Page 5 of Betrayed By the Alpha

As he drove home that evening, he decided to take a new route, and that's how Zach found his car parked before the Green's mansion. The only visible light was coming from the top room of the house, which he knew belonged to Greta, the longtime housekeeper who had been taking care of the mansion since before Hayley was born.

Hayley.

He didn’t know what happened to her, but rumor was that she left town to go live amongst the humans after her father's burial. Hayley's father had passed away just a month after he rejected her as his mate. He knew how hurt she was after the rejection. He felt like a monster, especially when he heard people mocking her. So, coupled with the pain of losing her father, he understood why she chose to leave.

He blinked twice as the sound of a beep from his phone brought him out of his thoughts. Zack sighed. He took his phone out to look at the message. It was from Ryder, sending him a pic of himself and a few of their friends from the bar with the hashtag '#sourwolf'. Zach rolled his eyes, but he knew he should really be at the bar with his friends. Zach couldn't remember the last time he sat with Tolliver and Ryder at the bar.

He needed to clear his head, and he thought staying at home would be the best idea, but now the thought of being alone didn’t appeal to him anymore. He turned, heading straight to thelocal bar close to the black ops headquarters. It was a place that had become the go-to spot for the wolves.

Chapter 3 - Hayley

"Never. Can you believe this? It's just... ugh!" She pushed away a lock of blonde hair that escaped from the loose bun she had tied it in. She was pacing around her bedroom in her underwear. Her palms clasped together behind her, and her head was bent low. Hayley looked like a worried mother.

"Calm down, Hayley. Listen—" Elena, her best friend, tried to say, but Hayley interrupted, raising a hand in annoyance.

"No, Elena, you don't understand." She came to a stop and faced her friend. "This is silly. This is stupid. This is the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. Barbaric decisions like this should have been outlawed decades ago. I can't believe my father would do this." When Zach rejected her, her father thought it was only because Zach was still grieving his father, who was found dead in his office. He assured Hayley that, very soon, Zach would realize his mistake and return to her begging for forgiveness. Hayley was realistic enough to know that her father's words were just meant to keep a glimmer of hope alive, and she wasn't naive enough to believe they would actually come true. Hayley had seen the look in Zach's eyes, and it had nothing to do with his late father. They were cold, malicious, and meant only one thing—he didn't want her.

Her father had always reminded her that no one knew when death would come knocking; when it did, he wanted to leave knowing she would be safe. Her father wanted her to be with Zach. He liked him. She didn't know why, but he believed that Zach was a good man and the perfect mate for Hayley. After his death, a few days before he was to be crowned Mayor of the town, and just a month after Zach rejected her, Hayley had toleave. The grief, humiliation, and mockery were too much for her to handle.

"Hayley," Elena called her friend's name softly, drawing her from the past. "Relax, come sit down and let's talk about this."

Hayley sighed, taking a seat beside Elena on the bed. "He saw the way that man humiliated me. Why would he do this?" It just didn't make any sense to her. She remembered her father said he would speak to Zach and try to bring the two together. That meeting between the two men never happened because Zach refused it, and before Albert could try and convince him, he passed away.

"I don't know. I'm just as lost as you are. We both know that your father wanted the best for you. I think he believed Zach is a good man and would be the right one for you."

Hayley scoffed. "Good man? That cold-hearted beast?"

"You know, Zach has done a lot for the people in the town. It isn't nice to call him that."

"But that's what he is, though. He is rude and arrogant and doesn't care about anyone else but himself. I wonder why I was even attracted to him. Do you know how many men approached me? But no, I just had to go for the man who didn't even spare me a second glance when we first met. He is wicked, don't even try to defend him, Elena."

Elena raised her hands. "Calm down. I wasn't going to, Hayley. You are allowed to feel angry, and I understand where your hate comes from. Honestly? I wouldn't have taken it so easily if it had happened to me. No man can reject me. I know what it is like when a man treats you like crap. I mean, look at how Ryder used to bully me. I would—sorry,I'm talking too much and going off-topic again, right?"

"Elena…" Hayley said, sounding tired.

"Listen, you could discuss this with your father's lawyer and explain everything to him. Surely, he would understand that this isn't a condition that you can just make happen, even if you wanted to claim Zack again as your mate-"

"Which I don't."

Elena nodded; both her arms raised. "Of course. But then, Zach was the one who rejected you. Explain to him that you can't force Zach to be your mate if he doesn't want you."

"I already did, but the man has a brain made of iron. Funny how he claims to be my father's best friend, yet he's so unwilling to help. I am not surprised, though. Monroe and I barely got along when my father was alive." From the looks of it, even if he could help, she doubted Monroe would be able to help her. He acted like he didn't want her to claim the inheritance. According to Greta, when she had suggested that Hayley was of age to claim her inheritance, Monroe disagreed bitterly because he didn't believe she was mature enough or fit to handle her father's property. She doubted he would be willing to help if he didn’t have to.

"I think he's just trying to fulfill your father's wishes?" Hayley frowned. "I'm sorry, darling."

"I'm just so tired. I faced so much in the city and thought I was returning home to an easier life. Now, this? You know what sucks the most?"

"What?"

"That as a witch, even though I can, I'm not allowed to stir up some money for myself. I don't understand why that is against the law. It's stupid."

Elena chuckled. "Come on, wipe that sour look off your face. You know what will make you feel better?"

"If all this wasn't happening?"

"Yeah...and a time spent at a bar would also help."

Hayley looked at her friend in disbelief. It was the last thing she was expecting Elena to suggest. "A bar? No, I don't think that will do me any good."

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