Page 14 of Betrayed By the Alpha

"So, how did this come about?" Mr. Monroe asked, taking his seat. "The last I remember, Hayley, you were intent on never seeing him again. The names you called him, I swore he was your worst enemy."

"He was." Hayley nodded. "But then, one day, I just...realized that all I said was coming from a broken heart. I still love him. So, we talked and renewed our mate bond."

Mr. Monroe nodded. "And you, Zach? Why did you accept to be her mate this time?"

"I wanted her back because I love her. Rejecting her was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’m the happiest man alive being with her."

Mr. Monroe smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "How sweet. Well then, Hayley. Since this has been resolved, I’ll startthe proceedings, and we can have the properties signed over to you."

"That would be great," Hayley said.

"You did surprisingly well," she told him an hour later when Mr. Monroe left.

"I attended acting class."

"Oh." She scoffed. "You did well, but for someone who went to acting class? That was terrible."

Zach threw his head back laughing, and when he finally stopped, he found her staring at him. Her eyes were wide in awe until it was replaced by shyness. Zach couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was running through her mind. He opened his mouth to speak, but she was already standing up.

"Well, I don’t need you again until I hear something. You can find your way out."

Zack watched as she strutted out of the room, holding her head high, just the way she had walked in.

Chapter 7 - Zach

Hayley had a calm expression on her face as she watched him walk back to his car through her window, but inside, her heart was beating at a dangerous speed. She didn’t understand what had happened down there. This was the man she was supposed to hate, but whenever she tried to push him away, he pulled her closer. She could sense the old feelings coming back, tearing down the walls she had built. "Fuck, what is wrong with me?" She found it difficult to assert herself with him anymore. She was already starting to soften.

She stepped away from the curtains. She needed to take a long shower. "Oh, Greta, I didn’t see you there. Do you need something?" She avoided the woman’s searching eyes as she walked to her bed.

Greta didn’t answer Hayley’s question right away. She closed the door behind her and walked further into the room. "There is something I want to ask you."

"What is it, Greta?" Hayley asked, arranging her bed. She knew what Greta was going to ask.

"Hayley, do you think this is wise? I mean, this whole thing you are doing with Zach. I’m sure if we talk to Mr. Monroe, convince him that maybe your father was drunk when he wrote that in his will, then maybe you can have the—"

"He wouldn’t, Greta. I even tried to bribe the wolfman, but he said he took an oath, and he couldn’t go against my father’s last wish. This is the only other option. It’s either that or I lose everything Dad worked so hard for. Our home, everything. This means too much to just give it up."

Greta nodded understandingly. "I’m just concerned because I know how you feel about Zach."

Hayley chuckled. "Believe me, anything I ever felt for Zach is gone. According to him, this is his way of helping me out."

"Really? And he wants nothing in return?" Greta sounded doubtful. "It’s very hard to find a man who would do something for a lady without expecting anything in return."

"He didn’t ask for anything. I must admit, that part surprised me. He said it was to make up for what he did to me."

"Just be careful, Hayley."

Just be careful, Hayley.Hayley believed she was always careful. She could never have gotten this far if she wasn’t.

"I will."

"Greta, I’m going out!" Hayley shouted, not knowing which part of the house Greta was in. She bet the older woman didn’t hear her, but she didn’t bother trying again, she would only be gone for about thirty minutes. Greta might be sleeping. They had both stayed up the previous night, watching a movie. She had gone to bed first, and when she came down that morning, Greta was fast asleep on the couch with the television still on.

"There’s nothing better in the morning than a good run," she told herself, plugging in her earphones. She did a little stretching before she began running.

Hayley returned fifteen minutes later, dragging her feet like a zombie as she approached her house. Whenever she returned from her run, she always asked herself that same question: why? She wasn’t a runner. Her father would joke that she was born with weak bones, while Greta said people like her were just not made to run or walk, just to sit in her car.

Hayley would rather laze around in her bed than go out for a run, but ever since she got back, this had become a regular habit. She told herself she would get used to it, but honestly, she felt more dead than a vampire.

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