Chapter 18 #2
I swallowed hard. “And when you found your mates, I hated it. I resented it. Not just because it felt like you’d all left me behind.
I just knew you couldn’t trust them. That they would for sure hurt you the way mine had hurt me.
And I couldn’t stand the thought of you being crushed like that.
And then, when they turned out to be amazing, I guess I was jealous.
Why couldn’t I have that kind of happiness?
I knew I would be alone forever because I had a mate, and she didn’t want me. ”
Menace’s face stayed stone still. Wrecker just blinked. Papa gave a slow nod, as if cataloging the words for later.
“I’m not proud of how I treated any of you,” I said. “And I’m not proud of how I treated your mates. Especially you, Big Papa. Aspen deserved better than what I said about her.”
Papa shrugged, but the set of his jaw told me it mattered. I pressed on, knowing I had to get it all out before I lost my nerve.
“I’ve claimed Harper. She’s mine, officially, and she’s here to stay.
” I let the silence stretch, then added, “And the shit people have been saying about her? None of it was her fault. She was helpless. She did what she had to so her family wouldn’t get hurt.
” I swallowed, trying to keep my hands from shaking.
“She’s the bravest person I’ve ever met. ”
Wrecker glanced at Bronc, then back at me. “So, you’re apologizing for being a prick, and you want us to slow down on the whore talk?”
A bolt of anger shot up my spine, but I forced it down. “Don’t ever call her that again.”
Wrecker shrugged, but there was the hint of a smile behind his teeth. “Just checking. I mean, you suggested taking Parker out. You hinted at killing her. Potato, po-tah-toe.”
“That’s fair, Wrecker. I also had Parker’s back when the chips were down.”
Wrecker nodded. “Also fair. And I’d take a bullet for Harper.”
The tension eased between us.
Menace’s voice, piped in over the Surface speakers, was cool and precise. “We all read the file. We know how bad it got.” He paused. “What’s your plan for the fallout?”
I squared my shoulders. “I’m handling it. Any problems, they come to me. Not her. Not ever.”
Bronc spoke next, his voice slow and deliberate. “You mean the shit that went down last night in the common room?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He turned to Big Papa. “What’d Aspen say about it?”
Papa rubbed his beard, eyes distant. “She had trailed in behind Arsenal. She caught only the last part of it right before you walked in. She said Harper handled herself, but it was ugly. She’s tough.
She’ll be okay.” He looked at me. “But next time, don’t be a part of it. Don’t give them fuel for their fire.”
Juliet’s voice cut in through the office door and the war room. “WHAT?”
Bronc rolled his eyes. “Here we go.” He said with a sigh.
The door opened, and our pregnant Luna waddled into the room. Even though she was only about four months along, her tiny Omega size and the fact she was carrying twins made her look like she was much more pregnant than she was.
“Did you say something ugly went down in the common room last night with Harper?” Her tiny hands were on her hips.
I sat back down and addressed her. “Yes ma’am.
Several women had her cornered and were reading her the riot act.
Grilling her about being on the pole. And telling her they didn’t think she was Iron Valor officer mate material.
I set them straight and told them if they ever said anything like that again, I’d have words with the Luna and you would visit them personally. ”
Color ran up her neck to her face. “I want the names by the end of this meeting.”
Bronc was rubbing her back. “Now, little wolf, take it easy. You’re carrying my pups, and I don’t want you dealing with things that can cause you stress.”
She looked him eye to eye since he was still seated.
“You listen to me, Alpha. I won’t have any members of my pack bullied and disrespected.
Especially not an officer’s mate. It won’t take long I can assure you.
I’ll get the names, and you can call them, their mates or fathers if they don’t have a mate, in for a quick meeting.
And I will address it. Boom. Easy peasy. ”
I hid my smile as Bronc smiled at his mate and agreed as Juliet looked my way.
“Harper doesn’t need to worry about ever having that happen again, Arsenal. I can promise you that. I can’t stop people from judging her, but I can damn sure stop them from doing it out loud in public.” She patted my shoulder as she walked out of the room.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
Gunner leaned forward, arms folded, eyes sharp as razors. “I gotta say, you look different.”
I met his eyes. “I feel different. Settled.”
He grinned big and goofy, but you just never know with Gunner. Those light-hearted waters run deep.
Bronc continued with more Harper business. “Do you think Steiner is going to come for Harper?”
I looked to Wrecker since he’s had the tech end covered.
Wrecker jerked his chin at the screen. “No sign of heat in the region.”
“Steiner’s gonna change targets,” I said. “He won’t like losing her. She said he’s a win at all cost kind of guy. He lost his prize possession, but he’s not stupid enough to go up against Iron Valor in a fight. He’ll want to hurt her, but not directly.”
Bronc dragged his hand down his face. “The sister.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But Harper’s got no clue where she is exactly.
She just knows her dad was arrested for the Ponzi scheme thing years ago and her mother and sister fled sometime after.
She thinks they went to France after she overheard Steiner say something about their being in Paris.
I’ve been poking around, and I found out something she doesn’t know.
Looks like her father’s questionable business partners had had enough of him.
He was murdered last month. The man never learned.
No witnesses, no prints. Probably a mob hit. I haven’t told her yet.”
The air in the room went glacial. Bronc’s eyes narrowed, but he kept his voice even. “Why the fuck not?”
“The man destroyed her life,” I said, and my words surprised even me by how they landed.
“He told me she had rejected me and then he sold her to Steiner. He’s the cause of all her pain.
This is going to reopen those wounds. Maybe she’ll be glad to hear it.
But she’s not the type to celebrate death.
And this news isn’t gonna help us get to her sister. ”
Wrecker grunted. “Shit. Well, you just have to frame it around the fact that it was information uncovered in trying to find Brie. It’s a tragic end to a tragic life. You need to remind her that getting to her sister before Steiner does is the most important thing right now.”
I nodded my head. “My guess is Steiner’s already got contacts in Paris. The second Brie pops her head up, he’ll have her bagged and in a shipping crate. Maybe less than a week, if he pushes hard.”
Bronc leaned back, massaging the bridge of his nose.
“So we’re racing a multimillionaire with a fucking trafficking empire and a demon king on speed dial.
Wrecker—run down every travel manifest in the Schengen Zone to see if Brie has an alias.
Get Parker to see if she can backtrace Harper’s old numbers—her mom’s burner might have left a trace.
Make it fast,” Bronc said, not as an order, just a fact of nature.
“If this goes to shit, I want a team on the ground before we can fall any further behind. And I’m bringing Rafe in on this.
Having the southern king work with us will go a long way should the Council get wind of it.
Menace, you may need to vouch for us too, but I won’t have you or your men involved.
This is strictly a Southern pack issue, and Rafe needs to step up with muscle.
If there is going to be an injured or dead Alpha as a result, I don’t want Iron Valor’s fingerprints to be on it.
We’ve already taken out two kings and two Alphas on my watch.
Another big kill and the Council will be out for our blood. ”
Menace straightened in his chair. “I don’t like it, but I understand and respect your wishes. I’d like to be on the call when you contact Rafe.”
Bronc nodded. “That would be helpful. Thank you, brother. Now Wrecker, how fast can you get a twenty on the girl?”
Wrecker cracked his knuckles, then typed in a few commands. “If she’s in the city, I’ll have her location by sundown. If she’s not, it’ll take a little longer to find the places she stops for Wi-Fi or a pastry. But nobody ghosts the net completely.”
Bronc looked at me again, like he was giving me the floor. I ran a hand over my jaw, felt the rough bristle there. I appreciated my brothers more than I could say.
“I need to go to Harper,” I told them. “I need to prep her. There’s no guarantee Brie will run to us even if we get to her first. If she doesn’t understand the danger, she’ll keep running until she ends up in a crate.”
Wrecker smirked. “When are you gonna tell Harper about the old man?”
I nodded once. “Today.”
Parker blew into the room wearing her usual workout gear. Short dark hair with pink highlights shining. “Thought the conversations would be easier if I were here instead of my monster there texting everything.” She blew a kiss toward Wrecker.
The conversation turned to logistics, air travel, the best way to get boots on the ground in France without triggering every customs agent on the continent.
Bronc talked about safe houses, about which allies might be bribed to provide muscle or extraction.
Wrecker suggested two, maybe three pack members from Rafe’s friends in Paris.
Parker said she’d ping her old boss at Cisco to see if anyone could offer coverage on phone possibilities in France.
The longer we talked, the more I felt the old machine switch on in my head: objectives, contingencies, risk assessments, everything falling into grid lines and checkboxes. It was almost soothing. Like violence was just another word for control.
Then Bronc ended the meeting with his usual precision. “Wrecker, Parker, keep working to get me a fix on Brie. Arsenal, keep Harper on lockdown and ready to move at a moment’s notice. If Steiner moves first, we go full wolf pack. No prisoners. That’s it.”
Wrecker flicked a salute, gathered his gear, and was gone. Parker lingered, eyes flickering between Bronc and me, then stood and left without a word. Bronc was last, but before he went, he clapped a hand on my shoulder, the kind of grip that could bend rebar.
“Y’all will be fine,” he said. “Fate made her for you. You know she’s gonna have to go to France with you. Her sister won’t come with you without her. You gonna be able to keep your head?”
I nodded. “I want to end this. She’s fucking smart and brave. Her mind and body are clear of the poison that son of a bitch had pumped into her system. She can do this.”
Bronc held my gaze. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
When the room was empty, I sat for a long time, finishing my coffee. I thought about what it would mean to Harper, losing her father like that. He’s the one who fucked her life up. She’d probably be relieved.
Then I remembered the last thing Harper had said to me before we left the bakery that morning. “Do you think Brie will ever want to see me again?”
I’d hoped I wasn’t lying when I said. “She’ll run to you the second she’s in trouble.”
But the truth was, I didn’t know. There were some wounds you couldn’t cauterize, no matter how many times you bled for them. And there were some sisters who’d rather burn alive than admit they ever needed saving.
I stood, my legs cramping from sitting too long, and headed for the door. There were errands to run, messages to send, weapons to clean. But before I did any of that, I let myself imagine what I’d do to Steiner if he ever touched Brie.
It was a long, ugly list.
The world was a meat grinder, and my job was to keep Harper and her family out of it. I’d failed once. I wasn’t about to let it happen again.
So I made a promise right then, in that empty sunlit room. I’d find Brie and Harper’s mom. I’d bring them home, even if I had to drag them across an ocean and through hell itself. And I’d never let another monster touch what was mine to protect.
Not while I was breathing.