The Wolf’s Fake Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 13 – Silas

At this point, I was thoroughly convinced that Hailey was my mate and that I wanted to be with her for life. I still doubted that she understood my intentions towards her—how serious I was about her. That was why I’d bought an engagement ring for Hailey—one with a simple but elegant design and a small diamond. Nothing that she would think was over the top and thus wouldn’t like. I knew her enough now to realize that she was a practical person. She would probably wear it on a chain, as we couldn’t wear rings to work, but I didn’t mind as long as it was with her always. My mate was fond of earrings too: small ones, and I always noticed when she changed them every few days. They weren’t anything fancy—simple silver with common gems—and I looked forward to adorning her with more expensive jewelry once she’d let me buy things for her.

With Gabriella Morran’s wedding in precisely 14 days, I took Hailey down to Boston on a gloomy December Saturday.

“Where are we going?” my mate asked, curiosity apparent on her face. Lately, she had dropped her guard around me more and more, and the change made me feel like I’d won the lottery.

“It’s a secret.” I winked.

Hailey rolled her eyes. Smiling softly, she looked ahead, enjoying the view. “It’s such an ugly day, and yet I can’t say I mind it.”

I had to agree with her. I didn’t care that the sky looked like it was about to rain and that the atmosphere was cold and windy. When I was with Hailey, she was my sun, and I felt happy and warm.

“I never felt at home in Florida,” she continued. “It was too warm, and it just didn’t feel right.”

“You were part of another pack there too. If you felt like you didn’t belong with them, it had to contribute to the way you perceived the place,” I replied. “Us shifters need to belong to a pack. The sense of community gives us peace and safety; so does having a strong Alpha, someone we can go to if we have a problem we can’t solve on our own.”

“Yes, that’s very true. I hope I’m never in so much trouble that I need Kaia’s help, but the thought that she’s there for us makes me more at peace,” Hailey agreed, nodding. “You know, there was nothing especially wrong with the Florida pack’s Alpha. Unlike the Russells, my family didn’t have a bone to pick with him.”

“So the Russells had a problem with their Alpha?”

“I have no idea what it was exactly. I asked Fran once, but she didn’t want to talk about it,” she said thoughtfully. “Either way, the Russells leaving their old pack to join this one just to follow Tobias’ because of his choice to marry Gabriella is a load of bullshit,” she cursed. “Maybe there’s more to the Alpha than I know. I was only under him for 9 years, and I didn’t dabble in pack politics. The Russells seemed to be very close to the Alpha’s family when we first came down to Florida, though.”

“Seems like an interesting story, but you are right—it’s none of our business.”

“Yes. Either way, I’m grateful that the Florida pack didn’t chase us away when we first relocated there. They very well could have. We were a family of five, and later when Aunt Evangeline joined us our group grew to six. Suddenly having half a dozen more wolves in one’s territory was a big deal. It might have been a less pleasant story if one of us had a domineering personality.”

“Another Alpha would have been threatening, that’s true.” I decided to use this opportunity to learn more about my mate. The Russells were interesting, but what I really cared about was Hailey. “So in Florida, you worked at a fast-food joint and a diner?”

“Yes, the fast-food joint came first. However, I felt there was no artistry in making greasy hamburgers and salty fries all day. And the speed of the work was too high for me—naive as I was.” She sighed. “I thought if I went on to work in a restaurant, it would be slower.”

I laughed. Our work wasn’t known to be slow and non-demanding. “Don’t worry, I had to learn it the hard way too—before Fuzion, and after school, I apprenticed at Sensation in Boston. It was far from slow.”

“You apprenticed at a five-star restaurant? Wow!” Hailey was impressed. “Congrats on landing that right after school!”

“I had my time at a rundown eatery in Boston too. But as I worked that meager job making watered-down soups and bland spaghetti, I looked for opportunities. After a year, the apprenticeship at Sensation was proposed to me.”

“Still impressive!” My mate beamed at me.

“Thank you. But we were talking about you, not me. After the fast-food joint, you went on to work at a diner?” I asked Hailey, genuinely curious to learn more about her.

“Yes,” she replied. “At first, it was calmer than the fast-food joint. But soon the Head Chef got fired for stealing, and I was promoted to Head Chef.” She winced. “My co-worker barely listened to me—I was 23 at the time, and she was 40. I had to learn how to manage the kitchen, and she didn’t help me at all. But I survived, and soon I would appreciate the experience I’d gained.” She smiled. “The boss didn’t give a shit about what I was doing, as long as it brought in profits, so I did some experimenting. Soon it was quite an upper-class diner, not a shithole. In the end, when we were moving back here, the boss begged me not to leave. But I knew I had to do it.”

“And now you are at Sun and Moon,” I concluded, pleased with her achievements.

“Yes, and I feel truly blessed to be able to learn from you, Silas. You’re an excellent chef. I might be good at putting dishes together from nothing, but you’ve got the industry experience that I don’t possess,” Hailey praised me. “I’m learning it from you now though, so in time I’ll have it too.” She smiled one of her soft, content smiles.

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.” I wouldn’t deny my skills. It was true that I had more experience in gourmet food than she did, but that difference was a given, considering our work histories. “You’re a quick learner. You’ll catch up to me in no time.”

Soon our partnership at work would be evenly matched. I looked forward to that day when Hailey would stop feeling like my subordinate. I knew that shift would take time, though. With how her family treated her, it would be quite the process. I wouldn’t rush it by giving her empty praise. + That fact didn’t make me love her less, and I was pleased with the fact that she worked for me. Hailey was a hard-working employee with a lot of creativity—she made up for what she lacked in skill with an open mind, willingness to learn, and a tremendous amount of dedication.