Without making a sound, I slipped into Ian's room and closed the door lightly.
The room was smaller than the one I'd been in. It was big enough for the queen size bed, a side table next to it, and a cozy chair in the corner of the room to my right, which was currently occupied with a pile of files that looked to be important documents and reports.
Turning my attention back to the bed, I saw that Ian was sitting up in it with his back resting on a few pillows, but his head was leaning to the side as he continued to breathe in and out slowly.
He was still asleep, so I lowered my gaze to the scattered papers, reports, and articles laid out on a maroon blanket that covered him halfway.
I couldn't help but check out his bare chest, noticing how the light from the nightstand made the lines of his chest and abs look almost immaculate.
Sinful and deadly...
Pulling my mind out of the gutter, I quietly made my way to the bed, trying my best not to wake Ian.
I began to gather the multiple papers, reports, and files from his bed, putting them in a neat pile with the loose sheets of papers on top and the thick files of information at the bottom. I moved to the red suede chair and lowered the stack next to the other pile.
I noticed something slip from one of the folders. Crouching down, I picked up the small square picture that had a pink paper clip attached to it.
Rising back up, my eyes lingered on the image. My lips began to curl upward as my eyes softened at the familiar scene: Ian, Muffin, and me posing with all the wolves.
It must have been the day of my first birthday spent at Sacred Moon, the first celebration I had with my new adopted family.
I was holding Muffin in my hands, her mismatched eyes filled with curiosity as her head was slightly tilted, her focus on the camera. Ian was grinning from ear to ear, looking so happy, like he'd won an award.
I had a wide smile on my lips, and Carter was sitting next to me so he wouldn't look like a giant already. He looked uninterested, but I saw the calm in his eyes.
Damien stood next to him and Levi was on the far right of the image. Hayden and Heston were next to Ian, both of them sticking their tongues out, which made me giggle quietly at their goofiness. As wolves, they still had amazing personalities.
"Pack," Reika whispered.
Our pack.
It was thanks to them that I'd survived and become the person I was today. I loved each of them and I craved more knowledge about the rest of the pack. I knew I wouldn't get my answers right away, but I hoped we'd get some time to hang out.
I wanted to know how their human sides were, even though I'd noticed the immense similarities.
Discovering more about their pasts and how they ended up together was a goal I wished to attain. Though the Moon was involved in bringing them together, I wanted to know how and maybe figure out why. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence that six endangered wolves came together as their own pack. Did they come from other packs before they went on their own and landed in Sacred Moon as a safe haven? What happened to their families?
So many questions that would take some time for me to gather the answers to. With a heavy sigh, I rubbed my thumb along the image, accidentally moving the paperclip and whatever was behind the picture.
Hmm?
Tugging the first Polaroid picture from its hold of the paperclip, my eyes widened at the second picture beneath. An older picture that displayed something I couldn't remember.
The surroundings were similar, almost as if I and the people around me were standing in the same spot as the other picture. The trees were different, and I noticed at our feet were roses that I knew in my heart were the pink ones from the clearing.
I was a bit younger in this picture, about four years old. I had a bright smile on my face, and my white teeth and pink flushed cheeks made it look like I'd been running around. My brown hair was in loose curls and I wore a unicorn headband with a small gold horn pointing upwards.
I had a pink dress on that had hints of gold and blue, and pink dress shoes with sparkles on them.
I was holding the hand of the boy next to me, his mismatched eyes giving him away. Carter.
He looked just like the memories I'd recalled so far, wearing yellow shorts and a white dress shirt. His yellow bow tie had white polka dots, and his hair was gelled to stay in place, though a few strands lingered on his face.
He looked super happy with a huge smile that showed his straight white teeth. Three adults stood in the picture, tugging at my mind but not revealing any familiarity.
Two men and a woman.
On the far right was the first man, appearing to be in his late thirties or early forties. He had blue eyes and long black hair that was left down. He wore a black suit and one of his hands rested on my shoulder. I could see the pride in his eyes as he smiled.
The woman next to him made me do a double take. My eyes widened at the familiarity of her long brown tresses that were in bountiful curls. She looked young, maybe a little bit older than me currently, or at least in her early thirties.
She had the purest smile on her face, looking like everything in her life was perfect and her sparkling teal eyes represented such happiness. She wore a white sleeveless dress, revealing two tattoos on her arms, and had a very familiar necklace around her neck.
On instinct, I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the chain of my necklace beneath the grey dress I wore. Slipping my hand beneath the fabric, I pulled the necklace out and took a few seconds to stare at the one in my hand before shifting my gaze back to the picture, noticing the identical lines and design of the necklace in the photo.
"Mom?" Reika asked.
I…think so...
I swallowed the lump in my throat, switching my attention to the man who stood behind Carter on the far left.
He looked older like the man on the right. He had short hair that was blond with hints of silver. His eyes were just like Carter's; one eye was gold and the other turquoise. He wore a suit as well, with a teal tie. He had a small smile on his face, and maintained a cool expression, but his eyes revealed the joy in them, reminding me of how Carter was.
This has to be Carter's dad.
"Definitely," Reika replied.
I noticed the small platform near Carter’s and my feet. A teal cushion with gold outlining lay there, holding a blade that was almost like a dagger.
The ancient blade…the one my mother…aunt, told me to protect.
"The blade is safe?" Reika asked.
I'm not really sure…but I guess so? We have our necklace. I'm assuming the guys must have put the blade elsewhere for safe keeping. Especially since Rogan and his goons were after it.
With a deep breath, I stared at the picture for a long time, looking at each individual and always coming back to the woman in the middle.
My mother…Harriet?
Blinking a few times, I realized the room had changed, the dark wooden floor turned to green grass.
I noticed the pink dress shoes I wore on my little feet. My dress was visibly poofy and I looked over to the second pair—dark brown dress shoes.
Lifting my eyes, I locked onto Carter's gleaming ones, taking in his wide smile as he met my gaze.
"Harper, we have to take our royal picture."
"Don't we need crowns?" I asked. I heard a chuckle behind me and I looked up to see the exact same teal eyes as mine staring down. The woman who looked like an older me grinned.
"I thought a certain princess said she wanted to keep her unicorn band on."
"I do, Mommy! Don't take it from me." I pouted my lips and the man next to her chuckled.
"It's a good thing we decided to leave the crowns back home. Harper would have a fit."
"Daddy," I whined for no particular reason and he reached out to stroke my head.
"Yes, our Princess?"
"Um, nothing." I giggled and gave my parents a big smile. "Can we take a picture now? I wanna go back to playing with Carter!"
"Me too! Are we taking the picture now?" Carter asked, and looked to the man to our right.
"Alfred will be here in a moment to take the picture. Carter, turn around so I can fix your tie."
"Okay, Dad," Carter replied. He let go of my hand to face his father, who knelt down and began to fix the crooked little bow tie. I whipped around to face my parents as well, looking down at the mark on my left hand with glee.
Carter's hand wrapped around mine, and I stared at his royal mark that was like mine, except on his right hand.
"You're going to be my Queen one day, Harper," Carter practically sang, trying his best to stay put as his father moved on from his bow tie to fix his hair.
"I can't wait! Mom? Carter and I should get married tomorrow!"
Mother giggled, and Father and Carter's dad chuckled. "It's not that simple, sweet Harper. There are steps you have to follow. When you and Carter are older, we will do the ceremony. All the Cardinal packs have to be present."
"That sounds complicated," I mumbled. "Maybe later. Are we going to meet the family from the south with the boy?" I asked.
"You mean the boy I don't like," Carter emphasized with an annoyed expression. His father laughed and rose up.
"It appears the Moon doesn't want the North and South Princes to get along."
Mother sighed. "Hasn't it always been that way? It's like they're destined to dispute with one another."
"He looks nice, Mommy!" I defended and looked at Carter, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "You don't even know his name."
"I don't care. He looked at you and I didn't like it," Carter argued.
My father laughed. "I guess Harper's off limits."
"She's mine." Carter huffed and moved to hug me.
I giggled and hugged him back. "My Carter, my mate," I sang.
Our parents smiled, and we turned back around to see an older man with a camera. "Everyone ready?"
"Yes, Alfred. Carter, Harper? Get ready for the picture," Carter's father coached.
"Okay!" we said together.
Carter held my hand once more, and I looked at the blade in the cushion. "Mommy? Why is the blade on the pillow?"
"It's a very special artifact that holds a lot of magic power. We're placing it on the pillow to acknowledge that you are going to be the future heir of Blessed Lake pack. Since your mate bond with Carter has appeared earlier than expected, we're taking the picture with the blade as our witness of your future bonding. The blade's magic will protect you and guide you to safety when you need it the most. It’s very valuable, and will be a form of protection when you're older. Only you can use it to its full potential."
"That's complicated," Carter replied.
I nodded. "Mom, does that mean I have magic like Carter?"
"You do. It's just not strong enough yet, but it will be. You'll be able to do amazing things. In the future," Mother replied.
"Like what?" Carter asked.
"Well, if you fell down and got a scratch, Harper could heal you from far away. When you're both older, you'll be able to communicate through your pack bond, and she'd be able to help you if you need it. You can do the same when your magic is powerful," Mother explained.
"That's cool!" I exclaimed, hopping up and down. "I'm going to be a powerful wolf with magic and get a shiny blade. I get to marry Carter!"
"I'll get strong magic too, so I can protect Harper and my pack. I'll be a good Alpha," Carter vowed.
His father patted his shoulder and grinned. "You certainly will, Carter."
"Everyone ready for the camera?"
"Yes!" we said together and stood still.
"Three, two, once, CHEESE!" Alfred announced.
"Meow!"
I wanted to turn around toward the sound, the familiar meow catching my attention, but something wrapped around my waist and pulled me out of the memory and back to reality.
"Harper."
I couldn't reply right away, feeling a tad dizzy. The arms around my waist tightened their secure hold, allowing me to rest against the person who held me.
Blinking my eyes out of the heavy daze I was in, I looked over my shoulder slightly to see Ian's sleepy eyes, those silver orbs meeting my teal ones.
"Ian?" My voice was soft but held a hint of exhaustion, giving me away.
Ian's eyes looked to my hands, and I looked back at the picture but was left puzzled at the now-blank polaroid.
Where did the image go?
"Magic?" Reika suggested. "Maybe the picture only wants you to see the photo."
Mentally nodding in agreement, I lowered my hands, not caring that the pictures slipped from my hand and floated right to the pile of files.
Ian loosened his hold around my waist, and I took advantage of that by turning around to face him. He still appeared half asleep, his eyes displaying his exhaustion.
His guarded expression wasn't settling well with my gut, and I pressed my body against him while my arms wrapped around his lower waist, my hands feeling the soft cotton fabric of his boxers.
My focus was solely on Ian, taking in his handsome features and wishing I had a third hand to run my fingers through his loose green-silver strands.
I bit my lip, a hint of anxiousness running through me as we continued to stare in silence.
Is he mad? Did he see what was on the picture? Or maybe he could be upset that I moved his stuff? Or the whole jealousy thing? What should I do… or say?
I had no words to speak, unable to think of what I could possibly say to figure out what emotion was running through Ian at the moment.
I soon realized I wouldn't need to, as his hand ran up my back and pushed me against him into a comforting hug. I felt confused at the sudden hug but didn't pull away as my worry began to fade.
We held each other for a long time, and when Ian was ready to pull away, I held him close, not wanting to be too far from him. His eyes met mine once more and I mentally sighed when I saw some emotion in them: relief, sadness, worry.
"Ian? You alright?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"I should be asking you that, Harper. I missed you," he admitted.
I tried to reply but was silenced by his lips that claimed mine and delivered a deep kiss. I let my eyes close, responding to the loving move, my heart aching to feel his body against mine.
The kiss went on for a while, neither of us wanting to stop. Not yet anyway.
"I missed you t…mhm." I wanted to speak before this grew into something more intense, but Ian dominated my mouth and slipped his tongue inside. We were both panting heavily after minutes of heated kisses, and I had to stop him from devouring me again by raising my hand and pressing my finger against his craving lips.
"Talk now, love-making later," I commanded, using a bit of authority in my voice to get through the lust that was apparent in his eyes. He blinked a few times and frowned, looking really depressed.
I groaned and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down into a fierce kiss and only stopping when my lungs begged for oxygen.
"Ian, please…we need to talk. It's not what…you're thinking." I sucked in air in between kisses and speaking, trying to catch my breath.
He pulled me into a hug instead. "You're not going to break up with me?" he mumbled. "Do…you still love me?"
My heart sank at the break in his voice, and I hugged him back as tightly as I could. "Ian, baby. Why wouldn't I still love you? You're my mate, remember?"
"Carter's your mate..." He trailed off and I sighed.
"I know. I understand that, but it doesn't mean that because Carter's my mate, I’d simply ditch you."
I loosened my hold around his neck, leaning back to peer into his eyes.
"Ian Chestwood. I've loved you for years. You saved me from the brink of death, brought me cookies, and snuggled me during troubled nights. We grew up together and you never left my side. You understand me like no other and know some of my darkest, most vulnerable secrets. I understand where you're coming from and maybe you feel intimidated by Carter, but just because he's my destined mate, doesn't mean this becomes a competition between you two."
"But he's better than me, Harper. If he wasn't there to initiate the spell…you wouldn't be here in my arms now. We wouldn't have saved you. He's smarter than me, more knowledgeable, and makes wiser decisions. He's the perfect mate for you and an amazing Alpha. I envy his strength…and I'm just scared you'll be his because of all those qualities. I can't beat him, Harper. I know in my damn blood that no matter how strong I become, Carter will always be a step better. Why would you want to still be with me when you have someone who has the whole package?"
"Ian." My voice was emotionless, catching Ian's attention as he looked back into my eyes. I pressed both hands against his cheeks, needing him to focus strictly on me as I spoke.
"Have I ever loved you because you had the best set of abs in all of the town?"
"No..."
"Did I fall in love with you simply because you saved me that night I almost died?"
"No."
"You, out of all in the pack, should know that I love a person because of who they are. Not the physical features or magic and strength level. Looks don’t matter either. I fell in love with the person you were back then, and the amazing, kind-hearted, compassionate man who's in front of me now. I love every side of you, both the confident one and this side of you who questions my love for you. Ian, nothing, and I mean nothing, will change what's between us. The love we share will continue to be as strong and grow even stronger with time. Even if I share myself with the rest of the pack, no one will be replacing the love I have for you, just like the love I have for you will not replace the love I feel for them. Everyone within our pack will receive love from my heart, but no one will be replaced or overshadowed," I vowed.
He stared at me long and hard, and I made sure my gaze was unwavering.
"I love you, Ian Chestwood. Nothing will change that love for you," I emphasized, hoping if I said it again with firm aspiration, it would get through to him.
He nodded slightly, and as I let his cheeks go he leaned down to kiss me ever so gently.
"I'm sorry," he whispered against my lips. "I was concerned…just overwhelmed with worry that you wouldn't recover, and I just let the negative thoughts overwhelm me. I shouldn't have. I trust you and know you wouldn't just ditch me, but…it was just hard."
He lifted his hands to cradle my face as he continued.
"You and the pack are all I have. I've been trying to find out more…to figure out where I came from, and yet I can't. The frustration got to me and I began to doubt myself and the foundation of love we built over the years. Carter's just so amazing, and even though I'd never tell him, I want to be strong like him one day. I want to be able to do what an Alpha should do and look at all angles before coming to conclusions. I'm working on it, but when I get flooded with dark thoughts, it’s difficult."
We pressed our foreheads together, and I smiled.
"You are amazing, Ian, and there's tons of time to improve. The pack and I care about you, and you don't need to find out your past to prove anything. We'll work on finding out the truth. Now that we kind of have a hint that our parents are alive, we'll just have to be patient and work on discovering what really happened and where they could be. When you're working on something all by yourself, it's overwhelming and really hard, but together, we can quicken the pace. I'm sure the rest of the pack will be willing to help as well," I reasoned.
"That sounds nice," he whispered.
We shared a comforting smile and he lowered his lips to mine.
"Thanks, Harper. Sorry, I really should have asked if you're okay. When I woke up, you were just staring aimlessly at the blank photo. Like you were sleepwalking or in a trance."
"Ah. Sorry. I…was staring at our picture and got lost in my thoughts about the past. Are you okay? You were knocked out when I found you with Muffin."
"I'm fine. The magic wore off quickly, but I didn't reach you until Rogan was dead and..."
"Carter explained. Thank you for suggesting the bonding. Carter and the others wouldn't have been able to contribute if you hadn't pushed them to do it," I said softly, remembering his words before my consciousness had faded.
He gave me a small smile and I was happy he wasn't thinking negatively about himself anymore.
"Were you researching?" I asked.
"Kind of. Work at the station doubled after Rogan's death. It was announced that he was a part of the multiple murders, but it looks like his pack of goons are making things worse for the town. Thanks to O'Neil's connections, we got Sacred Moon and our house spelled. No one can enter but us for now. To any outsiders, it's nothing but land, and even if they try to attack it without visibly seeing the barrier around the property, it will bounce back to the individual. I talked with O'Neil about my suspicions with some of the cops working in our department, and there was a huge clear out three days ago. We're waiting on transfers to come in, which means the workload basically tripled. I haven't been concentrating well, so I'm behind."
I nodded in understanding. Pressing my hands against his chest, I smiled. "Why don't we have a relaxing bath and retire early for the night? Then we can work together on bringing your workload down."
"We could. Aren't you tired?"
"Not really. I'd love a nice bath, and maybe we can multitask doing other stuff," I purred.
"Multitask, huh?" He bit his bottom lip. "I'm supposed to make sure you're resting," he mumbled.
"I am resting. Not a lot of work when you're in the bathtub," I noted.
He smirked. "Sounds like a steamy bath is next on the list of relaxation techniques."
With a giggle I pulled away, slipping my hand in his. "You have to lead the way."
"Right." He paused and whispered, "You're sleeping here tonight?"
"Right by your side." I squeezed his hand for extra reassurance.
A splash of joy ran through me, and though it wasn't mine, I felt just as joyous that things had worked out smoothly.
“Where did Muffin go?” Reika asked.
Muffin? Oh right, the meow sound.
Glancing around the room, I pouted my lips in confusion as to where the little furball was.
“What’s wrong?” Ian asked.
“I swore I heard Muffin…”
“Maybe you’re hearing things. She would snuggle next to your head and meow all week long. That could be why you thought you heard her. She’s nowhere in the room.”
“Hmm. Maybe my ears are just playing tricks.” With a shrug, I looked back at Ian. “Let’s go?”
He nodded with a sexy smile that made me anticipate what was about to occur in the steamy hot bathtub.
Time for some calm before we tackle the problems at hand.