Chapter 31

Harper’s POV

Lucas’s words affect me more than I want to let on. It’s none of his business what Logan and I do, so I’m not sure why he keeps butting in. It’s aggravating and confusing. Is he upset that Logan and I are together?

That’s the only reason I can think of that would have him getting between us. First at the dance, then the dining hall, and now this? I don’t like how Lucas seems to be asserting himself into my life, especially when he shouldn’t be worrying about me. He should be keeping an eye on his mate, not me.

So, tell me why I’m looking at Logan from across the room as he eats lunch. I take a few breaths and walk into the line before walking over and sitting down.

“Hi, Logan.”

“Hey, Harper. I missed you after breakfast,” he says, smiling. A little flutter goes through me, but I force myself to focus. No matter how I feel about Lucas, I can’t get his words out of my head.

He’s had many women before you and doesn’t like to stick to just one woman at a time, either.

I don’t know if Lucas is right or if he was just saying things to throw me off or if he was just angry. Either way, I want to know if Logan is with someone or seeing another woman. I can’t be with a man who is going to see other women, but I also don’t want to jump to conclusions.

“How has your day been?”

“It’s been good. I patrolled the west border this morning, but now that I’ve seen you, my day has gotten so much brighter,” Logan winks.

My cheeks heat up, and I can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips.

“It’s true,” Logan says. “Seeing a beautiful woman always makes anyone’s day better. And you, are the prettiest woman here.”

Logan’s smile brightens as he chuckles, “You’re adorable when you blush like that. You know what’s even more adorable? The fact that you came to find me even though you’re busy.”

“Well, I’m not that busy…”

“And now you’re making excuses to come see me.”

He grins again, leaning in and looking into my eyes. “Has anyone told you that your eyes are prettier than Emeralds?”

“No,” I murmur, unsure of what to say. No one has complimented me so much in a while. Actually, in a long time. The flirting makes me think about what Lucas said in his office earlier about all the women Logan has been with.

Had he flirted with them like this? And, how many women had he flirted shamelessly with?

“Could I ask you a question?”

Logan nods while taking a bite of his sandwich.

“They might seem personal,” I tell him, but when he nods again, I bite my lip. “I wanted to ask, what is your dating history like? I’ve heard some things…”

Mid-chew, Logan pauses and looks at me. Then, his eyes sweep the room before he turns back to me again, “I’ll admit that my dating history isn’t the cleanest, and I’ve been with several women before now. I’m not proud of that, but I hadn’t found you yet. I haven’t seen anyone since I met you, and honestly for a little while before I met you.”

“Could you tell me about it?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t see this as desperate.

Logan stares at me for a minute before shrugging, “They didn’t mean anything. Just trust me when I tell you that I won’t betray your trust or our mate bond. I promise you that there are no other women.”

“Alright. Thank you for being truthful with me,” I say. “I haven’t been with anyone recently, and I don’t have any previous relationships that will jeopardize ours. Beta Mason is still searching for the man who marked me, and as soon as we find him, I’ll get him to break the bond between us.”

“Does he have any clues yet?”

I shake my head. “The last time I talked to him, he’d finished going through paper records and is starting to look through the pack members in person.”

Logan pushes his plate between us and offers me the other half of his sandwich. I take it, smiling. Again, I find his small gesture makes me happy. The gesture wasn’t anything grand or expensive. It was a simple thought that means more than if he were to go buy me one of those fancy, expensive bags he took me to look at the other day.

“Well, until then we can move forward with the surprise plans I made for our future dates.”

“Future dates?”

Lucas’s POV

They’re together again, and he’s flirting like his life depends on it, calling her pretty and making her blush.

I hate it because she’s basking in his compliments. She could do so much better than someone who offers small compliments and half a sandwich. He should be treating her like a queen and…

Shit.

There I go again, worrying about their relationship when I have so many other things I should be thinking about. In fact, sitting here and eavesdropping on their conversation is less than appropriate.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you to accompany me somewhere,” I hear Logan say. Harper looks up from the drink he slid across the table to her. “Would you be my date for the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma family banquet?”

“The banquet,” Harper murmurs. “I haven’t been to the family banquet in a few years.”

The thought of spending an entire night with Harper again has my blood heating up. Then, I realize what that means. I can barely stand to see the two of them together, and now I’ll have to watch them all night.

“If you don’t want to go—”

“I’ll go,” she says. “I’d love to.”

A heaviness sits on my chest and shoulders as they talk and laugh together, making me wonder again why I react to Harper this way. I don’t react to Sierra talking to other men this way. There’s no tightness in my chest, no dread in my gut, and no desire to pull them apart.

But with Harper, each of those feelings is almost overwhelming.

I already had the idea that she forged a fake bond between us, but I’m not sure. What else could it be? I have no proof of a fake bond other than my feelings, which I can’t admit because I have a mate.

The more I think, the more ideas flow through my head. Does it have something to do with my wolf’s weaker responses? Is the mating bond with Sierra growing weak along with my wolf?

The idea is distressing, and I wonder if I should mention it to my mother or another elder to see if they know anyone who has experienced this before. Mate bonds are the strongest connections between any werewolves, and I’ve never heard of one weakening like this.

However, telling anyone about this problem would only cause more issues, so I shake the thought off.

“Hey, baby,” Sierra coos, sitting next to me. She leans in and kisses my neck, sending a shiver of discomfort through me.

What the hell is this feeling?