Leo was sitting there in the lobby, his face in his phone and his leg bouncing. “What happened?” I asked him.
He looked up at me, his face surprised. “It’s all okay,” he said, standing to hug me.
I hugged him back, but my unease wasn’t settled. “It’s Harper,” he started. “She’s fine, but…”
I didn’t hear the rest of his words. It was like my wolf acted before I could, rushing towards the back. If Harper was hurt, I didn’t know what I would do. I followed my nose towards her spicy, warm scent scent. She was in one of the exam rooms. I threw the door open and froze.
Harper was standing there with her eyes wide and her body turned, as if protecting someone—a someone who poked her head around Harper’s body. She had a blonde hair and cute, rounded cheeks. Her hazel eyes looked at me with interest. She was a carbon copy of Harper.
My mind tried to piece together everything I was seeing, but it was like I was left only with base instinct.
The door opened again, and I was so set on protecting the two of them, I blocked the door. Jasper looked at me in surprise. “What are you doing back here?” he asked.
I couldn’t speak, my wolf was too close to the surface. Jasper peered around me to Harper without moving any closer. “I’m just going to talk to Hawthorne real quick, and then we’ll all talk.”
I followed him as he dragged me into another exam room. My instinct told me to go back, to protect them from whatever scared Harper, but I tried to reason with myself. It was muddy, but even my wolf knew they were safe here.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked. “You’re a second from shifting and scaring the shit out of them both.”
I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths, pushing my wolf back down. He was right.Iwas the reason Harper was afraid.We’re scaring our mate,I told my wolf. I could feel it cower back.
That was the strangest feeling. I’d never talked directly to my wolf, nor had I ever felt it as a separate entity, but it was almost as if there were two halves of me fighting for control.
When I opened my eyes, my vision wasn’t as sharp and everything felt less intense. Jasper rubbed my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, leaning into his touch. “Yes. Thank you.”
He dropped a small kiss on my lips. “I was going to let her tell you, but I feel like I probably should so you don’t freak out again. Harper has a daughter, Aria.”
My head spun. It made sense. I saw it with my own eyes, but thinking about it made me shake. “Why didn’t she tell us?” I asked.
“I think she was worried. I’m assuming something happened before.”
I released a growl. Anyone who would leave her because of her child was unworthy of her. I took a deep breath, set on getting myself under control.
“Okay,” Jasper breathed. “I’m going to go in there to make sure they’re okay. Apparently, Aria has been presenting signs of shifting.”
I blinked. “But Harper is human.”
“I know.” I let the words sink in. Her daughter was a shifter, but how? I didn’t bother asking. Even if she told Jasper, I was sure it would be in medical confidence, and I wouldn't intrude on that.
“Just take a minute, and I’ll see you out there.” He kissed me gently then left as I sat in the dark exam room, letting myself calm down. Though my wolf was taking a back seat,Iwas freaking out. I had so many questions, but Jas was right. I knew I needed to put my head on straight and be there for Harper. She’s a human and would have no clue how to deal with this.
I walked back out to where Leo was pacing. I probably made him nervous too. He paused when he saw me. “What happened?” he asked.
I shook myself off, trying to get back into the right mindset. “Nothing. It’s okay. Your text just kinda set me off.”
He pulled me into his arms, and I inhaled him. He always smelled sweet and warm like a vanilla candle. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I tried to call your office phone, but it was busy. And I just shot off a quick text.”
I squeezed him harder. I needed to keep my head together. I was the alpha, and I needed to exude that. “I’m glad you did. I want to be here.”
We stood there hugging for way too long, but no one paid us any mind. Leo had that sugary scent to him, telling me he was baking today. “Did you get that order to Amber?”
“Yeah, dropped it off right before I went to Harper.”
I nodded and pulled away. “Show me the photos.”
He lit up. We sat together in some nearby chairs, and he pulled up the photos. He really did do beautiful work, and knowing he was doing something he was passionate about made me happy. The doors to the back swung open and Jasper and Harper appeared. My eyes drifted to the little girl between them with a lollipop in her hand.
