Raised Mateless (On Hold)

Chapter 12

Harper West -

I barely slept all night. I kept thinking and replaying last night in my head. Kai was still sulking from the rejection of her mate, all she could see was another mate lost. For that one brief second, it seemed that Chris was ours, undying lust and need written in his eyes, giving Kai all she needed to pine for their bond. But as soon as it came, that look in his eyes left.

Our love story, if you could even call it that, was much like the Tilt-A-Whirl. It had started on a bad note and ended with an even more sour taste in my mouth. All we’d had was one kiss and yet I had probably replayed it in my mind a million times. Sometimes, though, I couldn’t even remember if the kiss had actually happened or not.

But now he had his Molly. And Kai understood why I had rejected him - to put our sole focus on Dakota. Now with the Black Crescent pack rekindling and Alpha Foster throwing his possible retirement into the mix, I didn't really have time to deal with the confusion of Chris and his mixed signals.

Yet I couldn't shake the longing feeling I had for my mate, or the feeling that something wasn't quite right with Molly. It was more than just jealously or natural anger: it was a gut churning feeling that she wasn’t what she appeared to be. I had felt it from the moment she made Chris’ eyes meet hers in the club last night. He seemed to suddenly become no more than her ragdoll.

“Harper? Do you mind helping me with breakfast?” My father said, his voice holding a familiar stressed whine I had only heard when we were still a part of the Black Crescent pack. It seemed that the pack physician definitely had his fair bit of stress on a daily basis.

I looked up from my spot at the kitchen table to see my father already brewing his coffee and grabbing a large bowl from the top shelf. “Of course.”

“Morning!” I heard from behind me, turning my head to see Dakota beaming up at me before sliding into one of the kitchen chairs. 

“Morning, buddy,” My father answered, as I smiled in return at my little boy.

"Grandpa, what's for breakfast?" Dakota’s naturally chipper voice seemed to echo throughout the room, so unlike the tense atmosphere.

My father broke his intense gaze with me to look down at his grandson with a fake playful smirk on his face. “How about… you?”

Dakota’s eyes widened as my father went to reach down for him, before Dakota quickly ducked under the kitchen table with a scowl of displeasure on his face. I couldn’t help the bubble of hysterical laughter that broke free at the sight.

“It’s not funny!” Dakota snapped, turning his scowl onto me. “And grandpa, I wouldn’t even taste yummy!” He protested, pointed at his stomach, “I'm all muscle.”

“Oh, of course, how silly of me,” My father’s smile looked more genuine and serene than before. “Then what about we just stick with pancakes?”

Dakota’s answering nod had his head bobbing up and down, to the point where I was a little concerned about whether he was going to sprain his neck or not.

I tugged down on my deep blue chiffon blouse, feeling more nervous than usual. I squeezed my way beside my father and the refrigerator, leaning against the granite countertop. “What’s the matter?” I whispered, keeping my words low and away from little ears that may try to listen in.

The pancake mix was sitting out on the counter, along with a giant mixing bowl and a measuring cup with a few other odds and ends for ingredients. I decided to distract myself, and actually feed Dakota, by starting to pour a cup of milk into the bowl while adding the pancake mix.