Chapter 274: Can You Accept Deception?

Hayley’s POV:

“What are you trying to say?” His sharp gaze was fixed on me.

I swallowed the words about to escape my lips. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Somehow, I didn’t feel it was the right time to come clean. For now, I’d have to take things one step at a time.

After dinner, we left the restaurant and bumped into Christopher and Christine. Christine immediately came over, linking her arm through mine. “Hayley, you seriously slept for a long time! You slept until the afternoon! No matter how much I called, you wouldn’t wake up. Luckily, I packed up some local specialties for you. Want to try them when we get back?”

I glanced at the takeout containers and felt a little embarrassed. “We already ate.”

Christine looked surprised but quickly said with a smile, “No worries, you can eat them later if you get hungry.”

The four of us took the elevator upstairs. Christine and I headed back to our room. Once inside, I sat by the large window, my mind wandering. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the secrets I was keeping from everyone.

Christine leaned in and waved her hand in front of my face. “What are you thinking about?”

I lifted my gaze and met her eyes. “Christine, can you accept being lied to?”

Christine thought for a moment before answering seriously. “It depends on the intention. If it’s a harmless lie, meant to protect someone, I can accept that. But if it’s a deliberate lie, meant to deceive, I don’t think I could handle that. And I’d probably cut ties with the person who lied to me.”

I sighed after hearing her answer. See, this is something that no one could accept. It’s hard for me to accept this reality. But back then, I had no choice. I didn’t want to choose a mate from the Southwells, so I had to pretend to be someone else to make them lose interest. I never imagined that, in the process, I would end up losing my own heart. And Benjamin just so happens to be my destined mate.

“Hayley, what’s wrong?”

I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly replied, “Nothing, just thinking about tomorrow’s skiing trip.”

Christine’s tone became anxious. She asked, “Hayley, I don’t know how to ski. What should I do? I’ll just have to watch you guys tomorrow.”

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “We’ll get you a coach tomorrow. It’s easy, and you’ll learn quickly.”

“Really?” Christine sounded unsure. “But I’m just an Orgega. I’m terrible at picking things up.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Remember, I’m also an Omega.”

Sorry, Christine, I can’t tell you that I’m an Alpha, or anything else right now.

Seeing my confidence, Christine relaxed a little. But when it was time to ski, she struggled. Despite the coach helping her several times, she couldn’t get the hang of it. After a few falls, she decided to give up.

She came over to me and suggested, “Why don’t you two go ahead and ski? I’m done for.”

I looked at her and encouraged, “Come on, try one more time. I’ll hold your hand.”

She rejected firmly. “No, I really can’t do it. I’ll just wait for you in the lounge.”

Christopher, seeing what was happening, sat down beside her. “I’m not going either. You two go on.”

Relieved that Christopher was staying with her, I decided to go with Benjamin to the advanced slope. Benjamin and I skied freely, side by side, always at the same pace. We weren’t too fast or too slow, enjoying the thrill of it together.

Christine’s POV:

From a distance, I watched Hayley and Alpha Benjamin glide effortlessly down the slope. I couldn’t help but lament, “Honestly, I think they’re a great match. Even though one’s an Alpha and the other’s an Omega…”

Before I could finish, Christopher interrupted me. “It’s best if they both like each other. But what if one of them is just in love with the other, and it’s not mutual?”

I felt like there was more to his words than he was letting on. I looked at him, my heart racing. “What do you mean?”

952

Alpha Hayley’s Destined Mate

Chapter 275: Avalanche