Alpha Hayley’s Destined Mate: Chapter 86 - Does She Believe Me?

Hayley’s POV:

I glanced at Trista and handed her the watch I held. “I don’t know why your watch is in my bag, but I didn’t take it,” I explained.

Trista took her watch, staring at it for a long time without saying whether she believed me. Lillian tapped her on the shoulder, stepping in to clarify. “Hayley has been with us the whole time. How could she have taken our things? Someone must be trying to frame her.”

Upon hearing Lillian’s words, Trista bit her lip, looking serious as she addressed me. “I believe you didn’t do this, Hayley, but the item is in your bag, and I need an explanation.”

An explanation? The situation had unfolded so suddenly that I struggled to find a way to prove my innocence. Unless I revealed my identity as an alpha and let Hera out to intimidate the real thief, but…

As I grappled with the dilemma, a voice cut through the tension. “She didn’t do it,” Jeremy stepped forward, firmly standing by my side. He scanned our classmates with a serious expression. “If she really took it, wouldn’t she be foolish to put the watch right in her own bag? That’s like advertising to everyone that she’s the thief!”

“And besides,” he continued, “she’s practically the lowest-ranked werewolf here. Do you really think a mere Omega would dare to do something like this? Isn’t she afraid of getting caught and torn apart on the spot?”

His words silenced the room; no one spoke for a long moment. Finally, a student glanced at me and timidly asked, “If it’s not her, then who took it?”

“Exactly! If we want to clear her name, we need to find out who the real thief is. We can’t let someone like that ruin our class’s reputation!”

A slight smirk appeared on Jeremy’s face, as if he knew he had the upper hand. “Actually, figuring out who stole it is simple. Call the police! Modern forensic technology is very advanced. Anyone who touched that watch will have left fingerprints. Each person’s fingerprints are unique, and there are only a few dozen of us here. If we get the police to compare fingerprints, we’ll definitely find out who the thief is.”

Jeremy made a compelling argument. Trista immediately pulled out her phone and said, “I’ll call the police right now! No matter who it is, I’m determined to find out today!” Jeremy nodded, encouraging her. Trista dialed the police. The other students in the classroom also waited anxiously. I stood silently on the sidelines.

As the alpha of the Shadow Pack, I was strong and held a respected position. I had never faced anything unbearable. Hera sensed my turmoil, beginning to stir restlessly within me, eager to break free and vent her frustration. I struggled to keep her contained.

Then, Jeremy reached out. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, offering me a comforting glance. I appreciated his kindness and murmured, “Thank you!”

When the police finally arrived, Trista quickly recounted the situation and requested that they take fingerprints from the watch. However, her request seemed to stump the officers.

“Ms. Wright, if this watch has been touched by multiple people, even if we extract fingerprints, they’ll likely be smudged. We might only get surface prints, and we can’t definitively identify if the thief’s fingerprints were even on it,” one officer explained.

Trista frowned and looked to Jeremy for guidance, but he simply smiled. “The officer is correct; you won’t find the thief this way.”

Trista was puzzled. “Then what were you suggesting earlier…?”

Jeremy didn’t respond directly. Instead, he turned to the crowd and declared, “If I’m not mistaken, there’s definitely a student missing from our class right now. In other words, she might have already slipped away.”

Indeed, the real thief must have been terrified of facing the police and fled as soon as she heard they were called. A collective realization washed over the group. Jeremy truly was a clever beta, thinking on his feet. I couldn’t help but think that having him as my right-hand man wouldn’t be a bad idea. I looked at him with gratitude.

As everyone exchanged glances, we eventually narrowed it down to the likely suspect. “I know who it is! It’s Mandy! She was just here, but now she’s gone!”

Hearing that name, I remembered her earlier look, and everything clicked into place. Mandy had some serious guts, knowing full well my connection with Benjamin’s family, yet she still chose to provoke me. My gaze turned cold, fists clenched. She would pay for this.