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?”

Harper’s POV

“I thought I told you not to push the limits of my kindness,” Alpha Lucas growls as he stalks toward me. I move backward, my back quickly finding a wall. He corners me, glaring down at me with those cold blue eyes.

“What are you doing in my office?”

Of course, this is his office. I let my eyes move past his body to scan the room before looking at him again.

Broad shoulders, defined muscles, and a glare that would freeze hell make me hold my breath. He’s a whole head taller than me and towers over my form. If my heart weren’t trying to beat out of my chest, I’d admit that he’s handsome.

He’s all Alpha.

With his status and power, Alpha Lucas could easily kill me if he wanted. And that fact alone sends a wave of panic through me. I take a few calming breaths, not that they really help, and answer him honestly.

“Emily brought me here, telling me she could help me find something. When we arrived, she pushed me in and locked me in here,” I tell him, lowering my eyes in the respectful way a lower wolf is supposed to.

Though, I don’t have a wolf anymore, so do I still have to bow to him?

The resounding rumble that moves through Alpha Lucas’s chest has me dropping my chin closer to my chest. It’s an instinct, I guess, that I have even though my wolf is gone.

“Do you think I would believe such a poorly constructed lie?” Lucas growls. His presence is completely overwhelming and heavy, so I flinch back into the wall. Before I can reply, the door to our side flies open. It bangs against the wall, barely missing me by an inch.

Sierra marches in, her eyes already narrowed on me. The hatred there is worse than it’s ever been.

“I told you she was bad news,” Sierra says, throwing her hand out to motion to me. Lucas pulls back a bit, glances at Sierra, then looks back at me as my stepsister continues talking. “She hasn’t even been here one day and look… she’s already snooping through your office!”

“I wasn’t—”

“Be quiet, Harper!” Sierra hisses, shoving me back to the wall when I try to move. “You’re a spy just like we thought. Why else would you be in Lucas’s office? What were you looking for in here?”

“Nothing—”

Sierra cuts me off with a laugh. “Right. Out of all the offices on this hallway, you just happened to stumble into the Alpha’s office?” She scoffs, and I realize this was her doing. The overexaggerated reaction and the fact that she’s trying to blame me for this gives away her intentions.

She wants me gone, and this was the easiest way for her to convince Lucas to kick me out.

Like always, Sierra will do whatever she can to get her way.

“Lucas, you need to get Harper out of here now.”

I look up at the man in question, wondering if he’ll do as my stepsister says or if he can see past her lies.

“If you don’t believe me,” I start, “You should call Emily in here and ask her. She’s the one who locked me in here, and I’m sure she can tell you who put her up to this. She said she worked in the office with paperwork and has blonde hair and blue eyes.”

Alpha Lucas calls out, and a moment later, another man steps into the office.

“Mason, find Emily and bring her to me,” Lucas orders, and the Beta nods before disappearing out of the office. I stand there, with my back still to the wall and my eyes pinned on the two people in front of me.

An eternity seems to stretch between the time Beta Mason left and the time he returns. When he shakes his head, my heart sinks. He looks at me briefly before turning to Alpha Lucas, who now sits on the edge of his desk.

“I didn’t find an Emily in the offices, and there is no one with her description lingering around the offices,” Beta Mason says, making my heart jump into my throat.

“She couldn’t have just disappeared,” I say, looking at the two men. “Are you sure no one saw anything?”

“There’s nothing and no one to see, Harper,” Sierra says, moving between me and the exit. Does she think I’m going to run? I know it’s what she would do, but I want to get to the bottom of this issue. Running now isn’t an option for me.

Sierra crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me, growling, “There is no Emily, is there? You made her up. Your lies and fabrications are getting too complex for even you to keep up with, Harper. I can tell that you’re making all this up just so you can get away with sneaking into the Alpha’s office, but no one here is going to believe your lies.”

I bite my tongue to keep from snapping on Sierra- not that my weakened state would be much of a deterrent for her. She and her mother are the people who hate me the most in this world, so I wouldn’t put it past them to come up with this farce.

Maybe there’s another way to spin this. I scan the room, my eyes instantly falling on the cameras that are mounted in two corners. If they’re here, I’m sure there are some in the halls.

“You could always check the surveillance cameras,” I suggest, and Sierra pauses. “No matter how I got here, don’t you all find it odd that I was able to get into the office at all? There should be warriors guarding this place, shouldn’t there?”

Alpha Lucas glances at the security cameras as well, and I continue, “If you didn’t call the warriors away, who did? I doubt there are many people with enough power to move them from their posts.”

I don’t need his confirmation on that. I’m right.

Though, knowing I’m right doesn’t stop the satisfaction from filling my chest when he tells Mason to have the CCTV footage sent to his computer.

“Tell them to transfer the footage now.”

Sierra clearly doesn’t like this turn of events, because she clings to Lucas’s arm and flashes her puppy eyes at him.

“For a liar like Harper, there’s no need to look at surveillance footage.”

Surprisingly, Lucas doesn’t look at Sierra. He brushes her off and moves to the computer, turning it on. He basically ignores her, which is odd for a normal mate couple. The sweetness you would usually see isn’t there. Most mated couples would never ignore their partner like he just did to Sierra.

As Alpha Lucas focuses on the computer screen, I watch the two of them closely. Sierra tries to flirt and grab Lucas’s attention, and he completely ignores her again.

It’s strange.

“You were right,” he finally announces. “This Emily did bring you here.”

“So, I have a question for you,” I say, making Lucas look at me again. “What’s more serious than me ‘breaking’ into your office? I think it would be who Emly is and who she’s working for.”

The anger I’d seen in his eyes fades to something softer. I dare not say affection, but it’s almost like he’s proud of me or giving me some sort of approval for what I said. I try not to look to much into it, but the soft look touches my heart and has me feeling strange.

“I’ll find out what went on here today, and for now, Harper, you will be placed in the doctor’s quarters at the pack house,” Lucas says, standing. “You will report in tomorrow.”

Lucas’s POV

Sitting alone in my office, I stare down at my hand.

I flex and relax it, trying to forget the soft feel of her hand in mine. Though, Harper’s touch is almost seared into my palm. Not to mention, I can’t forget the warm feeling of her healing power flowing into me when she held my hand.

It instantly dissipated the unexplained discomfort I’ve been experiencing lately. The discomfort that put my wolf into a coma.

No one else knows about it, and I hadn’t been able to seek much help because if word leaks, danger could come for my pack. There are many people out there who would love to challenge me if they knew I am in a weakened state right now.

I haven’t been an Alpha for long, and the struggle between spies and other packs coming for me has been intense. I haven’t had much time to dig into my condition or find a healer who is able to help me. Each one that I sought out recently hasn’t been effective.

I’d heard one of the former Beta’s daughters was a witch’s child, but I’d never met her… until now.

We’ve always been worlds apart because of our status and blood.

Rationally, it’s difficult to trust her, seeing as she was cast out last year.

Sighing, I return my focus to her file. Mason had been able to get ahold of it and sent it to me, and as I read through it, I pause.

Reason for exile: Harper Lewis, daughter of Beta Henry Lewis, was marked by a stranger on the night of June 12, 2024. As a result of her disgrace to the family and pack for this marking, she is sentenced to live as a rogue starting June 13, 2024.

I reread the short description again, surprise filling me.

Harper was kicked out of the pack for being marked by a stranger, and the very next day, I found out my fated mate was Sierra?