Chapter Four:

~Nathan~

Letting Jane go is never easy.

No matter how many times I do it, it never feels right.

The moment I step away from her… it feels like I’m leaving a part of myself behind.

She completes me in every way.

When I’m with her, it’s everything I imagined it would be like when I found her.

But mornings like this… when she has to go to school, when I have to walk away and leave her behind—

It never feels right.

What I wouldn’t give to stay with her. To keep her in my arms and never have to let go. To live in that world we fall into so easily… where it’s just the two of us.

The only time I get close to that is on the weekends.

Those moments when I don’t have to watch the clock. When I don’t have to count down the hours until I have to leave her again. When I can just be with her… hold her, feel her, exist in everything we are without interruption.

But until she graduates…

This is our reality.

I sit in the car longer than I should, my hands locked around the steering wheel.

The engine’s still off.

I tell myself to go—

but my body doesn’t listen.

My fingers flex against the wheel before tightening again, the leather creaking softly under the pressure.

For a second, I almost move—almost reach for the door handle like I’m about to go back to her.

The instinct hits fast.

Sharp.

Possessive.

I force it down before it can take hold.

The parking lot hums quietly around me, students moving in and out, voices drifting through the air—but it all feels distant.

Muted.

Because even now…

I’m not alone in my own head.

The bond doesn’t fade with distance—

it sharpens.

Not just a pull…

awareness.

I feel the shift in her.

The quiet ache she tries to hide.

The way she hurts when I leave her.

It reaches me anyway.

My jaw tightens slightly as I grip the wheel a little harder.

Because I feel it too.

Every second I’m away from her feels wrong.

These past few months… since we moved into our home together…

Everything between us has only grown stronger.

Deeper.

I still remember that night like it just happened.

The way her hand felt in mine as I led her down the path.

The hesitation in her steps.

The fear.

She thought I was leaving her.

Thought I had found my mate… that everything we had was about to disappear.

That look in her eyes—

It nearly broke me.

Bringing her there wasn’t part of the original plan.

I wanted that moment to mean something more. I wanted to give her that home when everything was complete… when I could finally tell her the truth.

When she was mine in every way.

But I couldn’t wait.

Not when she looked at me like that.

Not when she was slipping back into that fear.

I needed her to feel it—

that nothing between us was breaking.

that she was still… everything.

And I felt it that night…

The shift in her.

The way she started to open herself to me.

To us.

But the fear is still there.

I see it sometimes… in the way she drifts.

The way her thoughts pull her somewhere else.

And in those moments—

That’s when it gets the hardest.

Because that’s when it rises—

The truth I’ve been holding back.

That she’s mine.

That she always has been.

That she’s my mate.

The word presses against my chest, demanding to be spoken.

To be claimed.

But I force it down.

Every time.

Even when it feels like it’s tearing its way out of me.

Especially when we’re close.

When we’re lost in each other… when everything else disappears and it’s just her and me and the bond pulling tighter between us—

That’s when I almost break.

When the word sits right there on my tongue.

Mate.

Koa stirs beneath the surface at the thought.

Restless.

Always restless when it comes to her.

She is ours, Koa growls, sharp and unrelenting.

Why do you keep holding back?

My grip tightens.

“I’m not holding back.” I mutter under my breath. “I’m waiting.”

A low, frustrated growl echoes in my mind.

He doesn’t understand patience.

He doesn’t understand restraint.

All he knows is instinct.

And right now—

Every instinct inside him is screaming to claim her.

His presence presses harder against mine—restless, pacing beneath the surface like a caged storm.

And it’s getting harder to hold the door shut.

This morning…

Something changed.

I felt it the second I was near her.

It wasn’t just the usual pull.

It was stronger.

Like something inside her was beginning to wake.

Koa felt it too.

He surged forward instantly, reacting to it in a way that nearly shattered my control.

The heat coming from her—

The need—

It hit me all at once.

And for a moment…

I almost lost it completely.

The memory hits without warning—

Her body against the shower wall, water tracing every line of her skin…

The way she responded to me like nothing else existed.

Like she needed me.

Only me.

My chest rises slowly as I exhale, forcing the memory back before it can take hold too deeply.

Because that’s the problem.

Every moment like that…

It pushes me closer to losing control.

Closer to crossing that line.

Closer to claiming her before she’s ready.

With her birthday only days away…

It’s becoming harder to hold Koa back.

Harder to hold myself back.

The closer she gets to her awakening, the harder it is to hold the line.

Control isn’t steady anymore.

It slips.

The bond pulls harder.

Koa pushes louder.

And I’m running out of time.

But I have to hold on.

Just a little longer.

She deserves to discover it on her own.

To feel it.

To know it.

The way it was always meant to happen.

And when that moment comes…

When her wolf finally awakens—

When she looks at me and realizes what we are to each other—

I just hope…

She understands why I couldn’t tell her.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I let myself feel it.

The bond.

Her.

I hold onto it for just a second longer… letting it settle into me before distance dulls it even slightly.

Her scent still clings to me, wrapping around my senses, calling out to something deep inside. The memory of her—her touch, her warmth, the way those green eyes look into mine—

Everything about her pulls at me.

My grip tightens around the steering wheel as I take a slow breath, fighting the urge to get out of the car and go back to her.

To run to her.

It takes more strength than I want to admit.

But I can’t.

I have to return to the pack house.

My father is waiting.

I inhale once more before opening my eyes, forcing myself to move.

The engine starts, the quiet hum filling the car as I pull out of the parking lot.

My gaze flickers to the rearview mirror.

The school fades further into the distance with every second.

And with it—

Her.

The ache in my chest deepens, sharp and familiar.

The drive feels longer than it should.

Too quiet without her.

It isn’t long before I pull into the pack house driveway, the familiar structure rising in front of me.

I put the car in park… but I don’t move right away.

My hands remain on the wheel, my body still, caught between leaving and staying.

I sit there for a second longer.

No thoughts. No movement.

Just the silence.

But the pull is still there.

Faint now—

but constant.

Like an echo that refuses to fade.

Closing my eyes briefly, I let out a slow breath.

Seeing her… being with her…

That’s all I need.

I never thought I’d find her.

My mate.

Not like this.

Not before she even knew.

But from the very first moment I saw her…

I knew.

I was never going to walk away.

My gaze shifts to the passenger seat.

Empty.

The absence hits harder than it should.

Lunch can’t come soon enough.

After another second, I finally move.

The engine cuts off, and I step out of the car, locking it behind me with a quiet click.

The air feels different here.

Heavier.

Subtle… but enough to notice.

As I make my way up to the front door and step inside, the familiar warmth of the pack house greets me.

“Nathan.”

My attention shifts as my mother approaches, a warm smile already on her face.

“Hello, Mom,” I reply, returning the embrace as she wraps her arms around me.

For a moment, it grounds me.

Pulls me out of everything else.

After a few seconds, she pulls back, studying me gently.

“How have you and Jane been? I miss having you both here,” she says, her voice soft but genuine.

“We’ve been good,” I answer. “Things are going well.”

I pause briefly before adding, “It’s just… better this way. For both of us.”

She smiles knowingly.

“I understand. You both need your space—to grow, to figure things out together. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you.”

A small breath leaves her before she continues.

“You should bring her by more often. Especially with her birthday coming up. I’d love to spend some time with her… start planning for her big night.”

At that, something tightens slightly in my chest—but I keep it hidden.

“We will,” I assure her. “I’ll let her know you want to see her.”

“Good,” she says, pleased. “I’m sure she’d love that.”

Then her expression softens just slightly, something more knowing slipping into her gaze.

“Your father’s been waiting for you,” she adds. “He’s in his office.”

I give her a small nod.

“I’ll go see him.”

Turning, I head down the hallway, each step echoing quietly against the floor.

The closer I get to his office…

I already know what’s waiting for me in my father’s office.

As soon as I step into my father’s office, I’m met with Oliver standing across from his desk.

They’ve both been waiting.

The door closes quietly behind me, and their attention shifts instantly in my direction.

My father remains seated, calm but focused, while Oliver stands tall beside the desk—steady, ready.

I move forward without hesitation, stopping in front of them.

“It’s good seeing you again, Oliver,” I say, turning toward him as I extend my hand.

He takes it without pause, his grip firm, unyielding.

“It’s good seeing you too, Nathan,” he replies. “It’s been some time… but the time has finally come.”

His eyes hold mine, sharp and certain.

“Are you ready for what’s coming?”

Our hands tighten briefly before we release.

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. “It’s time to bring Jane’s parents back to her.”

Because this is the truth I’ve been keeping from her.

The reason I’ve stayed silent.

The promise she doesn’t even know I’m about to keep.

The words settle heavily in the room.

A flicker of guilt presses at the back of my mind.

This morning…

She knew.

She felt it—the weight of something I wasn’t telling her.

And I still looked at her… and told her it was nothing.

Like I wasn’t about to walk into something that could change everything.

My jaw tightens slightly.

Because this—

This is everything.

And I still couldn’t tell her.

“I couldn’t risk saying anything to her,” I add, my voice lower now. “Not yet.”

My father gives a small nod, understanding.

“It’s for her safety,” he says calmly. “The less she knows before tonight, the better.”

Oliver crosses his arms slightly, his expression hardening just enough.

“We’ve been preparing for this for months,” he says. “Everything we’ve gathered points to tonight being our best chance.”

I nod.

“We move while Zander is gone.”

There’s no hesitation in my voice.

No doubt.

Because this isn’t just about strategy anymore.

This is personal.

This is happening.

Not just because it’s the right thing to do—

but because she’s been carrying this loss alone for too long.

And I’m done letting it stay that way.

“Zander is expected to leave the territory by nightfall,” Oliver continues. “Meeting with rogues. That gives us a window—but not an easy one.”

“He’ll leave guards behind,” I add. “His warriors won’t be far from her parents.”

“They won’t be,” Oliver agrees. “We’re expecting resistance.”

Silence lingers for a second.

Heavy.

Measured.

“We avoid a fight if we can,” my father says firmly, his gaze moving between us. “This is a retrieval—not a war.”

“But if it comes to it…” I start.

“We finish it,” Oliver says without hesitation.

I give a small nod.

Because there’s no question.

If it comes down to it—

I will fight.

I will tear through anyone who stands in the way.

Because I made her a promise.

“That night when I found her…” I say quietly, more to myself than to them. “I told her I would protect her. That I would keep her safe.”

My hand curls slightly at my side.

“This is part of that promise.”

“We move fast,” Oliver continues, shifting the focus back to the plan. “In and out. No unnecessary delays.”

“Zackary and the others are already preparing,” my father adds. “They’ll be ready by nightfall.”

I nod again, already running through everything in my head.

Positions.

Timing.

Risk.

“And Jay” my father asks, his voice more measured now.

“I’m keeping him with Jane” I answer immediately. “He won’t leave her side.”

It’s the only way I can do this.

The only way I can walk into that territory without turning back.

“I’m not taking any chances,” I add. “If anything happens, he’ll protect her.. ”

My father studies me for a moment… then nods.

“Good.”

The room falls quiet again.

But this time—

It’s different.

Not uncertain.

Not hesitant.

Final.

“This is our last chance to go over everything,” Oliver says. “Once we move tonight, there’s no turning back.”

I meet his gaze.

“I know.”

And I mean it.

Because if everything goes the way it’s supposed to…

If we do this right—

When Jane wakes up tomorrow morning…

she won’t be alone anymore.

She won’t have to continue feeling worried.

I’m bringing them back to her.