The pack warriors were sent out to search the area I believed held clues about Jasper while I went back down to Harper. I was hoping things would wrap up soon. The guards that I had tied up would be out soon and stealing somebody's Alpha was sure to start a war. Down in the dungeon, his agony was like nails on a chalkboard to my compassionate side. But to my worst side, the side that knew how to place him in so much pain he wouldn't be able to scream, the sounds of his torment were gratifying. Despite that part of me, the first thing I did when entering the room was undo the pinch. Unlike the last time I was down there, my brothers didn't follow.., but Cory did.
"So, Harper, it seems I've found some clues in the time you've been down here. Would you like to see them?" My voice came out so condescending I wanted to puke. I snapped my fingers for Cory to hand me the folder. The second the folder touched my fingers, I ripped out the picture of the building I had tracked. "Look familiar, Harper?"
"That's not where he is." He laughed in response.
"Oh, I figured. But I'm also thinking that if you were in hurry, which I'm sure you were, you might just have slipped up. He might not be here," I tapped the picture. "but I'm pretty sure here is where I'll find some answers." I turned to Cory. "Get me the pack doctor. If they don't find anything, I plan on having something when they get back." Reluctantly, he nodded and turned to leave. "When you get him, you might want to stay upstairs. You haven't seen all I'm capable of and I'm not sure I want you to."
He walked closer, "I'm not going anywhere until you do. I'm coming back down here with that doctor and I'm going to do what you asked me to. I'm going to continue to remind you who you are. I'll be back." He promised, walking out.
"Seeing how much he believes in me..., looks like I'm going to need to finish my worst techniques before he gets back. If you thought that pressure point hurt, you haven't seen anything yet."
I began sliding a blade up his leg, closer to his crotch. He whimpered when the tip of my blade encountered his manhood. I prepared to snip just a little bit, enough to hurt but not enough to do too much damage. I hated the guy for taking Jasper but the good part of me didn't want to cause permanent damage. As I about to make the little incision, Harper stopped me.
"Wait, wait, wait! Wait, please. I'll tell you. I'll tell you." He panted. "I'll tell you, if you just please tell me one thing."
"As long as you're cooperating, I'll answer whatever you want."
"Why? Why him? Why couldn't it have been me? He rejected you. I was always there for you, the shoulder, the friend. I love you with all my heart and you still choose him. Why? Why go through all this for him?"
"Because I love him, with all my heart. It's not rational or even ideal but it's true. He makes me happy and he loves me. We had a horrible beginning but, when I learned to open myself to him, he stole my heart and I gladly let him have it. He's not just the mate that rejected me, he's so much more than that. He's the man that, despite a stupid mistake, turned our relationship around and became a friend, a lover and the other part of my soul. I couldn't stop loving him if I tried.
"I loved you at one time, Harper, I truly did. But time changed and I grew and I stopped loving you like that. You were one of my closest, most trusted friends and you betrayed me. No matter what you would have done or what you ever do, I will never stop loving Jasper. He makes me feel complete. He's my man." I shrugged with a soft smile.
"I'm sorry I did this, Lena. I love you so much. I love you enough to let you be happy with him without me making you hurt. I just- I guess I lost sight of that when everything started happening. I just wanted you so much and these girls said you didn't want to be here. They said you were brainwashed and being held against your will."
"Wait, wh-who said that? Who convinced you to go through all of this?" I stammered.
"Some girls..., um, Jade. Tiffany. Cathy. Um, and Beth? Bethany? I don't really remember well. They just kept saying you needed help and that you loved me and wanted me to come get you. I-I should have known better. I let them poison my mind and..., Lena, I'm just so sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Harper. It would seem we were both tricked. I blamed you completely and I didn't stop to think there was more to the story. I'm so sorry for this." I sighed, untying him.
"It's more my fault than yours. I deserved this after everything I put you through." He chuckled, morphing before my eyes into the Harper I used to know. "If you hadn't gone through all this, I probably wouldn't have realized I was wrong and I would still try to take you away. I love you too much to hurt you anymore. I'll show where Jasper is."
"Thank you, Harper."
"Yeah, thanks, Harper." A smirking Cory came through the door.
"How long have you been there?" I asked.
"Long enough to know we're going to have bigger problems when we get your man back. I'm thinking Jasper's going to be in a sour mood and reluctant to listen." His eyes flickered to Harper suggestively. I knew he was right. I knew my mate and getting kidnapped wasn't going to sit well with him.
"The best thing to do is get him and try our best to calm him enough so we can figure stuff out. I need my mate. Now." I asserted, heading for the door. I'm getting Jasper back, right now!
*************************************
"How much further?" I grunted as we climbed yet another hill. We had driven two hours just to get to the godforsaken forest that held the cabin Jasper was being kept in.
"It's just over this hill." Harper yelled down to me.
"What if this is a trap?" Cory asked beside me. My brother's turned to nod their agreement with his statement then turned their eyes back to Harper.
"If it is, I'll have him back down in that dungeon so quick it'll make his head spin." I grunted again.
I was about to suspect that Cory and my brothers were right about Harper tricking us, until we reached the peak of the hill and the walkway leveled out. In the midst of the trees, a windowless cabin stood alone. Outside guards stood around the perimeter, wary of our arrival. Harper waved them off and, despite being reluctant, they moved. I guessed the Warriors I had tied up in the clearing hadn't gotten out because none of them seemed surprised that he was there. Inside the tiny cabin, Harper led us to the only room.
"Jasper!"I yelled, pushing passed Harper into the room. Jasper was in the middle of the room with an IV in his arm. "Get this off of him! Now!" I ordered, touching his face. The sparks instantly took over and my heart soared. "Baby. Baby, please wake up." I pleaded while people worked to get him unchained and the IV out. "We've got to get him out of here. We need to get him to the pack doctor."
Jason made quick work of grabbing him up and we made it back home twice as fast as we got there. I set it so Dr. Holland could come to our room and finish working on him so Jason quickly took him upstairs and placed him on our bed. Dr. Holland made me wait outside while he worked. Back and forth I paced in front of the door until, finally, it opened.
"How is he?" I asked frantically.
"He'll pull through. The only thing they gave him was something to make him too groggy to contact anybody. I've given him some stuff to stave off the effects and he should be fine in a few hours at the rate he's going. They didn't seem to feed him, so I suggest a feast when he gets up."
"Thanks." I cried, giving him a mixture between a laugh and a cry. "Thank you so much." I sniffed. "Please, please prepare everything and I'll try to either bring him down or come get it when he awakes."
"Yes, Luna, right away." He bowed and left.
As soon as he was gone, I slowly walked inside the room, still completely taken by joy at having him back. I had been lucky, I was able to find him in a short time. I hated to think what would have happened if they had had him longer. I sat by the bed, taking his hand in mine. I sat for long hours, just watching his bare chest moving with every breath he took. Seeing him breathe was one of the best things I could imagine.
"Staring at me, sweetheart?" I heard a gruff voice. My eyes instantly snapped to Jasper's face. His eyes were opened a crack, watching me as I had watched him.
"You're awake." I smiled. "God, I love you so much." I sniffed, leaning up to kiss him as passionately as I could passed my tears of joy and my smile.
"Yeah, I'm awake. I'm hungry. And I'm horny. Which can we take care of first?" He croaked, attempting a joke.
"I think we can handle the food first. But..., there's something we need to discuss before we go down." I hesitantly began then everything just flowed out of me. I filled him in on Harper and the real people who caused all the problems. Surprisingly, he took everything better than I thought he was. By the time I was done, Jasper was struggling to clamber to his feet. "Where are you going?"
"We need to deal with these problems right now because, by tomorrow night, I plan on you being the official Luna and us announcing our engagement."
"What engagement?!" I gasped.
"Oh, well, our engagement. You're going to marry me one way or another. I suggest you accept it, baby." He winked, causing a giggle from me.
"If that's your way of asking..., I would love to and I don't even care that it wasn't the most romantic proposal." I smiled, kissing him.
"Good. Now help me downstairs, sweets, we have some people to banish and some allies to make." He grinned.
I helped Jasper get dressed into something presentable enough to go downstairs then we headed out the door. Jasper and I made slow progress down to his office. On the way down, Jason and Jacob saw us and followed, helping as much as Jasper would allow. It took us a little longer than usual, seeing as he was quite weak, but we made it and I got him settled in his chair.
"Get Bethany, Jade, Tiffany, and Cathy in here now." He ordered one of the guards that had followed us as well. Snapping to do their Alpha's biding, they all left to collect the girls just as Harper and Cory made their way inside.
"Look, I know you're probably boiling right now at me...." Harper started but Jasper held up his hand.
"Lena explained everything to me and I'm about to work on rectifying our relationship. If you can identify the girls that put you up to this, I'll allow Jason to work out a contract with you to ally our packs. Deal?"
"Yeah. Anything not to have a war right now. I don't need anything else making me seem like a bad Alpha. I've started off pretty crappy so far." He replied.
"You'll get better, Harper. Jasper will help." I smiled.
"I will?" Jasper raised a brow, causing me to slap his arm. "I-I mean, I will." He stammered, pulling chuckles from the group. A moment later, the girls were delivered to the office. "Are these the girls that put you up to this, Alpha Tillman?" Jasper asked, straight to the point.
"Yes. They convinced me that Lena was being held against her will and that she wanted to be with me if she could just get away. They convinced me that taking you would give her the freedom to come to me like she wanted."
"Do you girls have anything to say in your defense?" Jasper directed to the girls.
"We don't know what he's talking about. He's completely lost his mind." Bethany, the seeming spokesperson of the group, spoke up when none of the others would.
"I have proof." Harper shrugged, taking out the phone I had given back to him. He hit a few buttons and showed Jasper the screen. After scanning the screen, Jasper turned it for me to see. On the screen was text messages from all the girls, a group message, detailing everything that Harper had claimed. Jasper confirmed the numbers and it was settled. They were caught red handed.
"It seems we have all we need to finish this. All of you are banished and I will be sending out a plea that no pack accept you into their confidence. You conspired against your Alpha and for that, you deserve death, but I will give you banishment. Get them out of my sight." Jasper waved a hand and guards came forward to drag the protesting girls away. The rotten core to our problems were gone. "Jason, please take Harper to begin discussions on a treaty. When things are pretty well settled, get with me and we'll finalize. Send me the event coordinator before you get started. I have a few events I need planned."
"You won't need her. I can handle the events if you don't mind me knowing everything beforehand." I interrupted.
"Baby, at this point, all I want is you as my official Luna. After that, the last piece of the puzzle is you becoming my wife. If you can make those things happen, I don't care about anything else." Jasper told me seriously, staring into my eyes with so much love, my heart almost burst.
"Then both will be done in a very short time. Promise." I replied with all the love I had in me showing in my eyes. "But first, let's get you some food and get you in bed. I can work when you're settled."
Everybody cleared out of the office and I got Jasper some food. He insisted on eating upstairs so I had a guard bring the food up while I helped Jasper up the stairs. Once we were in our room and the guard was gone, Jasper and I turned on the TV and he watched movies with me while he ate. When he fell asleep, I made myself useful and planned, planned our future.