Page 11 of Betrayed By the Alpha

"Don’t push me away, Hayley."

Don’t push him away?Hayley wondered where all this was coming from, remembering that if she hadn’t discovered he was her mate, she probably would have never approached him. They were not friends before that and only became enemies after. The words he was saying did not match her reality.

"You don’t have the fucking right to tell me that after what you did. Why would you even want to help me?"

"Because I owe you." He sounded so sincere that she wanted to believe he meant it. But if she had learned anything, it was that Zach didn’t look like what he actually was—a cold beast. It wasn’t in him to care.

"You owe me nothing," she told him.

He stepped forward. "Yes, I do. I’m sorry, Hayley. What I did, the things I said to you, I should have never—"

She cut him short. "But you did."

He nodded. "Just give me a chance. I hurt you, I know. I’m not asking for your forgiveness because I know I don’t deserve that yet. Can I at least try and make it up to you by ensuring you get your inheritance?"

Though Hayley wanted to refuse him badly, she had learned not to allow her emotions to lead her into making terrible mistakes. She needed Zach to claim her inheritance,something she thought was impossible, but here he was, offering it to her on a golden platter.

She turned her back to him to think. She didn’t like the way his eyes were watching her, as if they bore into her head and were reading her thoughts. Hayley knew it would be wise to accept this offer, but she didn’t want him back. There was only one thing to do. When she turned to face him again, he had gotten closer, way closer. She was surprised the hairs at the back of her neck didn’t rise to warn her of this presence. She took two quick steps back before she spoke.

"You want to help? Fine. But I have a condition."

"What’s that?" Zach asked.

"Everything between you and me will be fake. The second I resolve the issue over the inheritance, I never want to see you again. We both go our separate ways."

He didn’t think twice about it before he replied. "If that’s what you want. I’ll stay away once the process is successful."

Just then, a gentle knock came from the door, and they both looked at the door. Before Hayley could ask who it was, Greta was already pushing the door open and walking in. She froze in her steps when her eyes landed on Zach.

"I can explain," Hayley said immediately.

Greta blinked twice and raised her arm to point at Zach. "What is he doing here?"

"He is—"

But Zach interrupted and stepped forward. "I’m Hayley’s mate."

"Hayley’s mate?" Greta frowned. Her eyes moved over to Hayley. "Your mate?"

Greta looked speechless for a while. When she raised an eyebrow, Hailey quickly said, "It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later."

Greta nodded. She looked from Zach to Hayley. "Sure," she said slowly. "I’m going to go tend to the...eagles." She shut the door behind her gently.

Silence reigned for a few moments after Greta was gone. The only sound was the soft breaths that escaped their lips. "I think you should leave," Hayley finally said, feeling a bit choked by the silence.

"I will," he said, but instead of heading to the door, Zach walked straight to the open window.

"Remember, Zach. After all this? I never want to see you ever again." When she was done, Zach nodded and jumped out. Immediately, Hayley hurried to shut her window. "Well," she said to herself after she made sure the windows were firmly locked. "Isn’t that a great way to start the day?"

"Do you want to explain that to me?" Greta had entered the room again after Zach left. "Hayley, what was that man doing in here?"

"He’s going to help me get my inheritance."

"And how much did you pay him?"

"Nothing. He’s... doing it for free. He said he’s sorry for hurting me."

Greta scoffed with an eye roll. "And you believe him? Come on, Hayley. You are a smart girl, you can’t fall for this nonsense."

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