Chapter 7

Hailey's POV

The last thing I remembered was that I finally fixed the washer. And just as I was about to run it, I blacked out.

Well, to be precise, I fell asleep.

I even dreamed of Connor. Playing some loud music to wake me up.

By the time I woke up, it was about noon.

To my surprise, I was back in my room instead of lying on the cold floor.

'Did Vita find me and bring me back?' I wondered.

As I turned my head, however, I found a guy sleeping on the sofa with his back against me.

Curious, I crept up on him, and a familiar face came into view. It was Connor.

I immediately stepped back, almost screaming out of shock.

I thought, 'Why is he sleeping in my room?

'So it wasn't a dream? He was the one who brought me back here?'

After making sure that he showed no signs of waking up, I sighed in relief.

Since I got nothing else to do, I started observing him, my mate. His pajamas' hem was crawled up, revealing a bit of his tight waist. A ray of sunlight filtered in through the curtains and shone on his face, setting off his sharp features.

Captivated by his rizz, I instinctively stepped up.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to peep at him or check if he was okay.

As I leaned in, however, Connor's eyes snapped open!

I gasped, fear rooting me to the spot. Before I could dodge, he gripped my neck.

Out of instinct, he started shifting, his fingers turning into claws.

I always thought of Connor as a rude, willful, and reckless lazybones who disrespected everyone. Including his own grandpa.

But right now, I smelt danger, a chill running down my spine.

Most folks would be at a loss of what to do, but not me. I often fought with beasts back in my pack. So, I was an experienced fighter.

I threw a punch towards Connor's abdomen, but he yanked me off balance before my fist could land on him.

So now I was sprawled all over him.

He tightened his grip on my neck, getting my ribs pounding. I couldn't help gasping for air, my eyes blazing with fury.

Then, my claws came out before my brain caught up, grasping his arm without mercy.

In a life-or-death crunch, a hottie and a beast made no difference to me. I gotta go all in to save my own life.

The pain seemed to bring Connor back to his senses.

His face darkened, his gaze icy-cold, panicking me.

Although he said nothing, that frosty stare was louder than shouting.

"Let go," he hissed as his chokehold eased up a little, his voice hoarse.

"After you," I fired back.

Connor dropped his grip and whispered, "Who allowed you to come close to me?"

I felt a bit guilty for no reason. "Thought you'd blacked out. So I wanted to check on you."

After saying that, I was even more guilty.

Connor was perfectly fine before I approached him. Yet now, there were scratches on his arm thanks to me.

But he was at fault, too. I didn't mean to hurt him. He was the one attacking me first.

However, no matter how much I tried to justify myself in my mind, I still had a terrible conscience about it.

Just when I was hesitating about saying sorry, Connor piped up, "Are you gonna sit on my lap forever?"

"Sorry. Wait here." I jumped off the sofa and ran out of the room. Then I found Vita and asked her to fetch the first-aid kit for me.

"Let me help you fix it up," I said to Connor after returning to my room.

He glanced at his wound and then at me. His face softened up a bit, but soon, it was back to poker. "No need."

I insisted, "At least let me help you clean that up."

This time, Connor didn't turn me down.

I carefully dabbed disinfectant on his scratches and gently applied band-aids.

During the process, I found his healing much slower than mine, which bewildered me.

"Your wound ... seems to be healing rather slowly," I couldn't help but blurt out.

Connor simply stood up and said, "I'm fine."

Before he left, he ordered, "You're on kitchen duty today."

I nodded, making up my mind to cook him a lavish lunch as an act of apology.

After an hour of effort, I managed to cook three dishes. When Connor got a taste of my cooking, his eyes lit up a bit, but soon, he pulled a long face again.

"Not bad," he commented in a flat tone.

I felt great to hear it. "Thanks! I'll be cooking steak for dinner. You wanna invite Frank over?"

Connor's face darkened immediately. "I don't want any guests," he snapped.

I was a bit puzzled. "Why not? He's your grandpa!"

Without saying anything, Connor got up and left.

I had no idea why Connor ticked off all of a sudden. Was it because I mentioned Frank?

I let out a long sigh.

Connor never liked me. And I just made things worse by injuring him the second day since we became mates. How were we ever gonna live in peace?