Chapter 12

Troubled, I watched the car drive away.

Avery squeezed me again. “Don’t worry too much about Harper,” she said reasonably. “She’s a grown woman now. She can handle her own relationship.”

I sighed. “You’re right, I know she can.” I sighed and turned away from the parking lot. I knew I had to stop interfering with Harper. I should let her be free and focus on my own crap.

Like how I ended up watching Avery try on dress after dress. We’d come to grab a dress for Harper’s wedding since I invited her to join me this morning. She insisted on coming here today, and since the whole point of inviting her was to get Harper off my mind, I’d agreed.

Finding my adopted daughter cowering in the dressing room was not what I expected. But Avery didn’t seem thrilled to find me giving someone else in a wedding dress attention. The least I could do was give her the same.

“Ooh, Levi, what about this?”

“You look incredible,” I said for the third time. She shot me a look, turning in the mirror, showing off the deep cut back of the dress.

“Isn’t the back daring?” she coaxed.

I made myself actually look and smiled. “Suits you though. I like it.”

“So my man wants me sexy on our big day,” she said playfully, prowling up to me in the dress.

I made myself look at her, appreciate the elegant lines of her body, her lovely face. Avery was a gorgeous woman. And usually that tone was all it took to get me interested. But my cock just didn’t seem to be online today.

But I went through the motions, pulling her hips to mine. “You’re always sexy, Avery.”

She pressed a kiss to my lips and spun out of my arms, back to the dressing room. “And don’t you forget it.”

There were more dresses after that though, and each one blended into the last. It was hard to focus when my mind kept straying back to Harper’s eyes as she left.

“…maybe I can replace the beading with tiny bugs, what do you think about that, Levi?”

“If you think it would look nice,” I answered absently, then blinked as her words caught up. “Wait, w-”

Avery shook her head and gave me a teasing look. “If you’re over it, you can say that, Levi. I’m not some little girl who’s going to cry that I’m not getting attention. I just wanted your opinion, but since you’re determined not to have one, we can go.”

I smiled, chagrinned. “I trust whatever decisions you make, you should know that by now.”

“I do,” she agreed. “So if I ask you about the engagement…?”

“You decide for yourself,” I told her, not for the first time.

I wasn’t about to get down on one knee and pretend to feel things I didn’t. I liked Avery, we got along well, the sex was consistently good, she didn’t annoy me, and most importantly, she had what it took to help me run the pack.

“I don’t just need a wife, I need a competent Luna,” I reminded her. “If you’re waiting for a flashmob and heart candy, it isn’t the job for you.”

Avery let out a scoffing laugh. “Oh please, you know me better than that. My mother prepared me well. I’m ready if you are.”

Avery’s mother was one of the senior betas of the pack, loyal and exacting. I had no doubts Avery was raised to be the perfect Luna. It had been hinted at for years by my council that I should settle down and start producing heirs, and more than one agreed that Avery was the perfect choice.

I didn’t know what I was waiting for anymore.

“Then here’s to a successful partnership,” I said, brushing a kiss across her hand.

Harper’s POV

Back home, it seemed like Mason was determined to keep me busy. The moment I walked in the door, Mason kissed my cheek and handed me two separate to-do lists – one for wedding, and one for the pack. He had his keys in hand though, and was headed for the door. Maybe I could slip out while –

“And Josh can stick around to help you out, so don’t worry,” Mason said, an edge of warning in his voice as if he could see the plan forming in my mind.

I just smiled calmly and waved. “Oh that’s great. Have a great meeting!”

For a brief second, I’d hoped that there’d be a moment to slip away if I gave Josh some kind of errand, but I realized quickly that “help you out” was code for “guard you like a criminal.”

“Do you have to follow me to the kitchen?” I asked, trying for conversational. “I’m just tasting cakes is all.”

Josh beamed at me, back to super friendly now that we were around the pack again. “Trying to keep all the cake for yourself, huh, Luna? Not a chance.”

I just shrugged and kept going.

He stuck to me like glue for the rest of the day. Even when I went to the bathroom, I had exactly 75 seconds before he started knocking “to see if you need anything, Luna.”

The message was heard loud and clear – I wouldn’t be escaping again. Even him only calling me “Luna” felt like chains, reminding me what I was supposed to be.

That who I was didn’t matter anymore.

But I just smiled through it all, handling my lists as well as I possibly could. Mason couldn’t suspect anything.

“Let me know when the east wing is prepared, I’ll check it over myself since the visiting Alphas are staying there,” I told the house keeper.

She smiled warmly, squeezing my hands. “You’re a natural dear. Mason’s so lucky he found you!”

The cook echoed her. “The menus are so detailed, Miss. You even remembered all the allergies. Mason’s found a real keeper, hasn’t he?”

“What a lucky guy, our Alpha!”

“You’ll make Mason so proud.”

“Mason has incredible taste, I’ll tell ya!”

Each and every compliment grated against my soul, but I took them all with as much grace as I could muster.

And that night, the need to escape burned hotter than ever. I couldn’t let this become my life? How hadn’t I seen it before?

Because you let yourself be blinded by Mason, just like the rest of them.

But my eyes were wide open now. I played some more sappy love songs to cover my movements and quietly packed my things. No doubt Josh was right outside my door or in the next room or under my window or something.

I didn’t know exactly how I was getting out, only that I needed to be ready whenever the time came. I may not even be able to grab the bag I packed, but at least I’d be leaving with something if I could.

My fingers faltered as I touched my old diary. A smile rose to my face and I flipped it open to a random page.

I saw Him again today for like half a second I was happy – but then I saw he was with some blonde bimbo. She was such a loudmouth, I can’t believe he really goes for girls like that.

Why can’t he see that I’m right here?

I’d never used names of course. And I’d always kept things vague – that encounter could have easily been at school the way it was written. Instead of in our kitchen in the middle of the night when they thought I’d be asleep.

My heart squeezed, remembering how much seeing him with so many women, so beautiful, so fiery… so different from me, used to hurt.

And now he was marrying a leggy goddess who clearly hated me.

I snapped the book shut. It didn’t matter anymore. My feelings never really did, and it was time to let them go, once and for all.

I couldn’t go running to Levi’s pack. I wouldn’t bring him those problems and Avery would probably lose it if I tried. But White Fang wasn’t the only pack in the west.

A plan started to form in my mind. I’d need the protection of an Alpha eventually, since I knew Mason wouldn’t let me go easily. And there was an even coming up that would draw Alphas from all over – my wedding.

I could keep up my happy bride, capable Luna mask. I could play the part while I tested to see which Alpha was my best chance.

I’d have to.