Chapter 15
Icouldn”t help but roll my eyes as we left Hunter”s office. That man could be such a dick, but damn if he wasn”t right about Harper. She needed friends, and fast. Orlando was convinced she was hiding something and said he got a weird vibe from her. Personally, I got a different kind of vibe—one I definitely wanted to explore.
”Come on,” I said, motioning to Orlando as we headed to lunch. ”Let”s see what the girls are up to.”
As we entered the cafeteria, it didn”t take long to spot Harper and Melody already seated at our usual table. Harper caught my eye immediately, her green eyes sparkling with some unreadable emotion. But there was something else that concerned me—she wasn”t eating enough. Ice coffee and an apple for breakfast, now just a salad wrap and water for lunch? She was too skinny, and for some reason, my wolf side wanted to provide her food and make sure she was taken care of.
”Harper, seriously?” I said as we approached the table, trying to keep my tone light. ”You need more than rabbit food to survive.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, a hint of defiance in her gaze. ”I can take care of myself, Dante. I don”t need you or anyone else telling me how to eat.”
”Whoa, relax,” I responded, holding up my hands in surrender.
Orlando slid into his seat, clearly still irked by whatever vibe he”d picked up on earlier. He glanced at Harper and then quickly away as if he couldn”t stand the sight of her for too long.
”Hey, Melody,” I greeted, trying to diffuse the tension. ”How”s your day been?”
”Good, thanks,” she replied with a smile, oblivious to the undercurrents rippling through the table. ”Yours?”
”Could be worse,” I admitted, my gaze flicking back to Harper. I couldn”t help but wonder what was going on under that tough exterior of hers. What secrets was she hiding? And why did I feel so drawn to her?
The memory of my mum”s insistence on feeding us day and night flashed through my mind as I watched Harper pick at her salad wrap. It was no surprise that seeing someone too skinny made me want to shove food down their throat, just like Mum would have done.
”Hey, Griffin,” I said. ”Have been here long?”
”Nope, just sat down,” he replied, his blue eyes flicking over to Orlando. ”How”s your brother?”
”Still a dick,” Orlando muttered, his gaze locked on Harper as if he was trying to unravel the mystery of her existence with just a look.
”Come on, man, don”t let Hunter get to you,” I told him softly, nudging his shoulder. I couldn”t help but sneak glances at Harper, who was carefully picking at her salad wrap.
”Is the dean your brother?” she suddenly blurted out, her green eyes fixed on Orlando. The question caught him off guard, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment before he simply nodded in response.
”I was wondering why he looked so familiar,” Harper murmured, turning back to Melody. I could tell that Orlando wasn”t quite sure how to feel about her curiosity, his gaze lingering on her longer than necessary.
Griffin cleared his throat, drawing Orlando”s attention back to the table. ”What are you ordering?” he asked, scanning the menu with mild interest.
”Uh, the Chicken Alfredo,” Orlando mumbled, quickly averting his eyes from Harper to focus on Griffin. I could sense his internal struggle, torn between his instinct to distrust her and his desire to get to know her better. It was an intriguing dance to witness.
While they discussed their meal choices, I watched Harper interact with Melody, her laughter tinkling through the air like wind chimes. Something was captivating about her—something that drew me in and begged me to learn more. My wolf stirred within me, urging me to claim her and protect her, even as my more rational side warned me to tread cautiously.
”Earth to Dante,” Griffin said, snapping his fingers in front of my face, pulling me from my thoughts. ”You gonna order something or what?”
”Uh, yeah,” I muttered, hastily scanning the menu before settling on a steak sandwich. As the waitress took our orders and disappeared, I found my gaze drifting back to Harper.
”Stop staring,” Orlando hissed under his breath, elbowing me in the ribs. ”You”re being creepy.”
”Fuck off,” I muttered, rubbing my side where he”d jabbed me. But he was right—I needed to keep my distance, at least for now.