Page 17 of Betrayed By the Alpha

"Sure," he said, telling her what she wanted to hear. When the right time came, he would open up and reveal his real intentions.

"You may leave now." She turned her back to him. "I need a moment."

Zach chuckled. "You better get used to being around me, darling." She hissed. "You’ll be seeing me for hours tonight." He was already walking to the window as he spoke.

"As you jump out the window, I pray you twist your ankle and hurt yourself."

"That can’t happen. I’m like a cat, I always land on my feet."

"I’m like a cat, I always land on my feet." He chuckled as he heard her mimic him. Her impression was so awful that she sounded more like Mr. Monroe than he.

Zach’s smile was immediately wiped off when he saw the older woman had her eyes on him. She looked from Hayley’s open window and back to Zach. "You again?"

"Have a nice day, Greta," he said, walking away. Zach was not going to let her ruin his good mood. But then he remembered something and turned towards her again. "I know you probably won’t answer me, but I can’t stop myself from trying. Can you tell me what’s Hayley’s favorite food?"

If there was anything Zach knew how to cook up, it was a mean Italian pasta. He prepared pasta because Greta told him it was one of Hayley’s favorite meals—only after he begged—he didn’t tell her the reason why he was asking and was grateful she didn’t ask. She gave him a list of other meals Hayley loved, but pasta was the fastest thing to cook, and he was on a bit of a time crunch. If she was on time, she was going to be there in less than twenty minutes. He had just finished clearing the kitchen and was now running up to his bathroom for a quick shower. He had a bathtub in there, but Zach hardly used it. It felt weird to him, he didn’t understand how people relaxed in the tub.

He dried himself quickly when he stepped out and hurried to put on the clothes he’d set out before he even started cooking, grateful that he had stuck to his timetable and did his laundry. Just when he was pulling on his shirt, the doorbell rang. "Shit." He ran out of his room, but when he approached the door, he stopped and walked instead. He couldn’t let Hayley see that he was excited. It wasn’t something he could help. His wolf was excited. His spirit recognized the woman that should have been theirs. If only he hadn’t been so stupid.

The ringing of the doorbell dragged him out before he could dwell on his thoughts again. He didn’t need to look through the peephole to know it was her. He caught her scent all the way from his bedroom. He pulled the door open and found her waiting for him, looking down at her feet. "Hey," he said. "You came."

"I said I would."

She was wearing a simple black gown and had her hair down with light makeup on. Her makeup was natural and subtle, highlighting her already stunning features. But really, she always looked effortlessly beautiful.

"You look beautiful, Hayley." Her eyes softened when she heard his words, but in a flash, which was quickly replaced with a cold look. He could still hear her heart racing, though. Zach stepped aside. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, Zach," she said and proceeded in. He closed the door gently behind her. When Zach turned around, he found Hayley looking around. Though he was the one who did the cooking, he didn’t clean or set the dining table. He’d called in Ryder and Tolliver to help, and surprisingly they did an amazing job. He had also quickly changed some things round, like covering the old couch that sat in the center of the living room with a suspicious gray stain on the middle seat. Ryder had brought in some pictures for his bare walls to make them look more inviting.

"You have a nice place," she said, nodding approvingly. "It suits you."

"You think so?" He was slightly surprised because half the things in the room weren’t his. If he hadn’t planned on inviting her, it wouldn’t look as good as it did.

She looked unsure when she spoke again. "Eh... actually, I don’t know if it’s your style, but it’s nice. I—Oh..."

"What’s wrong?" He walked up to her. She was looking at something, and he followed her eyes to see it was the dining area.

"Did you do this for me, or are you expecting another woman after I leave?"

He wondered if she was joking, or if she genuinely wanted an answer to that. He didn’t think he did anything much though. He only set up the red candles—Tolliver had suggested that because he thought they were romantic and would set the mood. He also replaced the flowers in the vase and bought a new tablecloth. The chandelier was what brought life into the room. He was actually proud of that one as it had already been there.

"There’s no other woman, Hayley."

"It’s beautiful," she whispered. When she looked back at him, the softness in her eyes hadn’t disappeared; this time, it lasted. "Let’s eat, Zach. I’m starving."

"The pasta was very good, Zach. But I find it hard to believe that you cooked this yourself. I mean, even Greta can’t make pasta this good."

Zach smiled. "I’m glad you enjoyed the meal, Hayley." He watched her pick up a napkin and wipe her mouth clean. He did the same, then stood up to clear the dishes. "I’ll clear this up and be back soon."

"Let me help you with that," she said, already reaching out to help him before he could refuse. Soon they were both in the kitchen. He washed the plates, and she dried them. "So...you live here alone? No wife or kids? Well, I’m not surprised nowoman wants to be with you. You are cold and grumpy. The only thing interesting about you is your face and body."

He chuckled. "You don’t know a lot about me then. Also, you mentioned wife and kids. As the pack’s Alpha, I can’t marry any other woman while my mate is still alive."

Hayley dropped the plate she was currently drying in the sink and faced him. "Zach, you rejected me. Can we finally address that? So, why can’t you be with another woman?"

"I don’t want another woman, Hayley. Let’s just drop this topic." He went back to washing, but from the corner of his eye, he could see that she didn’t move and was still looking at him. He wished he hadn’t brought up the whole Alpha and mate thing. She acted nonchalant about it, but judging by the hardness in her voice when she spoke, she was still deeply hurt.

"Why did you reject me, Zach?" He wasn’t surprised by her question, if anything, he was bracing himself for it. "It’s the one thing I’ve kept asking myself since then. I don’t mean to sound full of myself, but honestly, I have never been rejected by any man. I have men frolicking around me whenever I step out, and..." She let out a laugh. "That was a shocker—a painful one. So, tell me why. Is there a reason? Did I hurt you in some way that I’m not aware of? Or was it just pure hate that sprouted from nowhere?"

---