Chapter 14

Claire’s POV

I had known Andy was coming in for his yearly checkup today. I immediately told Amelia that I’d handle the exam.

But I wasn’t sure how Andy would respond to seeing me again, or who else would be with him.

So, I had prepared myself to deal with one of the servants from the house, possibly Beta Evan, or maybe even Sabrina.

It hadn’t occurred to me at all that Nathan himself would bring our son in for his appointment. He rarely came along to doctor’s appointments when I was still serving as his nanny.

At least I had a moment to prepare myself back at the nurse’s station.

That’s when I overheard Nathan speaking to his Beta about “the new healer” while I typed up my notes from my last appointment.

Nathan wanted to keep that new healer in the pack. But I was determined to leave. So, I needed to keep my identity as the healer a secret from him, for as long as possible.

If Nathan knew I was not only a healer but one so remarkable that most of the pack was talking about it, he’d never let me leave.

“I’m just here to do Andy’s exam,” I said firmly, dodging Nathan’s question about my identity. “Don’t worry, I’m trained enough to handle these routine physicals.”

Both Nathan and Andy sighed in relief. Of course I wasn’t the healer. I couldn’t possibly have the abilities everyone was talking about.

I was still just plain old Claire.

I saw them relax, saw the relief on their faces. Knowing they now saw me as the wolfless Omega would’ve hurt me immensely before, but I was so different now. I felt stronger and more confident every day.

“Andy, it’s so good to see you,” I told my son as I began to check his eyes, his ears, asking him to stick out his tongue. “How have you been?”

Andy followed my instructions but seemed almost shy, refusing to meet my eyes. “Fine,” he mumbled, looking up at me briefly and then quickly away.

In reality, Andy seems to be too overwhelmed to say anything. He wanted to say something, but the subtle tension in the room between his father and his nanny started to weigh on him.

He remained quiet and obedient - that's rare - almost like a doll.

Silence filled the room as I continued to listen to Andy’s heart and take his blood pressure.

Nathan, watching my hands, my face, the way my hair swayed when I moved, finally spoke. “And you, Claire—how have you been? I’ve wanted to talk—”

“Nathan, I’d like a minute alone with Andy,” I cut him off coolly, my gaze giving nothing away about what was going on in my mind. “Please, step out into the hall.”

Nathan stared at me, stunned. I had never been so cold to him—or anyone, as far as he knew.

He left the room, then stood in the hallway trying to process the shock.

What had brought about such a drastic change in his mate?

Once we were alone in the exam room, my expression softened. I pulled up a stool and sat, studying my son.

I knew that stubborn look on his face, the tightness in his shoulders. He was struggling with his emotions, trying so hard to act cool and in control.

I reached out and took his hands in mine. My heart ached as I held him.

“Things have been rough lately, haven’t they?” I said quietly.

After a moment, Andy nodded, still unable to speak.

I took a deep breath, accepting my part in turning my son’s life upside down. “Part of that’s my fault. I… can’t explain it right now, but I just couldn’t stay. I know that doesn’t make things any better, but I want you to know something. Can you look at me?”

Reluctantly, Andy raised his head. His hot, angry stare pierced straight into my heart. “I’m so sorry, Andy. And I want you to know that leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

At that, Andy broke, losing the battle with the tears he’d been holding back since I walked in. He slid off the table and into my arms.

Nathan came back into the room to find his son in my lap, crying quietly as I rocked him gently. He had known his son had been through a lot of changes recently, but it hadn’t occurred to him to comfort the child.

Only I would think of that.

Moved by my obvious maternal instinct and thinking about how chaotic life at home had become, how much his son had mentioned missing me, Nathan decided it was time to make peace.

Even apologizing, if needed.

Whatever he had to do to get me to come back home, he was now prepared to do.

He wanted his life back. He wanted things to be the way they were before.

“If you’ve finished with the exam, I’d like to speak with you privately,” he said.

I glanced over at him, my gaze still empty and neutral. It only softened when I smiled down at Andy as he sat back and wiped his face with his hands.

“Do you mind waiting outside, Andy? The nurses have stickers at their station. If you ask nicely, they’ll give you one.”

Andy agreed, leaving us alone. Nathan pulled up a chair and sat down, uncomfortable with the silence that had settled in the room. He was still so surprised by my attitude toward him that, now that we were alone, he didn’t know where to begin.

Without warning, the image of the picture Sabrina had shown him jumped into his mind. Nathan didn’t believe the story she’d spun about my relationship with the man in the photo. He knew I loved only him. But he still felt a twinge of jealousy at the way I had smiled at him in the picture.

He couldn’t remember the last time I had smiled at him like that.

And now, he wondered if maybe that was his fault.

“Claire, I… It’s time we talked things over. I want to put all of this behind us so we can go back to living our lives. Together.”

Back? He expected me to go back to the way things were? I was torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to slap him.

Instead, I kept the cold distance I had put between us. “It’s too late for that, Nathan. I’m moving on with my life. And I’ve already decided to leave the pack.”

Nathan’s brow furrowed in complete confusion. Of all the ways I could’ve responded, this dismissive statement hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“What do you mean, you’re leaving the pack? We’re fated mates, Claire. You can’t just leave.”

A quick knock on the door interrupted any reply I might have made. Oliver walked in, his eyes fixed on me.

“Hey there, gorgeous. Ready to go to lunch?”

Nathan, still off balance from seeing me act so differently and declaring I was leaving the pack, was stunned all over again.

This was the man from the picture Sabrina had shown him. The one where I had been smiling so happily at him, holding his child in my arms.

What was going on here?