Chapter 31: The Arrival of Her

Harper’s POV



Another pack is here? Surely Asher would’ve known if there was a pack planning to visit to conduct trading or other orders of business. But the look on his face reveals that he really doesn’t know who is here.

Asher moves to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Julius and Dean.

“Which pack is here?” His voice is firm.

“All I know is it’s the Lunar Pack from the North,” Julius says, placing his hands behind his back, “The Alpha wants to engage in some trading with you.”

I stare at Asher’s back, unable to see his expression. I’m sure he’s just as confused as I am.

“I wasn’t informed of another pack coming here for trading purposes.” Asher sounds annoyed.

I peak around Asher’s back to see Julius shrug, “That’s all the information I have. They’re waiting on the back porch.”

I hear Julius and Dean walk away, closing the door behind them. Asher sighs, turning to face me.

“Sorry about the interruption,” he says, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

I smile, “Don’t worry about it. Should we go and meet the mysterious pack?”

Asher doesn’t look too pleased about the situation, “I’m worried this is a trap.”

“By whom?” I question.

Asher shrugs, looking at his hands, “After everything that has happened to you, I’m suspicious of everything and everyone.”

I place a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at me, “I’m sure this is an innocent situation of a pack needing help from us. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

Asher forces a smile, removing my hand from his cheek to place a soft kiss on my knuckles. He grips my hand tight in his and leads me out of the dining room. The lights in the backyard on are when we reach the porch.

A small group of unknown faces are standing together on the grass, chatting quietly. A man with short blonde hair spots us by the door and makes his way over with a friendly smile on his face.

“Asher, right?” He asks, sticking his hand out, “I’m Drake, Alpha of the Lunar Pack.”

Asher eyes him carefully before taking his hand in his, “It’s nice to meet you. What brings you here? I wasn’t made aware of your visitation.”

“Oh, I must’ve forgot to notify you beforehand, my wife usually takes care of that kind of stuff, so she must’ve forgotten,” Drake smiles.

Asher frowns, “Who is your wife?”

Drake turns to face the group, “Zoey!” He calls out.

Asher and I both look at each other, “Zoey?” I whisper. The color begins to drain from Asher’s face.

A tall, beautiful girl with short brown hair leaves the group and approaches us. Her eyes are big and shine almost as bright as the moon. She, too, has a friendly smile on her face as she approaches us.

When she comes into view, Asher’s jaw drops, “Zoey?”

She looks shocked for a moment, but plays it off, “It’s nice to meet you both. It’s Asher and Harper, right?”

Asher frowns, looking her up and down. I can’t tell what’s going on here. Is this his ex-girlfriend or not?

“Yeah,” I reply slowly, “I’m Asher’s wife.”

“Do you two know each other?’ Drake asks Zoey, looking between her and Asher.

Asher is just staring at her, which is making me mad.

She smiles, shaking her head, “I don’t think so.”

“Anyway,” I chime in, my blood boiling at this point, “It’s getting late, so why don’t we talk about trade tomorrow? Do your wolves have somewhere to sleep?”

Drake smiles, “We do. In fact, we’re staying just down the road in a small cabin owned by Zoey’s family. They were kind enough to let us use it for a couple of days.”

I force a smile, “Wonderful. Get a good night’s rest after your long travel, and we will meet again tomorrow.”

I grab Asher by the arm and force him back inside. We march in silence back to our new bedroom. I can tell Asher is confused, but not as confused as I am.

When we get to the room, I close the door behind us with a small thud. Asher sits on the edge of the bed, looking at his feet. His hands grip the quilt tight.

“What the f*ck was that?” I demand, folding my arms across my chest.

“I don’t know,” Asher’s voice is soft and slow, like he’s trying to process what just happened.

“Was that your ex-girlfriend?” I ask, “Because to me, it seemed like she didn’t know you at all, and you were just blatantly staring at her.”

“It was her,” He says, lifting his head to look at me, “But, she was pretending to not know who I am in front of her husband. I have no idea why, though.”

“What?” I asked confused, “So, that was her?”

Asher stands from the bed, pacing back and forth, “I don’t understand what’s going on here.”

I sigh, “Me either.”

I was not expecting Zoey to be so beautiful. In my head, I was praying she looked like an ugly troll to make myself feel better. But no. She is so d*mn pretty; it hurts not only my confidence, but my pride, too.

No wonder Asher was conflicted with his feelings about her.

“Why are they here?” Asher whispers to himself, most likely trying to analyze the situation.

“Clearly they’re here for a reason,” I say, “Whether it’s strictly for trading or some other unknown reason. But we have to find out what because Zoey pretending not to know you is a little weird.”

“I agree,” Asher stops pacing the room to look at me, “I had no idea it was her pack, Harper, you have to believe me. I was just in shock because I haven’t seen her in years.”

I nod my head, “I know, it was a shock for me, too.”

Asher pulls me in for a hug; I rest my head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat through his shirt.

“I have a bad feeling about them being here,” He says into my hair, “I know Zoey, and I know this is no coincidence.”