Chapter Five: Revelation and Rejection

I didn't want to go to the hospital. The thought of being around my family, playing along with their deceit and schemes, made my skin crawl. But Beta James had made it clear: Nicholas had awakened and demanded our presence. The word of the Alpha was law, and my feelings had no place in the immediate future.

As I walked into the hospital with Lena and my parents trailing behind them, the tension between us was palpable. Lena’s manicured hand gripped her phone tightly, her face a mask of controlled panic, and my father’s silenced rage simmered beneath his business-casual facade.

We stepped into Nicholas’s room. He was sitting up in bed, looking healthier than I had expected, but with a stern expression that spoke volumes. Guilt welled up inside me, choking my ability to form words. What could I say? That his wife had been lying to him? That she was already proclaiming love to another man in secret corners? It wasn’t my place, and I had no choice as much as I hated now being tangled in this.

Lena rushed to his side, her heels clicking angrily on the sterile hospital floor. "Oh my god, I was so worried about you, honey!" she exclaimed, reaching out for his hand. Just as her fingers were about to entwine with his, Nicholas pulled away, making me look up in shock.

"Thank you all for coming," Nicholas said, the coldness in his voice louder than the machines beeping around him.

My father opened his mouth to speak but was immediately silenced by Nicholas’s raised hand. The room seemed to hold its breath. Beta James stepped forward, holding a yellow envelope, which he handed to Nicholas. Nicholas took it and almost immediately tossed it in Lena’s direction, his eyes never leaving hers.

Lena hesitated before taking the envelope, her hands trembling as she slowly opened it. As her eyes hit the contents, she gasped, dropping the pictures onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face, makeup smudging as she sobbed uncontrollably. "Please, Nicholas, I can explain," she begged.

"I gave you everything, Lena—everything you could ever want and more. I loved you with all my heart," Nicholas said, his voice trembling with restrained fury.

"But I love you!" Lena cut in, her desperation palpable.

Nicholas’s cold stare hardened. "Be quiet. It was a mistake for me to ever love you."

Lena fell to her knees, her cries muffled by her hands. "Nicholas, please! It was a mistake. I—"

Ignoring her completely, Nicholas cleared his throat and looked around the room, his gaze settling briefly on each of us. "I, Alpha Nicholas Blackthorn, reject you, Lena Stevenson, as my mate," he declared calmly. "I never want to see you or your family again."

Lena's pleas turned into incoherent mumblings. My father, ever the businessman, tried to interject. "But Nicholas, think about the implications. This will ruin—"

Nicholas held up his hand yet again.

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the air. The only sound was Lena’s muffled sobbing, the beeping of hospital machines, and my own heart pounding in my chest. My father finally looked at me, his eyes flashing with unspoken threats and failed plans. It was as though he was blaming me for all of this.

Before he could speak again, Nicholas pointed to the door. "Leave," he commanded, his voice like granite.

Swallowing his anger, my father nodded, placing a hand on my mother’s elbow to steer her out. With a deep sense of relief and an odd dread, I also turned to leave. I felt Nicholas’s eyes on me just as I reached the door. The brief connection was like an electric shock, making my stomach churn. I quickly looked away, embarrassment sending heat rushing to my cheeks, and hurried out of the room.

As we reached the car park, Lena stopped in front of me, turning to face me with her eyes filled with anger. “This is all your fault,” she said as she pointed.

I wanted to defend myself and tell her that I had nothing to do with any of this, but as I went to speak, I realised there was no point in trying to defend myself. She was hurting and wasn’t going to believe a word that came out of my mouth. “Believe what you want, Lena, but the only person to blame here is you.” Turning about, I walked off, not caring that I was walking away from my car. I just needed to put as much distance between them and myself as I could.