Chapter 40: The Fresh Start

Harper’s POV



As we head into winter, the evenings have become so chilly, to the point I haven’t wanted to leave bed for any reason. Asher will be the one to brave the cold and grab us both dinner. We will either spend the night watching movies, reading, or undressing each other. I would risk the cold to have some intimate time with Asher.

I don’t think it’ll be long until snow begins to fall. I love winter, but also despise it at the same time. I love the cold and being able to have an excuse to stay in bed, but when you’re the Luna you can’t be lazy. My schedule is always booked out with activities or one on one guidance sessions with members of the pack.

I sadly don’t have any time to cuddle in bed with Asher when we are the two people responsible for making sure the compound runs smoothly.

Due to the bad weather, Drake and his pack have had to extend their stay. Turns out, they do need materials that only we supply, so the plan Julius conducted wasn’t a complete lie.

I haven’t seen Drake or Zoey around the compound much since I saw them talking in the woods. It would be in their best interest to stay away from Asher and I because we know about everything. I’m sure by now Julius has told them we found out so maybe that’s a reason why they’re steering clear of us.

I’m standing in the kitchen washing dishes from today’s cooking class with the children in the pack. I decided to make a big cake with three layers, letting the kids decide what flavor each layer should be. They chose chocolate for the bottom, vanilla for the middle and caramel for the top. It will be an interesting cake to eat with lots of different flavors.

I’m watching Asher play soccer outside with Jack and their friends. He looks so happy when he plays with them; wrestling each other when one gets tripped by accident.

In the distance, I can see Zoey appear around the corner of the compound, coming from the front yard. She looks around, clearly nervous to be here. I frown as I watch her approach Asher. He doesn’t see her at first, but Jack taps him on the shoulder and points at her.

I grit my teeth, ready to pounce out there if necessary. Zoey approaches him, but she looks hesitant to do so. They begin talking, and it isn’t long until Asher looks towards the kitchen window and points at me. Zoey follows the direction of his finger and gives him a small nod before leaving.

Is she coming in here to talk to me?

I wipe the soap suds off my hands and pretend to casually be tidying up the kitchen. I’m anxious as I wait for her to come inside. I hear the back door click shut, and soft footsteps travelling down the hall.

I look up from the kitchen bench just in time to see Zoey standing in the doorway, twisting her fingers in front of her.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, wanting the conversation to start on my terms.

“I wanted to apologize for the way I acted at dinner the other night,” Zoey says, not
moving an inch, “I had no right to come here and criticize your marriage with Asher.”

I fold my arms across my chest, “No, you didn’t. But I appreciate the apology.”

“Drake and I will be leaving tomorrow, and I didn’t want to leave having been such a terrible person to you.”

I look her up and down, wondering if her words are genuine or if she is trying to save her own a** after getting caught out being part of Julius’s plan. I want to believe she’s a good person but keeps getting mixed up in the wrong crowd.

“I’m sure you know by now that I found out about the plan Julius had you and Drake involved in,” I say, moving around the kitchen bench.

Zoey looks nervous, “I didn’t want any part of it,” she blurts, “Drake forced me to go along with it otherwise there would be consequences.”

Consequences? For whom?

“What do you mean by that?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

She shakes her head, “It’s not important. I didn’t want to come here and cause trouble between you and Asher. I’ll always hold my love for Asher in a special place in my heart; he was my first love after all.”

“I understand that you don’t like me,” she continues, shifting from one foot to the other, “But, I’m not the enemy here.”

“I want to believe you,” I say, “But it’s hard to do so when I caught you helping our enemy. I know now that you were trying to warn Asher the other morning, but it was too late.”

Zoey hangs her head low, “You’re right. Maybe I should go. Thanks for listening to me.”

Before she can turn around, I yell out “Wait!”

She turns around, curious by my words, “Yes?”

I’ve been wanting to know the answer to this question from the moment I married Asher, and if I don’t ask her now, I’ll never know the truth.

“Why did you leave, Asher?”

She looks down at her hands, “My Father forced me to,” When she looks at me, I can see the sadness in her eyes, “He said Asher wasn’t Alpha material, and therefore not good enough for me. My Father wanted me to be with a strong man, and according to him Asher wasn’t that man.”

“Well, he’s wrong about that,” I say, “Asher is the strongest man I know.”

Zoey smiles softly, looking out the window at Asher and then back to me, “I can see that now.”


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Asher’s POV


I return to the bedroom shortly after dinner is served. I didn’t see Harper in the dining room, so I assumed she wasn’t hungry and must’ve went to bed early.

I trudge down the hallway, my body aching after playing soccer all afternoon. Jack made it his mission to not go easy on me. I’m the type of guy who loves a challenge, but that game was brutal at some points.

I push the door open, expecting to see Harper reading a book or sleeping. But I’m met with a pleasant surprise. Harper is lying across the bed in a dark green matching lingerie set. I have to stop my eyes from physically falling out of my head and rolling across the floor.

My favorite color on her is green, and she knows that. She looks stunning.

I close the door behind me, “What’s this?”

She smiles seductively, “I want to mark you.”