Chapter 6

Phoebe's POV

I woke up feeling like my head was spinning. For a few seconds, I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, and the bed felt different. Panic crept in as I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy. Where was I?

I closed my eyes and tried to think. Slowly, pieces of the previous day came back to me. 

Nathaniel. His face. His lips on mine. His arms held me as he guided me… somewhere.

Before I could figure it out, there was a knock on the door. I froze, unsure of what to say. A moment later, a maid stepped in, carrying a tray.

“Good morning, Miss Phoebe,” she said politely, placing the tray on a small table beside the bed.

I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself up. “Why am I here?” I asked, my voice cracking.

The maid hesitated, her hands fiddling with the edge of her apron. 

“You were at the dinner table with the alpha's family last night, Miss,” she said carefully. “Lord Nathaniel brought you here so you could rest.”

“You were….um, you had a little too much wine to drink, that's why.”

“I was Drunk?” I asked, although I already knew the answer, my cheeks burned. I didn’t even remember drinking much. How could I have let this happen?

“Yes, Miss,” the maid continued. “Lord Nathaniel asked me to tell you not to worry. He slept in the guest room so you’d be comfortable.” She gave me a small, reassuring smile, but I felt embarrassed.

I waited until she left, then glanced at the tray. Breakfast. I wasn’t really hungry, but I forced myself to eat. I needed to clear my head and figure out what had happened.

After eating, I quickly dressed and left the room. I needed air, space, and some kind of distraction. The training grounds seemed like a good idea. The energy there was always alive, and maybe I could focus on something other than my own embarrassment.

“Getting drunk the first time you had dinner with his family? Really?” I asked myself in a scolding tone. But I couldn't change it. It'd already happened.

As I got closer, I spotted Nathaniel immediately. He was sparring with another werewolf, moving with strength and precision. Everyone around him watched with respect. He looked like a leader, every bit the alpha he was meant to be.

But as I studied him, something seemed off. His usual confidence wasn’t there. His movements were sharp, but his face… his face looked different. There was a worry in his eyes that I couldn’t ignore even if I wanted to. I stood there for a while, simply watching.

Slowly, I stepped closer. He noticed me, stopped the sparring, and handed his partner a towel. Then, without a word, he walked toward me.

“Nathaniel,” I said softly, my voice shaking. “ Good morning, can we talk?”

He nodded and led me to a quiet spot near the edge of the training grounds.

“Good morning. You look beautiful,” he said. The comment was supposed to be light but my heart skipped a beat. 

“Thank you…” I said in a whisper.

I felt my palms sweating as I tried to find the right words.

“Did I…” I paused, swallowing hard. “Did I do something embarrassing last night?”

He looked at me, his expression softening. “You were calling Duncan’s name,” he said after a moment.

I blinked, stunned. “Duncan?” I frowned, shaking my head. “I don’t know….. You must have misheard me.”

He was silent for a while, then when his eyes met mine again, I felt that familiar fluttering in the pits of my stomach. I held my breath.

“You did call the name repeatedly. I assume you didn't even know because you were drunk, of course.”

I shook my head again. Fine, I'd been drunk, but I didn't have a vague memory of me calling Duncan.

“Maybe you misheard me. I didn't call Duncan. I don't recall calling the name.”

He studied my face, his gaze intense. Finally, he sighed. “Maybe I did,” he said, his voice quieter now. “But that’s not the main issue.”

I tilted my head, confused. “What do you mean?”

Nathaniel ran a hand through his hair, his eyes meeting mine. “Yesterday, in front of everyone in my family, we accepted each other as mates,” he said. His tone was calm, even too gentle. He spoke as if he didn't want his voice to hurt me and that made warmth spread in my belly.

I felt my chest tighten. “Yeah. And now?” I whispered.

“It is for the pack,” he explained. “They need stability, and they need it fast. By showing them we’re bonded, it gives them hope.”

“I know this is overwhelming,” he said, his voice softer now. “I’m not asking you to do anything you don’t want to. I just think it’s best if we keep this arrangement, for the pack’s sake.”

I looked away. I didn’t know how to feel. Part of me understood his logic, but the rest of me felt trapped. 

“I won’t push you,” he added quickly. “You can take your time. But for now, if we could just keep up the act, it would mean a lot to everyone.”

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. He'd said that we would be sharing a room. This would make it hard to resist Nathaniel even if I wanted to. The thought of it made my blush. 

After a long pause, I nodded slowly. “Alright,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “For the pack, we'll do all we have to do.”

Relief washed over his face. “Thank you, Phoebe,” he said. “I’ll make this as easy as I can for you. You won’t have to do much.”

We walked back to the training grounds together. 

 Nathaniel returned to sparring, and I watched him from a distance. He moved with the same strength and precision as before, but now I noticed something else. The worry in his eyes hadn’t gone away.