Chapter 115

Lucas’s POV

My desk is covered in papers, maps, and a laptop that has a low battery signal in the bottom corner. I reach over and plug it up to the charger before looking back down at the mess of papers in front of me.

It’s chaotic, and anyone who didn’t know what I was looking for would never figure it out. But to me, the mess of papers is like a lifeline. Every page, each scribbled note, every piece of the puzzles that Harper found; all of it will help me clear her name.

Before it can get too out of hand, I gather the papers into neat stacks. Testimonies, logs and charts from Logan’s computer, Harper’s notes on the clinic she used to run, information about the people who worked with Logan—everything has it’s place and purpose.

And that purpose is to clear Harper’s name.

Logan may have thought he covered his tracks well, but he was wrong. Nothing stays secret forever.

Leaning back in my chair, I scrub a hand over my face to combat the blurry eyed exhaustion creeping in. Even dead, Logan is still causing me trouble. Knowing the Elders, I believe they’ll use his testimony and death as leverage to prove that Harper is guilty somehow. I can already hear their accusations ringing in my head, telling the Council that Harper is a threat to our pack and others.

This might all be a pain in the ass, but I wouldn’t leave it alone for the world. I will protect and defend Harper this time, even if I have to go against the Elders and the Council.

A knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts, and when I look up, Harper slips into my office. She smiles softly, and a wave of calm floods me. My body relaxes, the tension slipping out of me. The tightness in my chest eases just at the sight of her.

She’s carrying a notebook that has a pen hooked on the front cover.

“I wrote down everything I could remember about the clinic site manager and some things I didn’t think of before about the clinic,” she says, setting the notebook down in front of me. Her soft, sweet presence is steady and light, like the smell of a freshly baked dessert.

And like with dessert, I want to grab her and pull her close. However, I hold myself back, not wanting to create any tension. We’ve been on good terms since we got back from the witch’s cottage, but I don’t want to push her too fast.

“I tried to remember the suppliers, delivery runners, and any other people who might have had access to the storage,” she tells me, flipping to the third page of the notebook. By the slightly scribbled font, I can tell she wrote this in a hurry. “Some of it might be the same as what you found in Logan’s laptop, but I wanted to write everything just in case.”

She flips the page again, but instead of looking at the paper, I look up at her. The serious, pinched expression on her face is cute, and makes me want to reach up to smooth out the wrinkle between her eyes.

“Do you think it’ll be helpful?”

I blink, finding her eyes on me now.

“It’ll help more than you know,” I answer honestly. Since we can’t get more information from Logan, this is all we have.

Harper nods and wraps her arms over her stomach in a self-conscious gesture, but she doesn’t leave. She lingers for a moment, her eyes on the stacks of evidence we’ve gathered. For a second, I think she’s going to ask to stay and help me with the preparation, but instead she steps back.

“I’ll be outside if you think of anything else you need.”

“Harper,” I grab her hand gently before she can move too far away. My thumb brushes over her wrist just in time to catch her pulse jump. “I want you to know that I’m not doing this for the pack. I’m doing this to clear your name, to give you a home again, to let you know that you’re safe here. With me and with the pack.”

I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but it didn’t feel like the right time. However, as she stares at me, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in that cute, dazed expression she gets, I know she needed to hear my words.

Instead of speaking, Harper squeezes my hand once before untangling herself and disappearing into the hallway. A ripple of affection touches our strained bond, but it’s enough. To know that she feels any sort of affection for me is enough.

I sit back at my desk and let out a breath of relief. To me, Harper has already proved her loyalty and gone beyond for this pack. I just need to remind everyone of that fact.

When I finally drag myself away from the preparations, the sun is setting, and Harper is at the training grounds. She’s sitting against a large tree, surrounded by the eight wolves that decided to stay with us after we freed them.

They’re never far from Harper’s side, especially if I’m not around. They’ve taken to protecting her like she’s one of their own, and in a way, she is. They chose her.

She doesn’t see me yet, but I watch as one of the male wolves—the one who took a particular liking to her—drops a fresh rabbit at her feet. His tail is wagging like a pup in love, and I chuckle.

“Um…” Harper stares at the gift with shock, even as she lifts her hand to stroke the wolf’s fur. “You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t save you to be repaid.”

Each wolf stares at her, and I can sense Harper getting emotional. So, I step in.

“They’re not repaying you,” I say, moving closer. She jumps slightly, startled. “They’re pledging loyalty to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s instinct, like how we feel loyalty to the Alpha of our pack,” I explain, sitting next to her. She doesn’t move away, so I continue, “By bringing you a meal, they are offering gratitude and loyalty. Wolves are powerful creatures, as you know, and to them, you are their savior. Accepting this rabbit is the same as accepting their pledge to be with you.”

Harper stares at the wolves for another minute, her hand still softly petting the wolf’s fur. A flicker of emotion moves through her eyes, telling me she’s still hesitant. It’s the same sad look she gets when pack members walk past.

“You belong here,” I whisper, pulling her close. She allows me to tuck her into my side, curling in and laying her head on my chest. “You belong with me, the wolves, and this pack. Don’t let their confusion get to you. Soon, they’ll know the truth.”

“Thank you,” Harper whispers before going quiet. She doesn’t say anything else, and after a while, I look down to find her asleep. Her soft breathing puffs against my neck, her smaller hand curls in my shirt, and her warmth seeps into me.

I’m almost afraid to move, but sleeping out here would be too uncomfortable, so I carefully pick her up. I have to bite back a victorious smile when she curls into my chest again. All the way up to my room, the wolves follow. When I lay Harper in my bed, the wolves follow.

“Watch over her,” I tell them softly. The male wolf that brought the rabbit chuffs before settling at the end of the bed to keep watch while the other wolves circle around and lay with Harper.

While Harper sleeps, I go back over the evidence. I read through the kidnappers’ testimonies, dig through computer logs that detail transports sanctioned by Logan, and read up on the clinic’s supplies that match items in the Domain.

Piece by piece, I pull my argument together.

Harper doesn’t know it yet, but I won’t give up this fight until she feels like she belongs again. She’ll stand in front of my pack, the Elders, and the Council without the weight of blame hanging over her.

I’ll make sure of it.