HARPER’S WARNING.

Rebecca’s POV

I followed Davis into the living room just as someone opened the apartment door.

Harper Arquen stepped inside.

For a moment, I forgot what I was doing. The sight of her brought back the last hours of my first life, when her cruel words had made me believe that my marriage to Davis had been nothing but a business arrangement.

She looked as elegant as I remembered, wearing a fitted black dress with her hair falling neatly over her shoulders.

Davis stopped beside the sofa. “Harper? What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak with Rebecca.”

His eyebrows drew together. “You came all this way to speak with my roommate?”

“The matter concerns her.” Harper glanced at me. “I’ll explain everything to you afterward.”

I folded my arms. “You can explain it now. I don’t see why you need to speak to me privately.”

Harper studied me for a moment before nodding. “Fine. Davis can stay nearby, but I would prefer to speak with you first.”

I didn’t like the way she was avoiding his questions, but I was curious about what had brought her here.

“Let’s sit down,” I said. “And if this conversation involves Davis, he stays.”

“Agreed.”

Davis pulled out a chair for me. As I sat, his fingers brushed mine against the backrest.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he murmured.

I looked up at him. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll pull her hair?”

His mouth twitched.

“I was thinking more along the lines of throwing her out of the window.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

“That’s a terrible suggestion, Davis.”

“I’m open to better ones.”

Harper cleared her throat.

Davis straightened, but I caught the faint smile he tried to hide.

I sat back in my chair, determined not to let his presence distract me. Whatever had happened between him and Harper belonged to their past. I had no intention of becoming the third person in their unfinished relationship.

Harper took the chair opposite me.

“Rebecca, do you remember anything unusual about the bond between Davis and me?”

“I know everyone believed you were fated mates.”

“Believed?” she repeated, her expression tightening.

“That’s the word I used. Do you have a problem with it?”

“No.” She glanced at Davis before returning her attention to me. “Our connection was more complicated than people understood. His decision to reject our bond wasn’t simply a matter of choosing you over me.”

I stared at her.

“Then what was it? Because the last time we spoke, you made it very clear that Davis never loved me and that our marriage was arranged for the benefit of our families.”

Davis turned toward Harper. “You told her that?”

“Yes.”

“And you expect her to believe you now?” he demanded.

Harper pressed her lips together.

I raised a hand, stopping him before the argument could go any further.

“Let her speak. I want to hear what she has to say before deciding whether she’s wasting my time.”

Davis looked at me, then leaned back in his chair.

“Fine. But I’m not leaving.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

His gaze lingered on mine for a second longer than necessary. Then he reached for the glass of water on the table and placed it beside me.

I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I picked it up.

Harper watched the exchange before looking away.

“I didn’t come here to steal Davis from you,” she said. “I’m not competing for his attention, Rebecca.”

“Good, because I’m not interested in competing with anyone.” I put the glass down. “If you want him, you can have him. I’m not going to fight over a man.”

Davis’s head snapped toward me.

“Excuse me?”

I turned to him. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You just offered me to another woman like I was a piece of unwanted furniture.”

“Would you prefer I put a ribbon around you?”

His mouth fell open.

Harper looked down, but not before I caught her trying to suppress a smile.

Davis leaned toward me. “You find this funny?”

“A little.”

“You’re enjoying yourself.”

“Immensely.”

He shook his head, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a complaint about living with me.

I smiled into my glass.

For a few seconds, I forgot Harper was sitting across from us. I forgot the painful memories her presence had brought back. With Davis looking at me as if he couldn’t decide whether to argue or laugh, the tension in my chest eased.

Then Harper spoke again.

“Rebecca, I understand why you don’t trust me. I gave you only part of the truth in our first life.”

My fingers tightened around the glass.

“What does that mean?”

“Before Davis rejected our bond, there were serious problems surrounding it. He received a warning that accepting it could put both packs at risk.”

Davis went still.

“What warning?” he asked.

Harper looked at him. “You know you were warned about the consequences.”

“I was warned about several things. Be specific.”

“I can’t explain everything here.”

“Then why come here at all?” I asked.

Harper turned back to me. “Because you’re making decisions about your future without knowing what happened before your first marriage.”

My hands suddenly felt cold.

“What does my marriage have to do with your bond?”

“It has more to do with it than you realize.”

I pushed my chair back slightly.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Make a statement like that and then refuse to explain it. If you have something to tell me, tell me. If you came here to leave me with more questions, you should have stayed home.”

Harper’s expression changed. For the first time since entering the apartment, she looked uncomfortable.

“I know how this sounds.”

“Then imagine how it feels to be the person you’re talking to.”

She lowered her eyes.

Davis leaned forward, his voice hardening. “Harper, what exactly are you hiding?”

“I can’t tell you everything without revealing information that could put other people in danger.”

I stood up.

“Then we’re done.”

“Rebecca, please.”

“No. I spent enough of my first life listening to people tell me half the truth and expecting me to live with the consequences. I’m not doing it again.”

Davis rose beside me.

“She’s right. You can’t walk in here, tell us there’s something dangerous about our past, and expect us to trust you without an explanation.”

Harper looked between us.

“I didn’t expect you to trust me. I expected you to read this.”

She opened her bag and pulled out a folded document.

I remained standing as she placed it on the table.

“What is that?” Davis asked.

“The original bond investigation. It contains the warning you received before you rejected our bond.”

His face changed.

He reached for the document but stopped just before touching it.

“Where did you get this?”

“I kept a copy.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew this day might come.”

I stared at the paper. The sight of Davis’s name on the front made my stomach tighten.

Harper pushed the document toward us.

“Read the final page, and you’ll understand why Davis was never told the whole truth.”