CHAPTER 5
I sat back on my bed, staring at the door for what felt like an eternity, trying to make sense of what had just happened. What game was Landon playing? Did he want me as a wife or not?
“Don’t worry, Arabella. He’ll realize how amazing you are,” Meadow tried to comfort me.
“I don’t want him to know how amazing I am. I want him to stay away from me. Otherwise,
everything will be for nothing,” I replied.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to keep me a secret forever,” she said.
Ignoring her, I got up and went to the bathroom to grab another pill from the bottle, swallowing it with a glass of water. I looked inside the pill bottle and saw that there were only a couple
left, which meant I needed to get more soon.
“I haven’t eaten much since we got here,” I mentioned.
“The kitchen staff will still be cleaning up,” Meadow said.
“I know, and I don’t want them giving me all those strange looks,” I answered.
I decided that I wasn’t going to wait for everyone to leave the packhouse. I got dressed and
headed downstairs, slipping out the back of the house.
I walked into town and noticed a diner that was still open, so I went inside and sat at an
unoccupied table. Everyone was watching me, knowing that I was married to the Alpha. I
could see the curiosity in their eyes, probably wondering why I was there alone.
I heard that everyone in the pack had been instructed not to treat me with any form of
⚫ endearment or respect.
When the waitress finally arrived, I ordered a burger with fries and a Coke. She took my order
to the kitchen, and I sat at the table, staring at my phone. My finger hovered over Cooper’s
number as I hesitated, unsure if I should call him or not. I was already feeling incredibly lonely
here and just needed to hear a friendly voice.
Before I had the chance to make that call, I noticed someone sit at the table in front of me. I
looked up to see a girl smiling at me.
I recognized her face. I thought she had been at my wedding, but she hadn’t spoken to me. I
hadn’t seen her around Landon as much as the other women did.
“Hi,” I said, surprised.
CHAPTER 5
“Hi, Arabella. I’m Harper,” she replied.
“Well, it’s really nice to meet you,” I responded, confused.
*8 Points >
“Nice to meet you too. I was hoping to talk to you at the wedding, but it just didn’t happen. So
many people wanted to talk to me. I only just got back to the pack that day, and everyone
thought I would be leaving after the wedding, so they all wanted a chance to chat,” she explained. She shared all of this personal information, but I still didn’t know who she really
was.
“Where were you?” I asked.
1
“I was at boarding school, but I’m finished now, so I’ve moved back here full time. I got a single house of my own on the territory. There’s no way I was going back to the packhouse,” she
scoffed.
“Back into the packhouse? You’ve lived there before?” I inquired.
“Yeah, for most of my childhood,” she replied, laughing when she saw the confused look on my face. “You’re my sister–in–law. Landon is my brother,” she explained. I set my phone down
and looked at her in surprise.
“So, are you here to keep an eye on me?” I asked.
“No! Why would you think that?” she responded.
“I’m pretty sure Landon has people following me,” I said.
“Probably. He doesn’t trust your father,” she replied.
“Stepfather,” I corrected her, and she noticed the determination in my voice.
“Right. Well, he doesn’t trust Vincent, and since Vincent came up with this whole idea of you marrying Landon, he’s just being very cautious about it,” she explained.
“I guess I can understand that,” I said.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s a pussycat at heart,” she said. But I scoffed.
“Yeah, maybe to you,” I replied.
Harper reached across the table and grabbed my phone, but she wasn’t looking at the device itself; her attention was on the phone case.
“You like dolphins?” she asked.
“Yeah. I love the ocean,” I replied.
< CHAPTER 5
+8 Points >
“So do I! That’s why I love this pack and couldn’t wait to get back. By the way, have you seen the boat parked at the jetty behind the packhouse?” she inquired.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Awesome! We’re taking that out tomorrow. We’re going to have so much fun,” she said
excitedly.
“Isn’t that Landon’s boat?” I asked.
“It’s a family boat, so don’t stress. And you don’t need to worry about anyone following you, either. Like that warrior who’s been hanging around outside. I really thought you were just being paranoid when you mentioned being followed,” she replied.
“I wish I were,” I said. ”
1
“Don’t worry! Tomorrow, we are going to have fun,” she reassured me.
“Okay. Sounds good,” I smiled back at her.
Now that I looked closely at her, I noticed how much she resembled Landon. But I didn’t understand why she wasn’t living in the packhouse or why she seemed so eager to befriend
- me.
She might have good intentions, but I still needed to keep my guard up around her. I knew I couldn’t trust anyone here, just as much as they didn’t trust me.
When my food arrived, Harper’s did too, and we finally started eating. We actually got along really well. She was hilarious, and we were laughing and having a great time. I was genuinely impressed by Harper, especially considering everything she had overcome in her life after
losing her parents in the war.
However, when she began asking about my background, I became somewhat evasive. I understood why people found it hard to trust me; if I wasn’t willing to share my experiences of living with Vincent, it was no surprise they would be hesitant.
After dinner, Harper and I went for a walk. We chatted about anything and everything while we exchanged phone numbers.
“s**t. I forgot I have something scheduled in the morning. If we can’t go out on the boat tomorrow, then it will have to be the day after. I promise,” she said.
“No worries,” I replied.
As I walked back to the pack house, I went to the back of the building once again, and this
time I found Landon waiting at the door.
3/4
< CHAPTER 5
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked.
+8 Points >
“I went to get something to eat. I was hungry. You can ask the people at the diner,” I replied.
“You’re not allowed out after dark anymore. Do you hear me?” he said firmly.
“Loud and clear,” I responded. With that, he turned around and walked back inside.
