Chapter 65

Lucas’s POV

Thunder booms in the distance, and clouds roll in, giving me the perfect excuse to call off group training this morning. I’m not exactly in the mood to deal with the confused stares and questions from my warriors. Besides, I’ve been itching to find Harper since I woke up an hour ago.

She was the last thing on my mind as I fell into a fitful sleep last night and the first thing on my mind when I woke up. It took—and is still taking— everything in me not to run off and find her.

My warriors gather on the training field, and I glance at the sky.

“You are training independently this morning. An hour through the indoor gym rotations, and then, if it’s raining, I want you to spar in the rain,” I announce, scanning the crowd. I don’t see Logan anywhere, which irks me a bit. Is he with Harper?

Did he stay with her last night?

I shake the thought away. There’s no way she would spend the night with him after what happened. I don’t think Logan would ask, either. I’ve seen how they interact, and it’s different than usual mated couples.

At first, I put it off as they were waiting for Harper to figure out who marked her a year ago. Now, I’m not so sure. They go on dates, but they haven’t done anything more. I would’ve scented it if they had.

Then, I probably would have ripped his arms, and other parts of him, off.

Turning, I leave the training grounds and head toward Harper’s room. I can’t imagine she’ll be at work, but if she’s not in her room, I’ll check the medical wing next. Last night, I didn’t get to check on her, but the worry has been gnawing at my insides.

I don’t know if she’s upset or angry about the video being leaked. She kissed me back, but she also pulled away first before running away. It’s clear that she either thinks of the kiss as a mistake or that she’s confused, but either way, I want to talk to her and straighten things out.

I need her to know that I won’t be marrying Sierra.

Sierra isn’t the woman I want.

I’m reaching for the front door of the pack house when my mind link opens and Sierra’s voice filters into my head, “Lucas, can we talk?”

“I have nothing to say to you right now, Sierra,” I say, pulling on the front door.

“Please just talk to me,” she begs. “I want to know where things went wrong between us and why you changed your mind. I think you owe me that much.”

Pausing, I sigh. Talking to Sierra, especially after how she acted last night, is the last thing I want to do. However, I can’t avoid her forever. The sooner I explain myself, the sooner I can end our connection.

If she acts up again and throws a fit, I’ll just end things like I did last night.

“Fine. Meet me in my office in five minutes,” I tell her begrudgingly. Instead of turning toward the medical housing area, I take the stairs to my office. First, I’ll talk to Sierra and straighten things out. Then, I’ll go find Harper and make sure she’s alright.

To my surprise, Sierra is waiting for me when I reach my office. She must notice my surprise because she smiles and says, “I was already here when I linked you.”

Nodding, I move past her, glance at the coffee cups on my desk, and look back at Sierra. She picks one of the mugs up and takes a sip before pointing at the other. A peace offering?

“I made you coffee. I figured you hadn’t gotten yours since you were at the training grounds,” she tells me. I nod again and accept the drink. I’ll need the caffeine to deal with whatever she has planned, because if I know anything about Sierra, it’s that she always has herself in mind. She doesn’t give gifts or favors without expecting or wanting something in return.

It’s just how she is.

Leaning back against my desk, I sip the coffee and wait for her to speak. I raise a brow at her when she just watches me intently as I drink. It’s strange just how closely she’s watching me, but actually, the longer she looks at me, the more I find that I like it.

She’s giving me her full attention, and it’s nice.

“I wanted to talk to you about our mating,” Sierra says softly, stepping closer. I take another sip of the coffee, and my body warms. She takes another step, and I sit up straighter, wanting her to come closer.

She isn’t moving fast enough, so I reach out. The moment my hand touches her wrist to pull her to me, that spark of the mate bond, that I haven’t felt moments ago, flares to life. It burns through me, heating my body and clouding my mind.

I try to push through the fog, but Sierra laces her fingers through mine, and the sparks race up my arm.

“Come here.”

Sierra allows me to pull her to my body, laying her hands on my chest. She slowly runs her hands over my chest and down over my torso before bringing them back up and resting them on my shoulders.

My heart races at her touch.

The more she touches me and the closer she gets, the more I want her. The hesitation and annoyance from earlier fade, and all I can see is Sierra.

“I don’t want to call off the wedding, Lucas,” Sierra says softly, her sad eyes finding mine. Her fingers brush the back of my neck, curling into the hair at the base of my skull. Her scent wraps around me, becoming sweeter and softer… becoming the scent of my mate. I pull her closer, lowering my nose to her neck and taking in the scent.

“Wouldn’t you hate to lose me?” She asks, leaning in. My hands tighten around her waist at the idea of losing her, and she arches into me. Her body brushes mine, and I growl.

“I won’t let you go.”

She hums happily, the scent of arousal rising in the air. But something about it is off. I scent her again, searching for the addicting smell from moments ago, but all I can find is a sharp floral scent that makes my stomach sour.

“Then we should move the wedding up. We could get married this weekend,” she whispers in my ear.

My body jerks at her suggestion. Something is wrong. My chest tightens, and my throat constricts as her aroused scent clogs the air.

This isn’t the scent of my mate.

Pushing her back, I stand. The coffee mug turns over, spilling the brown liquid across my desk as all the love and warmth I felt turn into icy cold contempt.

“What did you do?” I snarl, feeling wrong and dirty as I back away from Sierra. She stares at me with confusion, but I don’t buy it. Sierra is a manipulative woman, and I’m surprised I didn’t see it sooner.

She did something. There’s no reason I would feel any love for her otherwise.