Her Fault

Nathan's POV

I glared into her eyes which was filled with fake tears as hate, and anger surged through me. I wished I could wrap my hands around her throat, make her feel just a fraction of the pain tearing me apart. But I couldn’t—not with half the pack watching. Gritting my teeth, I glared at her one more time before shoving her away, making her stumble to the ground, her butt hitting the dirt.

Turning around, I ran out of the field, ignoring the loud calls from my father. I kept running, running until I reached the mansion. I stormed inside, bolting up the stairs and straight to my room.

Once inside, I slammed the door shut and I began kicking everything in my way.

I kicked over the small coffee table, sending it crashing into the wall, the sound of breaking wood doing little to calm the storm inside me. My chest heaved with anger as I ripped the couch cushions off, throwing them across the room. They hit the mirror, shattering the glass into pieces that fell to the floor like shards of my soul. Everything was ruined.

“No!” I screamed, my voice raw with the pain I couldn’t contain. “Why? Why her?!” My fists collided with the desk, sending papers and documents flying, scattered like the thoughts in my mind. It wasn’t enough. None of this was enough to express the hollow emptiness left in Nina’s absence.

Dropping to my knees, I buried my face in my hands. The tears I had been holding back all day came crashing down in full force. I hadn’t cried since I was a child, but now, I couldn’t stop. My whole body trembled, consumed by grief, by the unbearable weight of loss. Nina was gone, and I couldn’t even find her body.

I couldn’t believe it. Nina was gone. My Nina was gone. The woman I loved, the one I had imagined spending the rest of my life with, was dead—just like that. And the most painful part was that Nina had taken her own life. She couldn’t stand the thought of not being with me, so she jumped off a cliff. Her body was washed away by the river; we couldn’t find her remains, just a few of her belongings.

The pain was unbearable. How could this have happened? How could everything I held dear be ripped away in an instant? Nina’s laugh, her smile, her soft touch—gone. And I didn’t even have the privilege of laying her to rest properly. No body, no farewell.

Nina. Her name echoed in my mind like a taunt, a reminder of everything I had lost. My beautiful Nina was gone forever. And Benita, my supposed mate, was still alive, walking around like she didn’t have the blood of my love on her hands. She took everything from me the moment she was revealed as my mate. That bond that tied me to her was nothing but a curse. I hated her.

I punched the floor, the sharp pain shooting up my arm, but it did nothing to ease the hurt in my chest. My vision blurred as the tears continued to fall, my breaths ragged. All I could see was Nina’s face—her smile, her laugh. It haunted me now, a ghost of what could have been.

“Why did you do it, Nina?” I whispered brokenly, my voice shaking. “Why did you leave me?”

I wanted her back. I wanted to hear her voice, to hold her in my arms again. But all I had now was the bitter taste of regret and the overwhelming hatred I felt for Benita. My mate. The mate I would never love—not after this. How could I?

She had taken Nina from me.

And for that, I would make her suffer. Every day.

“Stop it, Nathan. You and I both know Benita isn’t to blame,” my wolf, Nathaniel, snapped at me, only fueling my anger.

“Please keep quiet, Nathaniel. Don’t say a word!” I yelled back.

My wolf growled. “I won’t keep quiet, Nathan. I’ve told you countless times not to date Nina or fall in love with her. I knew she was never going to be our mate, but you refused to listen. You were blinded by her beauty, by her face and sexy body. You wanted to be mated to the most beautiful girl in the pack. You are the cause of all of this! If only you had listened to me, none of this would have happened. If anyone is to blame, it’s you and Nina. Leave Benita alone. She didn’t ask the Moon Goddess to mate her with us!”

I flared with anger, the truth in his words burning me. “Damn you! Damn the mate bond!” I spat, my voice filled with hatred. “I don’t love that bitch, and I never will!”

“I will kill Benita. I’ll kill her with my bare hands. She doesn’t deserve to live while my Nina is dead. Tonight, I’ll make sure she’s gone…” I stopped, shaking my head and wiping the tears from my cheeks. Killing her would be too easy. Killing her would set her free. No, I had a better idea.

A loud thump on my door interrupted my thoughts, and to my surprise, it fell down, revealing my father with some warriors behind him.

“You all can leave,” my father ordered, and the warriors bowed before leaving.

Stepping into the room, my father stood before me, his blank eyes meeting mine. For a moment, he didn’t say a word. He just kept staring at me with a blank expression, making it hard for me to read his mood.

After a brief moment, he sighed and swayed before me, his blank eyes now filled with worry. “I’m sorry about Nina, but it’s nobody’s fault that she decided to commit suicide.”

His words enraged me, and I wanted to shout at him, to tell him he had a hand in Nina’s death. If he hadn’t forced me to accept Benita, Nina would still be alive. If he hadn’t stopped me from going after her, she would still be here.

“But, son, you have to move on. There’s a reason the Moon Goddess mated you to Benita instead. You may not know the reason now, but soon enough, you will. Please don’t blame that poor young girl. She has no hand in this,” my father pleaded, and I scoffed inwardly. Poor innocent girl, huh?

“Nathan, you will be an Alpha soon, and—”

“I will never accept Benita!” I interrupted, anger bubbling inside me. “She’s a reminder of everything I’ve lost. I don’t love that fat fucking bitch!”

My father moved closer, his voice firm but kind. “You don’t have to love her right away, but you need to accept the situation. You have a responsibility now—to her and to your future pack.”

I clenched my fists, the weight of his words sinking in, twisting my gut with anger. “Responsibility?” I spat. “What about my responsibility to Nina? To the love we had? You want me to just pretend it didn’t exist?”

“No, no one is asking you to forget her so quickly but you don’t have to kill yourself. And as for Benita, you don’t have to love her, but you can marry her and find a way to make this work for the pack. You can take your time.”

I turned away, my heart racing with conflicting emotions. Marry Benita? The idea churned my stomach, but I realized it could serve my purpose. I could marry her, but it wouldn’t be out of love. No, I could make her life a living hell every single day. I could turn my pain into a weapon, and Benita would be the target.

“Fine,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm within me. “I’ll marry her.”

My father looked relieved, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes. “Good. That’s all I ask.”

I nodded, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Benita had no idea what I had planned for her. I would make her suffer every day of our marriage. She would pay for taking Nina away from me, and I would make sure she felt the full weight of my grief and anger.