Chapter 54

Harper’s POV

A hand wraps around my arm, hauling me back. I lose my footing, stumbling into the wall and hitting my shoulder. Pain spears my shoulder, and I roll it, trying to alleviate the ache.

“You must be stupid,” Sierra hisses.

Straightening up, I turn to face my stepsister. I haven’t seen her at all today, which gave me a bit of hope, and I thought she wouldn’t bother me. I guess that was too much to ask for.

“What are you talking about, Sierra?” I ask, taking a few steps back. She could easily and quickly close the distance, but it makes me feel a bit better.

“You think I don’t know about your little run in the forest?” She snaps, and I move back further. I hit the wall, unable to escape as she stalks toward me. “I told you to stay away from my mate.”

“Sierra, I swear it was nothing,” I try to tell her. “He took me out to show me around because I got lost and because I—”

Her hand flies forward, cracking against my cheek and sending my face to the side. Stars fill my vision and my head spins. I stumble back into the wall and try to shake off the hit, but another comes.

Pain explodes in my cheek, and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth as I fall to the ground.

“I don’t believe you,” Sierra growls. She crouches down and grabs my chin, forcing my face up. “I’m going to give you one more warning… your last warning. If you try to steal my man, or if I even think you’re trying to steal him, I will end you. Do you understand?”

“Sierra! Let her go!”

Logan’s POV

Sierra glares at me, her gaze hot and angry. It’s never been tender toward me, but I’ve never seen her so livid before either.

She releases Harper’s face, and I notice the bruise already forming on Harper’s cheek. She looks dazed, and I can’t help but push past Sierra to get to Harper’s side. In the short time I’ve known Harper, I’ve grown to care for her.

Even though she’s not my true mate, I don’t want her to get hurt. And even though Sierra is my true mate, I don’t want her to hurt someone else. It’s a growing problem that I’m not sure how to stop without ruining my own plans.

“Last warning, Harper. I mean it,” Sierra growls before stomping off. I want to chase after her, but I also need to make sure Harper is okay. Without her wolf, she’s weaker than Sierra, and she could be hurt worse than I know.

“Are you alright?” I ask, lifting Harper to her feet. She sways unsteadily and leans against me with a groan.

“I’m okay. I just need a minute,” she mumbles. I don’t miss the way her grip tightens on my arm or how she leans into me further when I try to pull away. She’s not my mate, but she thinks I’m hers.

I still need to push Lucas and Harper together, and because of Sierra’s stunts, my plan is coming unraveled. I won’t be able to push the two of them together if Sierra is always putting Harper in danger.

Clearing my throat, I lift Harper’s chin, “You’re not okay, Harper. I think you need to tell the Alpha that Sierra is threatening you. He can help you—”

“N-No.”

“No?” I didn’t think she would refuse, but even as I look down at her, I see the determination in her eyes.

“I can’t run to him every time I have a problem. I can deal with this myself. I just need a distraction,” she tells me, and I nod, an idea forming.

If she wants a distraction, I’ll give her a distraction. Although, it won’t be what she’s expecting.

“How about this…” I start, turning her to look up at me. “Why don’t you go freshen up and meet me at the springs on the northern border? We can take a calming walk in the forest and have a picnic while looking at the water. Maybe we could even go for a swim, and you can forget all about Sierra for a while. Does that sound like a good distraction?”

Harper smiles and nods, squeezing my arm in silent thanks. It’s not much, but as I walk her back to her room, I know the idea was just enough to get her going. If she thinks I’ll be out there, she’ll definitely meet me.

“I’ll meet you in an hour,” I say once we reach her room. “Don’t forget to wear something comfortable, and if you get there before me, you can go ahead and swim if you want to.”

“Alright, I’ll see you soon.”

With that, she closes her door, and I think about how I should convince Lucas. It shouldn’t be hard to get him out to the border since there have been so many rogue attacks but getting him to go alone will be the issue.

I keep an eye on the medical housing, and after about thirty minutes of Harper leaving, I make my move.

“Alpha!” I call, barging into his office.

He looks up and immediately narrows his eyes.

“There’s been an accident near the north border. Harper is—”

Lucas is on his feet and in front of me in seconds, demanding, “What happened?”

“Harper and I were out, and she got trapped in one of the springs. I let her out of my sight for just a moment, but she went in one of the caves and I don’t know if she can swim out,” I lie, pointing to the door for effect.

“Get Mason and tell him to meet me out there!”

Like I thought, he doesn’t ask for more details, believing every word of the lie. I guess it’s true when they say love is blind because he should know better. However, he doesn’t think straight when it comes to Harper.

Staying hidden, I follow Lucas out to the springs, barely keeping up with his fast pace. He nearly barrels into a tree as he bursts through the tree line into the clearing where the springs are.

Harper is in one of the springs, half submerged when he appears in wolf form.

“Oh, my Goddess!” Harper shrieks, falling back and beneath the surface of the water.

Lucas instantly shifts and dives into he water. When they come back up, Harper is sputtering and coughing while Lucas is hauling her to shore.

“Are you okay? How did you get out of the cave? Are you hurt?”

Harper stares up at Lucas as he whips off his shirt and pulls it over her head, covering her bathing suit.

“Wh-What are you doing here?”

“I thought you were in trouble,” Lucas says, and now it’s his turn to stare as she stands there, barely clothed, in front of him. I hold my breath. This could be the turning point in my plan, and I won’t let even myself mess this up.