Chapter 58

Lucas’s POV

“You’re not twisting your hips enough,” I say, planting my hands on Harper’s hips and guiding them as she kicks.

She approached me this morning, after training, and asked if I would help her practice a roundhouse kick. When I asked where her mate was, she shrugged and looked around the training field.

“He was supposed to meet me here, but I don’t see him. So, would you mind? I can’t get enough force or speed in my kick,” she told me, and I agreed.

I shouldn’t have, because touching her sets me on fire in a way I shouldn’t be reacting. But, again, I can’t stop myself. When it comes to Harper, there’s just no way to say no. Besides, who am I to stop her from learning how to protect herself?

“Like this?” She asks, before stepping, turning, and swinging her leg forward. It slams into the makeshift punching bag I set up, and the bag sways.

Nodding, I cross my arms over my chest. It’s all I can do to stop myself from touching her. “Good. Do it again.”

She follows the same motions, executing a kick that isn’t perfect but it’s a start. Haper repeats the kick several times before looking at me again. “Can you spar with me?”

Surprised by her request, I stare at her. “Are you sure? Last time didn’t end very well,” I remind her as the memory of her injured comes to mind. Harper nods and lifts her fists defensively. I check her form, fixing small mistakes before lifting my own fists.

“Ready?”

She nods then throws the first punch. I duck easily before clocking her in the shoulder. I keep my hits softer than usual, not wanting to hurt her all while giving her pointers.

“Keep your body relaxed. If you’re too stiff, your hits won’t follow through as well.”

“Never drop your guard, or you’ll leave your face open to attack.”

We move through several rounds of sparring before Harper calls it finished, steps back, and grabs her water. She’s breathing heavily and looks tired, but she also has a smile on her face.

“She’s beautiful when she smiles,” my wolf says.

“She is,” I murmur, watching her. There’s nothing nice about sweat, but watching Harper pour water over her face and wipe at her sweat with a cute, concentrated expression.

When Harper turns to look at me again, she smiles even brighter, and I try to think of ways to keep her smiling. If I could do that, I bet this light feeling in my chest would never leave.

“Have you given any thought to going to the underground market with me?” I ask, grabbing my water and taking a sip. I don’t really need it, but if I don’t do something with my hands, I’ll touch her. Since that’s not appropriate, I need a distraction.

Harper pauses, her eyes moving off to the right in what I can only guess is her mind retreating in thought. I don’t push her to answer but bring it up will keep the idea fresh in her mind. If that wolf in the Domain is her wolf, I want to reunite them.

If she isn’t Harper’s wolf, I want to free her.

“Are you serious?!” Logan shouts, barreling toward me. Without warning, he lunges and punches me. His fist collides with my jaw, whipping my head to the side, but I spin. I use the momentum to grab Logan and shove him away.

“What are you thinking?” Harper shouts.

Turning, I face Logan. I lift my leg and plant my foot in his stomach, sending him flying back and sliding across the grass.

“You’re not going to that market!” Logan growls, and instead of getting to his feet, he shifts into his wolf.

I do the same, letting my body change and remodel itself. My paws hit the ground just in time for Logan to pounce. Our bodies collide, and Harper cries out.

“Stop! You shouldn’t fight!”

“Logan, get off of him!”

“Lucas, stop!”

I want to stop, but Logan doesn’t let up. He rakes his claws down my side when I look back at Harper.

“I’m going to get help!”

Harper runs off, but Logan doesn’t react. He keeps his entire focus on me, growling through our pack link, “Leave Harper alone. She doesn’t need you to take her to any dangerous places!”

“I’m only doing this for her own good!” I shout before jumping and landing on him. I pin him to the ground with my paws on his chest and dig my claws in just enough to make him stop moving.

“Oh, my Goddess! What are you doing?” Sierra shrieks from somewhere behind me. Logan and I both look up at Sierra as she runs toward us. “Lucas, get off of him!”

I let my pettiness get the better of me, and I snap my teeth close to Logan’s face one more time before moving off of him. He rolls over then shifts back to his human form.

“I’ve already warned you to stay away from Harper if you’re going to try to convince her to go to the underground market,” Logan growls, “Just because you’re the Alpha, doesn’t mean you can force her to go with you.”

Shifting back, I roll my stiff neck and glare at Logan. “And you think you have the right to control her because she’s your mate?”

“Can we slow down?” Sierra asks, moving between the two of us. “What is going on? Why are you two fighting over someone as pathetic as Harper?”

Logan and I both turn on Sierra, snarling at the same time, “She’s not pathetic.”

My wolf scratches at my mind, wanting to get out, but I hold him back. If I let him out, he’s likely to murder Logan. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.

“Lucas, what is wrong with you?” Sierra hisses, touching my arm. “Why do you care so much about Harper? She’s not even your mate! I am!”

Her touch makes my skin crawl, and I step back and keep my eyes on Logan. She gasps, staring wide-eyed at me. “Talk to me, Lucas. Please. I don’t know what’s happening or why you’re acting this way!”

The whine in her voice makes me cringe even more.

“I will not let you decide for Harper,” I tell Lucas. “If she wants to go to the market, she should.”

“Logan, do something!” Sierra shrieks angrily. Logan falls silent, his eyes moving to Sierra and softening. The way he stares at Sierra isn’t the same as usual. The look is tender, almost caring, and sends off red flags in my mind.

Has he always stared at her like this? With longing?

I look between the two of them, but Sierra doesn’t seem to share Logan’s tenderness. Her gaze is all fire and anger, but Logan doesn’t seem to notice. His expression doesn’t change, but he hesitates to fight back against her as she pushes him in the chest.

“They shouldn’t be close because they’re not mates!” Sierra shrieks again, throwing a fit and stomping her foot like a toddler. Logan glances at me then looks back to Sierra, his eyes growing wide as if he realized something.

“I-I don’t want anything to do with your biased opinions on Harper!” He finally shouts, which confuses me more. Logan should agree with Sierra. He should be fighting me to stay away from Harper instead of watching Sierra like he’d rather be with her.

“You… You…” Sierra stumbles over her words, looking back and forth between me and Logan. As if she realizes she won’t get her way, she stomps off in anger and leaves us alone.

We both watch as she retreats into the pack house, and I’m the first to turn back. Logan stares at where Sierra disappeared. It looks like he wants to go after her, and my wolf rumbles suspiciously.

Not wanting to fight anymore, I grab Logan’s shoulder and turn him to face me, “I am going to do what I think is best for Harper. When she agrees to go to the market, I will be by her side.”

Logan huffs, shakes my hand off, and walks into the forest. I watch until I can’t see him anymore before turning. Mason stands off to the side, his arms crossed.

“Where’s Harper?”

“Medical wing,” he answers, pointing at the building. I nod and make my way toward the medical wing while thinking.

When I finally find her, Harper is helping an older woman who looks to have a cut on her hand. She’s talking and smiling with the old woman, which sets me at ease. It also has me thinking about the captured wolf soul.

They’re alike in their healing abilities, but I realize they have one more thing in common. The she-wolf called out to me for help, and the plea was almost exactly the same as the night Harper got hurt.

Could she really be Harper’s wolf?