Chapter four
1206 Words
Bailey’s POV
Blindfolded, I was dragged from my cell into a dimly lit room. The only furniture inside was a table at the center and two chairs facing each other.
“Sit,” a guard ordered before pushing me into one of the chairs. “The Alpha will be here soon.”
My pulse raced as I sat there, head throbbing and stomach churning with hunger.
Yet beneath all the pain, tiny sparks of excitement flickered in my chest.
Finally, I could clear up this misunderstanding and get out of this horrible place.
He would listen.
Surely Jared had simply lost his temper when he thought I had harmed our unborn pup. Anyone would have reacted the same way.
I pushed away the memory of his rejection, shoving it into the farthest corner of my mind.
Not tonight.
Tonight, everything will be fixed.
Jared entered the room while I was still blindfolded, but I knew instantly it was him.
His scent filled the air.
Rich whiskey, worn leather, and the faint sweetness of aged berries.
I inhaled deeply, and for a brief moment, the agony of the last three days faded away. Just his presence alone made me feel full, as if I had never starved.
The chair across from me scraped against the concrete floor as he sat down.
Then his voice came.
Colder than I remembered.
“Take off your blindfold.”
Those were the first words he spoke to me after three days of being locked in that rat-infested pit.
Not a single word of concern.
Not even a simple ‘How are you holding up?’
Not a regretful ‘I’m sorry’. I never meant for this to happen.
Anything would have been better than the blunt command he had just given me.
“I can’t…” My voice trembled as it escaped my throat. “I haven’t been exposed to any light for three days, and—”
He didn’t let me finish.
Suddenly, he leaned forward and ripped the blindfold off my face.
“Ah!”
The rough fabric scraped painfully against my skin, and before I could recover, the harsh fluorescent light above slammed into my eyes like burning daggers.
I cried out and covered my face, breathing heavily as tears gathered in my eyes.
“Jared… why would you do that?” I asked, fighting to steady my voice.
“Don’t you dare say my name so casually,” he snapped. “Especially after what you’ve done.”
Confusion twisted painfully in my chest.
“Please… just ask Hailey to come here,” I pleaded. “If I can talk to her, then—”
“Are you still keeping up this act?” he interrupted sharply. “Do you think I haven’t figured it out by now?”
I froze.
Too confused to even respond.
Jared sighed and rubbed his temples before leaning forward.
“I know the truth.”
His eyes locked onto mine, his voice turning icy.
“I know you’re Hailey.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
For several seconds, I couldn’t speak.
My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Finally, I forced out a breath.
“Jared… if this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny,” I said weakly. “I’m Bailey. Your mate. Your wife. Why are you acting like this?”
He stared at me with a level of scrutiny that could slice through glass.
“Drop the act, Hailey. Bailey already told me everything. The two of you switched places, and now she’s the one who’s pregnant, not you.”
My mind reeled.
It felt like someone had reached inside my skull and started tearing it apart.
I reached across the table, trying to touch him.
But he recoiled immediately, pulling away as if I carried some horrible disease.
“Listen to me,” I said desperately. “That doesn’t even make sense. Why would I pretend to be your mate if I were Hailey?”
For a moment, his brow furrowed.
It almost looked like he was considering my words.
But then he spoke again, his voice calm and certain.
“Bailey told me you’ve been… unstable lately. After all, here you are at twenty-seven—unmated, disowned by your parents, and living in some basement apartment. It’s only natural you’d create a fantasy where you became your sister.”
His words crushed whatever fragile hope I had left.
This wasn’t a poorly timed joke.
This was real.
Hailey had stolen my identity.
Looking back now, I realized she must have always envied me. I had noticed it sometimes, but I had never believed she would go this far.
“I can prove I’m Bailey,” I said urgently.
Jared leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, silently allowing me to continue.
So I told him everything.
Things only the two of us should have known.
Our first night together.
The crescent-shaped diamond locket he gave me on our second anniversary, engraved with our initials.
Even the small birthmark on his thigh.
Surely that would convince him.
But when I finished speaking, his expression had only grown colder.
“Do you take me for a fool?” he asked quietly, venom dripping from every word. “Bailey obviously told you these things because you’re sisters. That doesn’t make you her.”
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.
I bit my lip to hold back my tears, but this time I failed.
Salt burned against my lips as they fell.
Jared didn’t look moved by my crying.
If anything, he looked irritated.
“I was willing to tolerate your presence for Bailey’s sake,” he said flatly. “But I can’t pretend you’re not a problem anymore.”
He stood.
For a moment, his shoulders tensed before relaxing again.
“Tomorrow, before sunrise, you will leave the Grim Hollow Pack,” he said coldly. “Never return. Or face the consequences.”
My heart dropped into an endless abyss.
“You’re… banishing me?” I whispered.
“You’re lucky that’s all you’re getting,” he replied with open contempt. “My Luna is far too soft-hearted. For the sake of your past bond as sisters, she’s chosen to let you go.”
He began walking away.
Just like that.
Leaving me standing there as if my entire world hadn’t just collapsed.
Desperate, I grabbed his arm.
“Jared… please wait,” I begged. “Just listen to me. What if….just for a moment, you believed I really was Bailey? That I’m your mate… and you’re abandoning me right now?”
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he sighed, looking exhausted.
“All I know,” he said quietly, “is that I’m going back to the woman who makes me want to wake up every morning.”
“That woman is my mate.”
Suddenly, everything began falling into place.
But I needed confirmation.
One final truth.
“Then do me one last favor,” I said softly.
He paused.
“What?”
“Reject me.”
The tears were streaming freely down my face now.
“Call me by my name… and reject me, Jared Grim Hollow.”
- Writer
