Chapter 6

Kat's POV

As I looked at him, I noticed things I hadn’t before. The way his jaw clenched tightly, like he was grinding his teeth to stop himself from saying something. His hands were at his sides, but his fingers twitched, curling in slightly like he was fighting the urge to reach for me.

He wasn’t just standing still—he was holding himself back.

That’s when the sinking feeling hit me. A cold, heavy weight dropped into my stomach.

He knew.

He knew I was his mate.

The way his eyes locked on mine, intense and unreadable, gave it away. There was something in his stare—like he was looking through me, like he felt the same pull I did. The same electricity in the air. But he said nothing. Did nothing.

My chest tightened painfully. Why wasn’t he saying it? Why wasn’t he claiming me?

Was it because I didn’t look like the kind of girl he wanted? Because I was weak and hurt and lying in a hospital bed? Or maybe he already had someone. A chosen mate. A she-wolf who was stronger, prettier, more suitable to stand beside him as his Luna.

Maybe I wasn’t good enough.

The ache in my chest grew worse the longer the silence stretched between us. I tried to act like it didn’t matter, like I didn’t care. I told myself I was doing the same thing. I wasn’t going to tell him the truth either. I wasn’t going to let him know he was my mate. I needed to stay low, stay hidden, and having a mate—especially an Alpha—would put a giant spotlight on me.

He looked like he wanted to speak. His lips parted just a little, his throat bobbing like he was swallowing words he couldn’t say. His eyes were full of something—conflict, confusion, maybe even pain—but it flashed by too fast to understand.

Then, like he made a decision, he straightened up.

“I’ll leave you to rest,” he said, his voice low and rough, like it was forced out of him. “If you need anything, let the nurses know.”

I gave him a polite smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

He nodded stiffly, then added, “Feel better.”

And that was it.

He turned around and walked out of the room.

No final glance. No hesitation. Just the sound of his boots against the floor and then the soft click of the door closing behind him.

He left.

And I sat there, alone in a bed that wasn’t mine, with bandages on my skin and a broken heart in my chest.

I turned my face away from the door and stared at the wall, trying to hold back the tears stinging my eyes. The plain white paint blurred as my vision grew watery, but I forced myself not to cry. I didn’t want to look weak. I didn’t want to feel weak. But no matter how hard I tried, the ache in my chest only grew stronger.

I barely knew Alpha Liam, and yet… something about the way he looked at me made me hope for something I shouldn’t have. But then he walked away—cold and distant, like I was just some stranger lying in a hospital bed. He hadn’t said anything about us being mates. He didn’t even hint at it.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he wasn’t my mate at all. Or maybe… he was just pretending like I wasn’t his. Maybe he already had someone else. Someone better.

I blinked quickly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. I scolded myself in my head. You don’t have time for this. You don’t have time to sit here crying over an alpha who clearly doesn’t care.

I needed to focus on what mattered—my mom.

The memory of her face hit me like a wave. Her panicked voice, her strong arms hugging me one last time. She told me to run, to keep going. I didn’t know if she had been killed or taken by the rogues, and both possibilities made me feel sick. My stomach twisted, and it was hard to breathe.

I wished I had a wolf. Maybe then I would feel less alone. Maybe then I would know what to do next. But I didn’t. I was just… me. A wereolf without a mate. Weak. Small.

But I couldn’t afford to stay that way.

I had to get better. Stronger. I had to heal, and I had to find her. Because she was out there somewhere—she had to be. I refused to believe she was gone.

She was all I had.

And I was going to find her.

Even if it meant doing it all on my own.