Chapter 18

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?"