Chapter 43 Separation
NATHAN'S POV
The pack was in shock. An Alpha and Beta who were mates but separated was unprecedented in recent Moonstone history and nobody quite knew how to react to the situation. Whispers followed Lisa and Ryan through the pack house.
Lisa was acting like a cold Alpha who didn't care about what the pack said or not. She worked with Daniel and me while Ryan handled Beta duties at careful distance.
They were professional and cordial during necessary interactions, but the warmth that had briefly returned between them was gone completely. It was like watching two strangers perform a well rehearsed dance, hitting all the right steps without any feeling behind the movements.
I watched Ryan deteriorate over the following weeks. My brother had always been strong and controlled, he had that ability to keep his emotions carefully managed. But separation from his mate was destroying him from the inside out in ways that were becoming impossible to hide.
Ryan barely ate, picking at meals before pushing food around his plate and abandoning it. He did not sleep based on the dark circles under his eyes and the exhaustion written in every line of his body. He only carried out his duty, forcing himself through each day because of the responsibility but no joy or purpose was attached.
A part of me felt vindicated watching Ryan suffer. He had his chance with Lisa, he had multiple chances actually, and he squandered them repeatedly through poor judgment and weakness around Sophia. The mate bond should have been sacred but Ryan treated it like something casual until it was too late.
But another part of me, the part that still loved my brother despite everything, ached watching Ryan destroy himself. We had grown up together, trained together, supported each other through every challenge. Seeing him empty and broken hurt in ways I didnt expect.
I spent more time with Lisa, helping her find her way out of the emotional fallout of the separation while managing the pack business. Our friendship deepened into something more intimate over those weeks.
Not physical, though the attraction was definitely present on my side. But emotionally vulnerable in ways that mattered more than physical connection.
Lisa trusted my judgment without questioning me.
After a stressful day, Lisa and I sat in her office long after everyone else had gone to sleep. She looked really exhausted, the bandages from her challenge injuries had been finally removed but the scars were still visible on her wrist and legs.
"How do you do it?" Lisa asked suddenly, looking up from the reports she had been reviewing. "How do you trust people after they have hurt you?"
The question was clearly about Ryan but I heard the deeper pain underneath. Lisa was asking how to move forward when the person destined to be your other half kept breaking your heart.
I considered my answer carefully because this moment felt important. "I want to tell you about something from my past that I have not shared with many people."
Lisa set down her papers and gave me her full attention.
"When I was in my early twenties, before you came to the pack, I had a girlfriend who I thought was my mate," I began, the memories still painful even after years. "Her name was Cassandra and she was perfect in every way that mattered to young, stupid me. Beautiful, intelligent, seemingly devoted."
"What happened?" Lisa asked softly.
"I discovered she was using me to get information about this pack's vulnerabilities for a rival pack," I said, the betrayal still sharp after all this time. "She pretended to love me for months, letting me believe we had a future, all while reporting our weaknesses to enemies who wanted to destroy us. When I confronted her, she laughed and told me I was just a convenient source of intelligence."
Lisa looked horrified. "ThaI was a lot, Nathan. I am sorry you went through that."
"That period taught me a lot though," I continued. "Itigjt me that once trust was broken, it was nearly impossible to rebuild. You can forgive someone, you can understand why they made the choices they did, but genuine trust requires foundation that cannot be reconstructed from broken pieces."
"So how do you move forward?" Lisa asked, and I heard desperation in her voice. "How do you decide who deserves another chance?"
"By being honest about what you can and cannot forgive," I said. "Some people get second chances when they make mistakes. Some get third and fourth chances because the relationship is worth the effort of rebuilding. But at some point, you have to decide whether the relationship is healing or just prolonging the hurt."
Lisa stayed quiet for a long moment, processing my words. "I do not know if I can forgive Ryan," she admitted. "Not because what he did was unforgivable in abstract sense, but because he keeps doing it. The pattern never changes."
"Then you have your answer," I said gently.
We sat in silence after that, the kind of peace that comes from being with someone who understands you completely. When the clock showed past midnight, I insisted Lisa get some sleep despite her protests about unfinished work.
As I walked Lisa to her quarters, making sure she actually went to rest instead of returning to her office, we encountered someone in the hallway that made my stomach drop.
Adrian stood near Lisa's door, clearly waiting for her. He dressed like he was about to travel and his presence in the pack house at this hour was unexpected. When he saw us approaching, his expression shifted from concern to something more complicated as he took in how close Lisa and I were walking.
"Adrian," Lisa said, surprise clear in her voice. "What are you doing here?"
"I returned to Moonstone territory for some business," Adrian said smoothly, though everyone present knew that was not the whole truth. "I wanted to check on you after hearing about the challenge outcome and the situation with Ryan."
News traveled fast between allied packs apparently. I felt a kind of way though, I didn't know if I should call it jealousy or being protective of Lisa. The way he looked at her.
"That was thoughtful but unnecessary," Lisa said, though her tone was warm. "I am fine. The challenge is over and pack business continues as normal."
"Nothing about this situation is normal," Adrian countered gently. "You are separated from your mate. That cannot be easy regardless of the circumstances."
I saw the way Adrian looked at Lisa…Ryan was not my only competition. If Lisa decided to truly move on from Ryan, to pursue a relationship with someone new, she had multiple options available. And I was not guaranteed to be her choice.