~HARPER~
"Harper?"
I opened my eyes to roll over, tugging the blanket with me. "No."
Something licked my cheek and a soft purr sound vibrated next to my left ear which made me smile. "Muffin..."
"Harper, baby. You’ve got to get up to eat something."
I snuggled my blanket and tried to go back to sleep, ignoring Ian's attempt to wake me up. I was still exhausted, and it was hard enough to stay awake.
"Harper."
"Woof?"
"She's fine. It's always a fight to get her up," Ian replied. It took me a few seconds to realize one of the wolves was in the room. Hmm, that sounds like...Carter? Maybe...wait...when did I get home last night?
The thought left me pondering what happened last night. Talked with the pack. They took a nap. I went to find Carter...and then?
My mind was blank after that. As much as I tried to recall what happened after I went into the forest, nothing came up, which left me a little concerned as to how I'd gotten back and into my bed. Wait. Is this my bed? Which house are we at?
I finally decided to open my eyes while I fought off the urge to sleep. The familiar gold turquoise eyes locked onto mine and it almost felt like deja vu. It was a little weird since aside from Carter, and of course, Muffin, no one I knew had mismatched eyes.
Yet, it felt like I'd seen Carter's eyes somewhere else. Like he'd been human, or someone of similar characteristics had approached me.
I didn't know where, how, or if it was even true, but the recurring feeling didn't go away. I know I didn't drink anything last night. Am I just imagining things?
Carter nudged my nose with his wet nose, which made me grin. "I'm still sleepy."
"Woof!"
"Five more minutes?" I suggested, my eyes already beginning to close. Carter looked away for a second, but he sat down and watched me, which meant he'd let me rest for a few more minutes.
"Woof," he said quietly. Muffin's purrs didn't stop, which was really soothing, and I felt something go through my hair, followed by something soft pressing against my cheeks.
"Five minutes Harper," Ian whispered soothingly.
"Kay..." I trailed off. "Love you..." I murmured and fell back asleep.
"Damn, I swear that was more than five minutes." I yawned and finished brushing out the tangles in my hair. It was already evening, and I'd clearly slept all day.
"We couldn't wake you up," Ian pointed out.
"I don't remember coming home last night. Was I that tired?" I asked as I placed the hairbrush down and began to gather my hair to put it in a ponytail.
"You were pooped out," Ian replied. "Even though you did take a nap earlier."
"Hmm. I always get tired when there's a full moon approaching. There's one today, right?" I asked.
"Yup."
I finished my hair and did a quick overview of my look. Black leather pants, white shirt, black leather jacket. Ah! My necklace. I really should wear that.
"You should bring your blade too."
Why? You wanna train in the woods later? We can't go far though, unless you wanna upset Ian again. I'm impressed he didn't snap at us.
"True. He was rather nice. Maybe it was Carter's presence."
Right. Maybe...?
I looked out from the washroom to see Carter was relaxed in the corner of the room, watching Muffin run back and forth with a ball of yarn.
When I woke up, Ian had explained I'd walked into the forest and he found me napping with Carter. It wasn't like I hadn't done something like that before, but it felt just a bit off in my mind. Like, wouldn't I have at least remembered wanting to take a nap?
Regardless, he brought me back home, and seeing as I slept right through to the early morning, he carried me to the car and drove us back to the sanctuary.
The renovations were almost done at least, but it looked like the wolves were getting used to living indoors with us. Carter didn't normally stay in my room, but it was interesting to wake up to him being there.
He looked worried in some instances, and other times he almost seemed sad to me? It could have all been my mind playing tricks with me, but I wondered what could be bothering the Alpha wolf.
Walking out from the washroom, I headed for the drawer and pulled out my blade in its scabbard. I put it inside my leather jacket and reached out to take my necklace from its protective case.
"Is Sam or Dolly home today?" I asked as I walked to my standing mirror to put on my necklace and make sure I looked decent.
"To be honest, I don't know. Sam called yesterday asking if we were coming home and I said we would, but we weren't sure. He went on...something about finishing a deal with Amelia Rosette. Never heard of her before but maybe it’s the agent dealing with the renovations? Anyways, he said we could stay outside for the night. I asked him about the wolves, and he said they should be fine for the night. That's a bit out of Sam's normal behavior."
"Dolly wouldn't even allow him to leave the wolves alone without reassurance that they're fine," I added and looked at Carter who met my gaze. I walked over to him and knelt down on one knee to stroke his head while Muffin jumped onto my knee to sit there.
"Hey, Carter. Hey Muffin." I greeted the both of them before I returned my attention to Carter. "Why you so gloomy today, Carter?"
He merely closed his eyes and lifted his head slightly to give me a lick on the cheek and nudge his nose against my chin before he laid back down.
"Is he depressed? He's never depressed." I shot Ian a worried look as he approached us.
"He was out running a lot yesterday. Maybe he's tired from all the activity."
"Carter can run for hours and not get tired. Not to this extent," I pointed out. I’d known Carter long enough to see the difference between exhaustion and depression. "Why you upset, Carter? The other wolves didn't tell you I'm sharing?"
He whimpered, which only made me frown. Muffin jumped off my knee and ran out the room. I changed my positions, crossing my legs and turning slightly to give Carter 100% of my attention.
"Carter. Come sit on my lap for a few minutes." I gestured. He stared at me hesitantly for 30 seconds before he finally moved his large frame to curl around me and settle his head in my lap while his body wrapped behind me.
"Good boy. Don't be depressed. I'll always make time for you and we'll still have our two days a week. Nothing is going to change," I assured him. He snuggled closer to me but didn't respond vocally.
I comforted him the best I could, and Ian was silent for a long time before he announced. "I'll go get some coffee, ready."
I simply nodded, not wanting to move my focus from Carter. He'd be waiting to see if I did and that would only upset him even more. This was his time to enjoy me being here to comfort him and I didn't want to fuck it up.
Twenty minutes passed before Carter lifted his head to begin licking my face repeatedly, which made me laugh. "Carter, enough. Alright, you're happy now?"
"Woof!" he replied and got up, towering over me.
"Jeez, did you grow again in the last two days? I think I need to get a King size bed for when you want to sneak into my room," I pointed out. The thought reminded me of the pumpkin spice scent from when I'd woken up with Ian.
"Hmm. Have you been sneaking into our room to sleep here?" I asked. He tilted his head innocently and looked at me with those adorable eyes of his.
"I guess that's a no," I replied and leaned in to sniff him. "You do smell like pumpkin spice though. I bet muffin knocked some powder on you or something."
Carter stretched and moved to stand in front of me, his eyes on the door. He began to growl, which made me follow his gaze, but no one was the door.
"What's wrong, Carter?" I asked.
Something crashed from downstairs, sounding like a type of glass. I got up with ease and I was out of the room with Carter behind me.
"YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!"
I flinched at Ian's loud voice that was laced with undeniable anger. Carter moved past me, heading straight to the kitchen, and I dashed into a run the remaining way. I slid to a stop, and my gaze landed on Ian, whose hand was dripping with blood from a few cuts.
Muffin ran immediately to my feet, looking scared as ever. I picked her up without a second thought, pressing her to my chest and looked to see Sam's red face and Dolly's tear-stained expression.
Carter was standing close to where the majority of glass shards were from the coffee brewer. "Carter, come here," I ordered, not wanting him to get hurt. He looked back at me for a long moment before he moved to stand where I was.
That caught Sam's and Dolly's attention, and I met their gazes with my own confused one. "What's going on? And Ian, you're bleeding," I stressed.
When Ian was angry, he basically became blind to everything else around him, which included if he was hurt. He didn't budge, his raging silver eyes still locked on Sam.
"Tell her!" Ian snapped.
"Tell me what?" I questioned.
Dolly began to cry, and Sam sighed. "We're...selling the sanctuary."
I stood there, staring at them blankly and Sam continued. "We can't afford to deal with this drama with Rogan's family. It's exhausting and we get the least support compared to the others. We're thinking of just transferring the wolves between the other sanctuaries and closing down."
"You can't separate us!" Ian snapped.
Sam turned to him. "We don't have a fucking choice. None of the sanctuaries can take all 6 of you guys. Look how huge Carter is alone?! He's literally the height of Harper. You're lucky he can even fit in this place. You won't have that luxury at the other sanctuaries."
"The other sanctuaries would adapt to our abnormal sizes!" Ian argued. I didn't think he realized he was talking out of context and referring to him as being included in the mix, which was correct, but Dolly and Sam didn't know I knew what he was.
"Well, you can go there then! Still doesn't mean you'll be able to remain as a pack. The twins will be separated between East and West, Levi and Damien will help the North. Carter can choose wherever he wants to go. None of them will decline a strong Alpha."
"Uh hello? Missing someone!" Ian snapped, raising his hands up for extra emphasize. Sam rolled his eyes.
"Wolfie will be opposite of whatever Carter chooses."
"Why?!"
"You two don't get along anyway, so what's the problem?"
"You don't fucking know that?! How the fuck would you know when you're never here anymore. So this is how it is? That's why you've been practically ditching me whenever you take me to the sanctuaries to go enjoy some free time smoking it up in town and drinking!" Ian exclaimed.
"What?" Dolly questioned and turned to Sam who bit his lip in frustration. "Why would I stick around anymore. All them stuck-up brats care about is power. There's no respect anymore. I've been in this for decades! What have we gotten out of it? I've protected you guys from Rogan's family shit, and no one wants to acknowledge our hard work. Dolly and I are wasting our time and we ain't getting younger."
"Oh. So when the big pay cheques stop coming, it’s a waste of time. I guess when you were making ten to twenty thousand dollars monthly off donations and traveling to luxurious resorts, you didn't have a problem right?" Ian shouted.
"Don't fucking talk down to me, boy. We took you in and raised you when no one else would!"
"I didn't ask you take me in, and if I knew you were just going to use it against me like it was a fucking choice for my family to be MURDERED, then I wouldn't have stayed!" Ian snapped.
"Sam! Enough!" Dolly snapped. "We took Ian in because we wanted to! Stop acting like a dick!"
"Oh shut it, Dolly!" Sam snapped and pointed to her. "YOU wanted children so badly. YOU begged me to take Ian in and I couldn't refuse. Just as you begged me once more to take Harper in! You think I don't know shit?! Rogan's going all over the place trying to find Harriet's daughter and this whole time she's RIGHT THERE! How long we gonna keep protecting her for the sake of OUR lives."
Carter began to growl right there and then, silencing everyone. I swallowed hard, trying not to react, but I was glad I was holding Muffin in my hands because it hid the uncontrollable shiver in them.
"Harriet?" Ian whispered, and narrowed his eyes at Sam. "North's Alpha?"
"Ian Sto-" Sam tried to interrupt, but Ian wasn't gonna have it.
"Harper's parents. You know something," Ian growled. "I've spent YEARS searching, and YOU know something?!"
Carter backed up until he was right in front of me, his tail brushing against my stomach. I think it was his way to say he was here, but I stood my ground, knowing that I was about to find out the truth about my parent's murder in a matter of seconds. If it was my parent?
Reika was paying close attention, her teal eyes glued on Dolly and we watched her officially break down.
"Harper's...parents. That was her aunt and uncle."
I was quiet, and Ian cursed. "I fucking knew it!" he snapped, and Sam bit his lip.
"You shouldn't be digging into people's pasts, boy!"
"First of all!" Ian growled, taking a step forward which made him and Sam face to face. "I'm NOT a boy. I'm a MAN, and I've worked my ass off to get the position I got with O'Neil whose one of the few damn cops who is loyal and doesn't throw shit under the covers."
My eyes widened when Ian's eyes glowed a haunting silver, reminding me of Wolfie's eyes. "Second of all. It's my fucking business. Harper is my mate. She's a part of OUR pack. You think I wasn't going to bring up the truth to her when it was right? I've been digging into this for years just as O'Neil has, and all we were waiting for was for you to fuck up. You just fucked up, Sammy boy!"
"You litt-"
Carter howled then, causing both of them to stall in what I knew would turn into a fist fight. Dolly looked at me, but I had a guarded expression on my face. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing the hurt that pulsated through me, or the anger that was boiling inside me.
"Harper, we wanted to te-"
"If my parents were my aunt and uncle, who was the boy?"
"That..." Dolly took a deep breath as tears rolled down her cheek. "That was your aunt's only son. We didn't know you were being hunted until Ian found your body. You must have run to our property because you remembered it from the back of your mind."
"I...knew about this place," I whispered and looked at Ian who appeared just as stunned.
"Why don't I remember? If Harper had been here before, why had I not seen her during the two years I'd lived with you?" Ian questioned.
"Because we made sure she came by when you weren't around with the rest of the Pack."
"Why?" Ian and I said together.
My heart was racing, but I needed to know all that was hidden now that it was being spilled out like a broken cup of tea.
"To see Carter," Dolly mumbled. We both looked at Carter who growled but remained where he was.
"I knew Carter? Why would I come to see a wolf?"
Sam rolled his eyes and looked directly at me. "He's your mate AND they're not just wolves. Like damn, you’ve got to know by now that Ian's a fucking wolf shifter!"
"Sam! You can't just reveal shit like that!" Dolly snapped. "It's against the rights!"
"Fuck the rights! She's a wolf too! Why else would Rogan be working his ass off to try and find her? Look at all the damn female wolves that have been murdered because of her! Her very existence is the reason all this is happening, and we can't even enjoy life anymore. Everything we worked for is going to be closed down because of her."
I swallowed hard, but Reika howled loudly in my head which made it hard for me to stay still.
Confirmation that we were a wolf shifter.
Hidden truth that my parents weren't dead.
The revelation that I'd known Carter...
The realization that Carter is my mate...
Shit...the pack...they're all wolf shifters...
"We were supposed to protect her! She's not supposed to find out this way, Sam!" Dolly exclaimed and stood up.
Sam turned to her. "I don't give a fuck! I'm tired of this shit. Tired of babysitting and letting my life pass by for some wolves who don't give a shit. Rogan should just take the damn blade and leave me the fuck out of this war shit! In fact, just get rid of Harper while he’s at it. Save us from going fucking extin-"
I blinked, and Sam was now on the floor, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. I slowly looked at Ian whose body was trembling with anger. "I'll fucking kill you tonight, you piece of shit."
"Go ahead! I'll get your ass locked up where you fucking belong. Then you can rot and die like your useless father who abandoned your ass!"
I gawked at him and Dolly quietly cursed, but I caught it. "Ian's parents. They're not dead either..." I whispered.
Dolly's eyes widened as she lifted her head to look at me. I knew just from one glance that my statement was right. Ian froze, and Carter sat on the back of his paws to stare at Sam.
"Woof."
Ian turned his gaze to Carter for a long moment. "What?"
"Don't you dare say shit, Carter. You reveal what you know, and you'll receive the punishments that were spelled on you for secrecy!" Sam snapped.
Carter howled loudly, and I heard footsteps, which made me look over my shoulder. My eyes widened at the familiar face. "O'Neil...how long..." I trailed off when he reached me and stroked my cheek with his hand.
"Long enough, Kiddo. Sorry I was late. Had to get enough evidence for court."
"O'Neil?!" Ian exclaimed.
"Well thank goodness, O'Neil. You can come over here and arrest Ian and take him to fucking jail for harassment!" Sam snapped. Ian's eyes widened, and my jaw dropped as I fearfully looked at O'Neil.
"O'Neil...Ian's not at fault here," I defended with a shaky breath. O'Neil nodded, but his eyes were filled with sorrow, which made my stomach drop. I looked at Ian desperately, mentally wishing he'd run away, but I could tell he wasn't going to. He'd face whatever charges with his head held high rather than turn away from the system he learned and respected.
O'Neil pulled out his handcuffs and Sam shuffled to stand up and walk over to Ian who met his gaze. "Look who is the man now, BOY! Don't worry. I'll make sure Harper's taken care of while you rot in jail," he snarled, pointing his finger at Ian's chest.
The click of the handcuffs locking in place left me in shock as I stared at Ian who shared my look of shock. The handcuff wasn't on Ian's wrist; it was on Sam's extended hand.
We turned our attention to Sam who blinked slowly like he couldn’t believe what has just happened. "O'Neil? What the fuck are you doing?"
"You're right. Ian should be charged for harassment, but that's only valid if the person who was harassed is an innocent civilian. Aside from human laws, you just broke our rules, Samuel. As you said, 'fuck the rights,' and you followed with revealing undisclosed information, which was going to be presented to Harper tomorrow at her appointment with her REAL mother who just got back from you know what."
I almost forgot to breathe as I stared at O'Neil like a deer in headlights. What?! My....real Mom. They...they were going to tell me.
"What?! That...no! Liar! I wasn't informed about this."
"Of course not, Sam. See, Carter is pretty intelligent. So is the rest of the pack. You really think Carter was going to settle with your 'hidden' tactics? I guess you thought no one would have noticed Rick in the woods where Harper, Ian, and the pack were yesterday?"
Rick? Wait...last night...what...
I tried to remember but I was still getting a blank, and thinking about it harder was only contributing to my pounding headache.
"I've been wanting to bring your ass in for YEARS, but we had to play stupid. You trying to act like the immaculate shifter of the South Cardinal Pack when the rest of us knew damn well what you were scheming with Rogan and his crew. Just waiting for the right moment to get rid of Harper and the blade so you could gain asylum from the Compass Witches and the seal they put on you that renders you useless. Thought we'd just watch? Let you gain your ability to shift after the shit you pulled years ago? I think not."
I was trying to keep up with what was going on, but it was far too much for my scattered brain to comprehend. I didn't know what they were referring to, but all I could gather was that Sam was a wolf shifter but couldn't shift anymore because he pissed off these Compass Witches.
"No, no, no. You have no fucking proof! Dolly, get my gun. I'll shoot this nigga right here and now."
I looked at Dolly who stayed in place and shook her head. "I'm sorry Sam," she whispered, and Sam glared at her.
"What you mean you’re sorry?! GET MY GUN! This is my fucking property. I'm not letting this negro and fucking child take me to jail!"
O'Neil ignored him, pinning him against the stove. Sam tried to fight back but Ian took over and got the other half of the handcuffs onto Sam’s other wrist.
Ian turned Sam around to stare at Dolly who rose up and crossed her arms over her chest. "About time this ended," she whispered, wiping away her tears.
Ian appeared confused and looked over to me. I didn't have any answers, and we both turned our attention to O'Neil who chuckled. "Dolly. You sure are a good actor. No wonder why you worked with the CSIS in the past."
Sam's facial expression paled, and he slowly looked at Dolly who had a softened expression on her face. "Well, O'Neil. This has been an ongoing case for twenty-five years. I wasn't going to let it end with Sam being free and putting Harper in harm's way." Dolly shrugged and gave me a sad look. "She's technically still my child. Even if it was temporary."
"Temporary..." I whispered.
"What's the meaning of this!" Sam snapped, trying to fight Ian's secure hold of him.
"Why don't we do some explaining while we put you in the cop car? The other Alphas will be here shortly."
"You think you won? I'll get out of this and this place is already sold! I signed the contract to the new buyer. You guys still lose. Fucking idiots." Sam snarled and laughed sinisterly. I took a deep breath, trying my best to keep cool as I pet Muffin's head softly.
"You're wrong." I softly declared. "The sanctuary isn't going anywhere."
"And how would you know, Harper darling? If you want to remain in denial as the protective world WE gave you crumbles around, be my guest."
"Does Amelia Rosette ring a bell?"
He was quiet, and O'Neil, Dolly, and Ian looked at Sam. "How do you know that name?" he huffed. "Oh, let me guess. Ian must have told you from our conversations yesterday."
"Amelia Rosette is the one who purchased this place, right?"
"Aren't you a smart cookie." Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Yes. She's the new owner of this place and is going to build the perfect condo complex here."
I nodded slowly, and Carter turned around to look at me. "Woof?"
"Funny how when you put a place up for sale on certain websites, they send any individuals who are interested a notification," I pointed out.
Ian blinked a few times and I knew he was catching on. "Wait...what?"
With a sigh, I did my best to put on the perfect smile while my eyes locked onto Sam's. "You knew Ian and I were going to move out to the home between the sanctuaries. Why is that? The same agent who works with Ian's friend told you that the place was reserved for Ian and thus off the market. You in return told her you were interested in selling the property anyway, so it was quote-unquote 'good riddance' and proceeded to inquire on how much the property was worth. You secretly arranged for the sale, and guess who got the email notification while in town?"
The smug expression on his face dropped, and my smile widened. "Seeing as you already know, I was supposed to have my meeting in a couple of days ago to finalize gaining my inheritance from my apparent "parent’s" murder. Well, I got my money earlier than expected deposited into my account and guess what my first big purchase was?" I whispered.
"You fucking cu-" he snapped but Ian shoved him to one side, and Sam hit his head on the countertop.
"Oh, my bad. He was resisting arrest," Ian huffed and pushed Sam to move forward.
"I think we got enough info here," O'Neil announced and took Sam from Ian. "Dolly, outside please. Gonna have to clear your name to the others. They don't know you're still CSIS active due to the complexity of this case."
"Will do," Dolly replied.
I moved out of the way and the glare Sam gave me could have killed me if it had the capabilities to do so. Dolly stopped and shot me a remorseful look. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we'll explain tomorrow. I promise," she said softly.
I nodded and watched her follow O'Neil down the hall to the entrance of the house.
"Ian, I need you out here in a few," O'Neil called out.
"Alright," Ian shouted and then walked over to where I stood. Carter sat down quietly, and I lowered Muffin back to the ground where she moved to cuddle next to Carter.
Ian stared into my eyes and I took a shaky breath. "Well...that was...kinda like those cool movies where shit goes down and everything is revealed like a fucking bomb...ya..." I trailed off as I tried to keep myself together.
"I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around me. "I knew something was fishy for years and O'Neil promised me he had a plan but needed the right moment. He promised he'd reveal everything about our files, but he had to make sure he got permission. He said he found a relative of yours but didn't want to say anything until he met them face to face...I just didn't think...I...never guessed..." He trailed off as he blinked his eyes and looked away. "If I knew to that extent, I would have told you."
"I know," I whispered, holding back my tears. I can't cry now. I have to be strong, or Ian will break too, and he needs to be able to do this.
I had caught on that something fishy was going on, especially when I'd found out the sanctuary was for sale, but now everything was making sense. Was the money given to me from my real mother then? Did she figure out I'd use it for good? My...mom is alive? Do I have a father too? Does that mean I don't have a brother? My whole childhood...was a lie?
"Breathe, Harper. We will work it out together." Reika brought clarity with her words that echoed through me.
Yes. We'll deal with it later...but I need some air.
"Agreed. Air would be nice."
"Go deal with the arrest. I'll be in the back getting some air," I whispered.
He moved back to look into my eyes. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I don't want to leave you alone."
"I'm not alone." I gave him a comforting smile and glanced at Carter and Muffin. "See? Carter and Muffin will stay with me. Go. We'll um...talk after," I assured him.
He slowly nodded and looked at Carter for a long moment. It was like they were communicating with their eyes and I guess the long glance was enough to allow Ian to leave. "I'll be back shortly."
He stared down at my lips and I noticed his hesitation. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "No matter what we have to discuss, our relationship won't change."
He nodded and kissed me this time. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of his lips pressed firmly against mine, and then he deepened the kiss, nearly devouring my lips. After one last peck and a moment for our foreheads to rest against each other, Ian made his way down the hall and out to the front where he'd most likely help explain everything.
Dolly knew about this. She used to work with the CSIS. Damn...I've been living under a fucking rock it seems.
I glanced at Carter who avoided my gaze. I had so much to say, so many questions to ask, yet I just needed to go outside.
"Carter," I whispered.
He cautiously lifted his head to look at me, and I could see the multitude of emotions flashing through his eyes. Sadness. Regret. Fear.
"Want to go for a walk? Just you and me?" I asked. Muffin got up and ran to my feet. I smiled and crouched down to pet her little head. "I need to talk to Carter. I don't want you going out until I get back, okay?"
"Meow."
She brushed her head against my hand and ran off to most likely cause mischief around the house to entertain herself until I came back. I rose up and looked at Carter who slowly stood up.
I turned around and headed down the opposite way down the hall towards the back entrance, knowing quite well that Carter would follow.
Reaching out to open the door, I noticed how my hands shook, but I continued on my quest to get some air. I just had to think this specific situation out for a moment and not be overwhelmed by the million other thoughts flooding my mind.
I opened the door and held it for Carter to walk out. Once I saw his huge figure from the corner of my eyes, I shut the door and began to walk. I didn't realize we were deep in the forest until I caught sight of the pink flowers from the night before.
Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths.
Time to face the truth...