Chapter 43: The Assassin

Asher’s POV



The days following the visit from Harper’s brothers have been quiet and uneventful. Harper has been spending more time in bed, presumably mourning the loss of her Father. She has requested not to be disturbed by anyone, not even Amaris.

I’m doing my best to comfort her as much as I can during this hard time. I know what it feels like to lose a parent, so I know she just needs some time to process what’s happening.

When my Father passed away, I wouldn’t leave my bedroom for a week. I felt like I couldn’t live my life without him in it. It was the hardest time of my life.

Seeing Harper this upset makes me feel so helpless. She’s devastated that Artemis is officially Alpha because she knows he will be the worst leader for her pack. She’s never gone into detail about what he’s capable of, but from the sounds of it, he will go as far as he needs to, to get what he wants.

I knock on the bedroom door, warning Harper I’m about to come in. I’m shocked to see her sitting at the desk reading a book. In the past few days, I will always find her in bed or in the bathroom. It’s a fresh sight, seeing her dressed in everyday clothes instead of sweatpants.

Harper turns to me, a small smile on her lips, “Hey.”

I set her dinner down on the bedside table, walking over to wrap my arms around her shoulders. I put my face in the crook of her neck; my nose is instantly filled with her fresh fragrance.

“You seem better today,” I mumble into her neck.

She places the book down on the desk, “I think I’m done feeling sorry for myself.”

I lean back to look at her, “Have you come to terms with everything that’s happened?”

I release her so she can face me, “I need to go home.”

My face instantly drops, “What?”

Harper stands from the chair, moving to sit on the bed, “I need to go home, Asher. I’m not going to accomplish what I set out to do by sitting here on my a**.”

I’m having a hard time understanding what she’s planning.

“I don’t get it,” I say, fiddling with my fingers, “I thought we were doing this together?”

“We are,” She says, “But, if I go home with you by my side, Artemis might think we’re looking for a fight.”

“Well, we are.” I state.

Harper gets up from the bed to stand in front of me, taking my big hands into her small ones, “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

I want to question her more, but a knock on the door ruins the mood. I hesitate before dropping her hands. When I open the door, Jack is standing in front of me. He looks frazzled and scared, his eyes dart between me and the end of the hallway.

“What’s wrong?” I question.

“You need to follow me right now,” he says, frantic.

I frown, “Why? I thought I made it clear not to disturb me after dinner.”

“Trust me,” he says, his eyes darken, “You need to come with me, Asher.”

I look back at Harper, who is frowning at me in confusion. I look back at Jack, nodding my head slowly.

“Give me a minute,” I say, closing the door in his face.

“What was that about?” Harper asks.

I shrug, “I might have to deal with a conflict between some members of the pack; Jack was very vague. But I’ll be back soon, and we can watch a movie together.”

Harper smiles, walking over to her plate of food, “I’ll see you soon.”

I turn to the door, pulling it open to see Jack pacing impatiently in front of me. He looks stressed and frantic, which makes me think I’m need urgently.

“Let’s go,” Jack says, hurrying down the hallway.

I follow Jack down the hallway towards the back yard, his pace is quicker than usual. I’m starting to think something is very wrong because Jack never acts like this unless it’s a situation that involves fighting or danger.

The sun is beginning to set as we enter the large glass doors. I can see multiple members of the pack gathered outside, staring into the woods. I wonder what’s happening out there.

Jack and I rush to the group. When the crowd parts I’m met with an agitated wolf. I stop in my tracks, shocked to see something like this in my backyard.

“Who is this?” I demand, needing someone to answer me.

“We don’t know,” Jack replies, “They appeared from the woods, clearly ready to attack. I think it might be a rogue wolf wanting something from us.”

I turn to the wolf, noting the pale brown color of its fur. I’ve never encountered this situation before. The compound isn’t known for rogue wolves attacking it in exchange for something. It’s never been seen before; until this moment.

The wolf is watching my every move intently, worried I might attack at any moment. I have no idea what to do in this situation, so I’m unsure if I should attack or try to talk them down.

I’m about to shift, when the wolf looks past me at an unknown figure. I look over my shoulder to see Harper standing on the porch steps, looking at me confused.

“Get inside, Harper!” I shout, not wanting her to be here for this.

In a flash, the wolf is running past me at full speed towards Harper. She squeals, frozen in the moment.

“No!” I scream, shifting as quick as I can. I can’t allow her to get hurt again under my watch.

The wolf is too quick, though. They’re already at Harper, biting at her leg. She screams in pain, trying with all her might to push them off.

I pick up the pace and reach them in no time. I leap onto the back of the wolf, biting its neck as hard as I can. It yelps in pain, trying to shake me off but I hold on as tight as I can. They manage to throw me off, making me skid across the snow-covered grass.

I’m dazed for a moment, but I come to quickly when Harper is yelling at me to get up. Out the corner of my eye, I see the wolf rushing towards me. I get to my feet quickly and attack its leg when I’m close enough. The wolf falls to the ground when a loud snap is heard. They wriggle around in pain, before shifting back.

A man lay before me; he looks not much older than me. His leg looks broken as he cradles it in his hands, crying out for help.

I shift back, walking over to the unknown man, “Who are you? And why did you attack my wife?”

“I… didn’t want to,” he stammers through the pain, “I was forced to.”

“By whom?” I question, stepping on his broken leg.

The man cries out in pain, “Artemis Cole!” He shouts.

I move away, looking at Harper who is in shock on the porch holding her injured leg. She covers her mouth with her hand, never taking her eyes off me.

“Why did he send you?” I kneel in front of him, enjoying watching him squirm around in pain.

“To kill Harper Cole.”