Chapter 5

LIAR,LIAR PANTS ON FIRE.

NATHAN’S POV

The moment she looked at me and asked if we had met before, my stomach dropped and I felt that familiar, uneasy feeling, inside. That kind of pull you feel when something shifts in the air, a change that I could feel, but couldn’t figure out. I saw Elisa, eyes wide, staring at me, like she hadn’t just remembered something that didn’t quite fit…. I unsuccessfully tried to brush it off, the weight of her question persisted.

“Have we met before?”

I almost laughed at myself. Of course, we had. I was the idiot who ran her over with my stupid car. But there was also more to it than that; I just couldn’t figure it out, something that was ringing at the back of my brain.

“No,” I said before softening my tone. “I don’t think so. I found you unconscious. 'I didn't even know your name until you told me.'

Her lips twitched like she didn’t believe me, but she let it go. I just looked at her, like she was working to remember me from some old memory she'd forgotten.

It was fast, my heart was racing, but it wasn't just because of the accident. She was just trying to make sense of everything and I knew what she was trying to do. 

And I knew it was impossible. There was no way in hell she could remember me from before. I would’ve remembered her—no doubt about it. But that feeling, that connection? The way my pulse sped up every time she looked at me? I couldn’t ignore it.She felt like... home—but how could that be? She was just a stranger who had walked into my life by pure accident.

Her gaze fell to my neck for a moment, and I caught her eyes lingering on the tattoo there, that damn wolf insignia I had gotten years ago.

“What’s that on your neck?” she asked, her voice softer now, a mix of curiosity and caution.

I smirked, brushing my fingers over the tattoo. “It’s a mark of my pack,” I replied, hoping that would suffice without forcing me to delve into my past.I wasn't prepared to open up to her. To be honest, I was still trying to figure out how I found myself in this mess. I was supposed to be facing my own struggles, not taking care of a woman who looked shattered.

But here we were.

Her face scrunched slightly in thought. “A pack?” she echoed, as if she wasn’t sure she had heard me correctly. “As in… like a werewolf pack?”

I laughed, really laughed and the tension in the place eased a bit even if for just a second. “Yeah something like that,” I replied, “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds. Just a group of people who are... different.” 

She shook her head but seemed unsure of me. 

“From outside this place, aren’t you?” I said hoping to sidetrack the conversation. Not because I do not want to respond rather because I needed to get a better sense of her. She was too guarded, way too closed up and I needed to do something to break that. 

I frowned when Elisa felt compelled to reason with a body language response rather than the spoken word. her lips were fierce in their pursing as though she was deciding to talk or not. Eventually, she shrugged and shifted her focus back to me. 

“We do not belong communally,” she said lightly, “I am from the Rowblood Pack.” 

My stomach twisted. Rowblood. That name shocked me, the mention of it alone felt like a slap across my face. I had heard that name too many times in the past. They were one of the dominant packs in the area, one which practically had links to every other big faction in the entire werewolf kingdom. If she came from Rowblood... she was not just a woman, she was someone who had powerful connections, plenty of them and a stone shed load of power.

I felt this weird knot in my chest. I didn't have a single idea of what to say or do. I was in pretty deep, but this? This was. something else entirely.

"Why aren't you back there?" I asked, the question slipping out before my brain could catch up, and I immediately regretted the words the moment they came out. It really wasn't my place to ask her that. She didn't owe me an answer.

She looked away, an edge of gravity skating her face. "I'm not going back," she said flatly.

It hit me then: She was running. From something. Them. Her past.

I inched closer, my tone lowering. "You're safe now. I'll see to that.

I don't feel safe," she murmured.

She kept looking out the window as if searching for an escape.

The vibe in the room was so tense. Honestly, I was freaking out, I kept thinking what I should do or what I could even say.

"Um, Is there anyone you need me to call?" I asked, softer now. "Someone you trust?"

She looked over at me, glaring even though her eyes were misty. "No," she said sternly. "I don't trust anybody."

Her eyes locked onto mine again, and I could see all the confusion and anger swirling in there. She was definitely a broken woman, but there was this fire in her that hadn't been totally extinguished, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up.

And just like that, we drew closer, though neither of us had the faintest idea what it actually meant or what we were doing.

I leaned in and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and I kinda lingered a moment longer than I should've.

"Elisa," I said softly, "You don't have to be alone anymore. I'll help you. Whatever it takes."

What was I even saying? Help her? Whatever it takes??

Her expression softened for just a moment, and before I could say anything further, the door burst open with a loud bang.

Almost immediately, a doctor walked in with a couple of nurses, just chatting away. I caught one of them giggling softly, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

The doctor looked over at me and said, "Well it's nice to see you mates bonding already,"

Elisa’s eyes snapped back to me, confusion swirling in her expression. “Mate?” she repeated, her voice laced with disbelief.

I rubbed the back of my neck, looking at Elisa with a mix of guilt and uncertainty. I was about to lie my way out of this, but something in my gut twisted, telling me it wasn’t just about covering up the accident anymore. There was something more pulling at me.

I had no idea how to explain myself. 

I rubbed the back of my neck and looked over at Elisa, feeling all kinds of guilty and unsure. 

I was going to lie my way out of this, but something inside didn't feel right. It was like it was more than not telling about the accident now; something else pulled at me.

I cleared my throat, swallowing hard before I said anything. "Yeah, I missed her," I said and gave her a little peck on the forehead.

Missed her? The lie tasted bitter, and I wanted to punch myself for saying it, but I couldn’t back down now. The doctor was watching. The nurses were grinning. Everyone around here thought we were some kind of perfect, destined couple.

But we weren’t. I could tell from the way her eyebrows furrowed that she wasn't buying it too.

“That’s so sweet,awww" the doctor remarked with a smile, clearly pleased with the situation. Elisa didn’t respond right away, but I could see the confusion clouding her eyes. She stared at me, as if searching for something, or maybe trying to piece together the absurdity of the situation.

After taking one final glance at both of us He smiled and left with the nurses in tow, still chatting away as if nothing was wrong. But the silence between Elisa and me felt heavy now. She was still staring at me, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.

“My mate?.... Like seriously?,” she said, arms crossed, rolling her eyes like a sassy 9-year old girl.

As she glanced at me, I watched the confusion spread over her face. She didn’t believe a word I’d said. And truth be told, I didn’t blame her. We didn’t even know each other. Not really.

Her voice was sharp now, an edge to it I hadn’t heard before. “We don’t even know each other. How could you say you missed me?”

I got up and walked to the window trying to figure out how to fix this mess. I couldn't spill everything to her. Not now. But I had to give her some explanation.

She had a point. I didn't know her. But something deep inside—a dark basic instinct—pushed me to lie, to convince Doc I did. Also to make her believe I was someone who gave a damn. Someone who could keep her safe.

I looked away for a bit thinking . "I... I know it's strange," I said feeling uneasy. "But I just... I had to speak up, you know? I couldn't let anyone think I didn't care. After what went down... I didn't want them to think I didn't give a fuck about you."

It wasn't a complete lie. Not really . But it wasn't the whole truth either.

Elisa's face softened just for a moment, but then she scowled. "But—what went down?" She stared at me like she was waiting for me to explain something impossible to understand.

I let out a quick breath sensing her eyes on me. She had no clue. How could she? Her memory was blank about everything that happened after my car struck her.

I couldn't bring myself to come clean to her, not right away anyway. I rubbed my head looking at the door as if I could somehow get out of the situation. But I couldn't. I was here deceiving her trying to make her believe that I cared about her. That I was her mate. 

" Fine, I... I lied," I confessed, at last, my voice was quiet."The whole 'we're bonded' thing isn't true. I don't even know you. But letting them think I didn't give a fuck about you? Nope, couldn't do it. And I wasn't about to say I hit you with my car. I had to play it off, cook up some kind of story.It's just... I didn't want to seem like the bad guy." 

Her eyes grew wide, and I saw her take in my words like a blow to the stomach. She looked at me still, as the weight of what I'd just revealed struck her. 

Then she blinked, the impact of my words hitting her like a punch to the gut. "You did what?"

 I nodded, my stomach dropping at her expression. "Yeah, I hit you with my ride. It wasn't on purpose. I swear. You popped up in the road outta nowhere, and don't blame me that I didn't catch sight of you quick enough. There was no way I could just leave you lying there. Letting you die over a dumb mistake wasn't an option. So... to hide my mess up, I told the doc we were an item.”

“So……” She started picking her words carefully, “You're telling me you lied to hide you'd knocked me over... and now I should buy that you give a fuck about me?”

I glanced down then locked eyes with her serious look. "It might seem nuts, and I get why you might not believe me from the jump. But, cross my heart Elisa hurting you is the last thing I wanna do. I'm out here trying to set things straight, you know?"

An awkward quiet hung in the air all heavy and weird. I felt my words like a big old weight on her, and man, I sure felt crummy about dropping all this on her.

She took short quick breaths, and her hands were clutching the blanket underneath like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart.

I had no idea what to anticipate, but this was unexpected. This moment wasn't in my plans. I figured lying would simplify things, yet here I was just observing her come to terms with reality.

When she talked, her voice split just a whisper. "So you ran me over?"

I confirmed with another nod overwhelmed with remorse. "Yes, I hit you, but by accident. Honest. I didn't mean any harm to you."

Her eyes went huge like she couldn't believe it followed by a slow shake of her head. "I was glad you crashed into me with your car," she said as she rolled her eyes, "so why'd you drag me here? Dying on the spot would've been fine by me." She said, rolling her eyes and slumping angrily to the bed.

This lady was something else.

“Why would you want to die?” I asked, honestly concerned.

“Because there is nothing to live for. I watched my mate Roland, the alpha of Rowblood pack get mated to my cousin selena after 5 years of our abusive marriage, I watched him and Selena slap me as I tried to confront him, I watched him accuse me of theft and poisoning when I tried to confront him and I also watched him banish me out of the pack after sending assassins to kill me” 

Before she could say anything more, she slumped back against the pillow, her hand coming to her forehead as if I had overwhelmed her.

“Oh my goodness,girl, you good?" I couldn't help the worry in my voice.

Elisa, well, she didn't say a word. Instead, she just shut her eyes and, before you know it, she's passed out again, all slack.

"Darn it!" I muttered, hurrying to her side. "Elisa!"

Muttering a couple more swears , I slammed the call button . A wave of panic hit me as I stared at her hoping she'd come to. Not this again. Not right now.

She'd just started to hear me out, to let me in, and now she seemed to be drifting off again. My heart pounded like crazy as I clutched her hand wishing for her eyes to open, for her to return to my side.

It was weird why I even cared. But I did.

 I cared a whole lot.

"Elisa!" I yelled, hands trembling as I charged toward her. Yet, before I got close, her eyes went dull, and she slumped onto the hospital bed knocked out.

No way. What just happened? My heart thudded like crazy. She seemed okay seconds before—what'd I miss?

I fell to my knees next to her, a wave of worry washing over me. "Elisa, come on, wake up! You gotta!"

My thoughts tangled up, each sprinting ahead of the next. Maybe it's too hot in here? Or maybe—could she have banged her head?

I hit the panic button, my finger slamming down like a lifeline, but—nothing.

Where the hell is everyone?

My hands were trembling as I searched for a pulse paralyzed by fear. Didn't feel anything.

This is bad bad! I can't believe this is going down. I'm like a statue while my brain's going crazy telling me not to freak out. Just concentrate on her.

Started off shaking her easy then got more forceful. "Elisa! Wake up! You can't do this to me!"

I could see her breathing kind of. It was weak and all over the place.

Suddenly her eyes popped open—huge. But they looked like they saw nothing. Her body just slumped over, her breathing faint, a tiny scared sound from her mouth.

“Elisa? Elisa!” I reached for her, but she didn’t respond. Her lips moved, but the words didn’t form. What’s wrong with you?

I checked again—pulse, breathing—everything was still there, but she wasn’t there. Not really.

Then—footsteps—loud, fast, started coming down the hallway. The door slammed open.

“What the hell is going on in here?” The doctor rushed in, looking frantically between me and Elisa.

“I—I hit the panic button!” My voice was tight with desperation. “No one came! What’s happening to her? Why isn’t she—”

The doctor didn’t even glance at me, immediately moving to Elisa’s side, pushing me out of the way. He pressed his hands to her chest, checking her vitals, his eyes darting over Elisa’s still form.

"Dammit!" he muttered.

"Hey, I hit that button twenty minutes ago—how come no one came?" I questioned.

 He slammed the button again, frustration flooding his face. “Get back. We need to move her. Now.”

My mind was reeling. What’s happening? “Move her?Doc—is she okay?”

The doctor didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pulled a syringe from his bag, his movements quick, precise. His voice dropped low, dark.

“We’re way past okay.”