Chapter 148: Misunderstanding

Hayley’s POV:

As soon as I finished talking to Thonid, Benjamin's sharp wolf eyes locked onto me. I knew he'd figured out I was close and that I'd lied to him earlier. But he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he tried to reassure me, “He’s a top-tier Beta—he’ll be fine. Give him a little more time, and try calling or mind-linking him again. If you still can’t reach him, I’ll go back in with you to find him.”

I nodded and pulled out my phone, dialing Thomas’s number again. After several tries, he finally picked up. “Alpha, where are you? Are you okay? There was trouble at the venue, and I’ve been looking for you. Where did you go?”

Hearing his worried voice made me feel a wave of relief. “I’m fine. I got out. Don’t worry.”

Thomas let out a long sigh on the other end. “Where are you? I’ll come find you.”

I looked around and gave him my location before hanging up.

Benjamin watched me with a curious, slightly unreadable expression. I wondered if he thought Thomas was my mate. That actually wasn’t a bad assumption—it was logical, and it was better than him guessing that Thomas was my assistant. If he misunderstood it that way, I could live with it.

“Mr. Benjamin, I’m fine now. My friend will be here soon.”

Benjamin nodded. “In that case, I’ll wait with you until he arrives.”

I didn’t turn down his offer. The two of us stood on the sidewalk in silence, neither of us saying anything. But I felt a strange mix of emotions bubbling up inside. I looked up at the sky, a small smile appearing on my lips.

Coming to France had originally been about clearing my mind, searching for answers. Now, the answer in my heart was crystal clear, so I could say this trip wasn’t wasted at all. Since Benjamin was my destined mate, and I was finally certain that I’d fallen for him… well, then…

I was still deep in thought when Thomas hurried over, looking frazzled. “You scared the life out of me!” he exclaimed, then noticed Benjamin standing beside me and instinctively covered his mouth.

I knew he was relieved he hadn’t accidentally called me Alpha in front of Benjamin, so I quickly reassured him. “It’s fine. Mr. Benjamin knows we’re friends.”

Thomas nodded slowly, looking slightly awkward but not asking any more questions. Seeing that Thomas had arrived, Benjamin offered to take his leave. “Well, Ms. Carson, I’ll be going then. Be careful—there was a shooting here, so stay safe.”

With that, Benjamin turned and walked away.

Benjamin? Aren’t you worried he’ll figure out your true identity?”

I shrugged and said, “Thomas, book me a flight back home, please. I’ll head back first thing tomorrow morning.”

Thomas looked surprised. “Alpha, you’re leaving before the race is even over?”

I nodded. “The rest of the race isn’t that interesting. You can watch it for me. I’ve already found the answer I was looking for, and everything is clear now, so it’s time to go back.”

Thomas looked at me, baffled. “Alpha, you’re starting to talk in riddles!”

But even if he didn’t understand, as my Beta, he would still follow my orders. So he immediately booked the flight, and the next day, the two of us returned home.

When our plane landed in Midnight Pack territory, the first thing I did was find a public restroom to change back into my “Hayley” appearance. Instead of heading straight to the Southwells Residence, I went to school.

As soon as I arrived, Christine spotted me and started chattering away. “Hayley! Finally, you’re back! You have no idea—I was dying of boredom these past few days with no one to talk to.”

She looked a little pouty, then put on a pitiful expression. “Hayley, next time you take time off, can you bring me along?”

I ruffled her hair, smiling. “Alright, I’ll take you with me next time.”

Christine’s face lit up. “Oh, by the way, Hayley! My hubby is releasing a new song! He just announced it on Facebook this afternoon.”

I was a bit confused. “Your hubby is…?”

Christine quickly clarified, “Who else? Christopher!”

“Oh,” I said, nodding casually. “Did he announce the title or the tracklist yet?”

“No, not yet. But he did say this song will be a new style for him, something completely different from his previous work. I swear, I’m becoming even more obsessed with him! Hayley, maybe one day you could help me arrange a private meet-up with my hubby. I could treat him to dinner!”

I didn’t see any harm in her request, so I agreed. “Sure, I’ll help you set it up sometime.”

Christine looked like she was about to jump for joy. “Hayley, you’re the best!”

Seeing her so happy made me feel a bit lighter, too.

After school, we walked out of the building together. I waved goodbye to Christine and watched her leave, then turned to head back to the Southwells’ Residence. But as soon as Christine disappeared around the corner, someone else showed up, looking for me…