Chapter 242 242

Chapter 242 242
Nova's POV

The waiting room had filled slowly over the hours. Noah's pack members arrived in clusters - some I recognized from the dinner, others who were strangers but moved with the same protective energy toward their Alpha and his sister.
I'd stayed in my chair, feeling increasingly out of place but unable to leave. Not when Noah had asked me to stay. Not when Hannah was still in surgery.
Noah sat beside me, his posture controlled despite the fear I could see in the tight set of his jaw. He wasn't falling apart - he was too much of an alpha for that - but the worry was there, held under rigid discipline.
At 3:15 AM, the surgeon finally emerged.
The waiting room went silent. Noah rose smoothly to his feet, his face carefully blank.
"Alpha Windsor?" The surgeon pulled down his mask. "Your sister made it through. The surgery was successful."
The relief that moved through the room was quiet but profound. Noah's shoulders dropped fractionally, the only outward sign of the tension leaving his body.
"She's stable," the surgeon continued. "We're moving her to ICU for monitoring, but barring any complications, she should make a full recovery."
"Thank you." Noah's voice was steady, controlled. "Can I see her?"
"Briefly. Give us twenty minutes to get her settled."
Noah nodded and the surgeon left. Around us, pack members embraced quietly, murmuring words of relief and thanks.
An older woman approached - Noah's aunt, I realized. She had the same dark hair streaked with silver, the same strong features.
"Noah." She pulled him into a quick embrace. "I knew she'd pull through. That girl's too stubborn for anything else."
When she released him, her eyes landed on me. A warm smile crossed her face.
"And you must be Nova. Noah's told me about you." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "Thank you for being here with him tonight. It means so much to have someone so caring by his side."
"I just wanted to help," I said quietly.
"Well, you're clearly devoted to him." Her voice carried across the waiting area, drawing a few smiles from nearby pack members. "It's wonderful to see Noah with someone so supportive. You two make such a lovely couple."
My face burned. "Oh, we're not—"
"Don't be modest, dear. We can all see how good you are together." She patted my arm affectionately. "A proper girlfriend, staying by his side through something like this."
The words hung in the air and I opened my mouth to correct her, to explain, when the waiting room doors opened.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Every instinct I had went on high alert before I even turned around. The air changed. The celebratory atmosphere dissolved like smoke. And when I looked toward the entrance, my heart sank.
Caden stood in the doorway.
His eyes were pure gold. Not a trace of blue anywhere. His face was thunderous, every line of his body radiating barely-controlled fury.
The room shifted immediately. Pack members straightened, their body language going defensive. Hands moved subtly, positioning themselves between their Alpha and this Shadowcrest intruder. The easy relief from moments before vanished, replaced by wary tension.
Shadowcrest and Nightshade didn't like each other. Even with the family connection through marriage, the two packs circled each other like rival predators. And now a Shadowcrest Alpha had just walked into a Nightshade waiting room.
Noah moved, a subtle shift that put him slightly between Caden and me. Around us, his pack members closed ranks, not overtly threatening but ready.
Caden's gaze locked on me. Then flicked to Noah's protective positioning. The gold in his eyes blazed brighter and I saw his hands curl into fists.
Noah's aunt, oblivious to the tension crackling through the room, smiled at Caden. "Oh, are you here about Hannah too? That's so kind—"
"No." Caden's voice was cold enough to freeze. "I'm here for my girlfriend."
The word dropped into the room like a bomb.
Gasps. Murmurs. Every eye swung toward me.
My mouth fell open. Girlfriend? We'd never discussed our relationship. Never defined what we were. Never used words like that. And now he was claiming me publicly, in front of Noah's entire pack, after overhearing his aunt call me Noah's girlfriend?
Heat flooded my face but this time it wasn't embarrassment. It was fury.
"I'm no one's girlfriend," I said, my voice cold as ice. "Excuse me."
I pushed past Noah and headed for the exit, my spine rigid with anger.
Behind me, I heard Caden's footsteps following.
I made it to the hallway before he caught up, but I didn't slow down. I headed straight for the elevator, jabbing the button with more force than necessary.
The doors opened. I stepped inside. Caden followed.
The moment the doors closed, I spun on him, folding my arms across my chest.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" My voice was sharp, cutting. "What were you thinking, claiming me like that?"
"I should be the one asking that." His voice was tight. "What the hell were you doing playing loving couples with that guy?"
"I wasn't playing couples. I was being a supportive friend."
"Friend?" He scoffed at that. "That's not what I heard when I walked in."
"So you decided to announce to his entire pack that I'm yours?" I glared at him. "Without asking me? Without even discussing it with me first? And you still haven't told me why you're here."
"You didn't send me a single word. Not a call or a text, for hours." His jaw clenched. "My guards told me you were at the hospital. But you didn't think it was necessary to inform me first? Didn't think to ask the guards to relay a message. I had to hear where you were from my men, not from you."
The guilt twisted in my stomach because he was right. I should have done those things.
"His sister was in an accident and was brought here for surgery," I said, keeping my tone soft and even. "I was trying to be there for him—"
"And you couldn't take half a minute to send me a message yourself?" His voice rose slightly. "To let me know you were safe? To think about the fact that someone tried to kill you two days ago and maybe I'd want to hear directly from you that you were okay?"
"Your guards knew where I was—"
"I don't give a fuck what my guards knew!" The words came out harsh. "I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted you to care enough to reach out yourself instead of assuming everyone else would handle it for you!"
The accusation stung. "That still doesn't give you the right to claim me as your girlfriend in front of his entire pack."
"I don't give a fuck about rights." His eyes blazed gold. "I just want you alive and safe. And when I walked into that room and heard his family talking about you like you belonged there, like you were his—" He stopped, breathing hard. "I reacted."
"By embarrassing me?"
"By stating a fact!" He moved closer, his eyes glittering with intent. "You’re mine, Nova. Whether you want to admit it or not. Whether we've had the conversation or not. You're mine and I'm yours.”
"That's not how this works—”
He cut me off with a kiss.