Chapter 416: Your wife will be the reason
Sage woke with a thudding headache. Since seeing Eleanor the night before his rut had turned vicious, her pheromones still affected him, leaving him nauseous.
He wished that Katelyn were here; his mate, his other half. That thought should have eased the ache, but she wasn’t. He blamed himself for always putting on that mighty alpha facade around her. Maybe that was why she stayed away.
He lay back on the couch and took a slow sip of the cold water he’d fetched from the fridge. "I’m going to kill Eleanor for coming here last night," he growled, and Nyko, the wolf under his skin, answered with a low rumble beneath his ribs.
Just then, the doorbell rang. A familiar scent drifted through the air a second later, wrapping around him. It was Katelyn.
Before he could think, Sage was at the door, yanking it open.
"What’s wrong with you?" Katelyn’s brows drew together as she took him in his pallid skin. There were the shadows bruising his eyes and the exhaustion carved deep into his face.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself not to pull her into his arms right there. Every instinct screamed to close the distance, to bury his face in her neck, but her pheromones were already working through him. The pounding in his head eased; the burning under his skin began to settle.
"Can I come in?" she asked gently, lifting a jute bag. "I brought breakfast for you."
"Of course." He stepped aside quickly, his voice rougher than he meant it to be.
She entered with her, and he shut the door behind them. For a moment, he hesitated, debating whether to tell her about Eleanor’s visit ,but the thought died quickly. ’No. She’d be upset. She might take it the wrong way.’
Katelyn made her way to the kitchen. She noticed the empty water bottles scattered across the counter, sighed faintly, and began unpacking the boxes, arranging the food onto plates.
"You can take your medicine after breakfast," Katelyn said as Sage walked into the kitchen. "It’ll help. You should try to get some sleep afterward."
"Medicine won’t do much," Sage murmured. "And forget about sleep. Maybe if you stayed a little closer... then I might actually rest."
Katelyn ignored the pull in his tone and carried the bowls and plates to the table, arranging them carefully.
"I have to go somewhere today," she said after a moment.
"Work?" he asked, a faint hope flickering in his eyes.
She shook her head. "No. An arrogant woman crossed me last night, and I intend to remind her who she’s dealing with."
Sage frowned. "Who are you talking about?"
"You don’t need to know," Katelyn replied briskly. "Now sit down and eat before everything gets cold."
Sage decided not to push her further. He sat quietly and took a bite of the omelette.
"Won’t you eat?" he asked, glancing up at her.
"No," she said, looking away. "I skip breakfast sometimes."
He hummed softly, chewing before adding, "You shouldn’t. Even if you did put on a little weight, you’d still be beautiful, in every way."
Katelyn’s head snapped toward him. "Don’t lie."
"I’m not lying," Sage said, meeting her gaze. "Why do you always think I am?" He exhaled and shook his head, the faintest trace of hurt in his eyes.
"Because you’re the kind of man who’s probably said that to a dozen women," Katelyn shot back, her tone clipped and cool. "Tell me, Sage, how did you really handle your rut before me? Let me guess, by sleeping around? Omegas, alphas, maybe even betas? Oh, wait... you did have a girlfriend once, didn’t you? Eleanor, right?"
Sage’s jaw tightened. "Hey," he said, "During my rut, I always locked myself in my apartment. You know what an Alpha’s instinct is during that time is to breed, to claim. I could never risk that. Not with anyone except for my mate or the woman I would have fallen in love with."
Then, his eyes turned crimson as his voice deepened. "Every woman I’ve been with... It was for a reason. And that reason was simple. I wanted sex, just sex. Nothing more. I must say for past one and a half month, I am doing nothing. And it’s not bothering me. What bothers me is that I am not able to win you. I want you to see the real me, but you don’t. It hurts me."
Katelyn simply stared at him for a few more seconds before rising to her feet.
"I’m leaving," she said, and walked to the counter. Grabbing her handbag, she didn’t bat him another glance and left.
In the elevator, she kept thinking about what Sage said. "Am I too harsh on him?"
The elevator came to a stop at the ground floor. Katelyn stepped out and moved straight to her car, closing the door without hesitation. She didn’t waste a second, and drove for the Nightshade estate.
An hour later she pulled up to the mansion. The guard lifted the gate the moment he recognized her, and she drove through the sweeping drive to the forecourt. She was still gathering herself when she saw William talking on his phone in the living room and walked straight up to him.
"Your Highness!" William started, surprised, ending his call with a curt apology.
"Where is Mrs. Nightshade?" Katelyn asked, looking around.
William’s expression shifted from startled to concerned. "She’s in the kitchen. Is everything—?"
Blythe appeared then with a cookie jar in her hands. "Princess Katelyn, you’re here unannounced."
Katelyn didn’t bother with pleasantries. "How dare you give my number to Sage’s ex?"
Blythe blinked, genuinely confused. "Pardon me, Your Highness?"
"I said how dare you. I don’t care what games you and your household play with your son, but you will not drag me into them. You handed my contact to Eleanor, Sage’s ex. If I’ll take it to my parents, and you’ll regret the consequences." She paused, turning her gaze to William.
"And Mr. Nightshade, if I refuse to marry Sage because of this, your wife will be the reason. Make her understand not to make me angry or I’ll destroy her," she pronounced, her eyes shining silvery.