CHAPTER 130: DIFFERENT PAIN

Callum’s POV

I have to do something. I can’t stand here and do nothing... I have to do something fast...

I spun toward Nathan. "This is your pack. They can’t pass the border without being checked. You’ve got the connections—make some damn calls. Find out what location they took. Meanwhile, I’ll call the airlines. Someone has to have a record of her."

But Nathan... he just stood there. Staring at the floor, his jaw locked, eyes glazed like he’d been hollowed out. My blood boiled at the sight.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I snapped, stepping closer until I was right in front of him. My voice rose, rough with fury. "Stop acting like you’re the only one who loves her! You’re not the only one losing her, Nathan. We all love her. We’re all breaking."

He flinched, but his eyes didn’t move, still fixed on nothing, his silence like a slap to the face.

My wolf snarled, pushing me to shove him, to shake him out of this haze. "You think staring into space is going to bring her back? You think drowning in your grief is going to help her? No! We need to fight for her—together!"

My chest heaved, anger and desperation pouring out of me. "So wake the hell up, Nathan."

Finally, Nathan looked up. His eyes were glassy, his brows drawn, but he said nothing. Instead, he stooped for his broken phone, picked it up, then turned to Lila. "For your own good, Lila, I hope you told us everything. If I find out you left anything out, you will not like me... and I mean it."

My frown deepened. Was he threatening her?

Lila swallowed hard, meeting his anger-filled gaze. "I’ve told you everything I know... believe me."

Nathan studied her with a look that screamed disbelief, but he didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned for the door.

"Nathan!" I barked after him as he stalked for the door. "Where the hell are you going? We have to do something—now."

He froze, shoulders stiff. Slowly, he turned his head just enough for me to see his face. His eyes were glassy, his jaw clenched so tight the veins stood out.

"Do it on your own, Callum." He spat the words, his voice low but raging. "You want to play the hero? Go find her yourself. We’ll search separately."

My chest tightened, fury and disbelief crashing over me all at once. "Separately? Are you insane? We’re stronger together, and you damn well know it!"

But Nathan didn’t flinch. His wolf was in his eyes now—wild, reckless, full of pain. He jabbed a finger at me, his voice breaking as he shouted.

"You think you understand what I’m feeling? You think your pain matches mine? Don’t act like you love her the way I do!"

The room went still. My own wolf snarled inside me, ready to lash out, ready to tear through the arrogance in his voice. My fists curled so tight my knuckles cracked.

"Careful, Nathan," I growled, my voice shaking with rage. "Don’t you dare make this about who loves her more. We’re all bleeding here. We’re all losing her."

The air between us was electric, tense. One wrong move, and it would break into a fight neither of us would walk away from unscarred.

My wolf was clawing at me, daring me to lunge, while Nathan’s stood just as ready in his glassy, furious eyes.

Then—Dane shoved himself between us. His hands shot out, one pressing against my chest, the other against Nathan’s shoulder, forcing space between us.

"Enough!" Dane’s voice thundered, sharp and commanding. His own wolf was straining to the surface, but his gaze burned into both of us. "This isn’t the time to tear each other apart. Hailee’s gone, and standing here fighting won’t bring her back."

I glared over his shoulder at Nathan, my chest still heaving. My fists were itching, but Dane’s presence kept me locked in place.

Nathan’s jaw ticked, his lips pressed into a thin, angry line. Finally, he tore his gaze from mine and looked at the floor. His chest rose and fell harshly, like the fight was still burning through him, but his voice was steadier when he finally spoke.

"I’ll search for her myself," Nathan said coldly. His eyes lifted, meeting ours for just a second before dropping again. "When I’m ready. Right now... I need to go home. I’m not myself."

My brows furrowed, disbelieving his words. "What the hell are you talking about? We don’t have time for—"

But Nathan ignored me. He pushed Dane’s hand off his shoulder and strode toward the door.

"Do your search," he threw over his shoulder, voice sharp, final. "But I’ll find her on my own."

The door slammed so hard behind Nathan that the walls seemed to shake with it. The echo left a bitter silence, my wolf still snarling inside me, demanding I drag him back and force him to face this together.

My chest heaved as I turned, fists still clenched, anger and disbelief eating at me. "He thinks he’s the only one hurting?" I muttered, my voice rough with rage. "What the hell makes him think his pain is bigger than ours?"

Dane’s hand pressed against my shoulder. His eyes were calmer than mine, though I could see his wolf restless inside him. "Callum," he said quietly, "Nathan isn’t himself right now. You saw it in his eyes—he’s drowning. Everyone carries pain differently. This is how he’s breaking."

I scoffed, jerking my shoulder away from his hand. "Breaking? We’re all breaking, Dane! He doesn’t get to walk out like his grief is heavier than ours. I love her too. You love her too. Why the hell does he get to act like his world is the only one that ended?"

Jealousy burned hot in my chest, ugly and raw. I hated it, but I couldn’t stop it. "We’re all bleeding, Dane. We all lost her. But the way he makes it look—like we’re standing here empty while he’s the only one torn apart—" My words cut off, swallowed by the tightness in my throat.

Dane stepped closer. "He’s not saying your pain doesn’t matter. He’s just... lost in his own. Let him breathe, Callum. He’ll come around."

But I shook my head, my jaw tightening, my frown deepening. "To hell with his pain."