Dawn

~Nathan~

I rush into the hospital after parking the car. The nurse at the reception tells me to check in one of the rooms for Hannah as she is speaking with the doctor. But I end up entering the wrong room. 

“Doc Hems, his blood does not match either.”

“What?”

“That means he's not the father? What do we do now? The little girl will die if she doesn't get a rare blood type.”

Blood…little girl… I try to make sense of the discussion. 

“But Doctor Hems, if Liam is not Olivia's father, then who is?”

Liam is not Olivia's father? My heart palpitates. Did Hannah cheat on Liam? No. Hannah would never. I did the maths and as the realization begins to dawn, I feel intense emotions overwhelm me. 

I barge out of there in a flash and return after picking up a face mask in the car. I approach the nurse I overheard talking earlier. 

“Hello. How may I help you?” 

“I want to donate blood. My blood type is rare.”

“Oh thanks goddess. How did you know we are in need of the rare blood type?”

“Is that so? I have no idea.”

“But–your face. Why the mask–”

“This is a voluntary donation and I'd like for my identity not to be revealed.”

She gives me a suspicious squint but I don’t flinch. Hannah and Liam must not see me. “Come with me for now, we need to run some tests immediately.”

As the pin pierce me, instead of feeling the pain, I feel so sad. My beast wines low. Why didn't Hannah tell me? I know she had her reasons but still…still…My chest tightens with pain. As soon as they confirm Olivia is safe, I want to leave the hospital but I didn't want to make Hannah suspect something. I know she'll be in the waiting area. 

Seeing her, I feel my chest become heavier and tighter. I think about three years ago and at that moment I regret leaving her in the hands of my lunatic brother. 

But she chooses the words that crush me when she bans me from seeing or even asking about Olivia. 

I leave the hospital feeling a wave of anger. And the only place to calm me is the training center. 

My phone beeps as I'm training. Once I read the message, I abandon everything and run out. 

I arrive at my destination, panting really hard. The place isn't far from the house, reason I didn't drive or used a cab and maybe because I wanted to feel the anger rush that will fuel the fury I'm hoping to show to this woman that I'm about to meet. The woman that abandoned me–my birth mother. 

“Guy! He’s here!”

My fist clenches as two guys appear in my front instead. The infamous Harrow Wood bullies, Bega and Joan. 

“I heard you were back in town and I didn't want to believe it. Now that I'm seeing you….wow…you really are back. Seems you found a new hobby. You must be training really hard to have those em…abs and muscles,” Joan remarks with a smirk. 

“But it doesn't change the fact that you are nothing but a slutty son and a fucking bastard!” Bega sneers. 

My jaw tenses hard. Over twenty years of my life, I have been called these names. Over twenty fuvking years! Each time I want to crack their skulls, I want to give freedom to my inner beast and devour them. But each time I hold back. 

Again I tell myself to hold back. I refuse to stoop low to their level. I turn around and begin to walk away. 

“Where the fuck you going, slutty son?” Bega grip my shirt and shove me back. 

“I don't want to fight you. Get out of my way.” I grit. 

He scoffs. “And if l don't?”

“Then I will kill you.” 

“Wow! You've finally grown some balls, bastard.” He jeers. 

“Less talking. More action. I'm busy, let's end it quickly.” I grit. 

He laughs. “Look, the slutty son is asking for a fight!” 

“Don't fight Nathan. Remember our promise? We are never going to stoop to their level.” I hear my wolf say. I call him my inner beast. 

“Actually I have changed my mind. I'm busy and don't have time for lowlife like you.”

“You wanna hear something else?” He starts as I'm turning. “I sent you the message, bastard. I made you come here to find your slutty mom.” He grins deviously. 

Something goes loose in the control unit in my brain. I charge at him, dump him to the ground and hook his collar. “You dare mess with me? Huh!”

“Yeah I pranked you…” he laughs tauntingly. “You are nothing but a bastard and a slutty son.”

I clench my fist, my knuckles turning white. My beast is speaking to me but my rage is blocking my senses. Lunatic before me is laughing harder and louder, enjoying my emotional turmoil. My jaw locks and I feel my teeth grinding together. Immediately I lose it and begin to punch him furiously. By the time I come back to my senses, my knuckles are blooded, Bega’s face destroyed.

“You murderer! What have you done!”

People are gathered raining curses on me. 

“Son of a slut.”

“Bastard.”

“Murderer!”

Like I always do, I shut my ears. But the words keep echoing in my head. My knuckles are cold, cracked and bruised as I trotted back home. I won a fight but I feel disgusted and empty. 

“Congratulations!”

I jam Liam as soon as I reach home. “Murderer now, huh? Slutty son…bastard…now murderer? You sure have it all going well.” He mocks. 

From nowhere a palm greases my right cheek. 

“Have you gone crazy?” Cathylene Durk bark. She shoves her iPad to my face. A video of me punching Bega is showing. “Tell me, did you come back here to soil Durk's reputation with your ill luck and stupidity!”

What was I expecting? A dry painful laugh slips my throat. I must have been a fool expecting anyone to ask for my own side of the story. 

“Do you realize how much your careless actions can ruin Liam's chances of becoming the next Alpha? I warned you the day you returned from wherever it is, to stay in the darkness! Your only duty and only reason you are still in this house is to help my son become the Alpha! You will behave yourself as long as you are in this house. As the lady of this house, I demand so! have I made myself clear?”

The rest of Cathylene Durk’s word is a gap as Hannah comes into view. Not just Hannah but with Olivia. 

Shame grips me. I wonder how pathetic I must look in her eyes. I promise to help her when I can't even help myself. 

Suddenly Olivia burst into tears. By impulse I wanted to reach for her but Liam beat me to it. “What's wrong, Olivia?” 

“Uncle Nathan is bleeding…” goes Olivia, her wailing increasing by another notch. 

I am shocked. 

She comes over to me. “Does it hurt too much, Uncle Nathan? Sorry. Do you want me to fight them for you? My teacher says I can get my wolf soon. She will fight those ugly bullies.”