Chapter 383: Marking and Mating
Hayley’s POV
I smiled. “I think going to university sounds great! At least that way, I won’t have to deal with the Shadow Pack’s full responsibilities for a while.” Although I was the Alpha, Grandpa and my assistants mostly handled the Shadow Pack’s affairs since I was with the Midnight Pack. I only made decisions on important matters. This arrangement gave me more freedom to focus on things that interested me.
Just then, Grandma gently patted my shoulder. “We’re not rushing you to take full control of the Shadow Pack just yet. Since your parents passed away, our main wish has been to see you settle down and start a family.”
“Now that you’re engaged to Ben, I hope you’ll get married soon, mate, and have Alpha heirs for both the Shadow Pack and Midnight Pack. We can start training them early.”
Upon hearing that, I helplessly wiped away the sweat from my forehead. “Grandma, we just got engaged. I think we can wait at least five more years before getting married.”
Grandma coughed sharply, and I looked at her with concern. Grandpa quickly patted her back and reassured her, “Hayley has already taken on the Alpha role. She’s no longer a child—let her decide what’s best for her.”
Grandma shot Grandpa a sharp look before turning to me. “Hayz, do you want us to wait another five years? Ever since the war, our health hasn’t been the same. These past two years have been tough for us. If you wait even longer to get married and start a family, I’m afraid…”
Grandpa sighed in agreement, adding his concern. Seeing them both sigh, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh as well. My heart ached as I thought about the toll the war had taken on them.
After thinking it through, I tentatively suggested, “What if I get married a year earlier, at 23?”
Grandma sighed again. “What happened to our family? Your aunt is 40 and still single. We’re already worried enough, and now—”
“Okay, Grandma, I promise. We’ll get married in two years, alright?”
Grandma’s face lit up with a smile as she nodded. “Alright, two years it is. We’re happy with that.”
Seeing her happy expression, I felt like I had fallen into her trap, but I still thought that getting married now might be a bit too soon. However, knowing that Benjamin was my destined mate, marrying him sooner didn’t seem like a bad idea. Considering Grandpa and Grandma’s declining health after the war, I knew this decision would make them happy, and that gave me peace of mind.
Once I understood that, I agreed to proceed with the plan.
I spent some time chatting with Grandpa and Grandma before meeting with my Beta assistants to go over pack matters.
The next day, I visited the graves of my parents, who had died in the war defending the pack. I had been a baby at the time, so I didn’t have many memories of them. The only things I had were the photos of them displayed around the house. Standing in front of the photos, I called out softly, “Dad, Mom.”
Grandma sighed beside me, her face filled with sadness as she hugged me. Grandpa placed his arm around my shoulders, offering silent comfort.
“Hayz, it’s time to head back after paying our respects,” he said.
I nodded, but before I left, I couldn’t help but take one last, long look at the photo of my parents. Every time we visited their graves, Grandma would get sad for a while. I knew their passing was a pain she would carry forever, so Grandpa and I rarely brought it up to avoid upsetting her.
I stepped over to Grandma, linked arms with her, and offered comfort. “Grandma, you still have me.”
Her eyes welled up as she squeezed my hand and nodded. “Yes, I still have you. I’m so lucky to still have you!”
At night, Hayley went back to her room early to sleep, but Bill and Dorothy couldn’t rest. The two of them sat together in the yard, gazing at the moon. Dorothy sighed softly.
“Hayz is all grown up now. Maybe it’s time we told her the truth about some things.”