Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Silver sat down, and within seconds he had a large mug of coffee, as well as a cinnamon roll, of which he took a bite and closed his eyes, releasing a growl. “Tell Susan they’re always heavenly from here,” he said to the waitress, and then leaned back in his chair to drink his coffee.
Clearly, he’d been given the second-grade coffee, because he didn’t think it was anything to compliment. From the look on Franny’s face, he had a feeling she had something to do with this. It irritated him, but also delighted him in a strange way.
She was taking care of her friend the only way she knew how, and for that he could respect her. He didn’t like it, and he didn’t have to like it. In fact, he was a little pissed off about it, but she at least had Harper’s back.
He turned his attention back to the alpha in front of him, and waited. There was no rush in Silver.
“Franny, would you like to grab a coffee and head over to Harper’s?”
“Damn it, come on. You know I want to know.”
“And Harper will be the one to tell you. For now, I’ve got to talk with Mateo.”
Franny got to her feet. “I’m doing this reluctantly. You’ve got to banish his ass.” And with that, she left.
Mateo turned toward Silver. “I don’t think your daughter is my biggest fan.”
“From the smell of that coffee, I don’t think there are many people who are your biggest fans right now.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
“When can I leave with Harper?” Mateo asked.
“You can’t,” Silver said.
Now, he was starting to get angry, and he didn’t like it. “Before you start to think of going on a rampage, you must consider Harper. She doesn’t want to be with you.”
“She doesn’t know what she wants.”
Silver laughed. “She knows she doesn’t want to be with you, and seeing as I took her in, and she swore loyalty to me, and has done nothing but become a member of my pack, I am not going to banish her.”
Mateo felt his anger start to grow. “Silver, I don’t appreciate this.”
“I know, but you were also informed that this might not end the way you hoped,” he said.
He knew the other man was right, and it pissed him off. That anger he tried to keep at bay was coming back, in full force. It wasn’t a good feeling. He needed to get himself under control and fast.
“What do you propose?” he asked.
“Simple, the only thing you can do is stay here and attempt to win back her trust. That is the only reasonable solution I can see to your current situation, otherwise it is not going to work. I cannot cast Harper out, nor can I send her where she doesn’t want to go. For me, it doesn’t work that way.”
He pressed his lips together, and he felt that anger about ready to burst. His mate was close and his wolf wasn’t liking being told no. “Fine.”
Silver looked at him. “I know you want to kill me right now. I get it. To you, I’m the reason you’re not with your mate, but what you have to remember, Mateo, is that all of this is on you. You’re welcome to stay in my pack, but you will not be alpha here. I am, and these are my rules. Harper is protected, and in the pack, we protect our own.”
With that, Silver got to his feet and left.
He ran a hand down his face, and knew there was only one other person he could call.
“Hey, Pop, can we talk?” he asked, when his father answered the phone.
“Always. When are you on your way back?” he asked.
Mateo put some money on the table and got to his feet, looking for a spot with privacy. He went to the edge of the woods and leaned against the nearest tree, which allowed him to overlook the town. Most packs were situated around surrounding woodland. His pack was no different. They were a small town, a small community, but they were thriving, as was his own, but seeing it from the outside-in was an amazing thing.
“I … Harper doesn’t want to leave with me, and Silver refuses to cast her out.”
“Ah, I figured there were going to be a consequences for your actions, son. You’re now feeling them.”
“Damn it, Dad, tell me how to fix this.”
“Unless you can find a time machine, go back seven years to the moment you rejected Harper, there is only one way out of this. Win back her trust. Make her fall for her mate, if that is what you want. I’m assuming it is because I figured you were just doing your annual visit.”
He ran a hand down his face.
It wasn’t an annual visit. This official visit was an annual one, but he also took monthly visits around the full moon, when his wolf wanted to catch a glimpse of their mate. He’d not been very successful at that. During the full moon, Harper had become surrounded by other wolves.