A Wolf's Miracle

Chapter 10

H a r l a n

Harlan had no idea why he had exploded the way he did. Something about her triggered and bothered him to intrinsic levels. But he didn't know exactly what bothered him. She was beautiful, smart, and had a bit of attitude. He liked that, attitude was hot. So what was it?

He decided he simply didn't like her, even though he knew that wasn't true.

It had been three hours since his little outburst. And he knew what was coming, he expected the full rage of Selene once she found him, and quite honestly it terrified him. Selene was equally as strong as him, he was a better warrior, but she could totally mess him up if she wanted to.

"I won't tell her you think that." His brother's voice filled the silence around him. "It might get to her head," he said offering him a soft smile.

"I'm surprised she isn't here," Harlan said "And would you stay out of my head?" he rolled his eyes. 

"She's busy dealing with the mess you made," he said calmly "And sorry, can't help it when we are close to each other"

"How is she?" he found himself asking.

"I'm surprised you care," so was he, but somehow he did. "She's doing amazing, considering what you said to her."

"I told her the truth, that is all," he said softly. He loved the view from the roof of the house, which he always had, it was the place he went to when he was upset and didn't want to talk.

"In a very hurtful way," Damien said with a soft smile as if he was talking to a child. "You should have let Sel talk to her, she would have found a kinder way"

"I'm just tired of everyone tip-toeing around her!" Harlan exclaimed, "She shouldn't be here, she's dangerous."

"Hey, don't snap at me," he held up his hands in surrender"You were the one that saved her,  I was more than okay with letting her die." A smile still grazed his lips. 

"I shouldn't have, I put us all in danger."

"You're conflicted" Damien observed. "Why?"

"I don't like her" he lied.

"Hmm," Damien said curiously. "What don't you like about her?"

"She's too weak, she breaks too easily." His brother lifted an eyebrow at him, so he added "I don't like babysitting." He literally just improvised that, he was always good at coming up with lies but he was contradicting himself in every other sentence.

"I see," Damien said as he turned around and opened the window to the attic, crouching as he did so "Then avoid her."

He wasn't okay with her staying, she was dangerous and unstable. She could attack one of them without even remembering she did so the next day. That was if she even survived the first turn. Half-lings would usually die because of the bite or because of how brutal their first turn was.

Sometimes, the little magic that was "given" only breaks all of their bones, running out in the middle of the process no one knows what the secret to successfully turning a half-ling is, they just attributed it to luck. Maybe that was why Callum held her hand for so long - not that he noticed - because he felt bad she was going to die.

That was probably it, no one was more compassionate than Callum. Well... Maybe Selene. 

He remembered something then-

"She saw you marking Selene" Harlan added, desperate for someone to share the distaste he had for Diana. Was it truly distaste?

Damien stood still for a moment, thinking. "Mmm well..." he looked at him with a mischievous smile "I hope she enjoyed the show" he laughed.

"What?" Fuck, now he was making him angry.

"As soon as she didn't see what happened later..." he laughed again. 

"Just go already," he said rolling his eyes.

"Fine, but one last thing," Damien smiled "Don't piss off my mate again or I will kill you" His smile disappeared, and Harlan knew he meant it. "Come inside, it's cold" was all he said before he jumped into the open window and landed inside the house.

Harlan's mind eventually circled back to Diana, to everything that happened to her that night.

He had tried to track down the man that attacked her, but every trail of him had gotten cold. He hated the fact that he didn't catch him. Hated the fact that that man was still alive, breathing and possibly thinking he had gotten away with it.

He was going to kill him when he found him. He was going to kill him so slowly that he was going to beg for the sweet release of death. That thought made him slightly happier.

Harlan wasn't exactly a good person, nor was he empathic. So why did the idea of killing someone for hurting a random girl feel so appealing? And a random girl he didn't like. The number of people he gave a shit about was very small, and she wasn't in it. Was she? 

He thought for a while and decided she had been through a lot and he had made it worse by yelling at her, but he was tired of everyone treating her like that. 

 The more he thought about it the more he had a feeling she was stronger - as strong as a human could be - she had that fire in her eyes. The need to be challenged, the need to be better.

Maybe that was what bothered him, all that unlimited potential. Maybe she could survive this and maybe he could help her. Maybe he needed to change his mind about her.

But he knew one thing for sure, he didn't want to avoid her.