"Nothing," Nathan replied almost immediately. "I heard what happened earlier. I've already dealt with my people… I just remembered it and got angry."
As he spoke, he reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head, just like he always did, before pulling her into a hug.
That familiar gesture eased something inside her.
Ashley let out a quiet breath, her tension slowly melting away. Maybe… she really had been overthinking. After everything that had happened, it wasn't surprising she'd become overly sensitive, so much so that she had even begun to doubt Nathan.
And yet… it couldn't be helped.
Lately, it felt like eyes followed her wherever she went. Like whispers trailed behind her steps. As if everyone was talking about her, judging her, and mocking her.
It made her feel like she was slowly losing her mind.
But now—
Wrapped in Nathan's arms, reassured by his presence and the fact that he had already handled the situation… her chaotic thoughts gradually quieted. The storm inside her stilled, little by little.
Without realizing it, the tension left her body.
And before she knew it, Ashley had fallen asleep in his arms.
When she woke again, it was already noon.
Nathan was no longer beside her.
Instead, he sat on the sofa near the balcony doors, his back partially turned as he stared outside. A cigarette burned between his fingers, thin trails of smoke curling into the air as if mirroring the heaviness in his thoughts.
Ashley frowned slightly.
She didn't like the smell of cigarettes.
Nathan knew that.
In fact, as far as she could remember, he never smoked around her, not when she was near, not even when he knew they would meet.
And yet now… he was smoking in her room.
A small discomfort stirred within her, but she didn't voice it.
Not this time.
Unconsciously, she hesitated.
If it had been before, she would've already walked over, plucked the cigarette from his lips, and snapped it in half without a second thought. She would've scolded him with confidence and without fear.
But now…
She stayed where she was.
Quiet. Careful.
Almost… timid.
Ashley didn't even realize it herself, that something in her had begun to change.
With everything crumbling around her, with people slowly turning distant… she had started to fear losing more. And because of that fear, she found herself holding back, bending instead of standing firm.
For the first time—
She wasn't the one setting the line anymore. She was the one afraid to cross it.
"Awake?"
Nathan's voice broke the silence the moment he caught the faint rustle of fabric behind him.
He didn't turn.
His gaze remained fixed beyond the balcony, distant and unreadable, as he took another slow drag from his cigarette. Smoke curled lazily into the air, blurring the space between them.
From where she was, Ashley couldn't see his expression—
And she couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Um…" Ashley's voice came out soft and uncertain as she watched Nathan's back. Even without seeing his face, she could feel the distance between them. Something had changed.
But she couldn't blame him.
If anything, she understood.
Nathan was caught between her… and her former family. He had an alliance with the Black Mountain Pack, and she, she was supposed to be his childhood sweetheart, his future Luna.
'Supposed to be.'
The thought alone made her chest ache.
What if the mating ceremony no longer stood?
The possibility cut deeper than she expected, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. She was afraid, afraid that if she did, Nathan would say it outright… that it was over, that she no longer held any value.
Because she knew how these things worked.
Their union had never been just about feelings. It was an alliance between two rising powers. Emotions may have been there, but interests could easily outweigh them.
She had been raised to understand that.
So she couldn't pretend otherwise. Instead, she chose to wait… to see how Nathan would act, what he would say. Because despite everything—
There was still a fragile hope flickering inside her, kept alive by the way he had held her earlier.
But fear coiled tightly around it. Her stomach churned, her chest tight, as if she were suspended in midair, held up by a single, fragile thread.
And that thread…
Was Nathan.
She just didn't know if he would keep holding on—
Or let her fall.
But no matter how much Ashley wanted to avoid it… she couldn't escape the very thing she feared.
Nathan spoke again. "You've been asleep for three days," he said calmly. "And on the second day… Alpha Derek called."
"Father?" Ashley gasped. Her body trembled as a fragile spark of hope flared in her chest, only to falter just as quickly.
The memory of their faces… the coldness, the disdain, the way they had cast her out, it all came rushing back. Instinctively, she shrank back, as if bracing herself for something painful.
"Yes…" Nathan replied. He exhaled slowly, a ring of smoke drifting into the air, his expression still hidden from her.
"W-What did he say?" Ashley asked. The words barely left her lips, her voice unsteady, laced with fear. It felt like her throat was tightening, as if even speaking the question might bring an answer she wasn't ready to hear.
Nathan let out a slow breath as he crushed the cigarette into the ashtray, the ember dying with a faint hiss.
"Everyone's having a hard time right now," he began. "What was revealed a few days ago… it wasn't something anyone was prepared to accept."
He paused briefly, as if choosing his words carefully. "Emotions ran high. Things were said… people got hurt. And once those words are spoken… they can't be taken back."
Ashley felt her chest tighten, but she remained silent.
"So… giving each other space was the only option," Nathan continued. "Alpha Derek asked me to look after you for now, at least until things settle down."
He exhaled softly. "Especially Maddison. She's… not in a good place. She's hurting too much, so she can't face you right now. Especially not your mother..."
Each word felt heavier than the last.
"That's why Alpha Derek had no choice but to banish you," he added. "Creating that kind of scene… it was meant to help Maddison push everything away. The pain, the fear… the nightmares."
A brief silence followed.
"…But they do care about you."
Nathan rose to his feet and finally turned around.
And when Ashley met his gaze—
She froze.
His eyes were unreadable.
Deep… distant… almost devoid of emotion as they settled on her. But she pushed this aside as she thought that he, too, was caught in the middle.
"R-Really?" Ashley looked at Nathan, her eyes beginning to shine as fragile hope flickered to life within her.
Maybe… her family hadn't truly abandoned her.
Maybe they had only done what they did to comfort Maddison, to make it seem like they had driven her away, just to ease her pain.
After all… they had raised her for eighteen years.
Eighteen years.
Even people could grow attached to a pet over time, so how could they not feel something for her, after everything they had shared?
The thought made her chest ache.
At the same time, guilt crept in.