Chapter 321

Chapter 1

** Harper’s POV **

If my mum comes into my bedroom one more time to remind me to pack something, I’m going to scream. I am more than capable of packing my things. Besides, if I forget something, I can just come back for it, or have one of my parents bring it when they visit the academy, which they do at least five days a week.

I know my mum is just worried about me leaving home, but she really doesn’t need to. I am more than ready for this. At 18 years old, I’m ready to grow up and live my life.

I already know who two of my bonds are, and if nobody identifies any more for me, then I will be perfectly happy. Me, Archie and Dillon have already been through a lot together. I trust them both and I can’t wait to officially bond with them and start our future together, even if I am a little nervous about the steps involved in completing the bonding.

“Come in,” I sigh when there’s yet another knock at my bedroom door.

To my surprise, it’s not my mum this time, it’s my dad, Mason.

“Just coming to measure up for Bella’s new bed. She wants a high sleeper,” he says.

“Wow, you could at least let me leave before you plan the renovation,” I huff as I shove more clothes from my wardrobe into my suitcase.

“Well, you won’t let us help you, so we have to find some other way to keep busy,” he shrugs.

“If you want to help, then take those boxes downstairs,” I say, pointing to a pile of boxes I have packed with my belongings.

My dad grins and picks up the boxes, leaving to take them downstairs. I then realise that he tricked me into letting him help; he didn’t come in here to measure anything; he didn’t even have a tape measure.

“What’s next, Boss?” He asks when he returns.

“I think I’m pretty much done,” I say as I look around my now bare bedroom.

“Well, there’s still a couple of hours before initiation. How about we go get ice cream?” He suggests.

My stomach churns at the thought of eating. I’m too excited to eat.

“No, I can’t eat right now,” I say, rubbing my stomach with a grimace.

“Too nervous?” He asks.

“No, why would I be nervous?”

“It’s a big day. You are leaving home, and the seer will identify your bonds. Everything is changing,” he shrugs.

“I already know who my bonds are, and I am more than ready to move out.”

“You know who two of them are. You’ll probably have at least one more. It’s okay to be worried about that,” he smiles.

“Were you nervous when you found out mum was your bond?” I ask.

“You could say so,” he snorts a laugh.

“Can you tell me about it? Did you like her before you knew she was yours?” I ask.

I have tried to ask them about this before, but they always just brushed it off as a story for when I’m older.

My dad blows out a breath before sitting on my bed. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting story. I take a seat beside him as he gazes out the window, looking lost in his memories.

“You have to remember that I had a bad upbringing. I had been told from a young age that my interest in both genders would kill my bond. That when she found out what I was, she would take her own life. So I decided early on that I didn’t want a bond. I didn’t want to risk hurting her. Every time the seer came, dread sickened me, but year after year, they never identified me as a bond, and I was happy with that, or so I thought. When I met Theo, I knew instantly that he was going to be important to me. Despite me telling him to leave me alone multiple times, he never did. He was the only person who didn’t let my attitude put him off me. He kept trying to be my friend, and so I let him in. I let myself trust someone for the first time since I was a child. So when your mum came crashing into our lives and Theo instantly fell for her, I felt threatened. I thought she was going to take him from me, or worse, she would be matched with both of us and I’d kill the woman he loved,” my dad explains, and I gape at him.

I knew there must be some story between my parents, but this was not what I was expecting.

“So what did you do when the seer identified her as your bond?” I ask, fully gripped by this story.

“At first I tried to run away, but Theo stopped me and Deacon threatened to send me home. So I tried to make her hate me from the get go. I thought if she never liked me, I wouldn’t hurt her when she found out what was really going on in my mind. Which was a tremendous waste of time, because she knew who I was and accepted me from the start. I was just too haunted by the ghosts of my past to realise it. She never gave up on me, though, and my attraction to her became too difficult to hide. She saw right through my act,” he says with a laugh.

“Mum is too smart to be fooled,” I chuckle, remembering all the times she saw right through me, which is the real reason I don’t want her in here helping me pack. I know she will see how worried I really am, and I’m not even ready to admit it to myself yet.

“You know your mum is the best person to talk to about anything that you might be worried about, right? She won’t judge you or make you feel your concerns are silly,” he says, as if he just read my mind.

Am I that obvious?

“I’m okay. I guess I am a little nervous about another bond causing issues between me, Archie and Dillon,” I admit.

“That’s understandable. Bond groups can be difficult to navigate at first, but just remember that each member is there for a reason. Once you all find your place, you will balance and complement each other. It might be more difficult for your generation. Your bonds may not have had the same upbringing and level of education in bond care that my generation did, but there are extra classes to help catch the human raised Greys up,” my dad says with a little growl to his tone.

“Why do you sound angry?”

“I was just remembering the classes, and… never mind. Do you need this case carrying down?” He asks, gesturing to the open suitcase on the bed before picking it up and walking away with it before I can even answer, letting some of my clothes spill out onto the floor.

I stare after him with confusion. I don’t think I have ever seen him look that flustered before. My mum appears in the doorway with an amused smile.

“Did I upset him?” I ask her.

“No,” she smiles, “he’s just struggling to accept that his little girl is growing up.”

“Well, it’s happening whether or not he accepts it,” I shrug before picking up my dropped belongings with a sigh and following my dad to put them back in my case.