Page 13 of Betrayed By the Alpha

Greta turned to him when she heard that. "Why? Are you scared of something?"

He frowned, wondering if she read his mind. "No." He took a step back. "No. I’m not. I would just like to give her...her space if she isn’t fully clothed. I’ll go wait." Before Greta could speak, Zach had already turned around, muttering to himself. "Calm down. You calm thefuckdown." He was only lucky that Greta and Hayley weren’t wolves and couldn’t sense how excited he had become.

"Geez, Zach! What are you doing in my room?" Hayley rushed and grabbed a shirt that was lying on her bed. It was twice her size and stopped at her knee. Zach’s first thought was why she had bought an oversized shirt, but she looked really cute in it. "Greta told me you’d arrived, and I looked for you everywhere. Why are you in my room?"

"I was waiting for you," he answered. He placed the book he had been reading on the bedside table and got up from the chair he was starting to claim as his.

"You couldn’t wait downstairs like every normal guest?"

"No, it’s too quiet there for such a big house. I’m sure some rooms haven’t been visited in months."

"Right. Can you excuse me now? I need to change." She hugged herself and began walking to her closet.

"Why? What’s wrong with what you are wearing?"

"I’m not comfortable wearing this around you, okay?" she said without looking back at him.

Zach bit his lower lip to hold back a chuckle. He wanted to tease her more, but he could see that she wasn’t comfortable, and he didn’t want to upset her. He needed her to forgive him. He nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. He found Greta standing outside, looking at him over her glasses.

"You know, I still don’t trust you. I also don’t know what your true intentions are, but if it’s to hurt Hayley, you won’t succeed this time."

"Well, it’s a good thing that isn’t my intention."

She eyed him for a while, but just when he thought she was going to say something, she shook her head and walked away. Hayley showed up soon after that. She had her hair tied up in a bun, and heavy glasses sat on her nose.

"Are you ready?" she asked, stopping a few feet before him.

"To go for an interview? Why are you dressed like this?"

Hayley frowned and looked down at what she had on, then back to Zach, an eyebrow raised in question. She had a white T-shirt and a black skirt that stopped just above her knees, like one that one would dress in for an interview.

"We are meeting with the lawyer here, right?" he said. "If you told me it was going to be an office interview, maybe I would have worn my best suit."

She rolled her eyes. "I’m sorry, I’m just the type of woman who likes her clothes to match the occasion."

"I can see that."

"You know what—" He stared at her as she suddenly ran up to him."—Zach, I love you." Before his brain could register what was going on, her arms were around his waist, pulling him close for a hug. Zach stilled, not sure what was going on till he heard the hoarse voice of a man approaching. It was Mr. Monroe, the man he had seen in the Mayor’s office. The man was fairly well-known in town. He was also good friends with the Mayor and was by his side on nearly every occasion.

Hayley pulled back from the hug, sending Zach a small, apologetic smile that only he could see before she turned around and replaced it with a wide one. "Mr. Monroe!" She called his name like he was a long-lost friend. "There you are. I was just getting worried that maybe you lost your way."

"Hayley, I’ve been coming to this house years before you were even born. Even if I were blindfolded, I would still find my way here. I know every corner of this house." He looked over to Zach and nodded. "Mr. Hill, our Alpha, it’s surprising to see you here. Is there a problem here? I hope Miss Green isn’t bothering you again?"

Zach could see Hayley frown at the last statement. "No," he answered.

"Mr. Monroe, if you aren’t aware. Zach is my mate," Hayley said with a proud smile. Zach wasn’t fooled by it, but Mr. Monroe was.

"What? I thought..."

"You thought what?" Hayley asked when the man couldn’t complete his sentence. She continued, "My father said I had to reconcile with my mate to claim my inheritance. So, I did that."

"You two?" They both nodded. "Mates?"

"Yes, that’s what she said, Monroe," Zach said dryly.

"Okay. It’s just surprising. After what happened two years ago, I didn’t think I’d see you two in the same room again. Anyway, let’s settle down and discuss this."

"Sure," Zach said, leading Hayley to the seat closest to them.

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