Chapter 62

Harley’s POV

I didn’t need to see her to know that she was nearby. I always knew when Anila was close, and I tried my best to stay clear of her. I crossed a line in a class last week; I touched her, and I shouldn’t have done that. I knew it was wrong of me, but my bear was agitated that our mate was close to us and yet so out of reach. He has been hounding me to claim our mate ever since we met her weeks ago.

I didn’t want to admit that it was a battle I was losing, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to contain him. I hadn’t shifted in weeks because I wasn’t sure what he would do once I handed him control. I fought so hard to take control of my spirit animal so he wouldn’t control me, but it was all out the window because of one woman.

One beautiful woman.

Stop it, Harley, I scolded myself, hating that I was thinking about my best friend’s girlfriend that way.

If he was still my best friend.

We had hardly spoken these last few weeks because of how weird things have been between us. I think he was avoiding me like I was avoiding him. There was a moment last week where I thought maybe we were okay; we spoke like we were old friends and there weren’t any bad feelings towards one another. I’m not sure what changed in the week; maybe it was because I had another dream about all of us with her and now things just seemed weird again.

I was sitting with a group of friends, mainly from my bear community, in the dining hall when I picked up Anila’s scent. But then I got a whiff of something else too and my stomach immediately turned, and I thought I was going to lose the contents all over the table.

When Anila walked into the dining hall holding Xaden’s hand, I knew immediately what that scent was.

Me and everybody else.

They were already murmuring and staring at her with gaping mouths, shocked by the events. Nobody was more shocked than me though. The only person I saw at that moment was Anila and I didn’t have to see her neck to know that Xaden had put his mark on her.

He had officially claimed her, making her his.

“Mine…” my bear growled within me.

My stomach clenched and chest tightened because my bear still wanted to claim her even though she was quite literally marked by another man. But not just any man… my best friend.

Anila’s eyes found mine and I found it hard to look away. There was something in her expression that I couldn’t quite read. She looked sorry almost. I didn’t understand it though; she had made her choice.

“He marked her?” My friend, Jeremiah, said from beside me, pulling me away from the trance I was in when I looked into Anila’s eyes. “Did you know about this?”

Everybody knew Anila had multiple mates and she knew I was one of them. My stomach tightened and I stood to my feet, unable to stay in this area for any longer.

“Harley?” Jeremiah said, worry clear in his tone.

“I’ll catch you guys later,” I said, shaking my head to clear the thoughts from my mind.

I turned away from them, prying my eyes away from Anila. I grabbed my tray, threw away my trash, then stormed out of the dining hall. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I knew I couldn’t stay here. Part of me wanted to shift and go for a run, but I feared my wolf would fight me for control and return to our mate… not our mate. Not anymore.

She was claimed already and there was nothing I could do about it. Once a claim has been made, there is no turning back. So, why was my bear still so attached to her? Was I doomed to a life of pining over somebody I couldn’t have?

Why would the Moon Goddess act cruelly like this?

When I got to the forest, I heard my name in the background. I shook my head, not wanting to talk to anybody. I needed to get as far away from here as possible. It was almost the weekend; I could return home for the next few days and get my head on straight. It’s not like my pack was too far from here; I could get there by sunrise if I left right now in my fur.

“Harley man, wait!” I recognized Xaden’s voice immediately; he was the last person I wanted to speak to right now. “Harley, come on. Talk to me.”

I froze in my tracks, I was seeing red. I’m not the angry type; I never have been. But I was livid at that moment; I was seeing nothing but red as I spun around to face him. I knew my canines were evident and my eyes were probably shining as my bear fought me for control. He wanted nothing more than to rip Xaden’s throat out and I was about to let him if Xaden didn’t back the fuck up.

“Hey…” Xaden said, holding up his hands like he was trying to settle an untamable animal, which he basically was. “Let’s just talk about this.”

“Talk about this?” I said through my teeth. “You marked my mate.”

“She’s my mate,” Xaden said calmly. “She’s my girlfriend, Harley.”

“What gave you the right to put your mark on her?!” I growled, my bear seconds away from tearing out of me. I truly was trying to control him, but it was a losing battle.

“I know you’re pissed, and I never wanted to hurt you. You are my best friend. I’ve known you since I was a pup and you were a cub. You know I’d never intentionally hurt you,” Xaden said, trying to reason with my bear. “But you knew she was my girlfriend, you even backed off her. Are you really surprised that I marked her?”

His words were like a stab in the chest.

“My bear isn’t going to just let me forget about her,” I said, my teeth grinding together. “He wants to claim her… he wants her Xaden, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to keep him away.”

Xaden’s brows furrowed.

“He still wants her after she’s been claimed?” Xaden asked. “Are you sure?”

“Do you really think I’d be fighting him this hard if I wasn’t sure?” I asked, my hands were shaking as I clenched my fists, trying desperately to keep my bear under control. I was losing it, and I knew it… Xaden knew it… Anila probably knew it.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Harley. We’ve been through too much to let this come between our friendship. Not having you around these last few weeks has been killing me…” Xaden admitted and for once in his life, I saw real vulnerability in his eyes. It made me feel bad for avoiding him this whole time, but I couldn’t help it. Seeing him with her was destroying me but how could I possibly tell him that?

I owed Xaden everything. He saved my life during battle and the least I could do was get back off his relationship, but it was more difficult than I thought it would be. Now that Anila was marked, my bear wanted to stake his claim on her too.

Too?

Such a strange thought. Someone couldn’t wear multiple marks. Once a claim had been made, that was it. Nobody else could mark their claim unless they used dark magic to remove the mark. That wasn’t something I or my bear would risk though, so why would that think pop into my head at all?

“I should have talked to you first,” Xaden said, sighing. “I didn’t know you felt this way still. I thought you were okay… I’m sorry. Harles.”

I shook my head; there wasn’t a way he could possibly know how I felt. I kept it from him and now I was about to explode. If I spoke, I knew it would all be over, and I wasn’t ready to lose my best friend.

“If I had known, I….”

“What?” I practically spat. “You wouldn’t have marked her? You wouldn’t have staked your claim on MY MATE??”

I was irrational, she wasn’t my mate and mine alone, I knew this. But my bear didn’t give a shit. It was him speaking now and I feared I wasn’t going to get him to calm down. Not after things have been settled.

I could feel Xaden’s Alpha’s powers washing over me, trying to get me to calm down and keeping me at arm’s length. I had my own Alpha powers as well, but they weren’t as strong. I was stronger in strength than I was with my abilities. Amongst other bears, I was the strongest, but when it came to wolves, Xaden’s Alpha powers overpowered mine and I wouldn’t be able to attack him even if wanted to.

“I would have gone slower with her,” Xaden admitted.

“It’s my fault,” a new voice said, making Xaden and I change our attention to the sound. Anila walked toward us, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold herself together and her eyes were red from crying.

My bear surged forward in a protective stance; he didn’t like the fact that she had been crying. Her eyes were still misty with unshed tears, and I knew she was trying to be strong, but her sadness and fear were evident on her face.

“What are you doing out here? I thought you were getting breakfast?” Xaden said, touching her arm gently.

I hated how natural his touch was for her; she seemed to have relaxed from the contact and I even saw some goosebumps forming.

She peeked up at him and gave him a sad smile.

“I suddenly wasn’t hungry,” she admitted, her voice breaking a little. “I needed to make sure you were both okay. You left in such a hurry and…”

Xaden wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close; my bear growled menacingly. He was on edge, and this was the last thing he needed right now; he was pissed, and he was out for Xaden’s blood. He was playing a very dangerous game.

Xanden lowered himself to kiss Anila and I was seeing fucking red. But then his lips brushed across her cheek and went to her ear instead.

“He needs you,” Xaden whispered to her. “Touch him. Calm his bear.”

“Will that work?” She asked in return, tears escaping her eyes and washing over her features. “Now that I am marked and bonded to you, I assumed the mating call with the others would vanish…”

Xaden glanced at me and then back at her and shook his head sadly.

“Doesn’t seem that way,” he told her. “He needs you or he’s going to lose control. Get him out of here. I’ll talk to your professor and get you excused for the morning.”

She looked uncertain and I hated that.

He bent and brushed his lips across her cheek, and this time he kissed her. My bear once again surged, and it took everything I had to keep him under control.

“Take him to my cabin and calm him,” Xaden shocked me by saying. “Do what you have to.”

Her eyes dialed as she looked up at him.

“And you’ll be okay with that?”

His eyes met mine and they held them for a long while before he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, stepping away from her. “Go with him.”