Chapter 7

Harper’s POV

If looks could kill, I’d be further than six feet under. Sierra’s eyes blaze with anger as she drags me away from Lucas. Pain sears at my scalp, but before she can take me too far, Alpha Lucas reaches out and grabs Sierra by the wrist.

“What do you want, Sierra?” Alpha Lucas demands, pulling her away from me. She releases me, turns to her mate, and stops screaming at me. The irritated look on his face and the harsh tone, again, have me wondering if he even likes Sierra, something that is almost unheard of with mates.

“Oh, I came to bring you the final list of attendees for the full moon mating ball the day after tomorrow,” Sierra says, instantly calming down even with the harsh glare coming from her mate. Is she blind or does she not care?

Alpha Lucas’s eyebrow ticks up in question as Sierra asks, “Will you be there?”

“I’m the Alpha, aren’t I?”

That’s all he says before waving us both away. I don’t miss the way he glances at me before Sierra passes him the paper she brought and drags me out of the room. His eyes told me we’re not done with our conversation, but it’s not one he’ll have with Sierra here.

The moment we’re in the hallway, Sierra spins on me and looks me up and down. The nasty glare makes me take a step back, and her words make me want to puke.

“Lucas is my mate,” Sierra hisses, “And he’s going to be in my bed after the ball in two days.” I can’t fathom why she thinks I care, but as I look at her, I realize she truly thinks I want her mate. She’s completely serious and completely crazy.

“So what?” I ask, crossing my arms. “Do you have to declare that you think you have some sort of power over me? Or do you want to tell the world that you’re going to have sex with the Alpha and invite people to enjoy it? Are you that insecure in your relationship that you have to come after me when I’ve done nothing?”

Sierra gasps, her mouth dropping open momentarily before she snaps, “You haven’t seen me for a year, and you think you can say awful things like that to me? Who do you think you are?”

I want to laugh at her ridiculous questions, but honestly, I don’t have the energy. I lean back against the wall and sigh.

“I haven’t changed, Sierra. You’re the one who’s still stuck in the same place, not making any progress,” I tell her. “Your mate bond with Alpha Lucas hasn’t been completed, and why is that? You found out you were mates a year ago- over three hundred days… Is that normal?”

Her eyes grow wide as her face phases through at least three shades of red.

“I’ll let you think, but I have other things to do, so don’t bother to wait around,” I tell her before walking away.

It’s not normal that mates wait an entire year to fully bond. Most mates complete the bond within five days of finding each other, or else they begin to have symptoms like mine. However, the pain and weakness I feel are much heavier and worse since it’s been an entire year.

At the end of the hall, Beta Mason joins me.

“Lucas wants me to introduce you to the healers you’ll be working with.”

I hadn’t verbally agreed to be the pack healer, but it seems that Alpha Lucas knows I can’t say no. So, I merely nod and walk beside Mason as he leads me back toward the healer’s quarters where I spent the night.

“Are you going to continue pretending that we don’t know each other?” Beta Mason asks. “The least you could do is ask how I’ve been over the past year. We are family, after all.”

I stop just outside the healer’s quarters and look up at my stepbrother.

“Really?” I ask, staring up at him. “You want me to pretend that you didn’t know about my wolf being stripped away and that I was kicked out for something that wasn’t my fault? Oh, or do you want me to pretend we’re part of a happy family that loves each other, because, news flash, Mason. We’re not.”

Turning, I ignore him and enter the medical wing of the pack house. I may not hate Mason, but I don’t like him either. He doesn’t bully me like his sister and mother, but neither does he stand up for me nor help me.

Mason introduces each of the healers and doctors in the pack before excusing himself to his duties. The moment he’s out the door, one of the male doctors scoffs.

“Looks like the banished bitch has returned as a healer,” he laughs. “Did you come back to treat the pack or seduce the Alpha?”

Why does everyone think I’m here to seduce Alpha Lucas?

Sighing, I look at the man and plaster a fake smile on my face, “My ability as a healer has been confirmed by the Alpha, so if you have a problem, complain to the Alpha and ask to make you the main healer… Oh, wait. You can’t because he didn’t think your abilities were up to par.”

The man jumps to his feet, growling when I turn away and walk out of the room. I’m not surprised that they didn’t welcome me. Though, I’m not here to be welcomed. I’m here to find out who marked me and to stop the mark from further damaging me.

For that, I don’t need their approval.

So, I make my way outside, thinking about the hotel I was in when I was marked. If I can go there, they may have records or security footage from that night. I might be able to find the truth. However, I’m only a few hundred feet away from the pack house when a warrior appears out of thin air and stops me.

“You do not have authorization to leave the pack house,” he says, and I sigh. Again, I’m being controlled and suppressed. This is why I didn’t want to come back.

“I just need to run an errand,” I tell him. “I won’t be gone long, but I have to go. I recognize him as one of the boys I used to play with as a child, so maybe he’ll let me leave.

“Sorry, Harper, but you’re not permitted—”

“To leave,” I mutter. “What if you guys follow me? Can I leave then?” If I have to have a posse of warriors following me around, I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is more days of soul sucking pain from this mark.

“Alpha’s orders,” he simply says. The warrior blinks at me before looking behind me. Instantly, his posture changes, and he bows. I’m confused for about two seconds before I feel Alpha Lucas’s presence behind me. Mason is right behind him, and he also watches me with curiosity.

When I turn, he’s moving toward me, his eyes bouncing between me and the warrior, “Harper, what are you doing out here?”

“I’m measuring the area,” I reply sarcastically while lifting my empty hands. He should realize how ridiculous it is that he’s keeping me locked up here. Mason chuckles but the laughs die out when Lucas glares at him.

Icy blue eyes then return to me, waiting for an answer.

“I wanted to go to the hotel where I was marked to see if I can find evidence of who marked me a year ago,” I tell him after a moment of intense staring.

“You can only go where you want if you follow me,” Lucas says. “However, you need to be sure you won’t have any second thoughts about it before I give you your freedom.” His vague and oddly mysterious words only irritate me, but I nod anyways. I need to get to the hotel, and while I don’t like him hanging around me, I have to get answers.

“Which hotel?”

“Moonlight Majesty Hotel,” I answer, and Alpha Lucas freezes. The Alpha’s gaze turns serious as he looks at me once again.

“You were marked at the Moonlight Majesty Hotel?”