The Wolf’s Fake Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 4 – Hailey

“I got the job!” I exclaimed as soon as I got home.

My mother was sitting at the dinner table with her laptop, most likely looking for work herself. It had been two weeks since we moved here. Gabriella wasn’t planning to look for work, wanting to be a stay-at-home wife and—in the future—a mom for her and Tobias’ pups. Waverly was a seamstress, and she had her own business sewing plushies and fursuits for people interested in that sort of thing. It was a lot of work but brought her a lot of joy and steady money. Laurene was looking for a job as a cosmetologist but hadn’t found anything yet. I hoped Mom would find good-paying work in her profession—she was a pharmacist. She was looking for openings in the area. It was bound to take her a while to find something, but I was sure she would, excellent as she was at her job. And Aunt Evangeline had a nice pension after her husband’s death, so she didn’t need to work.

It was actually surprising to me that I was the first of us three to be hired somewhere. And it was even more shocking that I had found such a great opportunity. Not only would I be able to work in a high-class restaurant, but after hearing what Silas Petterson wanted to pay me, I had almost fainted.

He asked me if the salary was enough, his tone serious as if the money he offered me was a small sum. I, of course, agreed to the amount. With the money, I could easily support my family, and I would have plenty left to buy myself simple pleasures like jewelry or to save up for a car and my own apartment in the future. I didn’t plan to live with my family all my life. It was simply easier for Mom when I was around, so I stayed. However, eventually, I wanted my own place. I would still send money to help Mom financially, but I would try to live more for myself… One day, I told myself, one day, I would.

My mom closed her laptop and got up. She enveloped me in a tight hug, patting my head. As always, she said nothing—she was a woman of few words.

I made myself a cup of coffee, took a cookie from the jar, and sat down at the table. Mom returned to looking through job boards. I wanted to just sit together with her for a while in comfortable silence.

However, I wasn’t halfway through my cup when the entrance door was unlocked, and in came Aunt Evangeline, chatting loudly. “Of course, you are most welcome here. Make yourself at home.” Behind her, I saw no one other than Paul, the neighbor’s son.

As my aunt and Paul removed their coats and sat down next to us, I noted that Paul was, in fact, a very handsome wolf shifter. He had broad shoulders and looked like he spent a lot of time at the gym. He smirked at me, probably thinking I was checking him out, and with difficulty I controlled my expression. For some reason that I couldn’t quite place, I didn’t like this young man. In particular I didn’t like the possessive way he looked at me, like I was a thing to own. He was 22 years old, 6 years younger than me, which disqualified him as a potential love interest. I liked men older than me. He was dark-haired, which was not my type, either. But the most important thing about a potential mate was their character, at least to me.

“You have the most beautiful home, Aunty,” Paul addressed Aunt Evangeline with a smirk. “I wouldn’t mind coming here more often.” He winked at me.

Ah, this action made me dislike him even more. There was something sleazy about that smile, something not genuine. I had good intuition when it came to dishonesty. Paul tried really hard to be invited into the family. At least with him focusing his efforts on pleasing Aunty, I didn’t have to bear the burden of his gaze.

I made him and my aunt coffee and sat through the conversation they had. Paul tried to engage me in it numerous times, but I only gave him one-word, laconic replies. I watched him grow angrier and angrier, and something dangerous flashed in his eyes. In the presence of my family, he did nothing, but I took note not to be around him alone.

Eventually, our guest left. Aunt Evangeline turned to me with a bright smile. “And? How did you like him?”

“Not very much,” I answered honestly.

Aunt Evangeline puffed her cheeks, reminding me of a scared pufferfish. “You’re so picky. He’s a fine man. He’d be a great companion for you for the wedding and maybe even a great mate!”

At that suggestion, everything in me recoiled. Silas’ face flashed before my eyes, him looking at me longingly as he chewed on the food I had served him. The intimacy of feeding him hadn’t escaped me. As a shifter, I knew the significance of that action, and even though I’d done it only for work, a part of me wished it had been genuine courting. Wait, why did I think about Silas Petterson like that? He was my boss now, so off-limits.

“I won’t date Paul,” I told Aunt Evangeline, getting up. “You can forget it.”

“I already asked him to accompany you to the wedding!” she screamed after me.

“You what?!” I asked, horrified, turning around to face her. I looked at her closely to see if she was perhaps joking. All I saw was dead seriousness. “You can’t… I—”

“Of course I can. I only have your best interests in mind, and you can’t go alone. What would that look like? What would the other families in the pack think?”

So that was what was important to her—what the neighbors thought, not what I cared about. I looked at Mom for support, but she didn’t even glance my way. She must have been overruled by Aunt Evangeline, as usual. When my aunt got too excited about something, Mom just let her have her way. I felt betrayed.

Not answering Aunt Evangeline, I made my way upstairs, furious about the way my family treated me.

***

I wasn’t supposed to start working at Sun and Moon until Monday next week, so when Gabriella’s appointment at the wedding dress boutique came up, I decided to accompany her to it. Mom, Aunt Evangeline, Gabriella, and I drove down to Boston.

The shop Gabriella had chosen for her wedding was called Olivier’s Bridal and had a small storefront with just three dresses on display. However, when we came inside, we quickly found out that the shop was long, with countless mannequins wearing the most beautiful outfits one could imagine.

The shopkeeper, an older posh man with a British accent, quickly took Gabriella’s measurements while asking her about her dream dress. Soon she was trying on outfit after outfit while Mom, Aunt Evangeline, and I commented on her appearance. Even though some of the dresses made her shoulders appear broader or her hips look too big, I honestly thought she was the most stunning woman I had ever seen. There was something magnificent about a bride, and I couldn’t help but look longingly at her. For a moment, I let myself imagine how I would look in such a dress. How it would feel to walk down the aisle towards a mate. Silas’ face came to mind; he looked at me lovingly and leaned in to kiss me…

What was I thinking about?! No, I didn’t want a mate! I wanted to slap myself, I felt so angry. I repeated it a few times—“I don’t want a mate.” As if chanting the words like a mantra would solidify the conviction more.

After what Dad had done to Mom, abandoning her after giving birth to his four daughters, leaving her all alone with four children to feed, I didn’t want a husband. I didn’t want to be abandoned again. The chances of finding a true mate, one that would never leave me, were close to null. Daydreaming about it brought nothing but sorrow and anger. I didn’t want to go down the road of self-pity. I was better than that. I would be alone all my life, and I would be happy because this was something I had chosen for myself.

Yet Silas’ face came to mind… but why? What was it about this handsome, intelligent man that made me unable to keep him out of my thoughts? I wanted to scream in frustration.

When Aunt Evangeline asked me what was wrong, I said that it was nothing. I stalked out of the shop, away from the beautiful bridal dresses. I needed some air.

***

I took a walk down the street on which the boutique was located. The trees in the strip of greenery that separated the walkways from the road bore their last leaves. It was cold and windy out. Having lived in Florida for the past few years, I couldn’t say I dealt with the cold well. I put my hands into the pockets of my jacket and shivered as the wind blew right through what I wore. I should buy myself a coat more suitable for the cold. Why didn’t I wear that black one of mine? Either way, a puffy, well-insulated winter coat was necessary, I noted. Maybe I should talk my family into going to buy winter clothes next?

“Well, well, what a coincidence,” I heard someone call out behind me. I quickly turned around to see Paul standing there, his signature smirk that I disliked plastered on his face. How did I not notice a wolf shifter approaching? I must have been very deep in thought; after all, our ability to sense each other was usually excellent. Wait, what was Paul doing in Boston? Somehow I didn't feel that his presence here was a coincidence, but all I had against him was what my intuition told me. There was no clear evidence that he was up to something, so… why did it suddenly feel like he was stalking me?

I discreetly surveyed my surroundings, but to my dismay the streets were almost empty except for an elderly woman walking her Yorkshire Terrier. If Paul wanted to try something with me, no one could help me, I noted. I suddenly felt very unsafe, remembering that flash of aggression I had seen back home the other day. Was I exaggerating? Typically, I had a lot of trust in my instincts, and they were screaming at me to run. Obviously, I wouldn’t do that—so far, Paul was doing nothing that warranted such a response. I still had to try to get away from him, just in a more civilized manner.

The wolf boy—I couldn’t help but think of him as a boy, not a man, due to our age difference—smirked even more widely, his shifter senses most likely picking up on my fear. I could control my outward expression all I wanted, but I couldn’t fool another wolf. Fear had a strong scent.

“Excuse me, I have somewhere to be,” I said and tried to walk past him, but he blocked my path and grabbed my arm. I wanted to take it away from him, but he only held tighter until I was in pain. As I had noted earlier, he was pretty muscular—someone who spent a lot of time at the gym. His strength now only served to prove my observation true.

“Where are you going?” Paul called out to me. “I just want to talk to you!”

U-oh. This situation didn’t look like he just wanted to talk to me at all. When he started pulling me into an alleyway, I planted my feet firmly into the sidewalk. But my resistance only made him yank me more forcefully.

“No!” I screamed. “Let me go!”

It was hopeless. There was no one there to help me.

Or so I thought. I felt a presence behind me, which made my inner wolf jump up, excited. “The lady said to let her go,” I heard Silas Petterson’s smooth voice. He sounded furious.

His hand landed on Paul’s arm and squeezed hard, making him release me. I massaged my arm where he had gripped me. I was bound to have bruises after this encounter.

Wait, what was Silas doing here? Meeting one of them in Boston was weird enough, but both of them? It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Was Silas stalking me too? No, that couldn’t be the case—I wasn’t self-centered enough to believe that the owner of Sun and Moon would follow me around.

“I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry,” Paul mumbled before he turned around and bolted down the road as fast as his feet could carry him.

Silas mumbled a curse under his breath. I turned to him to see a mixture of concern and anger on his face. He looked me up and down, checking for injuries—not that he would be able to see any, given the layers of clothes I had on. “Are you all right?” he asked.

I was grateful that I’d been saved from whatever Paul had in store for me. “Yes, I’m all right. I will have bruises, but nothing that can’t heal quickly.” Shifters had accelerated healing, so any sign of such superficial injuries would disappear in a few hours. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Fuck,” Silas cursed again. “I should have killed him for laying his hands on you.” The mention of bruises made him bristle with fury, his eyes shining bright blue. But I didn’t feel in danger around him at all. To my surprise, I was happy that he was so protective of me; it made me feel safe. Unused to being cared about so passionately, I examined the feeling—why exactly did I feel differently around Silas? I couldn’t figure it out. I had an inkling of what might be going on, but I was scared to confirm if it was the truth. I quickly put the notion in my mental ‘do not think about’ box.

“There’s no need,” I answered. “I’m fine. But why are you here?”

“This young wolf… I’ve noticed that he’s been following you and your family. He’s been around the restaurant a lot lately. I was in Boston today to wrap some things up and spotted him on the street. I had a bad feeling about it, so I dropped what I was doing and decided to see for myself what he was up to. I’m glad I did.”

So Paul really was stalking me?! Why? “Why is he so obsessed with me?” I asked out loud, unable to hold back the words.

“I don’t know,” Silas answered. “You’re a beautiful and intelligent woman: that’s more than enough reason for someone to get enamoured with you,” he added thoughtfully.

Suddenly I wasn’t feeling entirely comfortable with this conversation. Silas thought I was beautiful and intelligent? I didn’t want to examine how that realization made me feel. “Thank you, but I have to go back to my family now.”

Silas looked like he wanted to say something, but I bid him goodbye and turned around. I knew I was giving him the cold shoulder, that I was running away from the suspicion I had. However, avoiding him right now was for the best. Silas Petterson and Hailey Morran should only have a boss/employee relationship. I wouldn’t dream of more.