Adrian’s POV

The entire day unfolded in the hospital. I cared for my parents, but didn't express it. I worried about my father, a worry I couldn't articulate. I glanced at Natalia, pacing outside the operating room. I observed her all day. What surprised me was her evident worry for my father. She had always claimed…

My mother told me she'd gone to the pack house to help Father with his medication and nutrition. I wondered about her knowledge of these things.

In the last five years, I'd never seen my parents so happy as they were with Natalia. I couldn't change their minds; they saw her as reliable.

"Stop staring," Patric said from beside me. "It's obvious."

I turned from Natalia to him. "What's wrong?" I asked, a bit aggressively.

Patric shook his head. "Nothing. I've just been watching you. You're fixated on her. You'll scare her off."

I scoffed. Scared of me? Little did he know how bold she'd become recently.

"Lynda's calling me," he muttered.

"How's her hand?"

"Don't you think her wound was overblown?"

I glared at him.

His eyebrows rose. "Come on, I'm stating facts."

"She almost broke her hand."

"Lynda's a strong Beta woman. How could she not free herself? Is she…" Beta Patric trailed off, looking away.

I remembered seeing Natalia twisting Lynda's hand; Lynda cried but didn't resist. I wasn't a fool. Lynda could have broken free. I asked her about it; she said she was demonstrating…

It was hard to believe she was torturing Lynda like that. Lynda was innocent. She'd risked her life saving me years ago, repeatedly endangering herself for me. I felt… hatred for her. The way Patric spoke to me that day was infuriating; he was so self-satisfied. I despised him.

Doctor Harold emerged from the operating room, interrupting my thoughts.

"How is he?" I asked.

My mother and Natalia looked nervous.

"He's fine. The treatment worked."

Relief washed over me. I saw Natalia exhale sharply.

"When can I see him?" my mother asked.

"In an hour, once he's moved to a private room. He's unconscious now, but he'll wake up soon."

Tears welled in my mother's eyes. She placed a hand on her chest and sighed. I saw Natalia hug and comfort her. It looked like a family scene—a good daughter-in-law consoling her mother-in-law.

I quickly looked away, disgusted by my own thoughts.

"Natalia, thank you. You saved Alpha Lucas today," Doctor Harold said gently.

His eyes softened as he spoke to her. My mind drifted back to seeing them together in the hospital cafeteria. I narrowed my eyes. Harold's gaze met mine; his eyebrows shot up. He bowed slightly and entered the room.

I went outside, lit a cigarette, and watched a couple with twin children. The father was crying, holding one child.

"I can't lose you," he sobbed. "You're my blood."

I was surprised by his emotion. Could a man feel that intensely for a child? The twins reminded me of Natalia's babies. Anger flared. I resented the idea that they belonged to someone else. I liked the girl, but the boy… he had a problem with me. They were someone else's children; that was the problem.

In anger, I threw the cigarette down and ground it out. As I prepared to return, I saw Natalia leaving the hospital. A cheap-looking car pulled up. The driver opened the door for her as if she were royalty. She got in, and the driver bowed before closing the door.

Why the bow? She wasn't royalty. That level of respect was reserved for Alpha and his family. The car drove away.

I called my mother.

"Where's Natalia going?" I asked, heading to my car.

She was taken aback. "She's leaving our pack."

I hung up and followed Natalia's car.