Chapter 81

Harper’s POV

I take several deep breaths, picking damp pieces of hair off my forehead before I let my hands hover over my injuries. I was hoping to not need to heal myself so soon, but I’m not about to spend the rest of the night feeling dizzy and achy.

Once I’m healed, I move to the door but pause before I can open it.

Did Lucas leave or is he still out there?

My heart skips a beat in my chest, and I have to hold back the hope that he’s still here. It’s insane to actually want to be around someone who treated me the way Lucas did, but I can’t help myself. When I’m with him, I feel safe and after being attacked, I could really use some comfort.

But if I just let him in, will he think that I’ve forgiven and forgotten about what happened?

I don’t want that.

Sighing, I turn the knob and bite back the gasp when I nearly trip over the furry beast at my feet. I catch myself on the door, mutter a curse, and wait for him to move out of the way before trudging over to the bed and laying down.

“I told you to leave,” I say once I turn over.

He stands at the edge of the bed and lays his face on the mattress, watching me. He makes no move to jump up or get closer, which makes me feel a bit better.

Again, the warmth of his presence feels good, but I try to ignore it.

“I don’t forgive you,” I repeat, and again, those golden wolfy eyes just watch me. A soft whine falls from Lucas’s wolf, and I wonder if he’s going to change back. I want to ask, but at the same time, I don’t.

Turning over, I face the wall and reach up to cover the mark on my neck. A mark that tingles softly at the close proximity between me and Lucas.

Would things be different if Lucas knew that I’m the girl he marked?

The question echoes through my mind, but I keep my back turned toward him. Asking now wouldn’t do me any good. Right now, I need to sleep and gather myself. Lucas will surely have questions when he’s ready to change back to human form, and I’ll need some extra strength to ignore him and get to the stem of our problem.

Lucas’s POV

The fuzzy darkness that fills my mind is thick, and I try my best to push through it. I could hear her, my mate, but I couldn’t find her.

Is she lost in this void of nothingness, too?

I hope not.

It’s hard to breathe and move here, but I have to get back to her. I have to find her.

Something tugs me forward, guiding me until the fog thins out. The only thing that keeps me moving is the thought of finding her again.

Of finding Harper.

“She’s alive,” I hear my wolf say. “They didn’t kill her. She’s here.”

I push on, moving closer and closer to the light. It burns brighter and then fades into a dim lamp on a short bedside table in a ratty, cheap motel room. I look around, scanning the room for a hint of an idea of where I am.

And I see her.

Harper.

She’s sleeping peacefully in the bed, facing me with a hand reaching out toward me. I stand, only to find myself still in wolf form. My head is foggy and feels heavy, and I realize that I’ve been stuck in wolf form for Goddess knows how long.

But it doesn’t matter because she’s here, sleeping, breathing, and fine.

The scent of blood is gone, and she doesn’t look injured. Still, I move closer, letting my eyes run over her form until I feel I’ve seen enough to prove she’s not hurt.

I’m not sure how long we’ve been here, but night has fallen, and my body feels stiff enough that I know I’ve been laying here for a while. In all reality, I’m surprised that Harper let me stay in the room with her.

I would’ve expected her to force me to leave.

My wolf may have been in charge of our body and mind, but he wouldn’t have stayed in the room if she truly wished us gone. Though, he would have stayed nearby in case she needed us.

Sighing, I turn my eyes to Harper again as a soft groan makes my ears twitch. I catch the shake of her body, the way she clutches at the thin covers, and the way she curls up to conserve what little warmth she has.

I go back and forth, knowing I shouldn’t climb into bed with her, but also knowing that I shouldn’t let her freeze. She tosses and turns, little huffs and the chattering of her teeth setting me on edge.

After listening to her restless sleep, I can’t take it anymore. I swiftly and silently climb onto the bed in my wolf form and lay at her side. I curl up next to her body, letting my higher body temperature radiate off of me and into her.

I stay in my wolf form, knowing that if Harper wakes up, being in animal form probably won’t make her as angry. If she wakes to find me in my human form, she’ll probably try to kick me out immediately. At least, that’s what I would do in her situation.

There’s so much that has happened and so much that I need to apologize for, but I also know that an apology won’t be enough. I’ll have to work my ass off to keep her by my side. I know that, and I’ll gladly do it.

All this trouble started with Logan, but it’s my fault that she felt the need to run. I put her in the position of feeling unsafe, which is something I never should have done, even before knowing she’s my mate.

As a normal pack member, she should’ve been given the benefit of the doubt.

I can’t keep making excuses for myself.

When she wakes up, I’ll explain everything and apologize. I’ll listen to anything and everything she wants to tell me. I know that she’s innocent, and I should’ve known all along, but I was a fucking idiot that couldn’t see past my anger.

So, I lay here, keeping her warm and safe in the best way I know how. I listen past the four walls that surround us, tracking every sound. A can clatters across the parking lot, a woman laughing at something her partner says, the slam of a door—which makes Harper stir but not wake—and all the sounds that fill a seedy motel like this at night.

Again, I’m hit with a wave of guilt and shame as I realize that I put her here. She ran for her life, literally, and had to choose a place like this to live. It may be temporary, but it shouldn’t have happened at all.

Sighing, I let my eyes move over the window beside the door and lift my head when a shadow walks by. It doesn’t stop, but I don’t allow myself to let my guard down.

No one will get close enough to hurt Harper again.

Not with me and my wolf guarding her.