Chapter 708: Come to Me
Hayley’s POV:
“Who is he?” Xavier raised a brow in disdain, glancing at Benjamin, then at me.
“My fiancé,” I replied without hesitation.
Xavier narrowed his eyes, giving Benjamin a look filled with layered meaning. He then turned away, his voice suddenly distant. “If you want to talk with me, you must come to my side first.”
I glanced down at the floor between us. Xavier was less than six and a half feet away, but the space was riddled with traps. One misstep, and you’d fall straight into a pit of sharp blades coated in wolfsbane. No ordinary werewolf could make it across.
As an Alpha, just as I am, Benjamin’s strength was something I relied on. I looked to Benjamin. He met my gaze calmly and gave a small nod. A second later, he handed control over to his wolf, Lawrence, who carried me on his back and launched forward with a powerful leap, landing smoothly on the other side.
Before I could even react, I was already standing safely beside Xavier. Only then did Xavier give Benjamin a brief look of approval. But it lasted just a moment before he turned his attention back to me. “We’re not here for pleasantries. So, let me be clear. You will not be taking that man.”
“He doesn’t belong to you,” I said coldly.
“True,” Xavier replied evenly. “But he belongs to the black market. He can only be dealt with here—not anywhere else.”
“Then let’s see whether you’re planning to punish him or protect him,” I said, my tone sharp.
“You still don’t understand me,” Xavier said, the corner of his lips lifting into a mocking smile. “If I were trying to protect someone, I wouldn’t waste time explaining anything to you.”
As soon as he finished, he glanced to the side, signaling his men with a look. They understood immediately and dragged the lecherous man forward. One of them kicked him hard in the back of the knee.
With a heavy thud, he fell, and the guard’s blade followed, a clean, brutal strike. The man’s legs were severed at the joints. Blood gushed out like a river breaking through a dam, soaking the ground beside me. Henry’s brows were tightly furrowed, his face grim. The brutality clearly rattled him. I shot him a reassuring look.
Once the man was dragged away, Xavier settled back on his old wooden bed and asked me nonchalantly, “Is that punishment to your satisfaction?”
“There’s no such thing as satisfaction. You kill one, and a thousand more will take his place,” I said, my tone emotionless.
“Xavier, I know the black market is beyond the reach of the law, but don’t you have any principles at all?”
Xavier didn’t even lift his head. “I didn’t know you’d suddenly turned into one of the police.”
I shook my head. “This has nothing to do with the police. It’s about basic decency. A deal is a deal. Money for goods. Now you’re eyeing people’s lives too. How is that any different from selling someone’s soul?”
“Fine, that’s enough.” Xavier waved his hand impatiently. “The man’s crippled, his wolf is dead, and those people will be driven out. Can we not let a little thing like this ruin our reunion?”
“In that case, there’s no need for small talk,” I said, smoothing out my expression. “I’m here to make a deal with you.”
“So that’s the only reason you’re willing to see me, huh?” Xavier gave me a playful glare. “Can’t there be just one time when you show up because you miss me?”
“No,” I answered coolly. “Do you even know me? You and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“Ouch, you wound me,” Xavier said, feigning a hurt expression. Then he looked past me toward Benjamin and, in a deliberately provocative gesture, spread his arms and crooked a finger at me. “Come here, darling.”