Desired By Three Alphas; Fated To One
Chapter 36: Worried

Chapter 36: Worried

Hailee’s POV

I watched Nathan walk away with Beta Marcus, and something inside me twisted painfully. I shouldn’t be this worried. I shouldn’t care this much. But I did. The look on Beta Marcus’s face wasn’t good. He was angry—and that anger was clearly aimed at Nathan.

My heart sank.

What happened?

Did something go wrong at the pack house?

Was it because of me?

"Are you okay?" Callum’s voice pulled me back. He was still seated beside me, concern softening the usual edge in his tone.

I nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Yeah... yeah, I’m fine."

I wasn’t.

Not even close.

"Let’s continue," I added, trying to redirect both our focus. I flipped the book open to the last page we’d stopped at and pointed at the diagram we were discussing before the interruption. "So, this part here—"

But my eyes kept flickering to the door Nathan had walked out of, hoping he would walk back in.

The whispers began almost immediately, low murmurs spreading like wildfire across the room.

"I bet he pissed off Alpha Dominic again," someone muttered from a few seats back.

"Yeah," another voice chimed in. "His dad loves him, no doubt. But when he wants to punish him? You’ll thank the goddess you’re not Nathan."

There were quiet sighs and nervous glances.

"That guy is under serious pressure," one of Nathan’s close friends added. "Alpha-to-be or not, no one escapes Dominic’s wrath when he’s angry."

My stomach churned.

Then the Beta’s daughter, Helen, whispered to her friend. "There was this one time Nathan disobeyed his father," she said. "He was forced to run around the training field in full gear... for hours."

Her friend gasped. "No way."

"I swear. I saw it. He nearly passed out by the end of it."

I swallowed hard, my hands tightening around the book. Why did this feel like my fault? Why did it feel like I was the reason he was being pulled into this?

"If you keep holding it like that, you’re going to tear the page," Callum said gently.

Only then did I realize how tightly my fingers were digging into the book. I quickly let go, my eyes widening slightly as I loosened my grip.

He sighed and slid the book away from me, closing it with one hand. "You don’t have to keep pretending to teach me, Hailee. Clearly, your mind’s not here."

I opened my mouth to speak, to deny it—but the look on his face stopped me. He wasn’t smiling anymore. There was no teasing in his tone. Just quiet hurt.

His voice lowered, just enough so no one else could hear. "If you’re this bothered about Nathan, why don’t you go after him?"

I blinked, stunned.

"I mean, clearly you care," he added with a short laugh that didn’t sound amused. "So why sit here worrying yourself sick?"

"Callum..."

He shook his head, cutting me off. "Look, I get it. His father is angry at him. But he’s not going to die, Hailee. His father might be harsh, but he’s not going to kill his own son."

His words weren’t cruel. They were honest. Bitter, but honest. Still, I could see it—just behind his calm expression. He was angry. He was hurting. And I didn’t know what to say to fix it.

So I said nothing.

And that silence? It said everything.

I looked down at my hands, unable to meet his gaze anymore. Guilt crawled up my spine like a weight I couldn’t shake.

Before either of us could say anything more, the classroom door opened. Dane walked in, casual as ever, his backpack slung over one shoulder, his eyes scanning the room.

They landed on me.

Then flicked briefly to Callum, then back at me. I frowned at him, wondering what he was doing here. I thought he was in the pack for a visit... I never expected him to start schooling here.

Suddenly, the energy in the room shifted. The quiet gasps. The fluttering whispers. The unmistakable reaction of half the girls in class suddenly sitting up straighter, adjusting their hair, biting their lips.

"Oh my goddess, who is that?"

"He’s hot. Like... insanely hot."

"Do you think he’s single?"

The way they all stared at him—like he was a walking fantasy—made it painfully clear: Dane had just become the new center of attention.

His silver hair shimmered under the classroom lights, slightly tousled like he hadn’t even tried to make it look perfect—but it still was. His brown eyes scanned the room with calm confidence, and his tall, lean but muscular build moved with easy grace.

He was handsome.

Undeniably.

Infuriatingly.

And he knew it.

When his gaze landed back on me, he smiled—and it wasn’t just polite. It was warm. Direct.

"Hey, Hailee," he said, loud enough that the whispering girls stopped for a second to look at me instead.

I blinked. "Hi..."

He slid into the empty seat two rows ahead, just as the teacher walked in.

"Alright, everyone settle down," the teacher said, tapping her pen on the desk. "Before we start today’s lesson, I’d like to introduce a new student. He’ll be joining our class for the rest of the semester."

She gestured to Dane. "Why don’t you stand and tell us a little about yourself?"

Dane rose casually to his feet, offering a small smile to the class. "I’m Dane Blackwell. From Snow Moon Pack. I’m here for my final year." His gaze flicked back to me for a brief second before settling elsewhere. "Looking forward to getting to know everyone."

And just like that, more girls swooned. Literally.

"Did you hear that voice?"

"He’s so chill, and he’s a Beta heir."

I sighed quietly and tried to refocus on my book, blocking it all out. My mind had already been scattered because of Nathan, and now this?

I peeked at Dane again. Yes, he was handsome. Silver hair, sculpted jawline, deep voice, easy charm. There was no denying it. But I couldn’t think about that. Not now.

I shook the thoughts from my head and forced myself to concentrate.

The bell rang for break and Lila excused herself to have a private lunch with her man. Left alone, I stepped out into the hallway, hoping for just a few minutes of quiet to clear my head. But I barely made it past the lockers when I heard footsteps catching up behind me.

"Hailee!" Dane’s voice called.

I stopped and turned, already feeling the beginnings of a headache.

"Hey," he said, smiling as he approached. "I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me?"

Before I could even answer, another voice cut in, sharp and firm.

"She’s already eating with me," Callum said, suddenly stepping between us, his jaw tight, eyes narrowed.

My stomach dropped.

Dane raised an eyebrow, clearly not backing down. "I don’t recall her saying that."

"She doesn’t need to," Callum replied coolly. "She has plans."

A few students nearby slowed their steps, watching curiously. Whispers started building again.

Was this really happening? In the middle of the hallway?

"Guys—" I began, but neither of them heard me.

"I’m not trying to start anything," Dane said evenly, but there was anger under his tone. "I just asked her to lunch. You don’t need to act like a bodyguard."

"I’m acting like someone who doesn’t want you messing with her head," Callum snapped.

That was it.

I stepped back, fuming. "Both of you—stop."

They both froze. The crowd was growing now. More eyes. More whispers. More drama.

"I don’t need either of you deciding where I eat or who I talk to," I snapped, my voice sharper than I meant it. "This is annoying."

And with that, I turned on my heel and stormed down the hallway, needing to get far away from both of them.

But just when I thought I could breathe, someone stepped in front of me.

Clara. Of course.

With her ever-loyal shadows flanking her on both sides, smug grins on their lips.