Chapter 33

Harper’s POV

“I was just trying to help,” I mutter, turning away from Lucas and going back to the grieving warrior.

“Your job is to heal, not ask questions,” Lucas snaps again, and I spin on him.

“I understand that, and I understand that something awful has happened, but it’s not my fault,” I bark, glaring at him. “You can be angry at the guys who did this, but not at me, Lucas. I just healed you. A thank you would be sufficient.”

Without waiting for his response, I turn and move to the warrior’s side. He’s still trying to hold his brother’s body, crying that it’s too soon to leave. The broken words bring tears to my eyes as I quickly and quietly heal him.

I do my best to reach his injuries without bothering him or making him let go of his brother.

“What about Lisa?” The warrior croaks, “You just found out you’re having a baby and… and now…”

I blink, trying to stop the tears from falling as he continues, “And mom. This is going to k-kill her. You can’t l-leave us like this.”

Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I try to focus on my magic. Soon, the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, but I pay it no mind. I continue healing the man’s injuries.

Losing people is part of life, but watching this man break down makes me hurt more than anything I’ve felt in a while. This is the worst part of my job, and if I could, I’d do anything—give anything—to never see this side of my job again.

As I finish healing the warrior, I quietly move away so I don’t disturb him.

I’m not sure who these rogue wolves are, but I know one thing. They have to be incredibly powerful in order to hurt an Alpha and the warriors of the third strongest pack.

“We have the rogue locked in the cellar for you to deal with when you’re ready.”

“It was six against three,” I hear Lucas say, and when I look back, he’s talking to Mason. “I need you to begin funeral preparations for Jake and… contact his family to come see me. I’ll tell them what happened.”

Silence fills the room, only broken by the warrior crying over his brother.

“You look beautiful,” Logan whispers as we make our way down to the common room.

“Thank you,” I whisper back, not really feeling like attending a dinner party.

“Are you still upset about Jake’s death yesterday?”

Just the mention of the warrior’s death makes me cringe. I hadn’t been able to save the man. Of course I’m upset about it, but instead of snapping, I take a deep breath and try to calm down. I’m not upset with Logan, so I shouldn’t take my frustration out on him.

“I’d rather not talk about it. Let’s just get through this dinner.”

“Get through it?” Logan asks, chuckling slightly. “You don’t sound enthusiastic.

“Well, I don’t look forward to seeing my father,” I mutter. “I used to attend these dinners as the Beta’s daughter, remember? I haven’t seen my father since he threw me out of the pack, so I’m just…”

“Nervous?”

I shake my head. I don’t think nervous is the right word. Angry, furious, maybe, but nervous? No.

“I’m not sure,” I admit. “He was never the greatest father, but after what he did, I don’t think I could ever forgive him.”

“Never? That’s a long time,” Logan says, stopping me just before we enter the private dining hall.

“Well, once you’ve had your wolf forcefully ripped from your soul, you can let me know how long it would be until you forgive that person,” I mutter, clenching my fist. He doesn’t understand the pain I went through- the agony.

It was all consuming, and I still feel the emptiness left behind by my wolf.

“I lost part of myself that day, and there’s nothing I can do to get it back.”

Logan stops in front of me, taking my face in his hands and staring down at me. His warm eyes connect with mine, and he smiles softly, “I’m sorry that happened. I wish I could’ve found you before then to stop him from hurting you.”

Warmth flows into me, and I lean into his touch. “I wish that, too.”

Logan smiles and takes my arm, looping it with his as he turns to the doors, “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I say and watch as he pushes the doors open.

Everyone is already waiting inside. Lucas, the former Alpha and Luna, my father, stepmother, and Sierra, and Logan’s family. Nora waves at me from across the room as she stands by who I assume are her and Logan’s parents and Gamma Brandon.

All eyes are on me and Logan as we enter the room, and as I suspected, my family doesn’t greet me with any love. My stepmother sneers at me, Sierra rolls her eyes and latches onto Lucas’s arm, and my father just stares.

He looks shocked and angry at the same time, like he didn’t think he’d ever see me again, but now that he has, it’s the worst thing ever. I remind myself that the reason I came was because my mate asked me to. I don’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel awkward, so I’m here for him.

Not for myself or for my father.

I couldn’t avoid him forever even if I tried. Facing people you don’t like is part of life, I guess.

“Girl, you look amazing,” Nora says before pulling me into a hug. She looks at my fitted, navy-blue tea dress and then at the halter top. “Nice…” She subtly points at my cleavage, and I elbow her.

“Stop it,” I hiss. She giggles and then leans over to kiss her brother’s cheek.

“Good to see you too, brother. You should come visit more often,” she says, motioning to their parents.

“I know,” Logan says, “I’ve just been busy with the transition from work to my new warrior position. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to greet the Alpha before I come off as rude.”

I nearly trip over nothing when he says that, but I still follow him over to Lucas. I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to interact with Lucas too much tonight after how he snapped at me yesterday. I don’t really blame him since he was dealing with a lot, but I wanted to give him space.

While Logan greets Lucas and Sierra, I stay quiet, only speaking when I quietly greet the two of them. I do, however, hug the former Luna when I get a chance.

“I’m so happy to see you,” she whispers while kissing my cheek. I smile, but I don’t have time to answer because someone else speaks.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” a snotty voice says from behind us.

I recognize my stepmother’s voice, and I sigh as I look at her. She’s glaring at me like always and hanging on my father’s arm.

“Harper, I thought you knew better than to come back here,” my father growls, his tone hard and angry, just like it was the day he tossed me aside like garbage. “And what’s this I hear about you shamelessly meddling in Sierra’s relationship?”