12. Dorian #2
The defeat in her tone nearly brought him to his knees. This woman who'd faced down two hostile wolves, who'd challenged his authority with calm confidence, who'd brought his traumatized sister back from the edge. Now she sounded broken, and he'd done that to her.
"Please, Harper. Just open the door." He pressed his forehead against the wood, his voice dropping to something raw and pleading. "I need to explain everything. Lila is really upset, but she doesn't want you to leave. She's not mad at you—she's mad at me. Just open the door, Harper. Please."
Silence stretched between them like a chasm. Dorian counted his heartbeats, each one hammering against his ribs as he waited. His wolf growled at the barrier between them, demanding he break down the door and claim what was his.
This is it. She's not going to—
The door opened slowly, revealing Harper in yesterday's clothes, her hair still wild and her green eyes red-rimmed from crying.
She looked fragile and fierce all at once, like she was holding herself together through pure will.
Every protective instinct Dorian possessed demanded he pull her into his arms and promise her that everything would be okay.
Instead, he forced himself to remain perfectly still, giving her the space she clearly needed.
"You have exactly three minutes to say what you need to say," Harper said, her voice surprisingly steady despite the tears still clinging to her lashes. "Then I'm calling Gerri to take me back to Oregon."
Three minutes to save his world. Three minutes to explain eighteen years of loneliness and the miracle of finding his other half. Three minutes to convince the most important person in his life that she belonged here, with him, forever.
Dorian took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving hers.
"The truth is, Harper, that you're my fated mate.
" The words came out in a rush, like a dam breaking.
"I've known since the moment you stepped foot on my front porch.
When we shook hands, our mate bond activated, and I've been trying to deny it because I knew you were here for Lila.
I didn't want to jeopardize that—I couldn't stand in the way of Lila's healing and you doing your job effectively. "
Harper's breath hitched, her eyes widening with something between shock and recognition.
"But the mate bond isn't something that can be denied easily," Dorian continued, his voice gaining strength.
"It's been killing me slowly to deny that my wolf—that I—need you so much.
I've denied myself for eighteen years, denied my needs for so long, but with you...
" He ran a hand through his dark hair, the gesture revealing the vulnerability he'd hidden from everyone else.
"I just can't anymore. After last night, after what we shared, I want to stop pretending.
I want to stop running. I want you in my life, Harper, whatever it takes, whatever I need to do to make this right. I will do it."
His voice dropped to a whisper that carried the weight of every lonely night, every burden he'd carried alone.
"Please don't leave. Don't leave Lila—she needs you right now."
Harper stared at him for long moments, fresh tears welling in her eyes as she processed his confession.
The mate bond hummed between them, no longer hidden but laid bare like an open wound.
When the tears began falling down her cheeks, Dorian couldn't stop himself from reaching out, his thumb gently brushing away the moisture with a tenderness that surprised them both. And thankfully, she didn't pull away.
Harper looked at him, her voice barely audible.
"I don't know what to do, Dorian. I crossed a professional boundary I've never crossed, and I cannot be Lila's counselor anymore.
I just can't—it would jeopardize everything I've worked for.
I can't just throw my career away for some mate bond, even if it's the first thing in my life that's made me feel safe. "
The admission hit him like a blow. She felt safe with him—the one thing he'd wanted to give her more than anything else. But she was also terrified of losing herself in the process.
"Okay then." Dorian took a step back, giving her more space even though every instinct screamed against it. "Then don't be Lila's counselor. You can stay here and help her as a friend, as a mentor. No job, no obligation. Just please consider it."
He backed up further, his hands raised in surrender. "It would mean the world to me if you would stay and help Lila, but I understand if you can't."
Another step back, putting physical distance between them even as the mate bond stretched like a rubber band ready to snap.
"Just let me know what you decide. And please—don't leave without saying goodbye."
Harper didn't speak, only nodded, her green eyes swimming with emotions he couldn't read. Dorian turned and walked back toward his room, each step feeling like he was walking away from his own heart.
I've failed everyone. Again.
The thought crashed over him like a tidal wave as he reached his bedroom door.
Lila was furious with him, thinking he'd destroyed her relationship with Harper.
Harper probably saw him as overbearing and controlling, trying to manipulate her into staying.
And his wolf was snarling at him for not being able to simply tell his mate that everything would be okay if she'd just trust him.
Dorian wanted to slam the door with enough force to shake the entire estate, to let out the roar of frustration and despair building in his chest. Instead, he closed it softly and fell back onto his bed—the bed that still smelled like Harper, like jasmine and rain and the promise of a future he might have just destroyed.
For the first time since he'd become Alpha at seventeen, Dorian Holt felt completely hopeless. The one person he'd finally let into his world, the one person he needed, the one person who'd actually cared for him, could be gone within the hour.
And there wasn't a damn thing his strength or control could do to stop it.