Hailey's POV
I stared at Matt, a surge of anger rising in my heart, while at the same time, I engaged in a conversation with my wolf Iris in my mind. "Iris, can you feel it?" I asked in my heart. "I can. They are all ordinary werewolves from the same wolf pack, except for Matt, who has the Alpha bloodline." Iris' voice revealed a hint of disdain. "Let me take over your body to give him a lesson. He's too arrogant!" Iris expressed her dissatisfaction. I felt the breath of my wolf starting to release. Perhaps sensing my pressure, Matt and the others took a few steps back in fear. Seeing humans passing by, I realized it was not a proper time. "Iris, it is not the time now. We need to be patient," I persuaded. "Alright, but don't endure for too long," Iris replied reluctantly. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and then smiled at Matt, saying, "Sure, I'll hang out with you guys. But you gotta arrange my work." Surprised that I changed my mind, Matt quickly said, "Great, let's go." "But I must warn you, Matt." I stared into his eyes. "If you don't keep your word, I will be angry." Matt seemed eager to take me out, so he agreed perfunctorily, "Of course, I promise to help you find a job." Then, he pulled me towards his car in a hurry. In the car, Matt casually asked, "Hailey, where are you from?" "A remote village." "What's your relationship with Connor? And how did you enter the villa?" "I promised Alpha Frank to take care of Connor." On the day when Connor and I held the mating ceremony, Connor said that we should keep our relationship a secret. Now that I had left, I could definitely speak about this relationship. Matt asked all the way, and I answered perfunctorily all the way. After a long time, we arrived at a place far away from downtown Los Angeles. Completely different from the bustling downtown, this place was more like a familiar small town around the Mountain Pack, with a small population and a tranquil atmosphere. On the outskirts of the town, there was an open area with scattered houses, exuding a rustic countryside atmosphere. The town bordered a strip of forest, which appeared dark and mysterious from the outside as if it concealed endless secrets. I couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity, along with a slight sense of caution. This forest was called the Shadow Forest. Contrary to the bright town, it was quite dark. The boundary between the forest and the town seemed like an impassable demarcation line. There were several bonfires at the forest's edge, the flickered firelight illuminating the surroundings. Several werewolves were dancing around the bonfires, while others were chatting and eating nearby. The air was filled with the aroma of grilled meat and beer. Matt seemed quite familiar with this kind of occasion. He warmly greeted me, "Hailey, come. Let's have a drink." In the Mountain Pack, I used to make some wine with grains, so I got a decent alcohol tolerance. I took the glass Matt handed to me, listening to what they were talking about while drinking. Their conversation aroused my interest. There were not only wolf packs but also rogues in the Shadow Forest. It was said that these rogues were very fierce, attacking ordinary werewolves. Sometimes even the Alpha found it difficult to deal with them. "Are those rogues really that dangerous?" I asked curiously. Matt smiled, seemingly unconcerned about it, "Dangerous? It depends. As long as we don't venture deep into the forest, it is OK. But it's unavoidable to encounter a few rogues when lingering on the forest's edge for too long." When I was about to continue asking about rogues, I suddenly felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded. I looked at the glass in my hand with confusion, unaware of the source of this sudden discomfort. Noticing what had happened to me, Matt and the others suddenly burst into laughter. "Hailey, how do you feel?" Matt's tone carried a hint of mockery. I tried to keep sober. "What did you put in the drink?" "Just some wolfsbane herbs," Matt said indifferently. "Wolfsbane herbs?" I tried to wake my wolf up in my mind, but it became extremely weak, barely able to respond to my summons. "Don't bother," Matt sneered. "This wolfsbane will suppress your werewolf nature, preventing you from shifting. Right now, you're just like an ordinary human." Matt raised his hand to make a gesture. Soon, all the werewolves playing around stopped. Most of them quickly packed up their stuff and drove away. "Where are you going?" I tried my best to stand up but failed. My legs were too weak to support my own body. "We are leaving of course, but except you," Matt said menacingly. "You're gonna stay here alone. The effect of the wolfsbane will wear off five hours later. It's your punishment for making Elena upset." I realized that I had fallen into a trap. I knew they held hostility towards me, but I didn't expect them to treat me like this. They were eviler than the boars around the Mountain Pack. Matt extinguished the bonfire and opened his car door, preparing to leave. Just then, a black car suddenly drove by. It stopped in front of Matt's car. As the door opened, a man got out. Matt exclaimed in surprise, "Connor?"Connor's POVI stood at the edge of the Shadow Forest, and in the darkness, the werewolves of Matt's pack seemed somewhat fidgety.They didn't expect my appearance, and I had the accompanying guards of the Blaze Pack quickly hold them.I walked quickly to Hailey's side. She looked fragile, her eyes revealing helplessness and pleading.Hailey's face turned pale as if all her energy had been drained. She couldn't stand up.My heart tightened, and I immediately lifted her up.Hailey, like a broken doll, leaned against me, trembling uncontrollably.Since I had known Hailey, I had seen how energetic she was when she smiled and how resilient she was when she cried. I had seen a bright and cheerful Hailey. But I had never seen such a fragile Hailey, as if her life was about to be severed.I wrapped Hailey with a coat, holding her in my arms."Ike, have a check."Ike quickly stepped forward. He was an experienced pack doctor.He carefully inquired about Hailey's situation and picked up the gl
Hailey's POVMy heart pounded. I could only hear the intense thumping in my chest amidst the ringing in my ears.Unwilling to see me get hurt, he even risked his life to protect me.Why was he so good to me?Soon, the car arrived at the door of Connor's mansion.As the car door opened, a lot of people gathered around to carefully help Connor out.I couldn't stand steady and was pushed to the side.I saw the wounds on Connor's back and shoulders. His clothes had been torn by the rogue's claws, leaving deep scratches, and his shirt was already stained red with blood.Connor was surrounded by those people, about to leave. With wobbly steps, I tried to get closer but failed due to the crowd.Just then, Connor suddenly turned around and said, "Hailey, come with me."The crowd made way.I hurriedly ran towards him.Connor smirked imperceptibly.My heart was in a mess.I ran to Connor and instinctively grabbed his sleeve amid the chaos, while he didn't push me away.At night, the pack guards
Hailey's POVThe roar of the airplane faded into the background, replaced by the bustling noise of Los Angeles.Walking out of the airport, I was welcomed by the blinding sun. As I shielded my eyes, the glitzy scenery came into my view.Edifices scrapping the sky; streets buzzing with traffic; pedestrians wearing chic and stylish outfits…Everything here was a world away from the Mountain Pack I was most familiar with. I was totally amazed and thrilled.Digging in my backpack, I took out my acceptance letter once again. Actually, I had flipped through it like a hundred times, just to confirm that heart-racing news—I'd been admitted to UCLA!The school wouldn't be starting till a month later, but you didn't always get a cheap flight. So I booked a ticket as soon as I saw a discounted one and arrived in Los Angeles ahead of time.I got the acceptance letter from UCLA about a week ago. Thrilled, I showed it to Alpha Johnny immediately.The news brought a joyful smile to his weary face."
Hailey's POVWhat the heck?I was about to give him a piece of my mind, but he just walked away without a backward glance."How rude!" Iris grumbled in my mind."Well, perhaps his wolf is a proper gentleman. You never know. Did you guys have a nice chat?" I asked."All he did was howl nonsense. He wouldn't even tell me his name," Iris snorted before fading out from my mind.Just then, someone tapped my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw Frank smile at me."Where did he go?" he asked after looking around."You mean Connor? He just left," I replied, pointing towards the door.Hearing what I said, Frank flew into a rage. "What? He left right after he completed the mating ceremony? How dare he?""No biggie. Just give me the address and I'll find my way there," I comforted him."Problem is, he doesn't live in the Blaze Pack," Frank sighed. "What a gruff and clueless kid. Now you see why he couldn't find a mate. You're not gonna reject him, are you?"I replied in a serious tone, "Of cour
Hailey's POV"Sorry, I..." Vita looked at me with a troubled expression, kinda embarrassed about sticking me in a room like this.I patted her hand, reassuring her, "My name's Hailey Carlson. Don't worry, I'll go make coffee after I move all my bags here.""You're a gem, Miss Carlson," she grinned in relief. "Kitchen's to the left of the living room."She dashed off as soon as she finished speaking. Seemed like she was swamped with chores.I hauled my bags into the room on the ground floor. Although it was a room designed for maids, it was spacious and clean enough for me.Having surveyed what was gonna be my temporary residence, I felt quite contented.After taking a deep breath, I was ready to tackle Connor's task. When I strode to the kitchen, however, I was slack-jawed.'Man, this is even bigger than my house back in the Mountain Pack!' I exclaimed inwardly.Calming myself down, I managed to find different types of coffee beans in the cupboard. I grabbed a handful and put them clo
Connor's POVI decided to throw a curveball at Hailey, hitting her up with the kind of chores only Omegas needed to do.As a girl scheming for the fancy life through deception, she'd definitely say no right on the spot.In that case, she'd go to Grandpa straight-up to break our mate bond! Since I wasn't the one mentioning it, Grandpa wouldn't nag me about it. What a perfect plan!However, things didn't go the way I wanted. Hailey agreed to my request so quick that my jaw dropped.Gazing at her clear and innocent eyes, I couldn't help but start doubting my judgment.Maybe she wasn't the cunning type I pegged her as?Just as I was on the fence about speaking up, I got a mind-link from Grandpa.He scolded me for leaving Hailey right after the mating ceremony, his growl earsplitting.'Damn it, Hailey must've snitched on me,' I complained to myself, hating her even more."Come meet me in the pack house now," Grandpa ordered, giving me no room to say no.I had to head for the Blaze Pack to
Hailey's POVI gazed at Connor with sincerity, hoping that he believed I meant what I said.However, he gave no reply, just savoring the dishes in silence.After he finished the food on his plate, he demanded, "Wash all the clothes before you go to bed." With that, he strode out of the dining room.I watched as his figure faded down the corridor, feeling confused.'What a weirdo,' I murmured.To get to know Connor better, I made friends with Vita this afternoon. Turned out he got this quirk about hating strangers crash over at his spot.So, those Omegas and cooks would come at scheduled times and leave right after they finished their jobs.Since it was late in the night, naturally, it was just Connor and me in this spacious villa.Now that he returned to his room, I was all alone.And the villa became even quieter.I felt a bit lonely, but also kinda digging the freedom.After I headed back to my room, I opened my suitcases and started to sort out my stuff.The wardrobe was so huge th
Connor's POVAfter warning Hailey, I returned to my room. Truth was, quiet or not, a good night's sleep was impossible for me.Every night, I had to try blanking out my brain. It was the only way I could get some rest. Less noise would make it easier for me to do so, though.Good thing she didn't make a peep after that.The next morning, I woke up as the sunlight shone through the curtains.After washing up, I came downstairs, wondering what Hailey would cook for breakfast. To my surprise, the dining table was empty.I couldn't help but sneer, thinking, 'I knew she was putting on an act! After just one day, she gave up. Well, talk about persistence.'I turned around, ready to leave. But just as I passed by the laundry room, I caught a scene through the cracked door that astonished me—Hailey was lying out cold on the floor.I gasped, a weird surge of anxiety running through me.Then I rushed over and carried her out. Her body was so soft, which keyed up the unease in me.Werewolves rar