Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Not Mine

Nathan’s POV

I don’t understand. If Oscar isn’t my son, then why do I feel this way? Why does my wolf keep clawing, howling, and screaming that he is mine? I’ve never felt anything like it—an invisible cord pulling me toward him, a bond that makes my chest ache every time I look at him.

He has to be mine. He has to.

But if he is... then why aren’t my instincts screaming for the other two? They were born together, triplets. If one is mine, shouldn’t all of them be? None of it made sense.

I dragged my eyes back to Hailee. I glared, not because I hated her—Goddess help me, I could never truly hate her—but because I hated myself. I hated that even after everything, even after ten years of silence, betrayal, and lies, I still loved her. And seeing her now, standing before me, my love hadn’t faded. It had doubled. Tripled. It was ridiculous. Maddening.

"Hailee..." My voice came low, rough, breaking through the silence between us. "Tell me the truth. Is Oscar my son?"

Her answer came fast, without hesitation. "He is not."

Her eyes—red, wet with tears—didn’t blink, didn’t falter. She held my gaze steady, as if daring me to doubt her.

I clenched my fists, my jaw so tight it hurt. I didn’t believe her. Not for a damn second.

"Then I’ll do a DNA test," I growled, threatening her.

To my surprise, she didn’t flinch. She didn’t plead or panic. Instead, she lifted her chin, her voice calm, steady, almost... relieved.

"Good," she whispered. "Do it. That way you’ll know he’s not yours."

Her confidence cut me deeper than any denial ever could. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t worried. She was sure—so sure—that I began to wonder if maybe my wolf was wrong. If maybe my bond, my feelings, were nothing but a cruel trick of the Goddess.

Still, I wouldn’t let it go. No. I needed proof.

"When we get back home," I muttered, my chest heaving, "I’ll do it. And then we’ll see."

Her eyes softened then, just a flicker, before she turned her back to me, but I couldn’t stop looking. Not after all this time. Not after ten years.

Questions burned in my chest. Why did you leave? Why did you disappear and break me?

That video... I still had it. I’d watched it again and again. For ten years her voice had haunted me.

The words sat heavy on my tongue, but I couldn’t hold them back anymore. My chest burned, my wolf pacing like fire under my skin.

"Hailee..." I said, my voice low, and filled with pain. "Did you ever even love me?"

Her back was turned against me so I couldn’t see her reaction.

"Whatever feelings I had—it’s gone. I buried it the day I left. Nathan, it’s been ten years... I got married... fell in love and have a family. Grow up, Nathan... you have to grow up."

The ground tilted under me. My wolf roared, furious, refusing her words, but they sank into me all the same. While I was here wallowing in pain and heartbreak, Hailee had moved on with her life... got married, even had kids, and she had the guts to say it to my face.

I stepped closer, my voice breaking into an angry growl. "Watch your tongue... you are forgetting who you’re talking to. You’re mine now—my slave. And I am your master."

The room went still.

Hailee froze. Her shoulders stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. Slowly, she turned her face toward me, her eyes wide, glassy with unshed tears. But she didn’t speak. Not a word.

Her lips pressed together, trembling faintly, but her silence hit me harder than if she had screamed. Harder than if she had spat back.

She simply... went quiet.

I wanted her to fight me, to curse me, to hit me until her rage matched mine. But instead, she stood there in silence, her tears sliding down her cheeks, her gaze falling to the ground as if she refused to give me the satisfaction of her voice.

My wolf snarled, restless, pacing, clawing at the walls of my chest. Say something, Hailee. Anything.

But she didn’t.

And that silence—it suffocated me.

It was as if she had ripped every word from my throat and left me choking on my own fury.

She stood there, quiet, broken, yet defiant in her own way. And I—Alpha, warrior, feared by many—couldn’t tear my eyes off her.

The burn down my throat was instant, sharp enough to drag me from my thoughts for a second. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Minutes later, they were led in—Oscar, Oliver, and Ozzy. My sons or not, I couldn’t stay away.

They stood before me, not looking a bit scared, their eyes darting across the room, taking in everything.

Ozzy’s calm brown eyes watched me carefully, calculating, as if he was already trying to figure me out. Oliver’s lips pressed tight, his gaze curious, flickering between me and the rows of bottles behind the counter. But Oscar—Oscar caught and held my focus.

His fiery hair glowed under the low light, his green eyes piercing, burning with a quiet strength that made my chest ache. My wolf stirred violently, pushing against my skin, howling in recognition. Mine.

I clenched my jaw and dragged my gaze away, forcing myself to study them as a whole. All three of them were smart. All three were strong. I could see it in the way they stood shoulder to shoulder, protective of one another.

But it was Oscar who had me unsettled.

Something about the way he looked at me—as though he knew. As though he felt the pull too.

My wolf pressed harder, clawing, howling, demanding I accept the truth.

And just as I was about to speak, I noticed Hailee walking my way, her red hair spilling over her shoulders, her face pale. She didn’t look at me first. No—her eyes went straight to the boys, softening in a way that made my chest twist.

"They shouldn’t be here," she said quietly but firmly, her frown deepening. "They’re just children. They don’t belong in a place like this."

I leaned back in the chair, swirling the glass in my hand, watching her closely.

For a heartbeat, I thought of arguing, of reminding her that I was Alpha here, that she had no right to tell me what to do. But the sight of Oscar, Oliver, and Ozzy standing so stiff, their small frames out of place in the dim bar... it struck me harder than the whiskey had.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, then flicked my fingers toward my men. "Take them back to the suite. Make sure they eat. Make sure they rest."

The boys hesitated, their gazes darting between me and their mother. Finally, Ozzy stepped closer to Hailee, his small hand slipping into hers. Oscar lingered a second longer, those damn green eyes still locked on me, before turning away.

I watched them go, my men escorting them out with Hailee right behind, her hand firm on their shoulders. She didn’t look back at me. Not once.

I shook my head, whispering to my wolf. "I’m not letting her slip away from me this time."