Chapter 41: Try to Avoid Him
Hayley’s POV
“Get lost!” A deep, authoritative voice thundered through the room. The men scrambled off the floor, tripping over themselves as they rushed out.
“You two okay?” The voice was low and magnetic. I snapped back to my senses and found myself staring at an unfamiliar man, another Alpha like me. I shook my head instinctively. “Thanks.”
The man smirked. “No problem. Is she alright?”
I paused, glancing at Ivana in my arms. Wait—did this guy know her? No, that look in his eyes was something else.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Uh… who are you?”
The man didn’t answer. Instead, he slipped Ivana out of my arms, scooping her up effortlessly. I wanted to stop him, but Ivana, even in her drunken state, gave me a knowing wink. I got the message—she was fine with going with him.
“Take good care of Aunt Ivana,” I said, still a bit unsure.
The man glanced back at me with a confident smirk. “I know, little niece.”
The way he casually threw out “little niece” made it crystal clear—he was staking his claim, declaring his connection. As I watched them leave, I couldn’t help but wonder—was this my future uncle?
Once they were gone, I checked the time. It was getting late, and I needed to head home. But just as I reached the door, a familiar figure blocked my path. “Hayley?”
I blinked. Benjamin? What was he doing here? Hera, my wolf, stirred excitedly inside me, urging me closer to him.
Benjamin’s deep eyes studied me carefully, and for a second, I wondered—had he figured something out?
“What a coincidence, running into you here,” I said, keeping my voice calm. Benjamin nodded. “Yeah. Want to grab a drink together?”
“No, I’m heading home,” I replied, turning him down. Hera wasn’t happy and began arguing with me, “Hey! Why are you passing up this chance to be with him? We finally ran into him!”
I told Hera to shut it. My gut told me something was off about Benjamin tonight. He seemed dangerous, and it was probably best to stay away.
“I’ll take you home,” Benjamin said.
“That’s not necessary—” I started, but Benjamin cut me off. “Grandpa said it’s our duty as brothers to look after you. You wouldn’t want me to disappoint him, would you?”
Using George as an excuse left me with no room to refuse, so I reluctantly agreed.
On the way back, I rolled down the window to let the cold air wake me up. It helped clear my head quite a bit.
Chapter 4: Try to Avoid Him
Benjamin kept glancing over at me every now and then, a thoughtful look on his face.
I had a feeling that the longer I spent around him, the easier it would be for him to figure out my secrets. Like me, Benjamin was an Alpha-level wolf, and he was too perceptive for his own good. Even if Hera was unhappy about it, I made up my mind—I needed to avoid him as much as possible from now on.
As we pulled up to the house and I was about to get out of the car, Benjamin suddenly called out to me. “Congratulations!”
I blinked, confused.
He added, “On winning the International Tennis Open.”
I smiled, then thanked him sincerely, “Thanks. That flash drive you gave me was really helpful.”
“It’s your talent that made the difference. Even as an Omega, you’re just as impressive as anyone else,” he said, then added, “You’ve got some dancing talent too.”
I froze for a second, realizing he had seen me dancing at the bar earlier.
“Th—I was just messing around. I wouldn’t call it talent. Anyway, it’s getting late, so I’m going to head in. You should rest up too. Good night.”
Feeling my cheeks heat up, I quickly got out of the car without waiting for his reply and hurried toward the house. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me, an amused smile playing on his lips.
Suddenly, it hit me—I cared about how I looked in front of him.
A ridiculous thought flashed through my mind. Could it be that I liked him?