Chapter 2 : How the h*LL did he find me?

HARPER

~~~

For one terrifying moment, I wanted to slam my fist into Ryder's smirking face to let out my growing frustration.

"This is a joke," I said, the words scraping against my raw throat. "This has to be a joke. You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Oooh, there's the temper I know," Ryder grinned.

"Do we look like we're joking, Harper?" Dallas murmured.

He leaned against the frame of my kitchen doorway, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His posture was casual, but the dangerous spark in his eyes said otherwise.

"This is my mother's property," I insisted, my voice gradually rising. "She spent her life building it. It falls to me. It's my inheritance."

Dallas reached into the breast pocket of his tailored jacket. With intense slowness, he pulled out a crisp, folded document and tossed it onto the kitchen counter between us.

It landed with a soft thud.

"Your mother took out a massive line of credit against the lodge during her final year of treatment," Mason explained as I reached for the document. "The bank was preparing to close up the property tomorrow morning. We stepped in, and paid off the debt in full."

I didn't believe them. Why was it so convenient that they bought the lodge just when I returned? Why didn't they buy it years ago?

My fingers shook as I snatched up the envelope, unfolding it. And there it was.

Official bank statements, signatures, and at the bottom, the stamp of ownership transferred directly to the Donovan Brothers.

This was completely real. They owned Silver Ridge.

"You can't do this," I whispered, looking up from the paper to meet Mason's piercing stare. "You can't take the last piece of my mother from me."

"In case you haven't noticed, Harper, my brothers and I are now the Alphas of Black Pine," Mason said softly, stepping closer until the heat radiating from him practically swallowed me whole. "Everything in this town belongs to us. Including this lodge."

His eyes moved over my entire form and darkened. "Including you."

Anger burned hot in my chest, rapidly turning into an all-consuming fury. I had spent five years running from their shadow, only to walk right back into a trap they had laid perfectly.

"I won't leave," I snapped, slamming the document back onto the counter. "I'll buy it back from you. Name your price. I'll do anything to buy it back."

Ryder drew closer, his eyes raking over my thighs beneath the short skirt. "Anything?" he drawled.

I glared at him, my hands curling into fists. "Almost anything," I grounded out.

Dallas let out a low, amused chuckle. "Correct me if I'm wrong, sweetheart, but didn't you just say five minutes ago that you were fixing this place up just to sell it?"

Dammit. I hated when he called me that.

"I changed my mind!" I yelled, my anger finally boiling over. "I'm not selling it anymore. I want it back."

Mason smirked suddenly, his gaze tracking the frantic rise and fall of my chest. Before he spoke his next words, a part of me already knew what he was about to say.

"We might be willing to let you have the lodge again," he began, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You wouldn't have to buy it, but on one condition."

My eyes narrowed. I knew that look. He was up to something.

"What condition?" I demanded.

Before he could utter a word, the front door of the lodge creaked open, followed by the loud chatter of multiple voices flooding into the hallway.

"Harper? Sweetheart, I brought a few familiar faces who wanted to say hi." Mrs. Gable's voice echoed into the kitchen.

My entire body went rigid. I glared at the triplets who didn't seem the least bit bothered by the unexpected visitors.

A second later, Mrs. Gable stepped into the open kitchen, followed by a small crowd. I recognized a few of them, while the others were strangers.

But the moment they saw Mason and his brothers standing in my kitchen, the chatter died instantly.

"Oh," Mrs. Gable exclaimed dramatically. "I didn't know you had... visitors."

The air grew tense. Every pair of eyes darted from me to the brothers, completely stunned to see them inside the abandoned lodge.

Then, the ridicules disguised as concern started.

"Is that really you, Harper?"

"You look different. Gained so much weight."

"What have you been eating in the city? It clearly didn't do you any favors."

"Is she throwing herself again at the Alphas again? When will she learn her lesson?"

The comments sliced through my remaining restraint like a knife. The ghost of Derek's mocking voice echoed in my head, mixing with the suffocating judgment of the pack.

My vision went red. I didn't care that Mason and his brothers were watching, and that they did absolutely nothing.

I whirled on Mrs. Gable, my eyes blazing.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I shouted, the sheer force of my voice making the old woman stumble backward.

She had the audacity to look guilty after deliberately bringing these people to ridicule me. I didn't feel an ounce of pity for her.

"Get out!" I snapped. "Now!"

"Harper, dear, we were just trying to..."

"I said get out!" I hissed, taking a step toward her. "You couldn't wait to run your mouth, could you?"

Mrs. Gable's jaw dropped, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I... I only meant to..."

"Just leave! All of you!"

They must have seen the rage and embarrassment burning in my eyes because they quietly turned and stepped out of the lodge.

I slammed the door after them, and silence descended once more.

Then I turned back to the triplets, chest heaving, my self-esteem battered but my defiance fully intact.

They were staring at me. Ryder's smirk was entirely gone, replaced by a dark, intense fascination. Dallas looked like he wanted to murder the people who had just spoken about my weight.

And Mason? I couldn't even read his expression.

"You think you can use this place to corner me?" I spat, wiping a stray tear of anger from my cheek. "You wanted to tell me your condition. Say it. What do I have to do to get my lodge back and make you three leave me alone?"

Mason stepped forward, cutting off the remaining distance between us. He reached out, his thumb catching the tear on my cheek, his touch possessive and electric.

"Be ours again," he murmured.

I froze. I literally froze on the spot. "What?"

"You heard him, little wolf," Ryder said, stepping up right behind Mason, his eyes dark with hunger. "Come back to us, back to our bed. Take our marks, and the lodge is yours."

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat as I shook my head.

"You rejected me five years ago! You broke my heart into a million pieces and let the whole pack laugh at me. And now you think you can just force me into your bed with a piece of property? You're all insane."

"It wasn't a request, Harper," Mason muttered. "You're going to be ours again, whether you agree or not."

His grip on my chin tightened, and I finally found the courage to slap his hand away.

"Leave," I choked out, pushing against his solid chest. He didn't budge an inch, but his eyes narrowed. "You're crazy if you think I would ever come back to you."

Mason stared down at me for a long, agonizing moment before finally stepping back.

"We'll give you time to think about it."

"There is nothing to think about!" I snapped. "I will never be yours. Not in this life. Or the next."

His sudden smile startled me. I clutched the hem of my skirt as the three of them gazed at me for a moment longer, their eyes gleaming with the challenge of my refusal.

"We'll see about that," Mason said finally.

Without another word, they turned and trooped out of the lodge, their heavy footsteps fading into the gravel outside.

The silence they left behind was deafening. I instantly locked up the windows and doors, grabbed by bag and headed out.

There was no way I would stay all alone in this place filled with painful memories and the intoxicating scent of the three men who just left.

Returning to my cottage was out of the question. It needed thorough cleaning. So I drove to one of the motels in the middle of the town to spend the night.

After I checked in, I took a long, warm shower, washing off the dirt and grime of the day. I could barely keep my eyes open.

I changed into fresh pajamas, collapsed on the bed and fell straight into a deep slumber.

An hour later, I bolted upright, a blood-curdling scream tearing from my lungs. Sweat drenched my skin, and my heart hammered so loud it felt like it would explode.

"It was just a dream," I whispered. "Just a dream."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. But as I started into the dark corner of the room, I froze.

Dread filled me as a pair of glowing gold eyes stared back at me from the shadows. The shadows moved, and Mason stepped out, his feral gaze instantly freezing me in place.

How the hell did he find me?