Chapter 22

Levi’s POV

Noah watched me with careful eyes. I knew he wanted to say something, but I knew that I hadn’t been the most stable lately.

“What?” I snapped. “Just spit it out.”

“Well, Alpha, if you’re that worried about Harper, you could at least call her.”

I whipped around, turning my back on him so he couldn’t see the vulnerable expression on my face. “She doesn’t want me to call her.”

“You don’t know that if you haven’t tried,” he insisted, getting bold and not letting it go.

“Noah,” I growled, “I don’t think this is any of your business.”

There was a beat of silence before he answered. “And I would disagree with you. I care about both you and Harper like you are my family. I don’t want to see either of you hurting, and I can tell that both of you are right now.”

“Get out,” I snapped.

Once the door shut behind him, I paced around my office. After everything he said, I didn’t think that I would be able to let any of this go without at least trying to call Harper to talk some sense into her.

Sitting in my chair with a huff, I punched her number in on the phone on my desk. It rang three times before stopping. I held my breath, thinking that she sent me to voicemail for a moment before I heard her sweet voice over the line.

“Levi?” Her voice was so timid and hesitant at the moment, but it still made my stomach flip. Because I was happy to know she was still alive and not imprisoned of course.

“Harper? Are you okay?” I tried to keep my voice strong, but too many emotions were welling in my throat. Had I really failed her and her parents so much? Was it my fault that she ended up in such a shitty situation? She’d all but ran out of the house the second she was eighteen to get away from me.

It took her a moment to reply. “Yes, I’m doing well. Thank you.”

“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“I’m not really interested –”

I didn’t let her finish. “You don’t understand. You saw the evidence at your wedding. And since then, Mason has sent many men after Sharon to force her back into silence.”

There was a longer pause that time. “That is very unfortunate…”

It seemed like she was trying to choose her words carefully. I knew there was a very likely chance that she was still under surveillance, maybe more than before, but I knew she needed to hear this.

“So, you can see why you need to get out of there, right?” I pressed, holding my breath. All I needed her was to say that she needed me and I would be there. I would destroy anyone who tried to stop us.

“While it may be unfortunate, I think you’re misplacing the blame. You have no evidence that any of them were members of the Ridgeway pack.”

Anger bubbled, burning my from the inside. Was she serious right now? There’s no way that she could possibly think that.

“Harper.” My voice was harder than before. She needed to listen and get out of there. “I think we both know that’s what’s going on, so why are you fighting it so hard? Is that really the kind of life that you want for yourself. Your parents –”

“I don’t know what my parents would want because I never got them, I just got you instead. And I don’t think you should speak for them.”

I reeled back, scooting away from the desk as if she reached through the phone and slapped me. How was I supposed to help her when she didn’t even want to listen? It was hard to believe she actually felt that way. How could she even endure this?

A small voice in the back of my mind told me that I knew the answer. Ever since she was little, all Harper wanted was to love and be loved back. She would do anything for anyone she cared about. But she had to know that abuse wasn’t love.

She was showing the same behavior that she had with me when she was younger. No matter what I did or how absent I was, Harper was always there, loving me and seeking my approval. This was all my fault. I was the one who made her into this person. I’d failed.

I couldn’t let this go on. I had to fix it before it was too late.

“Harper, pack your things. I’m coming to get you. As your parent, I can’t let this happen.”

“You’re not my dad, Levi.” Her voice was cold and hard, unlike anything I’d ever heard from her before. “You’re too domineering. I’m an adult! I can make my own decisions and handle myself.”

Heat flared in my stomach at her indignation. Thoughts of bending her over my lap and spanking her round ass until she cried and told me that I was right played through my mind. I shifted around in my chair, simultaneously feeling guilty and trying to adjust my pants so that they wouldn’t feel so tight.

“Just stay out of my life for now on,” she snapped before hanging up the phone.

Harper’s POV

I dropped my phone on the bed, my head spinning. Talking to Levi like that hurt. I rubbed my chest, physically feeling the sensation. There was a small part of me that wished I could break down and cry, asking him to save me.

But I couldn’t.

I had to stay strong and figure it out myself this time so I didn’t continue to be a burden on him. After all, he was moving on, getting married to Avery and starting a new life. One that I wouldn’t be in, and that was better for all of us.

In reality, I believed everything he told me. I knew it had to be Mason sending his men after his ex-girlfriend after her public callout of his abusive behavior that he’d tried so hard to hide. It was the only thing that made sense. I had to play the part before I ended up his permanent victim.

Mason comes out of the bathroom, looking at me with dark eyes. I thought that his possessive nature had been bad before the wedding, little did I know, it could get worse. And it had gotten a lot worse. I couldn’t breath without him down my throat, demanding to know what was going on and what I was doing. I’m surprised that I even managed to have a conversation with Levi at all.

“Who was that?” he demanded.

I bit my lip, looking away. “Levi. He just wanted to check on me, but I told him that everything is fine because obviously all of that ‘evidence’ at the wedding was nothing more than a lie.”

The true lie burned like fire on my tongue. I knew that everything was true, but I couldn’t do anything about it if I wanted any chance of escaping.

“Is that really all he called you about?”

“Of course,” I said easily, “Why would I lie to you?”

“So that the two of you can plan for him to steal you away from me.” Quicker than I could react, he was in front of me, grabbing me by the throat and squeezing. “Tell me the truth so I don’t have to hurt you, Harper.”

My hands grip his, but I resist the urge to fight back because it would only make things worse. I shook my head, pleading with my eyes. I couldn’t talk with the grip he had on me. He loosened the pressure, just barely so that I could answer him.

“I swear. That was it. He’s believing Sharon’s lies. I just tried to talk some sense into him. When he wouldn’t listen, I hung up the phone.”

He watched for me for a long time, analyzing, before finally releasing me. I gasped, forcing air back into my lungs. But the bruises were there, still constricting me.

I just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.

So I lied and I lied, waiting for the perfect time to make my escape.

But there was no way that I could tell Levi the truth. Lying was the only way that I could keep him safe. There was a brief moment where I wanted to tell him the truth, tell him my escape plan and ask for his help, but that would ruin everything. If things escalated anymore, it would result in a major conflict between the White Fang pack and the Ridgeway pack that would have devastating consequences for everyone.