Chapter 4

Connor's POV

I 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 talk to Frank.

On the way, my wolf Derek grew restless. His mood sent me into a tizzy, cranking up my irritability.

A while later, I reached the pack house.

After parking my car, I walked straight to Grandpa's office, trying to get things done ASAP. As expected, Grandpa ticked off as soon as he saw me.

"You just had the mating ceremony! How could you leave her there all by herself? It's her first day in L.A. What if she loses her way?" he yelled.

"I already caved, making her my mate 'cause you said so. Isn't that enough?" I retorted.

Grandpa's face darkened right after hearing my answer.

"If you can't even take care of your mate, how do you expect me to believe that you'll be able to run the Blaze Pack?" he questioned, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"I never wanted her to be my mate!" I finally lost my cool. "How could someone agree to mate with a stranger so easily? She's definitely up to something. Perhaps it's our wealth. Besides, I don't need a mate to be a competent Alpha."

"Bullshit! Without a Luna, the pack will crumble. And it was not Hailey's idea but mine. I begged her to do so cuz she's your fated mate," Grandpa snapped before snorting. "Even if you don't mark her, Elena will never be your mate."

I hated it when Grandpa threatened me this way, even though I wasn't into Elena.

"Don't worry. My wolf feels zip for her," I laughed in self-deprecation. "Perhaps the Moon Goddess didn't get a mate for me."

"That's 'cause you never let Derek chill out to truly feel her," Frank's voice tailed off, tinged with disappointment.

His words had me lost in thought.

Ever since my first shift as a kid, Derek'd been off the hook. Our communication had always been rough and painful.

It was part of the reason why I wasn't down for having a mate.

I didn't trust anyone other than my family. And I worried that Derek would hurt my mate.

Seeing me in a daze, Grandpa told me to go home and think it through. As I made my way out of the pack house, my mind was in turmoil.

I blamed Hailey for it. She must've fooled Grandpa. Or he wouldn't defend her every time.

Back in my car, I leaned back in the seat, trying to strike up a convo with my wolf.

"Derek, is Hailey really our mate?" I asked.

Though I hate to admit it, Frank's words did a number on me.

As expected, Derek stayed silent. He never dropped so much as a word on me.

All I got was his grumpy yet wrenching growls.

Then, those cruel memories came flooding back, the pain devouring me, forcing me to stop.

Finally, I gave up.

I rolled down the car window, letting the cold night breeze snap me back to reality.

I'd been trying my best to keep a lid on the past.

Otherwise, I'd end up like Derek, losing control of myself and going insane.

When I got home, I saw Hailey buzzing around in the utility room.

She was mopping the floor, looking cheerful as heck. But after that good scolding from Grandpa, the only feeling I had for her was scorn.

"Hailey," I called out, my voice icy.

She lifted her head, her big eyes lighting up at the sight of me. "What's up, Connor?"

"Time to make dinner," I reminded her.

She nodded without any hesitation. "Okay, I'm on it."

As I stared at her back, my disdain grew deeper. 'Yeah, go on. Keep on acting. Like I'd ever gonna buy it,' I snorted inwardly. The more she toed the line, the more I was convinced she was faking it.

'I gotta blow her cover today,' I swore to myself.

After she served the dishes, I found fault with her on purpose, nitpicking her cooking and even the plating.

Yet all she did was listen quietly without even trying to defend herself, adding to my belief that she had ulterior motives.

"Connor, I think you might've misunderstood me," Hailey finally piped up, her tone calm and resolute.

"I get that you don't like me. After all, we've become mates only a few hours ago. But I'm doing all this simply because I've promised Frank to take good care of you. So you don't have to be so wary of me, okay?" she sighed.

I fixed her with an intense gaze. "Wary? Why would l? You think you're strong enough to pose a threat to me?"

"You wouldn't? But when I was doing the housework just now, you kept staring at me. Aren't you suspecting that I would steal something? If you are, you can rest assured. Though I'm from a poor region, I have my pride. I would never resort to stealing." She looked me straight in the eye, not a trace of fear in her gaze.

I widened my eyes in disbelief, thinking, 'Seriously? How did she even reach that conclusion? Is she seriously not getting how much of a hard time I'm giving her, or she's just playing dumb?'