44

Diego's POV

I sighed deeply and dropped my body into a chair in the corner of the room. My head hung low, my hands running through my hair, which was disheveled from frustration. Everything felt chaotic. Too much had changed too quickly. Too deep to control.

“What I’m doing is right,” I murmured softly, more to convince myself than anyone else.

Guilt wrapped around my heart. I knew that the decision not to tell Nova about her family’s past wasn’t an easy one. But I wanted her to find her own strength, free from the shadows of a dark history.

Yet, seeing her hurt like this made me doubt everything. Was it really fair to let her struggle alone with such a heavy burden?

I thought about everything that had happened, all the risks taken. “You have to believe, Nova,” I whispered in my heart. “You are stronger than you think.”

Nova… She shouldn’t be here. From the beginning, her presence had brought chaos. Not just in my life, but in the structure of this pack. In the order that my father had maintained, in the position I knew would one day be mine, even though I never really wanted it.

But since Nova arrived, everything changed. Every interaction, every glance seemed to tear apart the plans I had set. Anxiety and frustration overwhelmed my mind. Her presence challenged everything I took for granted, and it made me sick.

I knew, on one hand, she was part of something bigger, but on the other hand, the chaos she brought threatened the stability that had been built over the years. My heart was in conflict. Between the desire to protect her and the wish to push her out of my life.

You have to go, Nova, I whispered in my heart. But I knew my feelings weren’t that simple. There was more than just dissatisfaction, there was also an attraction I couldn’t ignore. And that made me even more confused.

I still insisted… that the only way out of all this was to keep her away. She couldn’t be my wife. She couldn’t be Luna. She couldn’t be part of this family. Nova was a threat. A threat who walked with an innocent face and a gentle voice that could deceive anyone.

Every time I saw her, feelings of hatred and frustration surged within me. She had the ability to make me doubt everything, including myself. How could someone so innocent bring chaos into my life? How could she be at the center of all the unexpected problems?

I remembered the first time she appeared in my life. She seemed like a light in the darkness, but now, that light felt blinding and painful. She was not just a girl, she was a symbol of everything wrong with this world—all the uncertainty and conflict surrounding us.

Each of her steps seemed to intimidate the structure my family had built. She reminded me of everything I wanted to leave behind, everything I wanted to conquer. And even though I tried hard to suppress my feelings, I knew she had infiltrated my soul in a way I couldn’t resist.

“You have to go, Nova,” I whispered to myself every time I saw her. Yet those words never left my lips. There was something about Nova that was enticing, even though I knew it was dangerous. She could destroy everything, and I couldn’t let that happen.

My hatred for her grew deeper, not only because she was a threat but also because I felt trapped.

Why did she have to be part of this story?

Why did she have to test my loyalty to my family and my responsibilities?

Her presence made me feel pressured, as if a heavy burden rested on my shoulders. I couldn’t allow myself to be trapped in this game. If she stayed by my side, I feared I would lose everything. In my effort to protect what I loved, I had to find a way to keep Nova out of my life, even if it meant ignoring my deeper feelings.

Marian… my grandmother… she was too soft. She saw something in Nova that I couldn’t or perhaps didn’t want to see. From the beginning, she welcomed Nova with open arms, defending her at every opportunity, as if Nova was the only hope for the future of this pack.

I didn’t understand. I truly didn’t understand. Why did Marian like Nova so much? What did she see that I couldn’t? Every time I witnessed their interactions, my frustration boiled within me. I tapped my fingers on the table, my breath heavy. “Am I the one who is wrong? Am I too harsh?”

Then I laughed bitterly, the sound of my laughter feeling sour in my own ears. As if all these questions only added weight to the burden I already carried. While my grandmother tried to see the good in Nova, I only saw a threat.

Jealousy and confusion burned in my heart. Why did I have to struggle against my own feelings, while everyone else seemed so supportive of her? Every word that came from Marian’s mouth for Nova seemed to dismantle my defenses. I felt alienated, trapped in a viewpoint so different from the one I trusted most.

“Is all this just an illusion?” I asked myself. “Am I the one who can’t see the truth?”

I missed the times when everything felt clear. When responsibilities and hopes didn’t collide with emotional chaos. Now, with every passing second, I doubted the decisions I had made.

Nova’s presence changed everything, and somehow, it felt so wrong. How could one person shake everything I had established? I knew I had to keep my distance, but every time I tried, my heart refused. And that made me even angrier at myself.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” I murmured, trying to calm my thoughts.

Nova was indeed carrying my child. But I never asked for it. I never planned this. And I didn’t care. That baby, even though my blood flowed within it, was not enough reason to force me to accept that woman.

If fate wanted to trap me with someone like Nova, then I had to find a way to change that fate. Or destroy it.

I was still sitting in the chair, lost in my thoughts when the door swung open quickly and hurried footsteps sounded as someone entered the room.

“Mr. Diego!” the voice made me turn sharply. Joseph, one of my trusted betas, stood in the doorway, breathless.

“What’s wrong?” I asked coldly.