(Harper’s POV)
The sound of kids’ cartoons and banging pots and pans invaded my sleep. I opened my eyes to see two small faces watching me with open curiosity. I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head and tried to turn over on the uncomfortable sofa.
My mum had been so excited to see me yesterday when Tommy had brought me home. She began crying and was hugging me in a death grip. I had hoped I could grab a room at the motel in town, but my mum had insisted that I stay at the house. It might have been ok, but it turned out that my sister Susie had moved back home three years ago. Her mate had been cheating on her and when she finally confronted him, he had gotten abusive. I was told in great detail how caring Alpha Daniel had been. He had arranged with her Alpha to have her and her three pups transfer back to Midnight Moon, and the Alpha of Star Dawn had banished her mate as punishment for what he had do
(Harper’s POV) I stared at Susie. Did she just say what I thought she said? I looked at Tommy and he looked away. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I shook my head “No, Louise wouldn’t agree to that,” For one, I knew she hated Damien. “Well she did,” Tommy hissed. He looked me in the eye and then indicated to Susie and I nodded. He didn’t want to talk in front of her. “I’m gonna get ready and then head into town,” I said. “Tommy, I don’t have a car. Can you give me a lift?” and he nodded. Susie eyed me suspiciously. I knew that I seemed to let it go a little too easily, even for the Harper she knew. But I smiled pleasantly, and she eventually shook her head. “Well, just be sure to be home by 6pm. Mum wants a family dinner, and I’m not spending half the day in the kitchen for you to be late. That includes you too Tommy.” she said, pointing at Tommy. He rolled his eyes and then grinned.
(Harper’s POV)“Her dad found out we were fated mates and told her to reject me,” he said,“Did she?” I asked. I knew that Louise wasn’t a fan of the whole fated mate thing, but I thought that she liked Tommy. He shook his head and looked back at the table.“No, but she was told to stay away and the next I heard it was announced that she and Damien were to be mated,” he looked up at me, his eyes shiny with unshed tears “I tried to get to see her but was blocked at every point. It wasn’t until Greg Henderson managed to get a message to me telling me that Louise was under strict twenty-four seven protection,” Alex scoffed at that.“More like imprisonment,” and Tommy glanced at him before looking
(Harper’s POV) I closed my eyes as his hand crept around and wrapped around my throat, squeezing ever so slightly. “You still smell like strawberries,” he said as I felt him nuzzle into my hair and take a deep breath. “Just as sweet as ever.” I struggled to push him away, but I was at an awkward angle and couldn’t get the leverage I needed. He chuckled in my ear and I tried not to let the sudden trapped feeling overwhelm me. This wasn’t working. I needed to get a better advantage. “Colton,” I whispered in my best whiney voice, “Please.” His hand around my throat loosened a little, and I relaxed a bit. “Oh baby girl, I like it when you beg,” he muttered and twisted my arm further behind my back. I cried out again, but this time it was all fake. If I acted like the old weak Harper and got myself into a better position, something I could work with. “Please Colton, that hurts,” I whined, and rolled my eye
(Colton’s POV) I leaned against the wall behind the Alpha’s desk, watching Harper. She was sitting on one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. She looked like Harper, my Harper. The sweet and innocent Harper who I had known all that time ago. Her appearance, her hair, her stunning slender frame, and those grey eyes that felt like they pierced my soul. All the same, but the subtle differences, the clothes she wore, the way she held herself and the smirk that she was throwing my way right now, were all indications that my Harper had long since gone. I was a fool to reject her in the first place. If I had just listened to my wolf Canyon, then maybe things would have turned out differently. We would have been mated with pups of our own. I wouldn’t have this big gaping hole inside me that no amount of sex or whisky could fill. I had known there was something different about her since just after my 18th birthday; I had seen her at school, and
(Elias’ POV)“Fuck!”I leaned against the wall outside the entrance to the cells and closed my eyes. I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to deal with that infuriating woman. I could still hear her shouting obscenities at the guards. All I wanted to know was where her husband was and that she was willing to co-operate and then I would let her go, under watchful eye, of course. This whole pack was a mess. Three months in and I still doubted almost every single one of them. There was maybe a handful who I felt confident to recruit. The rest of the pack, well, they would have to be dealt with in the usual ways.I heard a beep and looked down at my Rolex and sighed. I had a meeting with the Kirby woman right now. I was all set to deny her request for entry into the territory, especially since the first request included her boyfriend, Aaron Jacen. It took me a while to remember where I knew that name from.
(Harper’s POV) “Nathaniel, I swear to the goddess if you phone me back right now I am going to…” I didn’t know what I was going to do. But I did know one thing, I was getting the hell out of this place right now. I was almost home after running out of the meeting. I had phoned Nathaniel five times and Aaron three times. Why wasn’t anyone picking up their damn phones? I got to the house and ran upstairs to where my suitcase was stored. I pulled it out of the closet and opened it up on the floor. I then went into the bathroom to collect my cosmetics I had used this morning. I was just collecting them when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw it was Aaron. I pressed to accept the call. “Aaron, thank the goddess!” I exclaimed. “Harper!” he called down the phone. “What’s wrong?” “I can’t do this, I can’t, I have to get out of here, please come and get me,” I was close to a panic attack, the first real one in y
(Harper’s POV)“Sorry darling” I said as I brushed past him and walked out into the street, knowing he would be following on my heels “I have no plans to follow through with that shit show of an idea”. His hand circled my wrist, and he yanked me around to face him. I was expecting it and threw my weight into it to pull him off balance. But he was also waiting for my move and laughed as his grip on my wrist tightened and he pulled me into his chest.“Dammit,” I whispered more to myself, and his grin widened.“Don’t worry princess, I got you. Wouldn’t want any damage to come to my new Luna now, would I?”“Not your fucking Luna,” I hissed and pulled away from him, trying to twist out of his grip on my wrist.“You can take that up with the boss, not my place,”“What the hell is going on out here?” I heard
(Harper’s POV)Owens continued to trap me with his eyes for a few moments longer before he broke the contact. He glanced at Katie behind the bar, and she shrank back in fear.“Bar is closed for the night Miss Harsen, go home” Katie glanced at me and then back to Owens before bowing her head. Owens was already back looking at me.“Yes Alpha,” she whispered, and she disappeared into a room behind the bar and came back out with her bag and jacket. She headed round the bar towards the exit and then back to Owens, looking petrified.“Erm… well…” she hesitated while Owens didn’t even acknowledge her, “I was just wondering if I would still get paid for my shift, but if not then that’s ok too. Oh, I’m sorry it doesn’t matter, I shouldn’t have said anything” I grimaced as she was getting more flustered the longer she spoke. Yet Owens still