Harper’s POV

By the time I was about to leave the pack, I heard that Lucas, the future Alpha, had found his mate.

I wasn’t taken by the Alpha’s messenger.

Instead, Sierra walked up and told him that whether I went or not didn’t matter. With her usual charm, she expertly pulled him away and sent him on his way.

But none of that matters now. I’ve had enough of a world that only wants to tear me down.

I’ve officially left the pack behind.

It felt as if fate was on my side because, as soon as I crossed into human territory, I stumbled upon a woman badly injured in a car accident.

“H-Help,” she whimpered, reaching a bloody hand out of the broken window.

Quickly, I jumped forward, clearing away broken glass and carefully pulling her out of the car. Her head was bleeding, so I reached out and pressed my palm to the wound. Instantly, it began pulling together as if something were stitching it back up.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “You’ll be fine. You’re safe now.”

The woman sighed, and her eyes rolled back as she passed out.

Luckily, the human doctors came soon and took her to the nearest human hospital. I followed so they could ask questions, and when the woman finally woke up, a well-dressed man was at her side. He introduced himself as a leader of a wealthy company and thanked me for helping his daughter.

I tried to deny the money he wanted to pay me, but he kept insisting.

In the end, I accepted the money as a loan, using it to open my clinic. Instead of applying to other packs, I decided it would be best to lay low in the human quarters.

Everything was going well for a while. I had my new clinic, I was helping humans who couldn’t afford expensive and exorbitant medical fees, and I was happy. But, as they say, all good things come to an end.

“Next patient,” I call again. My next patient enters, and as I stand, a wave of dizziness washes over me, forcing me to sit back down. I take a few steady breaths, focusing my healing energy inward. It barely chases away the unbalanced, weak feeling that grows within me.

He explains what his issue is, and I listen while trying to keep myself from passing out.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to push through. My body has weakened immensely from the effects of the mate mark. I tried to use my healing to get rid of it, but it only halfway worked. I got rid of the physical mark, but the negative effects remained.

After a year of blocking the mate bond and not being near the man who marked me, I fear that I won’t be able to hold on much longer. With my body weakening faster each day, I realize that the only way I can keep from losing my life is to find the man who marked me. I need him to formally release me from the incomplete bond.

Only then can I return to my free life.

“Thank you so much, Harper. You’re a life saver,” my patient says as he leaves the exam room.

“You’re welcome, Ronald. I hope I don’t have to see you again so soon.”

“I’ll take my meds, Doc. Promise!”

“That’s the last patient for the day,” Reena, my assistant, says. “And you have a call on your office line.”

My office is a few doors down, and even that walk is becoming difficult. I stagger down the hallway and into my office before dropping into my chair.

“Hello, this—”

“Harper!” Nora, my best friend, and daughter of the pack’s Gamma, screeches. “You won’t guess what happened!”

“Hi, Nora. I’m good. It’s nice of you to call,” I mutter sarcastically.

She huffs and then laughs, “Yeah, sorry, but I have news!”

“What news?”

“Alpha Lucas is looking for a new healer,” she cries happily.

Confusion hits me momentarily as I ask, “Alpha Lucas?”

“Oh, it’s been a few months since we caught up,” Nora says before continuing, “Lucas has taken over his father’s position, and he’s doing an amazing job. In the time he’s been Alpha, our pack has jumped to the third strongest pack, and now, he’s looking for a new healer.”

“And you want me to come back,” I say, knowing that’s where she’s going.

“I do! I miss my best friend, and you’re the best healer,” she says. “Alpha Lucas isn’t satisfied with the healers he interviewed.”

“What makes you think he’ll be satisfied with me?” I ask skeptically. She says I’m the best healer, but I’m not as experienced as those Alpha Lucas interviewed.

I’ve been stripped of my wolf, I’m weak, and I’ve only used my talents on humans. I never got a chance to study under the pack healers since I kept my abilities a secret.

“You know how amazing your ability is, Harper. You healed my broken wrist in minutes, so you can do this,” she says confidently. I can almost picture her slapping her hand on her leg in certainty. “Besides, don’t you want to come back and throw your success in your father’s face? You don’t deserve what he did to you, and this could be your chance to set things right.”

I want to believe her, so when our call ends, I send in my application to Alpha Lucas’s office. I finish out my paperwork for the day, and by the time I’m ready to leave, an email from the Alpha’s office is waiting for me.

My finger hovers over the mouse, but eventually, I open the email.

“Miss Harper Lewis, we would be honored to host you for an interview for the position of Pack Healer on the seventeenth of June…”

I read through the email again, an excited feeling mixing with the nerves that also rise within me. I didn’t think the response would come this fast, and they want me to be there in less than two days.

I never thought I’d go back, but I guess ‘never’ was too strong of a word.

People stare at me as Nora and I walk down the hall toward the Alpha’s office, and I tug the turtleneck higher on my neck. Then, I smooth out my skirt. I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I picked the only dress I had in my closet.

My body is buzzing with nerves, especially since I had to shut down my clinic for a few days while I travel, and the stares aren’t helping. Nora tried to hype me up as I arrived, but she didn’t get rid of the nerves.

I don’t think anything will, honestly.

A hand lands on my shoulder just as a familiar presence and voice reaches me.

“What are you doing back here?” Sierra asks. I turn to find her staring wide eyed at me as she grips my shoulder.

The place where the mark is burns beneath her fingers, but I hold back the wince of pain.

“I came back to apply for a job as a healer,” I answer as coldly as possible.

Sierra’s eyes move down my body, no doubt taking in my pale skin and skinnier form before she sneers, “Healing requires talent. How are you qualified?”

I smile faintly before turning and walking forward. If there’s one thing she hates, it’s when someone brushes her off. It makes her so angry, and I can’t help but smile when I hear the growl of annoyance from behind me.

“You—”

“I came back with the Alpha’s permission, so if you have a problem with me being here, I suggest you take it up with Alpha Lucas,” I tell her.

She growls again, “I am the future Luna of this pack, and I have the right to forbid rogues from entering the territory.”

“Sierra is Lucas’s fated mate and will be marrying him soon,” Nora whispers, cringing when I glance at her. “I didn’t want to bother you, so I didn’t tell you sooner.”

The night I got marked by the unknown man was Sierra’s eighteenth birthday. I knew she was looking for her mate, but I didn’t realize she found him.

“What are you doing?” I snap, slapping Sierra’s hand that reaches out and tugs at my turtleneck.

“Just looking to see if you’re still a disgraceful rogue.”

I bare my teeth at her out of instinct and hiss, “If you didn’t cause me to be marked by a stranger that night, I wouldn’t have become a rogue.”

The shocked look on Sierra’s face was almost comical. I guess people don’t stand up against her much since she’s the Alpha’s mate.

But to me, she’s still the deceiving snake she’s always been.

“What’s this about a stranger’s mark?” A man with short, black hair appears at the end of the hallway. The icy aura floods the hall as his blue eyes sweep over the three of us before they land on me.

He’s Alpha Lucas.

Harper’s POV

Suddenly, before I can answer Alpha Lucas’s question, Sierra shoves me out of the way. My body collides with the wall as she steps between us. Nora catches me before I can fall, and I mutter my thanks as I straighten up.

“Harper is delusional,” Sierra barks, blocking Lucas’s view. “She’s lying like she always does.”

Me lying? I almost laugh at the lie. If anyone here is a liar, it’s clearly Sierra.

Beyond annoyed, I pull out of Nora’s arms and step around Sierra. I won’t let her drag me down any further than she already has. Everything that has happened in the past year is her fault.

When I move to Sierra’s side, Alpha Lucas looks at me, his eyes on my neck that’s concealed by my turtleneck.

“Alpha Lucas,” I start with a respectful bow. “My name is Harper Lewis, and I’m here to interview for the healer position.” I pull my resume out of my bag and pass it to him. Silently, he takes it, but his eyes stay on me.

A jolt of awareness runs through me as he watches me. There’s a reason an Alpha is the top of the pack. They’re intense and acutely aware of a lot going on around them. They’re strong and fast, able to deal with problems faster than anyone else.

And this man definitely has the strong Alpha aura. I almost feel like a bug underneath a microscope with the way he’s studying me. It’s like he’s trying to see through my soul… which probably wouldn’t be difficult with his sharp blue eyes.

He glances at the resume before his eyes find mine again.

“What did Sierra say about a stranger’s mark?”

Sierra stiffens beside me, visibly tensing up. Her reaction is odd, and as annoying as ever. Instantly, I want to thrash my stepsister. She had no right to bring that up, especially since it put me under scrutiny with Alpha Lucas.

“Expose your neck and show me this mark,” he orders when I don’t answer. I may not be part of the pack anymore, but something in me jumps to obey the command.

Slowly, I pull the turtleneck down, revealing the place between my neck and shoulder where the stranger bit me. If they’d asked me this months ago, there would be something for him to see. However, now, as Alpha Lucas focuses on my neck, he finds nothing.

The mark is still there, but because I spent months trying to heal it, it’s no longer visible. I can still feel it when someone, especially a man, touches me there, and I know it’s not gone because of the weakness I feel.

My heart thrums wildly in my chest as Alpha Lucas steps closer to examine my neck. He doesn’t touch me, but my skin heats and my heart pounds as if reacting to a physical touch.

“As you can see, there’s nothing there,” I say after what seems like a century, interrupting the awkward silence. I release the collar of my shirt as Alpha Lucas averts his gaze and nods expressionlessly.

Sierra, acting like the spoiled child she is, snatches my resume from Alpha Lucas’s hands and spins to sneer at me. She nearly knocks me over when she slaps my resume to my chest.

“Harper isn’t a healer at all,” Sierra hisses venomously. “There’s no need to look at these credentials because they’re either fake or stolen.”

Alpha Lucas looks between the two of us, asking, “And why would you say that?”

“Because she’s a rogue who made a serious mistake and was kicked out of the pack before you became Alpha,” Sierra lies. I grit my teeth, but she speaks before I can. “We can’t rule out the possibility of her being a spy.”

“A spy?” I laugh. “Sierra, you know very well that I didn’t make any mistakes.”

“You wouldn’t have been kicked out if you hadn’t,” she fires back.

Alpha Lucas steps in, gaining my attention as he looks me over again. There’s something about his eyes that draws me in. I should be afraid, but the calculative and cold gaze doesn’t scare me. Maybe he’ll listen to what I have to say and give me a chance.

“How long have you been a rogue?” He asks, frowning slightly. If you weren’t looking closely, you’d miss the miniscule downturn to his lips.

“A year,” I answer him honestly.

If I want to start this job well, lying wouldn’t help me at all. Not that I would lie in the first place. I’m not like Sierra.

Alpha Lucas hums before lifting a hand and waving it dismissively, “You can leave now.” He then waves at the warriors behind him, and they walk forward. Two position themselves at my sides and take hold of my arms.

They begin to drag me away, and if I let them, I’ll lose my only chance to stay. I’ll miss my chance to find whoever marked me.

“Wait!” I cry, reaching out. I grab Lucas’s hand in a moment of desperation, letting my healing energy flow into him as proof. A faint silver light glows between our hands as I continue, “I have been living in the human world since I left the pack. How would I dare come back if I don’t have a healing ability?”

Sierra sucks in a sharp breath and tugs at my hand.

“Let go of him!”

Though, I’m not the one who doesn’t want to let go. Alpha Lucas’s hand is curled around mine, locking me in place where the warriors can’t even move me further away. A strange look crosses Alpha Lucas’s face, almost like he’s trying to hold himself back. The hard expression doesn’t conceal the look of dismay flickering through his eyes and across his features, though.

It takes a moment, but he eventually releases my hand.

The weighted warmth that covered me falls aside as he turns away. I shake off the odd feeling, only looking up when Alpha Lucas glances over his shoulder to say, “You can stay, but know that you will be under surveillance. Don’t do anything unsavory, and you won’t have anything to worry about.”

With that, he walks away.

Sierra, on the other hand, screeches in disbelief, “What? No way!” She rushes off toward Alpha Lucas, worming her way under his arm and plastering herself to his side. “She’s a rogue. There’s no telling what trouble she’ll bring.”

I scoff at her words. I wouldn’t be a rogue if it weren’t for her. I wonder if Alpha Lucas knows that. Is he aware of just how deceptive and snake-like Sierra is?

“She can stay and prove her worth. If she can’t, she’ll leave,” Alpha Lucas says, the slightly cold tone giving Sierra no room to protest. She sighs and moves in front of Alpha Lucas, throwing her arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss him.

When their lips meet, she glares at me from over his shoulder. It’s a territorial glare- one that screams ‘he’s mine!’ I don’t quite understand her reasoning, though. Does she think I’m an imaginary enemy?

Just to get on her nerves, I cock my head to the side and give her a faint smile.

Turning, I head back toward the door when a sharp pain stabs at my insides. Blackness seeps into my vision and my knees give out, sending me to the floor.

Harper’s POV

The air smells like antiseptic.

Which, when I open my eyes, isn’t surprising since I’m in some sort of medical building. The white ceiling and walls are bright, but I force myself to look around. This isn’t my clinic. It’s too large and nice.

My clinic is small and while it’s not dirty, it’s not as clean as this place.

As I sit up, aches spike in various places in my body. My head pulses with a headache that hadn’t been there before, and my body feels weak enough that I would have trouble standing if I tried.

Did I faint because of the incomplete mate bond?

“How pathetic.”

Sierra pushes through the door with my stepmother, Ruby, right behind her. They both sneer at me, their eyes moving over my weakened body while they come closer.

“Aren’t you pretending to be a healer?” Sierra snips, her top lip curling back in disgust. “Pretending to faint and going to the doctor in front of Lucas is a bit much, isn’t it? Is this your messed up way of trying to seduce him?”

I stare at my stepsister.

Where did she get the idea that I wanted to seduce her mate? The only thing I want is to get better and for people like Sierra to leave me alone. Making myself a target for her anger isn’t anywhere in my plans.

Ruby steps forward, yanking the IV out of my arm. I yelp, quickly press my fingers to stop the blood and pain. My reaction only makes the two of them laugh.

Annoyance bubbles up within me, and I glare at Sierra, “If fainting counts as seduction, then you're guilty of murder for getting me marked without my permission.” Sierra scoffs, and I shoot back, “Are you even worthy to be Luna? You question my healer ability, but with your lack of compassion and a soul as black as yours, I wouldn’t think the Luna position would be good for you.”

Sierra rolls her eyes and then glares at me while crossing her arms over her chest.

“I won’t have you coming back here and messing up my plans,” Sierra hisses, completely ignoring my words- as usual. “You need to stay away from Lucas. He’s my mate, and I don’t want you here.”

“I came here for a job, and you may be the next Luna, but the Alpha has given me permission to stay,” I tell Sierra. Ruby scoffs, but I ignore her, “I’m not Lucas’s old flame, so why are you worried?”

She merely stares at me, so I continue, “You’re the only one who’s ever taken anything from me, Sierra, so you should be more focused on your own actions than mine. If Lucas ends up choosing someone else, it’ll be your own fault.”

I notice my stepmother moving from beside Sierra. Before her hand can reach me, I lift my arm to block the slap she sends my way. A nurse walks in not even two seconds later, her eyes moving from me to my stepmother and stepsister.

Ruby immediately drops her hand and steps back as the nurse walks closer. The angry frown on Ruby’s lips tell me she’s not happy with the interruption, but there’s also not much that she can do. I’m in the hospital and if she’s found abusing me here, there will probably be consequences.

“How are you feeling?” The nurse asks. She moves around to check my vitals, and from the machines, I know I’m a little on the lower end of being alright.

“I’m tired and in some pain,” I answer honestly.

I try to use my healing on myself, but all I get is a dull tingle and another wave of exhaustion. I guess I’ve overexerted myself.

The nurse nods and gently pats my arm, “Your body has become weakened. From what we can tell from your tests, you were marked and never completed a mate bond.”

Even after working in the medical field for almost a year, I didn’t realize they were advanced enough to be able to tell what’s truly wrong with me. Though, I have been working with humans, so it never came up with any of them.

“Yes, that’s right. About a year ago, I was marked.”

I don’t go into detail, but I don’t have to. The nurse just gives me a sad look and pats my arm again before saying, “You need to rest for several days or maybe even weeks. I’ve never encountered a circumstance where someone has been marked yet unmated for this long.”

“No, no, no,” Sierra mutters, stepping closer. “You have to leave. You’re not allowed to be here any longer.”

I look at my stepsister, noting her red face and imagining steam blowing out of her ears. She’s so angry, but again, this is all her fault.

“If you tell me who marked me, I will release the mark and leave immediately.”

That would be preferable to being here with the two of them. If I can find the man that marked me, I could go back to my clinic and continue my quiet life. A life away from toxic people like Sierra, Ruby, and my father.

“I know who the man who marked you is,” Ruby speaks then she smirks. “He was kicked out of the pack a few months ago and became a rogue, why don't you go to the forest and look for his body.”

With the way she’s smirking and from the malicious glint in her eyes, I truly believe she used my father’s beta power to drive the man away.

“You’ll need to leave so Harper can rest,” the nurse finally says, shooing Sierra and Ruby away.

When they’ve finally left, the nurse finishes her routine checks and leaves me alone to think. A blurry image forms in my mind as I think about the man. His broad back and muscles were toned… defined, so he might not be dead. He could have made it out in the rogue lands, but even if he did, would I be able to find him?

“Harper?”

A girl around my age stands in the doorway, watching me. It takes me a minute, but her familiar features quickly bring an image of my childhood friend to mind.

“Emily?” I inquire, and she smiles, walking into the room. I haven’t seen her in years, since we haven’t been in touch for a long time even before I left a year ago.

“Yeah, hi,” she says with a small wave. “I know something about your mate mark. The man who marked you isn’t in the pack.”

“How do you know?” I ask, confused and curious. I sit up and she sits on the edge of the bed.

“I saw some paperwork and documents about him after overhearing your stepmother and stepsister talking one day. He’s in a dangerous area outside of the pack,” she tells me. “I can help you find him, but you’ll have to come with me. I can’t take paperwork out of the office.”

The need to know who this man is drives me forward, and I let Emily help me out of bed and through the halls. As soon as I find out who this man is, I’ll come back and rest for a little while before going to find him.

“This way,” Emily says, leading me down a long hall. The hall doesn’t look familiar, and the further we walk, the more my stomach begins to flip with uneasiness.

Emily finally stops in front of an office door, saying, “Here we are.”

“The Alpha’s office?” I ask, but she shakes her head.

“No, this is the Gamma’s office. He’s in charge of rogue paperwork.”

Nora’s brother’s office? If that’s true, why wouldn’t Noral tell me?

Before I could ask Emily about it, she shoves me into the office. I stumble, nearly falling, as the door slams shut behind me. Whirling around, I grab the door handle and wiggle it. It doesn’t move.

Locked.

She set me up.

If I had to guess, it was probably Sierra who put Emily up to this. I should’ve known this was too easy and that Sierra left without a fuss too quickly earlier.

Glancing around the room, I spot several papers on the desk with my name written at the top. Was the owner of this office getting ready to kick me out of the pack even after Lucas gave me permission to stay?

Just as I lean over the desk to read the papers, a lock clicks and the door opens. I look up and lock eyes with none other than Alpha Lucas as he steps into the office.

The icy glare of fury and his sharp words have me freezing in place, “You dare to enter my office without permission?”