Hailee’s POV
I reached ho from school, but as usual, Mother wasn’t there—she was at the pack mansion.
Arriving in my room, I tossed my bag on the bed and decided to work on so assignnts. I even started doing Nathan’s as well since he hadn’t attended classes today.
Just as I was halfway through a question, my phone buzzed loudly on the desk.
A call.
The number flashing on the screen was unfamiliar.
I hesitated for a mont, then swiped to answer.
"Hello?"
There was a short pause before a deep male voice spoke. "Hi, Hailee... it’s , Robert."
My brows furrowed instantly. "Robert?"
The voice was calm, almost like it should have been obvious. "Your betrothed... from the arranged marriage."
I froze, my pen slipping from my fingers.
So he’s the one.
"We t twice, but that was when we were little—"
"Hold on." I cut him off, standing abruptly from my chair.
Of course, I rembered Robert.
Robert... the heir to the Eastern Lycan Kingdom. We had t twice in the past during royal gatherings, and both tis, I couldn’t stand him. Even as a boy, he had been unbearably arrogant—carrying himself like the entire world was beneath him.
He was three years older than , yet he acted as though that gave him the right to talk down to everyone around him, including . I rembered the way he’d frown when I’d disagreed with him about sothing silly and the way he always made it seem like he was doing everyone a favor just by existing.
And now... this was the man they had chosen for ?
"Robert..." I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay calm so I wouldn’t just explode at him. "It’s never happening. I’m not getting married to you, so don’t waste your ti."
There was a pause before a low chuckle ca through the line, dripping with arrogance. "You’re joking, right? Girls—royal-born or not—would kill for this chance."
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see . "Not this girl. Not Hailee. And you know that. I’m not like the others... I’m special, rember?" My tone carried a sharp tone, reminding him of exactly who he was talking to.
His amused tone dropped instantly into a growl. "I heard you’ll be back in two months." His voice was low, almost threatening. "I’ll be waiting for you, Hailee."
Before I could even respond, the line went dead.
I lowered the phone slowly, my chest tight with irritation. Just perfect. As if I didn’t already have enough chaos in my life. Now I had this to deal with.
I set the phone down on the desk with a little more force than I ant to. My jaw was tight, my pen still lying where it had fallen.
I tried to turn my attention back to the assignnts, staring at the half-finished question in front of , but my mind refused to focus. All I could hear was Robert’s arrogant voice echoing in my head.
I’ll be waiting for you, Hailee.
With a frustrated sigh, I shoved the notebook aside and grabbed my phone. Without overthinking it, I scrolled to Callum’s na and hit call.
He answered almost imdiately. "Hey, sunshine."
"Hey," I said quickly, forcing a lighter tone. "Do you think... maybe we could do the movie now instead of later? I’ve got sowhere I need to be afterward."
There was a beat of silence, then his voice lit up with that familiar boyish excitent. "Yeah, of course! Co over now."
"Thanks," I said with a small smile he couldn’t see.
After grabbing my bag and tossing my books inside, I headed straight to his place, pushing Robert’s voice as far from my mind as I could.
When I got to Callum’s house, he was already waiting at the door, grinning like he’d just won the lottery.
"Took you long enough," he teased, stepping aside to let in.
I rolled my eyes but smiled faintly. "I ca as fast as I could."
The mont I stepped inside, the familiar scent of buttered popcorn hit . A big bowl was already sitting on the coffee table, next to two bottles of soda and a pile of snacks.
"You weren’t kidding about starting early," I said with a soft laugh.
"Of course not," Callum replied, plopping onto the couch and patting the seat next to him. "If we’re having a movie day, we’re doing it right."
I sank down beside him, trying to relax, though my mind still tugged at the thought of Nathan’s date later... and Dane’s walk... and now Robert. My life was becoming a ticking ti bomb.
Callum hit play, and the opening credits filled the screen, but I kept sneaking glances at my phone in my lap. Every few seconds, my thoughts drifted far away from the movie.
Callum noticed. "Hey," he nudged gently, "you okay? You seem... distracted."
I forced a smile. "Yeah. Just... a lot on my mind."
He studied for a mont, clearly curious, but then gave a small smile and turned back to the movie. "Well, at least try to enjoy this. No drama here—just you, , and bad acting."
I let out a small laugh at that and tried to focus on the film. It was a romantic cody—the kind that didn’t take itself too seriously but still managed to pull you in. The jokes landed just right, and a few ridiculous monts had both of us laughing out loud.
"That’s totally you," Callum teased during a scene where the female lead was dramatically arguing with a street vendor over the price of flowers.
I gasped, nudging him lightly. "Excuse ? I’m not that dramatic."
He grinned. "Oh, you are. But it’s cute."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t hide the smile tugging at my lips.
At so point, I shifted so I could rest against him, and he draped an arm over my shoulders, pulling closer. The warmth of his body and the soft, steady rhythm of his breathing wrapped around like a blanket.
His fingers gently threaded through my hair, slow and soothing, like he had all the ti in the world.
"You’re comfortable?" he asked softly.
"Mm-hmm," I murmured, my voice already heavy with drowsiness.
The combination of his warmth, the light scent of his cologne, and the soft touch of his fingers stroking through my hair made my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. The sound of the movie faded into the background, replaced by the steady beat of his heart under my ear.
Before I knew it, my breathing had evened out, and I drifted off, fast asleep in his arms.
I stirred slowly, the soft glow of the TV still flickering in the dim room.
My head was still resting against Callum’s chest, his arm loosely draped around . For a mont, I thought I had only drifted off for a few minutes—until I noticed the window.
It was dark outside.
My eyes widened instantly. I sat up a little, blinking in surprise. "What ti is it?"
Callum glanced at his phone. "Nine."
"Nine?!" I repeated, my voice pitching higher in panic.
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