Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One

Hailee's POV

"Nathan…" The name left my lips as a whisper, trembling, breaking. My heart slammed so hard against my chest I thought it might tear itself free. Ten years. Ten long, cruel years. And now—here he was.

For a moment, the crowd, the lights, the vampires—all of it vanished. There was only him. His tall frame cutting through the shadows, his aura so strong it pressed against my skin. His eyes—gods, those eyes—locked on mine and refused to let go.

Tears welled and spilled before I could stop them. My lips trembled, parting as if to speak again, but no sound came. My body shook, my hands tightening around the boys as if they were the only anchor keeping me from collapsing.

He was real. Not a dream. Not a memory. Not a ghost haunting me.

It had been ten years since I'd last seen him—ten years since I'd last felt the weight of his gaze, heard the sound of his voice, or breathed the same air as him. And yet, as he stood there, as if he owned the very ground, I realized nothing could have prepared me for this moment.

The years had not softened him. If anything, they had carved him sharper, harder, like stone weathered by storms. His shoulders were broader, his frame towering, powerful, radiating command with every breath he drew. The black suit he wore clung to his body, cut perfectly, but even fabric couldn't hide the sheer strength coiled beneath.

His face—Moon above, his face—was both achingly familiar and devastatingly new. The strong jaw I remembered had grown sterner, set like granite, shadowed faintly by stubble that only deepened the rugged lines of him. His cheekbones were sharper, his mouth harder, lips pressed in a thin, unreadable line. But it was his eyes that stole the air from my lungs.

Piercing green. Fierce. Unforgiving. The kind of eyes that didn't just look at you—they seared through you, stripping you bare until there was nothing left but truth. They locked on me now, unwavering, and I swore I felt them clawing through every wall I'd built in the past decade.

His hair was darker, shorter than I remembered, but still touched by unruly strands that curled slightly at his temple, as if even time couldn't tame all of him. There was a scar, faint but there, running just beneath his jawline. Proof of battles fought and survived.

But more than how he looked, it was what he carried with him—an aura so powerful the air itself seemed to bow to him. Alpha. Warrior. Predator. Every person in that room felt it. The vampires, the bidders, even the guards—they shrank under it, though they tried to mask their unease.

Ten years, and still… he was the most breathtaking, terrifying man I had ever laid eyes on.

And even as hate and heartbreak glimmered in his gaze, even as the bond between us twisted painfully in my chest, a single truth broke me open:

Part of me had never stopped loving him.

"Nathan…" I said again, louder this time, my voice cracking.

Oscar and Ozzy followed my gaze, their little heads turning. I felt Oscar stiffen, his green eyes widening as if he, too, could feel the weight of that man's presence. Ozzy blinked slowly, his small hand squeezing mine, his whisper barely audible.

"Mama… who is he?"

My throat closed. I couldn't answer. Because Nathan's eyes—burning, wild, furious, and broken all at once—were still locked on me. And in that gaze, I saw everything I had run from. The love. The rage. The betrayal. The bond that had never really let me go.

The auctioneer's oily voice broke through the silence. "Ah, we have a guest," he said smoothly, his grin spreading wide as he looked toward Nathan. "Perhaps a bidder? You've come at just the right time, Alpha. A rare beauty and her sons are on the block."

The crowd murmured, hungry eyes flicking between Nathan and me.

My breath hitched. My knees wobbled.

And all I could do was pray—pray that the Moon Goddess hadn't brought him here just to watch me fall.

Nathan didn't move at first. He didn't shout, didn't push through the crowd like I thought he would. No—he walked forward slowly, like a predator who owned the ground beneath his feet, and then he sat. His broad frame filled the front row, his hands folding across his lap, but his eyes… his eyes never left me.

My throat closed. My heart beat so violently it shook my ribs. He wasn't bidding. He wasn't saying a word.

The auctioneer lifted his hand high, his voice smooth and greedy. "Seven hundred thousand."

Hands rose in the crowd. Numbers flew. The vampires, the wolves, even the humans—they all shouted, their eyes hungry, their voices sharp.

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Nine!"

"A million!"

The numbers climbed, the voices overlapping, the heat of the lights burning into my skin. My palms went slick with sweat as I clutched Oscar and Ozzy tighter.

Through the blur, I looked at Nathan. My lips trembled, but no sound came. Only my eyes spoke—begging, pleading.

Please… Nathan. Forgive me. Save me. I know what I did. I know I ran, I lied, I hurt you. But don't let them take us. I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you punish me. Treat me as badly as a stranger would. Tear me apart if you must. But let it be you. Let it be you, not them. With you, at least I know I'll survive.

Tears blurred my vision. I shook my head slightly, silently begging. Please, Nathan… please.

And then—his gaze shifted. Not to me. To Oscar.

My stomach twisted, my breath catching. His eyes lingered on my son, his green eyes so much like Nathan's own. Did he see it? Did he feel anything? Was his wolf clawing at him, screaming for recognition?

The auctioneer clapped his hands, his grin sharp. "Going once for one million and five hundred thousand!"

My heart lurched.

"Going twice!"

I almost collapsed. This was it. Someone else would own us. Someone else would drag us into a life worse than death.

And then—

"I'll pay three million dollars."

The words cut through the air like a blade.

The entire room froze. Gasps echoed through the crowd. Heads snapped toward Nathan, shock flashing across every face. Even the auctioneer faltered, his mouth hanging open for a heartbeat before he recovered, his grin stretching wider.

"Well, well, well…" His voice purred, pleased. "Three million dollars. From Alpha Nathan."

My knees buckled, my vision spinning. Relief, fear, love, pain—all tangled so sharply it was difficult to breathe.

Nathan still hadn't looked away. His eyes burned into me not with compassion but with something else.

"Gone!" The auctioneer announced.