#Chapter 4: Leaving

Claire's POV

……

If only I had a wolf.

I’ve thought this more than once in the past. But I didn’t dare to think that way. Because it would make me greedy, and I’d start to wish, even more desperately, "If only I weren’t an omega."

As I thought this, it felt like a voice was calling to me from the depths of my mind:

"I'm sorry I’m late, but I'm here now..."

*

I woke in the clinic, confused.

I looked at the clinic gown I was wearing and the bed I was lying on, unsure how I got here. The accident was jumbled in my mind, but the sound of wolf howls before I lost consciousness was crystal clear.

Could I have a wolf after all, and last night’s events woke it up?

I tried reaching out as if to make a mindlink, but I was still wolfless.

Without a wolf, I couldn’t fully reject Nathan. But I couldn’t bear the relationship anymore.

Amelia, my best friend, walked into the room.

"Claire! How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice full of concern.  "Thank God! I heard you were in an accident. Are you alright?"

Her voice brought me peace, but the thoughts about Andy still weighed heavy on my heart.

I sat up slowly, my body aching. "...umm? I feel okay?"

Amelia smiled gently. "You’re alive. That’s what matters."

I nodded, trying to shake off the fogginess of the situation.

"I’m alright. But I..."

"What? What’s wrong?" she asked.

The image of Andy laughing and playing came to mind, followed by him looking cold, just like Nathan. "You’re just an omega, nanny. You’re not important."

The pain of those words hit me harder than anything physical. I couldn’t continue like this.

“.......” I said,"Amelia... I want to leave Nathan."

"You should’ve done it a long time ago!" Amelia cheered. Despite my sadness, I smiled.

Amelia said,"I remember you studied basic medicine to take care of Andy. Recently, the clinc is short on staff, maybe you could come work here with me!"

"I’ll check you out, and we’ll talk about work. It's not much, but it's something."

Amelia asked if I needed to go back home to prepare anything, but I had already packed when I left. …Fortunately, the photo of Andy in my backpack hadn’t been lost.

I had left a letter for Nathan, at least explaining my current situation. I could no longer stay in that house, and maybe spending some time at Amelia’s would be better for me, a time that was truly my own.

I accepted Amelia's invitation. For some reason, even though I had been in a car accident, my body felt perfectly fine. Amelia said she wanted to give me another check-up just to be sure.

Amelia smiled. "Perfect! Roll up your sleeve, let’s get you cleared."

I did, letting her draw blood and give me a quick exam.

Amelia gasped in surprise. "What’s the matter?" I asked.

"The wound... it healed instantly," she said, eyes wide. "But... you don’t have a wolf, do you?"

Third-person's POV

In his home office, Nathan and Sabrina went over his campaign plans yet again.

At the time, throwing himself into work felt right. Now, feeling exhausted, Nathan had a sudden feeling of guilt. Claire was fine, but part of him still wished he was there with her instead of here.

When he said "I reject you", he regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Even if the rejection didn’t hold, it still felt wrong to throw something so awful at his mate.

He wanted to comfort Claire but don't know how.

Then Sabrina came with work. He walked out of the room without looking back, though a part of him had the strong urge to sweep me up and take me somewhere private to finish our discussion. He pushed the urge down. That would have to wait until later.

Sabrina’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Are you listening? You need to understand what’s going on with my father if you want to keep his favor.”

As Royal Pack Alpha, Sabrina’s father William could make or break Nathan’s entire campaign.

And he would be visiting Silverfang Pack soon.

“He isn’t just coming to meet with you,” Sabrina said. “He’s also going to the clinic for medical treatment. Yet another attempt to fix his ‘issue’ as he calls it,” she added with a slight eye roll.

“His wolf grows increasingly wild. Mother’s healing abilities kept it in check, but now…”

“I understand,” said Nathan. As a werewolf aged, they could sometimes face problems similar to human dementia. A dementia complicated by the fact that a powerful, very dangerous animal lived inside them.

Nathan had always been proud of the resources he’d devoted to the pack’s clinic, and of the reputation it gained as a result. Now it seemed that work was going to come back to reward him.

If the Royal Alpha was happy with his treatment at the clinic, he’d be happy with the pack’s leader as well.

“Make sure you do. Building a good relationship with my father is crucial.” She studied him, then smiled. “A shortcut to that would be creating a family connection. You’re not married, after all. That’s still a card you could play.”

“No,” Nathan said, reading the papers in his hand. He didn’t see her smile falter. “I already have a mate. Claire might be an Omega, but she still belongs with me. I don’t plan on abandoning her.”

Sabrina wanted to get her claws into that stupid Omega, but she hid it carefully.

“That’s admirable, Nathan. It’s just a shame you’ve tied yourself to someone who only wants access to your wealth and status.”

“Sabrina,” Nathan finally looked up. “Claire loves me, and is devoted to our son. The years we’ve spent together already prove that. And she’d never leave Andy. Besides, she’s an Omega—no money, no job, no influence or allies. She has nowhere to go.”

Sabrina fumed internally, not used to being shot down. “If you’ll only consider—”

“Enough.” Nathan stood up. “I’m tired. It’s time to call it a night.” He glanced out the window, seeing the sun was now well up. “Past time. I’ll talk to you later.”

After Sabrina left, Nathan went upstairs. He checked on Andy, then went to the bedroom he and Claire shared.

Nathan knew Claire too well. Over the years, although she hadn’t contributed anything to his career, at least she remained loyal. As long as he turned back, she would always be there, patiently waiting at home, with the same gentle demeanor.

Then he spotted something on his pillow. It was a letter, one he read with disbelief.

[——TO Nathan,

...I’ve left. Please don’t come looking for me.]

Nathan's eyes widened in disbelief, and he blurted out in shock, "What...?"

He looked up, the room empty and silent.

Claire was gone...?!