“Good to see you again, Harper. Welcome!” She pulled back, eyes sparkling. “I got the table all ready. Maddie, Parker, go get the pot of tea. I’ll show Harper the spread.”
The table near the window was set for tea, but not in a fancy, stuffy way. There was a three-tiered stand with finger sandwiches—cucumber, egg salad, pimento cheese. There were scones and quiches and little tarts filled with what looked like lemon curd and berries. On one side, a wooden board was covered in cubes of cheddar, slices of apple, and pecans candied in something sticky. The plates were mismatched china, every cup painted with a different flower.
It was a world away from the crystal chandeliers and granite counters of Eyrie. The kindness of it nearly bowled me over.
A scuffling noise came from the kitchen, and a moment later, Oscar the prairie dog appeared, standing on his hind legs. He wore a plaid vest and had a small napkin draped over one paw. He gave me a deep, theatrical bow.
“Miss Harper. It is a delight to see you among the living.”
I blinked. “Uh…thank you, Oscar. That takes some getting used to doesn’t it? A talking animal, I mean.”
Aspen nodded. “He does. And if he gets a bit too much up in your business, just tell him so. He loves a bit of sass.”
Oscar wriggled his whiskers. “I only wish to serve,” he intoned, “and to sample the occasional sweet treat.” Then he scampered to a table, where he began to meticulously organize the sugar packets.
I sat at the table, feeling weirdly exposed by the sun streaming through the window. The girls arranged themselves around me—Aspen to my left, Maddie to my right, Parker across, one leg tucked up in her chair.
For a while, we just ate. Nobody asked me questions; nobody pressed. Aspen insisted I try everything, and I did, even though my stomach wasn’t sure it wanted company. The food was incredible—real butter, sharp cheese, soft bread, and quiche that melted on my tongue. I forgot I was supposed to be on edge.
When we’d demolished most of the food, Parker cleared her throat and leveled a look at me. “So, Harper,” she said, “you feel comfortable talkin’ about it?”
My fork froze mid-bite. “I’m sorry?”
Aspen shot her a glare. “Don’t mind Parker. She’s got the subtlety of a sledgehammer.”
Maddie squeezed my hand under the table. “It’s just… you don’t have to tell us. But it might help. Or not. Whatever you want.”
I looked at all three of them, expecting the usual hunger I saw in club girls when gossip was about to be served. Instead, I saw nothing but patience. I took a deep breath.
“My dad forced me to leave Jess,” I said, voice quiet. “I grew up in a wealthy household in the Rising Moon Pack. Like, really wealthy. Jess was from the other end of pack territory. Where the blue-collar families lived. I didn’t really know him growing up because he was so much older than me, but I saw him one day after I’d turned 19 and we both recognized immediately we were mates. He had already been in the military for several years, and I was committed to going to Juilliard. I used to be a ballerina.” Considering where they’d found me, I could only imagine what they thought of me. But I continued.
“Jess was home on leave for a couple of weeks, and we saw each other every day. I knew my father would not approve. He’d had several high-powered wolves he wanted me to meet when the time was right. Before Jess was set to deploy, I thought I’d tell my mother about him. I had hoped she’d talk to my father and help me convince him that my happiness was what was important. She told my father, and he lost his mind. He told me if I wanted to go to Julliard I’d have to cut ties with Jess. My plan was to make my father think I agreed and let Jess know we’d be together after I graduated. But my father had me on a plane that night. I didn’t expect him not to allow me to talk to Jess before I left. He confiscated my phone, my computer, iPad, everything. Jess deployed the next day.” I took a sip of my tea and then continued.
“I had no idea he’d told Jess I had rejected him. I was for sure that we’d be together again. But, he deployed, and I never saw him again.”
Maddie’s eyes got big and wet. Aspen covered her mouth with one hand, tears already welling up.
“I hated my dad for it,” I went on. “But I was too scared to fight him. I just kept telling myself it was temporary. Then everything went to hell when I was twenty-one. My father got caught up in a big Ponzi scheme. He’d invested heavily in it and basically lost everything. He still had to defend himself in court, and I guess he was desperate for money. No bank would lend him any, so he turned to the Alpha of the Morgantown Pack, Waylon Steiner, who, besides owning several successful businesses, is some kind of loan guy. My dad was a hedge fund guy; you’d think he would have known better. He loaned my dad I don’t know how much money, but there was no way he could pay it back. I was still at school, and in the meantime my mom had divorced my dad and taken my younger sister to live somewhere in Europe. I was home for summer break when I discovered my family had fallen apart.” I continued with how Steiner had seen me and offered the deal of taking me in trade for his debt. I explained how he threatened to take my sister instead since she’d turned 18, and I couldn’t let that happen.
“He told me it would just be dancing, nothing else, just until the debt was paid.”
Parker snorted. “Bullshit.”
I nodded. “Yeah. That’s when I figured out what kind of man my dad really was. But he said to think of Brie, and that was all it took. That’s why I went willingly.”
Aspen reached over and grabbed my arm, squeezing tight. “You poor girl.”
I shrugged. “It was hell, but my baby sister would never have survived it. I figured I could survive anything for three years.”
“But you think he wouldn’t have let you go?” Maddie guessed.
“Yeah. The ‘contract’ was just a lie. Steiner told me himself. Said I belonged to him now, and that if I ever tried to leave, he’d send someone to kill my family.”
There was a pause, broken only by the clink of Oscar setting a teaspoon precisely parallel to the table edge.
Parker said, “So you survived. You’re here now. You can do whatever you want.”
I laughed, but it came out like a hiccup. “Not really. Jess thinks I rejected him. I never did. I just… disappeared. He’s so angry. He won’t even touch me. He doesn’t want me now. And why would he? You have no idea what my life was like. What I was forced to do.”
