Chapter 501: I Miss You

Hayley’s POV:

Benjamin looked at me with a mixture of tenderness and helplessness. “I miss you. A lot,” he said. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek. The familiar scent of him enveloped me, and even Hera, who had been restless and distressed for days, settled into a peaceful joy within me.

“I’m here,” I murmured, patting his back to reassure him. Benjamin pulled me closer, his embrace tightening. “Even with you by my side, I still miss you.”

“Hayley. I love you.”

“You know, my wolf, Lawrence, only feels at ease when you’re near. I truly believe you’re my destined mate, and I’ll spend my entire life protecting you.”

His heartfelt confession moved me to tears. I felt so incredibly lucky. He was the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. Wrapping my arms around him tightly, I returned his embrace.

“By the way,” I said, suddenly remembering Odessa’s visit. Gently pushing him away, I confessed, “Your mom came to see me earlier. I might have caused you some trouble.”

“What did she say?” Benjamin asked softly, his tone filled with concern. “Did she upset you?”

“Not really,” I admitted, feeling a little guilty as I avoided his gaze. I stuck out my tongue like a kid caught doing something wrong. “I think she’s a bit upset. She tried to give me money to leave you. I refused, of course. Then I doubled the amount and paid her to stop meddling in your life.”

Benjamin’s eyes widened in surprise before a burst of laughter escaped him. “You’re unbelievable,” he chuckled, pinching my cheek playfully. “How can you be so adorable?”

“Ow, that hurts!” I puffed out my cheeks and swatted his hand away, pretending to be fierce.

Still laughing, Benjamin dropped the subject and wrapped an arm around me, leading me outside. After I left the cafe, Benjamin took me to change into clean clothes before we headed to the restaurant for dinner, as planned.

Third-Person’s POV:

At the restaurant, Hayley and Benjamin had just taken their seats and ordered when Odessa and Vivian emerged from a private room.

“You can’t let this get to you,” Vivian said, fanning herself with feigned concern. “If you get angry, it’ll just make her happier. Hayley’s obviously flaunting Ben to provoke you!”

Odessa’s face twisted further in frustration. “How can I not be angry?” she spat. “That little Omega has no respect for me whatsoever! She’s not even officially our pack’s Luna yet, and she’s already acting like this. If she really marries Ben, who knows how much worse she’ll treat me!” Odessa’s fury contorted her expression.

“Mrs. Southwell, that’s why we need to stay calm and handle this carefully. If we don’t, Hayley will ruin the Midnight Pack for good. Eventually, Ben will realize she’s not worthy of him. Then, we can’t afford to give up on him!”

Odessa let out a long sigh. “I hope you’re right. But what if Ben refuses to see reason? You didn’t hear how he spoke to me because of her…”

“Ben’s always been so filial. It must be Hayley manipulating him,” Vivian declared. Then, as if struck by an idea, her eyes gleamed with malicious intent. “Odessa, do you remember Johnny? I can’t help but feel there’s something unusual about Hayley’s connection to him. He’s the world’s richest man. How could anyone else afford to live where she does? Hayley is just lying.”

“Now that you mention it, that does make some sense,” Odessa mused, nodding thoughtfully. But then she countered, “But if they’re not neighbors, why would Johnny treat her so differently?”

“Well…” Vivian released Odessa, a knowing look crossing her face. “I can’t say for sure. But men like Johnny, with that much money, always have women on the side. We’ve heard the stories.”

“Are you suggesting that Hayley is Johnny’s mistress?” Odessa’s eyes widened as the pieces began to fit together in her mind. “The money Hayley spends belongs to Johnny. It’s dirty money she earned by selling herself.”

Odessa’s anger flared, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. Determined to separate Benjamin and Hayley, she took a step toward them. But just then, the restaurant doors swung open, and in walked Johnny himself.

Hayley spotted him and immediately moved over to greet him with a light hug. Odessa was about to storm over and expose Hayley’s supposed sordid relationship with Johnny to Benjamin when Hayley’s cheerful voice rang out, “Godfather, what are you doing here?”