Chapter 4

Matthew

"How was your first duty, Emerald?" my brother asked.

Emerald's eyes lingered on me for a moment before she cleared her throat and answered Nicholas's question.

"It was fine."

I wasn't supposed to be here, actually. There were some important matters that I should have been attending to, but I couldn't let this opportunity pass. So, when Nicholas brought this case to the table, I forced myself to join.

"Good to hear that," Nicholas replied, glancing at me, followed by a smirk. "If you have any concerns, you can contact me or Matthew—"

The tone Nicholas used, filled with malicious teasing, made me wonder if he was intentionally trying to bait me or if he already had a hint about what was going on between Emerald and me.

"— but if you contact me, I may not address it immediately as I'm a busy person. If it's urgent, contact Matthew," he added.

I could almost hear Emerald's slow grumble, which she eagerly hid out of respect for my brother. She glanced at me and rolled her eyes with a clear sense of disdain. From that moment, I knew exactly how much she despised me.

"I will, Alpha. Thanks for your concern," she replied, her words laced with a forced politeness that thinly veiled her true feelings.

My gaze shifted to the left corner where the rest of the physicians were gathered, and I saw Mathilda smirking as she looked at Emerald and then at me. She clearly knew everything, and her amusement at the situation was evident, which I found incredibly frustrating.

"By the way, next month, you'll be assigned to the center. It will be quite different from here, so please prepare yourself," Nicholas announced.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Emerald being on duty at the center. Excitement and horror coursed through my system simultaneously, knowing that Natasha lived kilometers away from the central hospital.

"Duly noted, Alpha."

After the short inspection at the clinic, the homestead chief led us to the main house, where they had prepared a harvest feast for us to take back to the pack house. This was the customary routine whenever we visited.

Usually, I would engage in conversation with the locals, but at this moment, my gaze remained fixed on the homestead clinic. It was as if an inexplicable force compelled me to keep my eyes on the building.

"Matthew! Help them carry the harvest," Nicholas tapped my shoulder. "You're spacing out."

I blinked and shook off my thoughts. Something didn't feel right anymore. I should be relieved that Emerald didn't appear too affected by my rejection, but why did I feel quite the opposite?

"What are you thinking? I noticed you've been out of your mind since earlier," Nicholas asked as we were making our way back to the pack house.

"Nothing in particular," I replied, offering a half-hearted lie.

In truth, I was wrestling with the idea of whether there was a way to reverse the rejection. Perhaps there was a solution to my predicament with Natasha. I wanted to be honest with Nicholas, but the grim reality was that if Injo found out that his daughter's mate was a rogue who had impregnated her, he would likely kill Natasha. It would weigh heavily on my conscience if that were to happen.

"Do you like Emerald?" Nicholas asked out of the blue, catching me off guard.

I hesitated to answer.

"No, let me rephrase my question," he chuckled. "Is Emerald your mate?"

A sudden pain squeezed my heart, a strange and intense sensation that made my wolf growl.

"No," I admitted. "She's no longer my mate."

Nicholas abruptly hit the brake, nearly sending me flying from my seat if it weren't for the seatbelt.

"You freaking rejected her?" he exclaimed, followed by a short pause. "Or did she rejected you?"

I sighed heavily, burdened by regret over my decision the previous night. "I rejected her," I confessed, the bitterness of that truth weighing on me.

"Is it because of Natasha?"

We arrived at the pack, and Nicholas continued his non-stop lectures. I lacked the strength to explain and justify myself because I had admitted my mistake. I had acted in haste, and now I was faced with the consequences of my regrettable actions.

"You are fucked up, Matthew. You know how much it'll affect you for rejecting your mate."

Nicholas had already forbidden me from going to the homestead, assigning someone else to handle goods and medical deliveries there. I attempted to appeal, but his decision was final. He wanted me out of Emerald's sight completely, and banning me from the homestead was his way of achieving that.

In the past few weeks, I had been consumed by heartbreak. I had no right to suffer this pain, as I had brought it upon myself, but the thought of not seeing Emerald was driving me to the edge.

"Matthew, can you come with me to the hospital for my monthly check-up?" Natasha asked.

I wanted to decline, but she was pregnant, and I had promised to take care of her. God-damned promises!

"What time?"

It was 1 in the afternoon when I accompanied Natasha to the hospital. There were a few pregnant women waiting in line in the Ob-gyn section, and we were fifth in line.

"I never expected that you'd end up with Matthew. I remember before you were so eager to have Nicholas as your mate," one woman commented.

Natasha's face turned bitter, and she seemed ready to argue. Fortunately, her number was called by the assisting staff, cutting off her angry response.

I stayed with Natasha throughout the check-up, assisting her with everything she needed. The doctor even congratulated us for having a healthy baby. I wanted to tell them it's not mine, but I couldn't bear to humiliate Natasha; she was my friend.

"Just avoid doing strenuous activity. Although the baby is healthy, too much stress will affect your pregnancy," the doctor advised.

Natasha offered them a warm smile while I simply nodded in agreement. After receiving the doctor's prescription, we exited the room and headed directly to the pharmacy to purchase all the vitamins she needed.

"Thanks for coming with me," she smiled, wrapping her arms around me.

As I was about to smile back at Natasha, my eyes landed on a familiar face. The woman had just arrived at the hospital, and if we didn't change our course, we were going to cross paths. Overcome by guilt, I held Natasha's hand and guided her in a different direction.

"Where are we going? Aren't we taking our exit?" Natasha inquired.

I shook my head, glancing back to check if Emerald had already entered the hospital. She was still at the entrance, engaged in conversation with a group of doctors, laughing and smiling.

How could she smile like that with them but not with me?

"Matthew?"

What on earth am I doing? Why should I feel guilty if Emerald were to see me with Natasha? After all, she had already witnessed it the first night. There should be no issue if she saw us again. Besides, we had already rejected our bond.

"I'm sorry, I was just distracted for a moment. Let's take our leave," I said, holding Natasha's hand and leading her back to the exit.

However, just before we passed through the glass door, Emerald's head turned, and her eyes fell on me. We shared a brief moment of eye contact before she shifted her focus to the woman next to me. Her face remained expressionless, and I couldn't discern whether she was angry or not.

"Emerald, let's go," Mathilda called to her. "Coming," she glanced at me one last time before she followed the rest of the doctors.

"Was that your mate?" Natasha wondered.