StefanI stay watching them, feeling uneasy about how close they are to him, even though I know it’s wrong. However, I still don’t like it.Ghost doesn’t help with the constant chanting of ‘Mate’ when he sees Harlyn wrapped around a guy, so I push him back, as the last thing I need is Ghost reacting.I waited, but she seemed too in her world to realise I was here and speaking to her. That she just left me and didn’t even say goodbye.Maybe this is a good thing. Harlyn won’t leave now, right? I mean, surely, if he’s here, she will agree to stay a few more days. Then, I can figure out how to fix this and tell her everything.I watch as Harlyn steps back, tears rolling down her cheeks as the pups stay in his arms. This just reminds me of how much I fucked everything up.Sighing, I wait and watch as he places down the pups. My body runs cold. I hear Ghost growl, and I step back. No. My head shakes. She can’t leave, not yet.“Harlyn.” My words are loud and almost a growl. She turns now and

StefanI hate this. Everyone is welcoming Wayne like he’s a fantastic guy and the best thing that happened to Harlyn. Still, he isn’t. Sure, he may have taken her in after she was exiled, but it took years for us to learn that.The Earl said Harlyn chose to leave for years; it was only after I heard Samuel arguing with him that we learned the truth and that he exiled her.I still don’t understand how he could do that to his daughter, and he honestly looked so unaffected by it. The Countess hid away for months after, and it was clear when she finally began to attend events again that she had lost part of her soul.Just like Samuel and Colton, all three of them seemed to be ripped apart by the loss of Harlyn, but not the Earl. Why? There must be something or a reason why he hates her so much. Whatever it is, he won’t speak of it, so I’m not sure if we will ever get the full story behind his hatred for her.I’ve managed to stay hidden within the crowd, close enough to hear the conversati

HarlynThe celebration has been going amazing; I watch Wayne standing with the pups and Samuel walking towards my mother. I sit.“Darling.” She moves and hugs me. “He seems like such an amazing man.” Her words make me smile.“He is; I’m grateful to have him.” That I am.“He and the pups have changed you. The girl you were has basically disappeared. You walk with your head up, no longer at your feet,” she says while smiling.“Mother, you know we all love you, right?” I ask, and she nods. “Then don’t do this again; imagine how I would have felt if Father refused to let me return and you had died.” I hate how close that reality came.“Samuel needed you. Lucy needed you.”“So much that you were willing to die?” Is she crazy? I stare at her, fighting back the tears.“He missed you. We all did.” Sighing, she looks around the room. “Maybe it was foolish, but I knew Samuel needed you there for his wedding. I knew you would forever regret not being there. So if I died in my quest, it would hav

StefanShe stares at me. She didn’t expect me to confirm it; I would have said it years ago had I known for sure Harlyn was safe.“You love Harlyn?” She looks at me, waiting, almost like she didn’t hear the words right. Part of me still feels like this is a trap, and if I confirm it again, something bad will happen.“Yes.” I watch her and wait; she glances around the room and then back to me. I wait, unsure of what to say now, so I wait for her to speak instead.“Stefan...” She stops and looks at me again, her head shaking. Why is she struggling to talk to me? I wait, and I can see she is considering what to say.“Tell me about the Earl Mother.” I want to know about him. I know he hated that Harlyn didn’t have a wolf, but I didn’t know just how bad it was.“I don’t understand why he hates her so much. Samuel has spoken to your Father for years, trying to figure out a way to protect Harlyn from the Earl. He never physically hurt her, but his words were very expressive.”“Why, though?”

Stefan POVWhat has he done? Everything, he’s done everything. He’s looking at me like he’s innocent. He knows that he isn’t innocent. He knows what he has done but is playing dumb. He’s acting.“Harlyn, leave,” I shout, not bothering to look at her. I need her gone, out of the way, somewhere safe away from him. She needs to leave.“Your Majesty, I still am unaware of what I have done to warrant your attack.” He repeats the same damn question, yet I swear his eyes say he knows. Does he know she is my mate?“Do you realise who you were just about to claim?” I ask, waiting and watching him.He smiles at me and looks behind me. I don’t like that, and I don’t like the way he looks at her. He smiles and points behind me.“Oh, you mean her?”I turn behind me, and she is still standing there. I assumed she would have walked away by now, but her defiance just annoys the hell out of me. Anyone else wouldn’t refuse, but she does. Why?I hate the look in her eyes for him even more. She cares for