Chapter 3

(Harper’s POV)

I was soaking in the warm afternoon sun, stretching lazily, when a sleek black SUV pulled up in front of me. The tinted window rolled down, revealing Jeff Blake—Joshua’s Beta—behind the wheel.

My stomach twisted as the passenger door swung open.

Eden Hale stepped out with that same delicate, calculated grace that always made my teeth clench. Her so-called “silver poisoning” didn’t seem to have dulled her shine one bit. Her platinum blonde hair was styled in flawless waves, and she wore a designer outfit that hugged her slender frame like it had been tailored just for her.

Around the yard, pack members froze mid-task, their attention snapping to her like moths drawn to a flame.

“Eden!” one of the office assistants called, hurrying over. “You’re back from Europe!”

Eden’s icy blue eyes sparkled with staged joy. “I’m back, darling. I missed everyone so much,” she gushed, her voice dripping with sticky-sweet charm.

From her oversized designer purse, she started handing out lavishly wrapped gifts to every wolf who came near. “Just some little souvenirs from my travels,” she said modestly, even though the packaging screamed luxury.

I curled my lip in disgust, watching the pack practically drool over her. These were the same people who had stood by and watched me clash with Joshua, and now they were fawning all over Eden like she was already their Luna.

“Same old show,” Eira growled inside me. “The fragile princess handing out favors to her adoring fans.”

I’d seen this act before—too many times. Even when I was engaged to Joshua, it was obvious who the pack wanted as their Luna. Eden had been trained for this role her whole life—or rather, for my life, since she’d stolen my place in the Hale Pack.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. Years ago, during a gang raid on my birth pack, the babies were switched. Eden, the imposter, was raised as the cherished daughter of Alpha Hale. Me? The real daughter? I was dumped at an orphanage. If it hadn’t been for Ryker and Mom back then... God, Ryker and Mom... Just thinking of them made my chest ache.

Then Eden spotted me watching and changed course, heading straight for me. Her steps were deliberately frail—just pitiful enough to tug at the heartstrings, but not so weak as to look truly sick.

“Harper, my sweet sister,” she called out, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “It’s been ages!”

She extended her arms as if expecting a hug, holding out a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates. “I brought these for you from Europe.”

I stayed still, refusing to play along with her little performance. She slowly dropped her arms, keeping the sugary smile on her lips, though her eyes hardened just a touch.

“Joshua told me there was a misunderstanding,” she said softly, her voice a perfect balance of innocence and concern. “I came to clear things up. I just want everything between us to stay... peaceful.”

I slapped her hand away, not bothering to hide the disgust in my voice. “Peaceful?” I scoffed. “When have we ever been peaceful? You mean the peace where you stab me in the back and then play the victim?”

Eden blinked rapidly, feigning shock at my reaction. She glanced around, making sure we had an audience, then leaned in close.

“Maybe Joshua’s finally figured out who he really wants,” she whispered, her breath warm against my ear.

The scent of her perfume hit me—the same one she’d worn the night she’d arranged the ambush that nearly killed me three years ago.

Something inside me snapped.

I didn’t give her a chance to keep playing her game. My hand shot out, grabbing her wrist in a steel grip. I could feel her pulse hammering beneath my fingers.

“Done pretending yet?” I hissed, my voice low and dangerous. “You’ve been feeding me lies and trying to get rid of me since the day I came back. I’m not letting you win.”

For a split second, Eden’s sugary mask cracked, revealing the cold, calculating woman beneath. Then, right on cue, she yanked her arm back and let out a piercing scream.

“Ow! You’re hurting me!” she shrieked, clutching her wrist like it was broken.

Her cry rang through the yard, drawing gasps and concerned murmurs from the surrounding wolves.

“Eden? Are you alright?”

“What happened?!”

Before I could say a word, the crowd parted. Joshua stormed out of the building, his towering frame radiating Alpha authority. His amber eyes zeroed in on me first, then flicked to Eden, who was now trembling like a leaf.

“What the hell is going on here?” he barked, his voice slicing through the tension like a blade.

Eden immediately rushed to Joshua’s side, pressing herself against him like a damsel seeking shelter from a storm.

“It’s okay, really,” she said in a deliberately gentle voice, loud enough for the entire pack to hear. “Harper’s just... in a bad mood. I was only trying to make peace.”

Joshua's expression darkened, fury flashing in his amber eyes. “Harper, are you out of your mind?” he barked, stepping toward me.

I didn’t back down. Instead, I rolled my eyes at his predictability and stepped forward, casually but deliberately placing myself between him and Eden.

“Your delicate Eden’s pulling the same helpless act again,” I said, my voice sharp and clear for our audience. “If she’s your fated mate, then why not go ahead and seal the deal? Make the political marriage official and save us all the performance.”

Joshua let out a low growl—the kind that made most wolves drop their gaze and submit.

But I didn’t move. I stepped closer, invading his space with purpose.

“You don’t scare me, Joshua,” I said, each word dripping with venom. “Watching you pretend to be noble while playing both sides makes me sick.”

Gasps rippled through the yard. No one talked to an Alpha like this—especially not in public.

“I’m done letting you humiliate me. I’m done pretending I have a place in this circus,” I continued, smirking bitterly. “Now go. Go comfort your sweet little Eden. She needs you.”

I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving behind a storm of whispers, Eden’s exaggerated sobs, and Joshua’s furious voice shouting after me.

I didn’t stop. I marched straight to my car at the edge of the parking lot, my fingers trembling with rage as I yanked open the door and slid in behind the wheel.

“That bitch hasn’t changed,” Eira growled in my head. “Still playing innocent while scheming behind everyone’s backs.”

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles went pale. Three years ago, Eden had arranged for rogue wolves to attack me. The scars on my body were nothing compared to the ones in my mind. And instead of holding her accountable, the Hale Pack shipped her off to Europe so she could “recover,” leaving me behind to deal with the aftermath.

Now she was back—pregnant with Joshua’s child—and still spinning the same manipulative stories.

I was about to start the engine when a familiar voice slid into my thoughts through the wolf link.

"Harper. Don’t leave. We need to talk."

Sienna. My birth mother. The one who had sided with Eden time and time again—even after learning the truth about who I really was, even after Eden nearly got me killed.

My stomach twisted, but somewhere deep inside, that tiny, foolish part of me still ached for her approval.

"Talk about what, Luna Sienna?" I shot back through the link, my tone laced with resentment. "Joshua? Or your precious Eden, back from her European vacation?"

Her voice came back calm, but with that familiar undercurrent of command. "Eden is sick, Harper. You don’t understand what she’s been through. She’s very weak now, and in order to avoid upsetting her, we’ve decided to postpone the mating ceremony between you and Joshua."

I let out a bitter laugh. “Postpone?” I repeated out loud, knowing she could hear me in my mind. “For her? Again?”

The memory of that night came crashing back—Eden’s "friend" attacking me, the blood pouring from my body, the panic, the pain. I could still feel the cold earth beneath me, soaked with my blood.

"Back then, you all told me to forgive and move on," I shouted through the bond, not bothering to hide my fury. "Then you shipped her off to Europe and left me to deal with the trauma alone. Did anyone ever care what I went through? Do you have any idea what it feels like when you’re bleeding out and no one comes for you? You don’t know. And you never cared."

"Harper, please," Sienna pressed. "You have to understand. Eden is truly ill. The silver poisoning has affected her ability to shift. She needs Joshua now more than ever—"

"Then let her have him," I cut in, my voice like ice. "Let her keep her engagement to Joshua. Just leave me out of it."

With that, I slammed my mental walls shut, severing the link so hard I knew Sienna would feel the sting.

I hit the steering wheel with the heel of my hand, breathing hard. Running away wouldn’t fix this. If I truly wanted to break free of this toxic mess, I’d have to burn the whole thing down—starting with the so-called bond between me and Joshua.

I opened the car door and stepped out again, a fire igniting in my chest.

This ends today.

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