16: He's still your mate

Natasha's POV

The slap echoed in my ears long after the sound faded.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My body was still frozen from the moment he stepped in front of me, from the way his voice had cracked through the air like thunder, from the fire in his eyes when he looked at Ashley.

And then, the way he looked at me.

Like I was worth something.

Like I wasn’t just some girl in borrowed clothes standing in a hallway too grand for her shadow.

For a second, something bloomed in my chest. I didn’t name it. Didn’t dare. But it was there. Quiet and warm. The feeling that maybe I wasn’t as invisible as I’d thought. Important maybe. 

"Come with me!"

His voice pulled me back, sharp again. Still full of that same heat, but not the soft kind. Not the one I wanted to feel.

I followed.

His grip wasn’t tight, but it wasn’t gentle either. He didn’t look back once. Just stormed ahead, dragging me down two corridors and through a door I hadn’t noticed before. A study maybe. Or a waiting room. I didn’t have time to check. Because the moment we were in, the door slammed behind us so hard the frame shook.

He turned.

"Why the hell did you leave your room?"

I blinked.

That warmth? That tiny spark?

Gone.

My heart slipped a little.

"I just... I was strolling," I mumbled, hating the way my voice sounded. Small. "I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed—"

"You shouldn’t have been out there!"

He wasn’t shouting anymore, but his voice was still hard, clipped at the edges. Like he was holding himself back, but only barely.

I stared at him, trying to understand. Trying to find the version of him from five minutes ago. The one who shielded me. Defended me. Looked at me like I was more than just a passing breath in a wide palace.

But he was gone.

And this man—this cold, furious man in front of me—was totally different.

I swallowed hard, pressing my lips together to stop them from trembling. I didn’t say anything else. I didn’t ask questions. I just nodded.

Like I understood.

Even though I didn’t.

He stood there for another second, staring at me. Then, without another word, he turned, yanked the door open, and walked out. The slam was louder this time.

I stood there, alone.

Breath caught in my chest. Eyes stinging.

It wasn’t just what he said.

It was how fast he flipped.

How quickly I went from being defended... to being scolded.

Like I was the problem. Like I did something wrong just by being seen.

A small split opened in my chest.

Not deep. But enough.

I sat down slowly, on the edge of the couch, hands in my lap, trying to piece it all together. Trying not to let that little crack grow bigger.

My phone rang.

I blinked down at it. The screen lit up with a name I hadn’t seen in days.

Mom.

I cleared my throat and picked up. "Hi, Mom."

“My love, how are you doing?” she replied, her voice warm enough to calm whatever was going on inside of me. 

“I’m… I’m fine mom.” I struggled to sound firm. 

"Your voice sounds off. Are you okay?"

That fast.

She heard it. That sadness I thought I’d buried deep.

I forced a chuckle. "I’m fine. Just... long day. You know, trying to fit in and all.”

"Hmm."

That was all she said. But it carried weight. The kind that didn’t need extra words.

"How’s everyone? The pack?"

I asked because I had to. Not because I wanted to.

She sighed. I heard it clearly. "Different."

I waited.

"Your Alpha... Jace... he hasn’t been himself."

The name stung.

Even now, even after everything. It still hurt. Like an old bruise that got reopened. 

“Well, I don’t see how that concerns me.” 

"He’s still your mate," she said softly.

"He betrayed me," I answered quickly.

"I know."

I could hear her shifting in her seat. 

"I’m not saying forgive him. I’m not even saying talk to him. I’m just saying... something feels off."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He hasn’t spoken to anyone. He barely leaves the house. He doesn’t eat properly. And his Beta said he’s been having... episodes. Blackouts. Fainting. Weird dreams. I don’t know. But it started after you left."

I stayed silent.

"I’m not saying come back," she added. "But I’ve lived through enough to know when something bigger is at play. And Natasha, baby... this doesn’t feel normal."

I swallowed hard.

The line went quiet.

And the split in my chest? It grew just a little wider.

The night was heavy. The room was quiet, but it didn’t feel calm. The walls were too still. The shadows too loud. I turned for what felt like the hundredth time, my fingers twisting the blanket around my wrist like it could anchor me to the bed, like it could silence the thoughts in my head.

It didn’t.

The words my mother said wouldn’t leave me.

He hasn’t been himself.

He’s still your mate.

Something doesn’t feel normal.

I stared at the ceiling, eyes open wide in the dark. The moonlight spilled in slivers through the curtains, casting long, broken patterns on the floor. Somewhere down the hall, a door creaked. Maybe a guard. Maybe just the house settling. But it didn’t matter. My mind was far from this room.

It was back in that pack.

Back in the place I tried to forget.

I thought I was done with him.

I thought I’d moved past it.

But the ache in my chest tonight told another story.