Chapter 150: Mark Him

Hayley’s POV:

I was a bit surprised to see Christopher. “I was just about to head home,” I said.

Christopher quickly replied, “Then let me give you a ride.”

The car door opened, and I climbed in. Hera was instantly on edge, practically buzzing with excitement. Sure enough, that’s when I noticed Benjamin sitting inside the van.

Now that I’d come to terms with my feelings for him, seeing him again made me feel a bit awkward. I took the initiative and greeted him, “You’re here too, huh?”

Benjamin was flipping through some documents, and he gave a quiet “Mm,” without looking up. His tone was distant and indifferent, as usual. The coldness in his voice left me feeling uneasy.

I found myself wondering—if he didn’t love me back, would I still choose him as my mate? Should I pursue an alliance between our packs and use it as a reason to make him my mate?

Christopher’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “I just picked Ben up from the airport. We happened to pass by and saw you. You look kind of down—something on your mind?”

I raised an eyebrow, teasing him. “Since when do you care about other people? Besides, you never used to be this nice to me.”

Christopher looked a bit awkward but went on, “Hayley, don’t be ungrateful. I’m just being a good friend. And anyway, you used to be so ugly and unfashionable, plus you were just an Omega. Now, sure, you’re still as ugly and unfashionable as ever, but I have to admit, you’re not so bad as a person.”

I rolled my eyes but found myself smiling. “Thanks! Oh, and I heard from a friend that you’re releasing a new song. Congratulations.”

The mention of his new song made Christopher’s face light up, and his whole demeanor radiated happiness. “Thanks! Come to the release party when it happens.”

I declined immediately. “I’ll pass. I don’t want to get torn apart by your fans. But my friend is a big fan of yours—if you have any extra tickets, could you give me two? She’d be thrilled.”

Christopher didn’t hesitate. He gestured to Caesar, who handed me two tickets. “It’s next Wednesday. Make sure your friend shows up.”

I took the tickets. “Thanks.”

Christopher raised an eyebrow, smiling. “No problem.”

At that moment, Caesar, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, said, “Christopher, Gillian just retweeted your post on Twitter. You should reply to her.”

Christopher scoffed, “She can retweet whatever she wants. Doesn’t mean I have to respond.”

Caesar looked a bit uncomfortable. “She’s still a legendary diva, technically your senior in the industry.”

Christopher replied without hesitation, “She’s been riding on the fame of that one hit song her whole life. She latches onto anyone’s popularity when she can. If I reply to her, you can bet the tabloids will be all over us with rumors by tomorrow. No way am I giving her the attention.”

Caesar wiped the sweat off his forehead, clearly relieved. “Alright, fine, let her do whatever she wants.”

Hearing them mention Gillian, my good mood from being near Benjamin evaporated instantly. This was the second time today I’d heard her name. Gillian. It’s been a while.

Christopher drove Benjamin and me back to the house. The happiest one to see us both return together was George. “Ben! Did you see my old friend? How is he?”

Benjamin answered honestly, “Mr. Josh is in good health. He misses you and hopes you can visit him in Roseshire sometime.”

George looked wistful. “That old fellow still thinks about me. But with my health like this, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to see him again.”

“Grandpa Southwell, don’t talk like that. You’re strong as ever—you’ll easily live to 100,” I said, trying to reassure him. Benjamin chimed in, “Yes, Grandpa. Next time, we’ll go together.”

George glanced between us, then sighed and turned to Benjamin. “Ben, I’m getting older, and there are things I can’t do anymore. It’s been quite some time since you officially became Alpha of the Midnight Pack. It’s time for you to start thinking about choosing our pack’s future Luna.”

“Hayley would make a fine choice,” George added, giving me a meaningful look.

This time, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, I realized that if Benjamin loved me too, I’d be willing to become his Luna. It would benefit both the Shadow Pack and the Midnight Pack.

But Benjamin seemed uneasy with the topic. He frowned slightly, quickly brushing it off. “Grandpa, I’ll handle it. There’s no need for you to worry.”

George pressed on, “Ben, sometimes you have to look forward. What’s past is past—you need to appreciate the person right in front of you.”

Benjamin glanced at me and gave a noncommittal response, “Got it.”

I looked at him, my heart a tangle of emotions, while Hera was just happy as always to be close to him.

After saying goodbye to George, I ignored Hera’s whining and went to my room. It had been more than half a year since I’d been here, but now, the thought of leaving actually tugged at me.

“Hey! Hayley, he’s our destined mate. We finally found him, and you’re thinking about giving up?” Hera’s voice was insistent in my mind. “We should mark him!” she kept urging.

But my thoughts kept spinning, torn between two choices: “Should I mark him or give up on him and return to the Shadow Pack?”