Chapter 3

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 close to my nose. The rich aroma immediately hit me.

The kitchen was packed with various devices I'd never seen. I recognized the coffee machine, but those complex buttons had me all thumbs.

Trying to recall the steps Vita had taught me, I clumsily got down to work.

The coffee beans weren't ground fine enough, and the water temperature seemed off. But in the end, I did get something that looked like coffee. As for the taste, well, let's prey.

Carefully, I made my way to the study, carrying the coffee with both hands. The door was ajar, the hum of conversation coming out from time to time. After a knock, I walked in.

Connor and his friends were lounging around a large table, chatting about stuff way over my head. They were all sharp-dressed, so my arrival seemed embarrassing.

Face heating up, I still mustered up my courage and passed the coffee to Connor. To my surprise, he pointed to a guy sitting next to him, commanding, "Just give it to Matt." Well, this jerk really took me as his maid.

Suppressing my rage, I did as he told me. "Ew! Is this even coffee? It tastes like poison!" that Matt guy shouted with a grimace as soon as he took a sip.

He then poured the entire cup of coffee into a nearby plant like a drama queen.

I couldn't help glowering at him.

"Stop drinking it if you don't like it. Why did you dump it?! You're wasting food!"

The moment I finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Everyone was staring at me, like I was some weirdo.

Matt let out a sardonic laugh. Then he stood up and paced around me, remarking, "I'm wasting food? That's my line! Do you know how expensive Connor's coffee beans are? And you're turning them into crap. That's called wasting food!"

"Who's this she-wolf by the way?" a voice chimed in. "She can't be Connor's girlfriend, right?"

The room was immediately filled with unfriendly laughter.

"Oh, come on! With a badass beauty like Elena by his side, Connor wouldn't even glance at this type," Matt snorted.

Though they greeted me with jeers, I stood my ground.

"Y'all are pretty rude," I snapped with a frown.

Matt walked up to me, fixing me with his disdainful gaze. "Who the hell do you think you are? You think you're good enough for Connor?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a tide of rage surged through me. Sensing my fury, Iris roared inside me, eager to rip him into pieces.

I tried my best to stay cool, but Matt's provocation was pushing my wolf closer to the edge.

Suddenly, he reached out, trying to push me.

Out of instinct, I grabbed his wrist, my claws baring before I realized it.

Matt's eyes widened in horror.

I could feel his Alpha bloodline, but he couldn't give full play to it. Having been pampered and spoiled in such a secure and opulent environment, he had long lost the sharpness and fighting power of a werewolf. My wolf dominated, freezing Matt in his tracks.

The atmosphere crackled with tension as if a fight would start the next second.

Connor immediately stood up, his eyes ice-cold. "Hailey, enough."

I retracted my wolf claws, letting Matt go before shooting him a glare.

"Apologize to Matt!" Connor demanded.

"Why? I'm just teaching him a lesson." I fired back, fuming with indignation. I didn't do anything wrong—Matt started it.

But then I saw the anger in Connor's eyes. I could tell if I didn't say sorry, I might have to get out of here.

Recalling Frank's request, I inhaled deeply, calming the storm inside before finally saying, "Sorry, Matt."

Matt, however, wouldn't let me off with just a simple apology. "Sorry? That's it? I don't need your apology. You gotta pay for what you did!"

I could feel Iris' rage rising inside me. She was screaming to take over. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Connor's face was back into poker. "Sorry, I'll have to ask you to leave now. Got an emergency here," he told the others.

His friends left without fuss, leaving only me and him in the study.

Connor turned around, warning me in a deep voice, "Hailey, my grandpa likes you a lot, and I hate to disappoint him. But if you keep this up, I'll have to send you away."

I had not yet repaid Alpha Frank's kindness, so I couldn't let him kick me out.

So after calming Iris, I replied, "Got it."

"Now, go tidy up the garden, mop the floors, and then get the dinner ready," he ordered.

With that, he sank into thoughts, either talking or looking at me.

Guessed he was mind-linking with other pack members.

So I turned around, ready to get back to my work.

Before I could walk out of the room, however, Connor stopped me. "Hold on, I got stuff to handle. Dinner can wait."