?" I asked, my voice shaking as I looked at the seer.

She didn’t speak right away. Her pale eyes seemed far away, like she was watching something we couldn’t see. Then, slowly, she turned back to us.

"She has gone home," the seer said.

My chest tightened. "Home? You mean the cook’s place?"

The seer shook her head. "No. That was never her real home. What you knew was only a small piece of her truth. She has gone back to where her blood belongs. A place filled with power and danger. A place she could not run from any longer."

Her words pressed down on me like heavy stones. My fists curled. "Where is it? Tell me where she is."

The seer’s gaze held mine, sharp and cold. "That is not for me to tell. You must find the path yourself. Just know this—she did not leave you because she wanted to. She left because it was her destiny. If you follow her... you may find truths you are not ready for."

Beside me, Dane shifted uncomfortably, but I couldn’t look away. My wolf clawed inside me, restless.

Hailee... who are you really?

I turned back to the seer, desperation tightening my throat. "Tell me where she is. I need to find her." My words cracked as I pleaded.

But the seer only shook her head in firm disapproval. "I am not allowed to say, Nathan. But I can assure you this—when the Moon Goddess deems it, you three will see her again. Until then, you must stop searching and learn to move forward with your life."

My eyes widened as I shook my head. "No... no," I whispered.

Dane, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke. "Please... help us. What if she’s in danger? We need to know."

The seer shook her head again. "She is not in danger... she is..." She paused, and I furrowed my brow.

"She is what?" I asked eagerly.

The seer’s eyes grew darker, almost glowing, as if she was weighing her words carefully. Her lips parted, but she hesitated before speaking.

"She is... hidden," the seer finally said, her voice soft but heavy. "Protected by blood that is not yours. By a family you do not know."

My heart thudded hard in my chest. "Family?" I asked, stepping closer. "What family? She only had her mother—"

The seer cut me off with a shake of her head. "No, Nathan. That was not her true family. That was the life she was given to hide who she really was. Hailee carries a name far older, far greater, than what you knew."

Dane’s eyes widened, his voice sharp with shock. "Then who is she?"

The seer lowered her gaze, her pale eyes dimming as the firelight flickered against her face. "That is not mine to tell. The truth will reveal itself only when the Moon Goddess allows. All I can say is this—she is not lost. And when the time comes, she will return. Not as the girl you once loved... but as who she was born to be."

Her words hung heavy in the air, pressing against my chest like a crushing weight.

I shook my head, my hands trembling. "No... she’s Hailee. Just Hailee." My voice cracked as I said it, like I was trying to hold onto something slipping through my fingers.

Dane placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice low. "Nathan... calm down."

But I couldn’t. I refused. Because no matter what the seer claimed, Hailee was mine. And I would find her.

I frowned at the seer. "Is there something you can tell me? At least which country she is in."

The seer shook her head. "Sorry... I can’t say more than what I have already said."

I gritted my teeth and glared at her before storming out of her room. I knew there was no need arguing or pressuring her to say more, because she wouldn’t say beyond what the spirits wanted her to reveal.

I got into the car, slammed the door shut, and started the engine while Dane got in the passenger seat beside me. I started the engine and drove out of the seer’s hut. The car was quiet, but my chest was burning. My hands squeezed the wheel so tight they hurt.

Dane looked out the window, then spoke softly. "Nathan... maybe the seer was right. Maybe we should stop searching. Wait for the Moon Goddess."

I turned on him, my voice sharp. "Wait? You want me to sit here while Hailee is out there, alone? No. I can’t."

Dane’s jaw tightened. "And what if you destroy yourself before you even find her?"

"Then let me!" I shouted, slamming my hand against the wheel. The car shook. "I’d rather lose myself looking for her than live without her."

Dane didn’t answer. He just looked away.

When we pulled into the pack grounds, my heart was pounding. The headlights showed Father standing on the steps of the mansion, his arms crossed, his aura heavy like a storm.

Dane sighed. "We’re in trouble."

I parked hard, shoved the door open, and stepped out. Father’s eyes locked on me right away, cold and sharp.

"Where have you two been?" His voice was loud and strong. "Do you think you can disappear in the middle of the night?"

I swallowed, my fists curling. His anger cut deep, but it still wasn’t as painful as losing Hailee.

Father sighed and inhaled deeply. "You want the truth, Nathan? Hailee is gone because she is no longer yours. She is getting married."

The words struck me like claws to the chest. My whole body froze. "Married?" I rasped, my voice shaking. "To who? How?!"

His gaze remained firm. "She left because she was betrothed. Her place was never beside you. She has been claimed elsewhere."

My heart hammered painfully, the air ripped from my lungs. "No," I whispered. "Tell me who it is! Tell me!"

Father’s eyes sharpened as he shook his head. "I will not. If I tell you, you will go after her. You will storm her ceremony, destroy everything, and bring shame on this pack."

My hands shook, my wolf raging inside, begging to break free. "I don’t care! She is mine!"

"No, Nathan," Father growled, his voice sharp and final. "By now she is already married. To a Lycan."

The ground felt like it slipped from beneath me. Married? To a Lycan? My heart tore in two. I couldn’t breathe.

Dane’s head whipped toward Father, his face pale with shock. But I... I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

Hailee... my Hailee... married to another.