After collapsing from the overwhelming weight of the bond, Hailey woke up in a spacious bedroom within the Crescent Pack's mansion. The room was grand, with soft, rich fabrics adorning the large four-poster bed she lay in. A fire crackled warmly in the hearth, casting a gentle glow across the polished wooden floors and the elaborate tapestries that adorned the walls. Despite its elegance, the room felt unfamiliar and cold to her, amplifying the sense of unease gnawing at her heart.

A soft knock echoed from the door before it creaked open, revealing a middle-aged woman with gentle eyes and a kind smile. Behind her stood a younger girl, no older than eighteen, who carried a basket of supplies. The older woman approached the bed, her calm demeanor putting Hailey somewhat at ease.

"Good evening, dear," the woman said softly, setting down a small tray with herbs and bandages. "I'm Miriam, the healer of the Crescent Pack, and this is Lina, one of the maids. We're here to make sure you're feeling better."

Hailey nodded silently, still trying to process everything that had happened. The bond. Alpha Varian. It was too much. Her head swam with thoughts, and she felt an ache in her chest from both the intensity of the mate bond and her confusion. As Miriam began tending to her, Hailey remained quiet, her gaze flicking nervously between the healer and the maid.

Miriam worked in silence for a while, checking for injuries and ensuring that Hailey wasn’t suffering from any lingering effects of her collapse. Lina, the maid, stood nearby, her curiosity evident as she observed Hailey.

"You're new here, aren’t you?" Lina asked with a friendly smile, breaking the silence.

Hailey managed a small smile in return, appreciating the attempt at conversation. "Yeah, you could say that."

Lina seemed to relax a bit, her eyes lighting up. "You’re lucky to be here, even though it probably doesn’t feel like it right now. The Crescent Pack is one of the strongest packs around, and Alpha Varian... well, he's... quite something."

At the mention of Varian’s name, Hailey’s heart clenched. She hadn’t seen him since he ordered her to be brought to the mansion. Not even a glance. The bond between them pulsed, but he had ignored her presence entirely, retreating into his own world.

"What’s he like?" Hailey asked, her voice barely above a whisper, a mixture of fear and curiosity lacing her words.

Lina paused, glancing at Miriam, who nodded slightly, giving her permission to speak. "Alpha Varian is... complicated," Lina began cautiously. "He’s strong, fierce, and incredibly protective of the pack. But he’s also distant. After his first mate died, he changed. He’s colder now, more focused on keeping the pack safe than anything else. People say he still hasn’t recovered from that loss."

Hailey’s heart sank. Of course, that explained his coldness, his distance. He had already been mated once and lost his mate. The idea of him not wanting her, of rejecting her, loomed large in her mind, sending a wave of fear and sadness crashing over her.

As the maid continued to speak about the pack and their way of life, Hailey tried to listen, but her mind kept wandering back to Varian. He hadn’t even come to check on her. That night, she lay awake, tossing and turning, waiting for some sign from him. She heard his heavy footsteps in the hallway later, long after the house had quieted for the night. Her heart quickened, thinking maybe he would come to see her, to talk to her, to explain what was going on. But the footsteps passed by her door, moving toward his master bedroom without pause.

Her heart sank even further as she realized he was avoiding her. After a while, she heard the door to his study open and close, and later, the creak of his bedroom door. Varian had returned home but had chosen to ignore her entirely. She blinked back tears, the weight of rejection settling heavily on her chest. She didn’t know what to do. She had spent years running from her old life, searching for her mate, dreaming of finding the one person who was meant to complete her. And now that she had found him, he didn’t seem to want her.

*What am I supposed to do?* she thought as she stared up at the ceiling. *Doesn’t he feel the bond like I do? Doesn’t he want to be with me?*

The next morning, Hailey woke to an empty mansion. The maids informed her that Alpha Varian had left early, without so much as a word to her. He had, however, given strict instructions to the guards not to let her out of their sight. She was effectively trapped within the mansion, her movements watched and monitored. As if that wasn’t enough, Varian had also instructed the maids to get her whatever clothes and supplies she might need, as though trying to make her comfortable without actually addressing the bond that connected them.

The rejection stung deeply. Hailey felt a lump form in her throat as she sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling slightly. She was twenty-three, and after years of longing for her mate, she had finally found him. But now, it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her. The pain of that realization made her heart throb painfully, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What if he doesn’t want me?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the empty room. "What if he rejects me?"

The thought of being rejected by her own mate, the one person who was supposed to love her unconditionally, was unbearable. Her chest tightened as she fought to hold back her tears, but they flowed freely. She felt utterly lost, questioning why the Goddess would pair her with someone who clearly didn’t want her.

"Why, Goddess?" she cried softly, burying her face in her hands. "Why would you do this to me? I thought mates were supposed to be together... but he doesn’t even want to see me."

Hailey’s sobs echoed in the room, her emotions pouring out uncontrollably. She felt abandoned, alone in a place she didn’t belong, rejected by the one person she had been destined for. The bond was supposed to bring her joy, but instead, it only brought her heartache and fear. What if Varian rejected her? What would she do then?

While Hailey wrestled with her feelings of rejection and confusion, Varian was dealing with his own internal struggle. Despite his cold exterior, the bond gnawed at him constantly, pulling him toward Hailey even though he fought it every step of the way. He couldn’t allow himself to get close to her, not yet, not until he understood why the Goddess had bonded them.

Hailey seemed so... innocent. Too innocent. She had looked lost when he first saw her, fragile and completely out of place in his world. Varian had killed to protect his pack, had done things he wasn’t proud of. He wasn’t the man she deserved.

Yet, the bond was undeniable, a constant hum in the back of his mind, reminding him that she was his. But why? Why her? What had the Goddess seen in pairing them?

Determined to understand who she was, Varian had ordered a thorough investigation into Hailey’s background. He needed to know where she came from, what her past held, and why she had been running. He wanted to know what kind of life she had lived before finding her way into his pack. It wasn’t just his curiosity driving him—it was the need to understand whether or not he could truly accept her as his mate.

As the day passed, Varian delved deeper into his investigation, uncovering fragments of Hailey’s life. She wasn’t just some random girl; there was more to her than met the eye.

Okayyyyyyyyyy guys, I hope you are loving it
I also put in more effort to make this chapter longer🥹😩

The twist between these two seems "wowwwww"

Without wasting no time let's dig into the next part, do well to support your dear writer 🙏🏻❤️