3. Twenty- three

Hugging Harper felt so good. It felt right and felt like home. I could fool myself all I wanted, but the truth was that I loved him. I loved him so much that it scared me senseless. Living someone somehow gave them the power to hurt you and with everything going on, I just didn't know what to do. I just knew that it was high time I sort out my mind and decide what I wanted to do. 

Harper had gone through enough and he didn't deserve me stringing him along and he didn't deserve to see me parade another man in front of him. Which meant that I had to clear things up with both Ethan and Harper. 

I missed the feel of Harper's body against mine, there was no doubt about it. His high werewolf metabolism made his body so warm; it always made me want to snuggle up to him and stay in the crook of his body forever. 

Harper leaned back and regarded me with a soft smile. He tucked a strand of my hair, which had fallen from my messy bun, delicately behind my ear. His sweet action made my body tingle and I felt my cheeks grow warm. 

At that moment, as I gazed into his eyes, I wanted Harper to kiss me. His eyes drifted to my lips and I knew that he wanted to kiss me too. He leaned closer and I closed my eyes waiting for his lips to brush my own. His lips touched my forehead in a feather-light kiss and he leaned back. I must have looked disappointed because he smiled at me in amusement. 

He grasped my hand and tugged me to follow him. "I want you to meet someone." 

I walked with him without any resistance. I liked the way his palm fit in mine way too much. His palm seemed rougher than I remembered and it somehow made me giddy. We walked down the hospital corridors with our fingers tangled together and everything was perfect at that moment. 

He led me to a private room and my eyes immediately went to the empty hospital bed. "They shifted Natalie from 216 to this one." I didn't know if Harper knew about the time, I visited room 216 to find Samantha and his son in the room, so I decided to keep the information to myself. 

The bed was empty because Natalie was with Samantha. Harper led me towards a small bassinet that was placed beside one of the walls of the room. 

Uneasiness churned in my stomach and I didn't know what to do. I knew that Harper wanted me to meet his son. I didn't think I was ready to see Harper with his son yet but it was happening right now. 

It was for the better anyway because if I chose to be with Harper, I had to be okay with it. I had to accept the fact that Harper had a son and that they were a package deal. I couldn't expect to be with Harper with his son out of the picture. That would be cruel and treasonable of me. 

Harper picked up the small baby from the cradle like it was going to break if he tightened his hold a bit too much. The baby cooed and made some funny noise that only babies knew how to do. Harper bounced the baby a bit in his hands and the baby let out a happy cry. 

A strange feeling settled in my heart as I watched Harper interact with his son. I didn't know if the feeling was good or bad, I just felt something as I watched Harper interact with his son.

Harper then turned and gave me a dazzling smile which made my knees wobble. I took his expression as an indication and slowly walked towards him. He beamed in pride as he looked down at his son and then back at me. 

"Zara, I want you to meet my son, Mason Sebastian Cain," Harper whispered and I watched as the baby opened his eyes. The striking and familiar green color of his eyes made me stagger a bit. "Son, meet my mate, Zara. She is the love of my life."

My cheeks warmed after Harper's words. I had forgotten that he had a way with words and knew the exact words to say at the exact time. It felt good though because when I looked at him, I knew that he was telling me the truth. 

"He has your eyes," I whispered and poked my index finger softly into his cheek. 

"The green eyes you loved so much," Harper said and gestured for me to take the baby and panic flared inside me for a second. 

I had never held a newborn baby who was only a few days old. Harper handed me the baby and I settled him in the crook of my elbow. He yawned and looked at me with his big green eyes which looked so cute on his small and chubby face. 

"The green eyes I love so much," I whispered and looked up to see Harper already watching me. His smile widened when he heard my words. He took a step closer to me and put his arm around me. 

I let him hug me while I watched his baby slowly seep away into dreamland. Mason yawned and I smiled at how cute he looked. I rocked him to sleep, amazed at how normal it felt. 

I hadn't expected to feel this happy when I had imagined holding Harper's baby. I had thought I would break up in tears or act spiteful or something along those lines. The fact that I was genuinely happy to hold Harper's son meant a lot to me and I was sure that it meant a lot to Harper as well. It showed on his face because his face had never looked so much at peace.

Mason slept peacefully in my arms for ten minutes when I finally lowered him in the cradle. I watched him as he slept and felt a smile form on my face. He was beautiful with absolutely no flaws. His eyes were a mirror of his father's eyes and I knew that he would grow up to be an amazing alpha. 

Harper gripped my arm and gestured for me to follow him out of the room so that the baby could sleep peacefully. He closed the door behind me and we stood in the corridor facing each other. 

"Thank you for making me meet him." I smiled at him, genuinely meaning it. 

Harper smiled back at me, clearly happy with the way everything had unfolded. "I won't lie, I was a little nervous to do this but now that it's done, it's like a weight off my chest. I feel so good."

"Why were you nervous?" I laughed.

"Well, you have had your reservations about me and this baby and I just wanted to put them to rest. I figured the best way to do that would be to make you meet him." 

"I'm glad you did. It meant a lot to me." I was glad. Harper knew what bothered me, what I was concerned about and he thought to clear my doubts in the best way he thought possible. It didn't matter if his efforts were successful, the fact that he even set out to rid me of my doubts, made all the difference to me. It proved to me that he was trying to come back to me, to convince me that I was all he wanted and somehow that lit up something primal inside me. Something which made me want to leap forward. Grab him by his jacket and pull his lips on mine.

It had been way too long since I had felt his body against mine, even though we had had sex a handful of times, it felt like we belonged together and we did because we were mates. But somehow, we were more than mates too, I couldn't explain how I'd come to that conclusion but that was how I felt. 

Even though all I wanted to do at that moment was to feel his lips on mine, I wasn't going to do it because it would be wrong. If stringing Harper along is wrong, stringing along Ethan would be wrong too and I aimed to set things right with both the boys before I finally acted upon my desires.

"That's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about," Harper said and crossed his corded arms across his chest, and just like that the warmth between us vanished.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked and leaned on the wall behind me. 

"Due to the recent attacks, the whole pack has to follow a certain training regime so they can stay safe in case they come across a rogue or if there is an all-out attack. As Ethan is now allowed in the pack, he would also have to practice with the pack members. The practice session commences at 5 p.m. sharp and I don't want him to be late." 

I nodded at Harper. What he said made sense. And I doubted Ethan would have any problem in training with the pack members. 

"Also, I would like you to come to train too," Harper added and my eyebrows raised in surprise. "Not that I can't protect you or anything, it's just that it will be good for you if you know how to protect yourself. It would make me feel better if I knew you could handle yourself against a wolf."

"Yeah, sure. No problem." I smiled.

"Ethan's temporary pack papers are ready. You guys can swing by and take the papers anytime." I nodded at him and suddenly felt weakness settle in my body. I hadn't slept well last night and I needed to sleep if I planned to take part in the training session in the evening. 

"Well, I think you plan to sleep once you get back home." Harper's eyes twinkled and I scowled at him. "I can't wait to see you on your first day of practice."

Well, Harper would be in for a surprise because he had no idea that I had already started training with Ethan. It was my turn to surprise him.