I approached with caution. She had every right to be pissed at me with how I acted like a fucking child. “I owe you an apology.”
“Yes.” She took a sip. “You do.”
I pulled the chair out and sat down, propping my elbows on the table next to where she sat and rested my head in my hands. “Where do I start?”
“Start from when you met Olivia.”
Liv’s name coming from Harlow’s mouth did something to my heart, and I hated it. I hated how defeated she sounded.
“She was skinny, almost malnourished when I met her. Her collarbones stuck out in a point, and her sternum was visible through her pale skin. She had blonde hair that hung to her shoulders and dull green eyes. She was broken.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “She was sitting in my Alpha’s office, scared shitless. She had come onto our territory saying she wanted to join our pack. But she said she was a rogue who couldn't remember anything.”
“She didn’t remember?”
Thinking back, it sounded like bullshit. But, she was my mate and I believed her solely because of that. I shook my head. “She lied at first but came clean to me after about a week. She was Alpha Lockhart’s sister and sent to befriend Sophia, our Alpha and my childhood friend, and kill her.”
“She lied to you?” Harlow’s shoulders trembled. “How was that possible? I can’t even keep things from you. You said the matebond was like a truth serum.”
“I never thought about that before.” I clicked my tongue.
She was right, and it was. Olivia should’ve never been able to keep that from me for so long. Maybe it was because of the trauma she went through at the hands of her brother. I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t like I could’ve asked her about it.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about her. I don’t want to bring up painful memories. It was selfish of me.”
My hand darted out and gripped her thigh. “No.” I swallowed hard. “You deserve to know this. We need to talk about it.”
Her hand settled over mine, and she nodded.
“I told Sophia and Blaine, her mate, everything. I was their Beta, and I felt responsible for her treachery. But Soph was too easy on her because she was my mate. She demoted her to Omega for two weeks.”
“What’s an Omega?”
“They are the lowest-ranked wolf. They cook, clean, and take care of the packhouse. They eat last and have to report to the Alpha every day to report what they did and if their punishment was effective.”
“So, like a slave?”
I nodded. “Anyway, after the two weeks were up, it went semi-back-to-normal. Everyone was suspicious of Olivia. I know Soph tried to like her, but she never did.”
“It’s not my place to ask, but I have to know.” She squeezed her eyes shut, and I felt responsible for her pain. “You said you never marked her or completed the soul-bond. But… did you have sex with her?”
Bile rose and burned my throat. Repulsion slithered through me along with surprise by my own reaction. The thought of even kissing Liv, my first fucking mate, repulsed me. It didn’t make any sense to me.
“Oh shoot. I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand off mine and covered her face as the scent of salty tears pierced the air. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked. Of course you did. She was your mate.”
“No.” My grip on her tightened as I fought the urge to vomit. “I didn’t have sex with her. I did kiss her and hold her, but I never slept with her.”
She wiped the tears from under her eyes and sniffed. “You didn’t?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, which I would never want to.”
“Why not?”
That’s a great fucking question. I was a horny sonofabitch. Everyone in the pack knew it. But what was weird as fuck was that while I had a strong desire to protect Liv and care for her, I don’t think I was ever attracted to her. I never want to have sex with her, and her not wanting my mark or to soul-bond didn’t really matter to me.
Which was all the opposite with Harlow. I wanted her in every fucking way I could have her.
“I don’t have an answer for that. But to be frank, I never wanted her the way I want you. I never had the primal urge to claim her the way I do with you.”
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. “That makes me feel better.”
I smirked, but these feelings didn’t make any sense. How did I not notice the nature of Liv and I’s relationship sooner? It was like I had a fucking blindfold over my eyes.
How did she lie to me? And for so long?
Why didn’t she want me to mark her or soul-bond with me? I knew she had trauma, but the matebond was supposed to heal that when she was with me. And why did I not give a fuck about it or ask questions? There were a lot of things within our matebond that shouldn’t have been possible.
The bond I have with Harlow is so much stronger, so much better.
“So what happened next?”
“We had some issues with rogues, and I went on a mission to deal with it. On my way back, I heard Soph’s mindlink. Everyone was frantic to find Olivia, and I knew they had met with her brother that day. It was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just knew she was in trouble.”
Her hand found mine again and she gave it a squeeze.
“I ran as fast as I fucking could. I pushed past Sophia and Blaine outside our room and fear overtook me first, but then, seeing that damn warrior holding her with a knife to her neck sent me into
