The Wolf’s Fake Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 9 – Silas

Hell if I knew what was going on in Hailey’s head. We’d had a passionate night together, but my mate had been in the shower when I had woken up. I’d thought about joining her but didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. We hadn’t laid down yet where the boundaries were in our relationship. However, when Hailey had come out of the shower, I’d immediately felt something was wrong. And soon I’d learned that what we’d had was not what I thought it was—that we were, in fact, not mating for real, but pretending. Yes, that was the excuse I’d given her to get her into bed, but I figured she would be mature enough to take it as what it was—a playful joke. However, Hailey’s sense of humor didn’t seem to get my real meaning. When she was out of the shower, her armor was back up. My mate ignored all my attempts at explaining how serious I was about her.

And damn it, I was serious. I knew now more than ever that Hailey was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. That was what a mate meant to me; someone to be with forever, through good and bad. Hailey was beautiful, intelligent, hard-working, and when she dropped her guard she had the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen on anyone’s face. She was the one for me.

Hailey wanted to resist me? I liked challenges. If I had to prove to her how perfect she was to me, I would do it. I would try my best to make her feel comfortable around me so that she would drop that fucking armor she put around herself. I would conquer the seemingly unmovable fortress of Hailey Morran’s heart, but not as a conquest to feed my own pride. I’d do it to make her happy. Right now she thought I couldn’t see right through her, but fuck me—I saw how miserable she was. I didn’t know what had caused that feeling; it wasn’t me, I hoped. Once I found out what it was, I would do my very best to fix it.

I spent the rest of the week smiling at Hailey and trying to engage her in conversations, but to no avail. She felt utterly closed-off to me, like she’d shut the doors to her heart. Only around Francesca did she pretend to be lovey-dovey with me, but I felt she was forcing herself, so I avoided those situations. I considered asking Francesca Russell what was bothering Hailey so much, but the two women didn’t seem that close.

Before I realized it, Sunday had arrived and it was time to visit Hailey’s family.

***

The Morran family house was located five minutes away from the hotel. It was a modern white building with a flat roof, and big windows, and light-brown wooden finishing. Once again, I applauded Caelum’s expertise in making unique architecture that was futuristic but cozy. The grass outside the house was carefully trimmed, and several bushes and decorative grasses were planted alongside the fence. Someone had a knack for gardening here, and I wondered who it was—one of the sisters… or maybe the infamous Aunt Evangeline?

I rang the bell by the gate. We were one pack, so it wouldn’t be a transgression if I came all the way to the door and announced my presence there. However, I was a bit old-fashioned regarding shifter rules about being a guest—I was a panther, and they were wolves. Moreover, it was my first time paying the family a visit, so I didn’t want to seem to be intruding into their territory.

Soon the door to the house opened, and the sight of an energetic woman in her late 40s greeted me. She wore a flowery dress, which went down all the way to her feet. With a bright smile, she gestured for me to come in. “Oh, welcome, welcome, Mr. Petterson. May I call you Silas? We will be family soon, anyway!”

From the jovial way she spoke to me and the apparent energy in how she gestured, I guessed she was Aunt Evangeline. From what I’d gathered about the family, Hailey’s mother Ophelia was by far the calmer and more subdued of the two, more in control of her emotions like my mate was. Aunt Evangeline, however, had been described by Renly right after their first meeting as a hurricane, and I needed to watch out for what I said and did around her.

I pulled out the potted flower I’d brought with me—a white-pink orchid—and stepped over the perimeter. Aunt Evangeline’s eyes lit up at sight, and I knew who it was that loved gardening and plants—it was her.

“How did you know I love orchids? What a gorgeous flower this is!” she exclaimed, her voice a bit squeaky from excitement. In my head, I thanked Francesca Russell for letting me know what Ophelia’s and Evangeline’s favorite flower was. They both happened to love orchids, so I just bought the largest and most expensive one I could find. “Thank you.” Aunty looked moved to tears by my simple gift.

“Don’t mention it,” I replied. “Silas Petterson.” I gently took her hand in mine and kissed the back of it. “But please call me Silas,” I greeted her with my most charming smile. “After all, as you say, we will be family soon.”

Aunt Evangeline looked about to swoon. “Please, please, come in.” She moved to the side, and I entered the house. The interior looked cozy, with its light wooden finishing and white walls. There were plants everywhere—an amount way beyond reasonable for a typical household, but there was a certain charm to the jungle-like atmosphere. The panther in me welcomed the sight; that part of me liked greenery.

After taking off my coat and shoes and getting presented with a pair of fluffy guest slippers, Aunty led me to the kitchen, where a giant table stood. The table was set for eight, and everyone was already present and sitting—except for Hailey. They all smiled happily when they saw me: a woman in her 40s, the three Morran sisters, and a man I guessed to be Tobias Russell because he looked somewhat like Francesca.

I directed my attention to the left, looking for Hailey, and saw her in her apron, engrossed in taking out a roasting pan from the oven. I smelled chicken roulade with baked potatoes, and there was also a warm vegetable soup on the stove. Next to it on the kitchen counter were a meat pie and an apple pie with cream for dessert, both cooling. It all smelled divine. My mate was an excellent chef, after all.

“Hello,” I greeted everyone. I wasn’t intimidated by being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, but their open curiosity made me a bit self-conscious. After all, I was going to lie to them. As much as I wanted Hailey to be my mate for real, she had not given explicit consent to the idea yet.

“I’ll be right with you, honey,” Hailey called out to me. The sweetness in her voice made me stare at her before I caught myself. If that’s how she wanted to have it, so be it.

“Of course, babe,” I called back in a soft, silky voice. Hailey gazed at me in wonder, holding the frying pan in her hands, before she realized I was playing along. She put it down on the kitchen counter.

“Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes,” Hailey announced. “In the meantime, why don’t you sit down and talk to my family. Everyone would love to get to know you.”

I took the hint and sat down in the empty chair next to Ophelia. Hailey’s mother had a kind smile on her face and nodded at me. Meanwhile, the others stared my way with open curiosity.

A slew of questions bombarded me. When did Hailey and I start mating? Why didn’t we immediately say so? How did I know Hailey was the one? I answered them all patiently.

“Are you sure Hailey is the right one for you?” one of the Morran sisters asked me. Her voice was unpleasant. This must be Laurene—the bitchy Morran.

What kind of question was that? It showed a lack of respect and love for Hailey. “Of course I believe Hailey to be the one for me,” I answered, not hiding the annoyance I felt. “She’s the most beautiful, intelligent, and hard-working woman I have ever met. I can’t help but be attracted to her. I couldn’t hope for a more perfect mate.”

Laurene made a face as if she didn’t trust that anyone could think about her sister in such a way. I felt disgusted by her lack of respect.

“How wonderful!” the one sitting next to Russell commented. That was the bride-to-be, Gabriella.” I didn’t think Hailey would ever meet someone who’d think so highly of her.”

Wait… that didn’t sound good either. I looked at the wolf shifter, confused.

“Right? Hailey’s really lucky! She’ll have to prove to you every day that she was the correct choice,” Aunt Evangeline added cheerfully.

Fuck, what was with this family?! Why did they belittle Hailey like that? It also came so naturally to them that I was convinced that this wasn’t a rare situation.

I stared at Ophelia, but she seemed to be ignoring the conversation entirely, closed off in her own little world. Not giving a shit was just as bad as taking part in bashing Hailey.

“Stop it, guys,” the youngest Morran, Waverly, said. Our gazes crossed, and I knew she was just as disgusted by what was happening as I was.

“Why? Mr. Silas should be praised for deciding to take Hailey as a mate,” Gabriella added, oblivious. Her mate looked away when I looked at him. He was another one who didn’t want to defend Hailey, and I disliked him for it.

My mate came over with the food, setting it on the table quietly. While she was passing by me, she gave me a kiss on the cheek. I tried to get up to help her, but then Ophelia spoke for the first time. “Don’t. You’re a guest here.”

Something was commanding in her voice; a quiet strength. And as someone who had grown up in a matriarchal pride, I felt that I was facing the Alpha of this small pack. Hailey came over with more food, and soon everything was on the table.

We sat down and ate her divine cooking. The bashing of Hailey continued during my whole three-hour-long visit, despite comments from Waverly and I defending her. Either they were oblivious about the effect of their hurtful words on my mate, or they were all insulting her intentionally, like Laurene had done. Laurene I wanted to hurt badly, despite her being female. Emotional abuse was as bad as physical.

When I finally excused myself and left the house, I was furious.