Chapter 62

Harper’s POV

I shouldn’t have kissed him back.

What was I thinking?

I glance at Logan who is talking with Jenna’s mate, Andrew. He seems unbothered at the moment, which is a good sign. Or is it a bad sign? I practically cheated on my mate by kissing Lucas, so shouldn’t Logan feel that? Isn’t that how mate bonds work, or is it unknown because we haven’t officially mated yet?

An ache forms in the back of my head, and I sigh. This is all too much to think about right now, and on top of that, I can’t help but notice the minute Lucas returns. I try to pay attention to Nora and Jenna’s conversation instead of Lucas, but it’s difficult.

For some reason, I feel the urge to go to him. It grows stronger each day, and that kiss didn’t help things.

“Um, Harper…”

I look over at Jenna. She and Nora are staring at Nora’s phone, their eyes wide and jaws dropped. I didn’t even notice them pull a phone out.

“I think you should see this,” she says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer. She turns her phone toward me, and I gasp, snatching the phone out of her hand. Crap, crap, crap, crap. My lips tingle and grow warm at the memory of Lucas kissing me.

I don’t have to recall what happened because the video clearly shows him pulling me closer and kissing me. Hard. It also shows me kissing him back.

What it doesn’t show is how I pulled away and ran. Crap.

“HARPER!” A shriek flies through the air, piercing the otherwise quiet room. I spin around in time to see Sierra shoot out of her seat at the other end of the room.

Everyone is watching as she marches toward me, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. Actually, everyone seems to have their phones in their hands. All eyes are on me, and realization dawns.

They all saw the video.

Sierra’s hand snatches me forward by the neck, and I gasp as she easily hauls me closer to her. I shove at her, surprisingly getting out of her hold. However, it doesn’t last. Sierra’s friends are around me in a flash, grabbing my arms and holding me still.

I can’t dodge as Sierra’s hand flies out, slapping me. My head snaps to the left as my cheek begins to burn. Just as I lift my head to glare at her, she hits me again. My head snaps to the right, and my other cheek aches.

Then, Sierra’s hand is in my hair, and she yanks my head back. I’m forced to look at her as fire spreads across my scalp.

“You have no right to steal my mate!” Sierra cries, fat tears running down her face. The people around us gather, and the little smirk on her face fades. She goes into full-on acting mode. The boiling anger in her eyes gives her away, and I know this isn’t real, but the people around Sierra rally to her side.

“You’ve been welcomed into the pack, and this is how you thank her?” Someone shouts.

Another yells, “Homewrecker!”

“Go back to where you came from!” Another calls.

“Why would you do that to your own sister?”

“You’re an awful person for trying to take someone else’s mate!”

“Watch out, ladies! She might go after one of your mates next!”

I grind my teeth, glaring at Sierra as the pack turns against me. On and on, the crowd shouts and becomes angrier.

“I know you hate me, but you should know that mate bonds are sacred!” Sierra cries, milking this for everything it’s worth. Just from her eyes, I can tell she is trying to get the crowd even angrier. And it works.

Something wet splats against my cheek, sliding down my face and neck. Then, food rains down on me. Wet, sticky, and even dry food come at me. The crowd throws the appetizers at me, and when I try to block the food, Sierra’s friends hold my arms down.

I can’t get away, and vaguely—over the shouts—I can hear someone calling my name.

“Don’t!” Sierra screams, pointing to the right.

Lucas stands there, reaching for me, but at her demand, he freezes.

“Do not take another step toward her,” Sierra hisses, her angry glare now on Lucas. He glances at me before quickly looking back at Sierra.

“This isn’t how we treat people, Sierra.”

She laughs bitterly, shaking her head, “Of course, you would defend her. Open your eyes, Lucas. I’m your mate. She’s just a slut who seduced you.”

The muscle in Lucas’s jaw ticks, and I silently pray that he stops. I can see the conflict in his eyes. He knows helping me will only make things worse, but he doesn’t want to leave me to Sierra’s rage. So, I take the choice from him and shake my head.

His hands curl into fists, but thankfully, he doesn’t come any closer.

“I want you to forbid Harper from ever meeting you again, especially if you’re alone,” Sierra demands.

“They shouldn’t be anywhere near each other,” the girl holding my right arm says.

The one on the left also speaks up, “You should focus on your true mate!”

“I’ll keep Harper away from Lucas,” a new voice speaks, and Logan appears. He pushes through the crowd and comes to my side. “Now, let her go. I’ll take her away from here. Away from Lucas.”

I don’t dare to look at Lucas as Sierra waves her friends away. Logan immediately wraps an arm around my waist, making me feel even worse than I already do as he leads me away. He had to have seen the video too, and he’s still helping me. Isn’t he angry?

Even as he pulls me into the hallway, away from everyone, I stay quiet. I’m covered in food, so he takes me to the bathroom and locks the door behind us.

“This is a mess,” he mutters while grabbing paper towels.

“Where did that video even come from?” I ask as he begins helping me clean off. He pauses before he leans in and wipes the sticky substance off my face.

“I don’t know, but everyone saw it.”

Sighing, I look down at my ruined dress, “I know.”

“One of Sierra’s friends probably sent it out,” he mutters, moving to my hair with a new rag. He’s probably right. I nod, wiping a yellow mess off my arm while thinking about the conflicted look in Lucas’s eyes.

Forbidden from seeing Lucas…

My chest tightens at the prospect, creating an ache that only grows the longer I think about not seeing Lucas again. Never seeing his smile, those bright blue eyes, or feeling his touch again… I rub at the ache in my chest, closing my eyes and trying to catch my breath.

“Are you okay?” Logan asks.

“I’m fine,” I lie, realizing just how bad this situation has gotten. Just the thought of losing Lucas is painful. I can’t imagine never seeing him again.

I shouldn’t be feeling this way, especially with my nice, kind mate right here. He’s helping me clean up and treats me kindly even though I’ve betrayed him.

Maybe it would be better if I just leave. I won’t be able to ruin Lucas’s life or Logan’s life if I leave.

I look up at Logan, who is working hard to get all the food off me, and I sigh.

Is leaving my only option?