Chapter 197

Judy’s POV

I was quick to react. Nan jumped out of her seat, and I jumped in front of her to keep Harper from hurting her. It wasn’t difficult to stop Harper’s attack because she was drunk and sloppy in her movements. She nearly fell over by the time she even remotely reached Nan.

I had Harper pinned to the ground with ease; she screamed out in frustration as I quickly got the upper hand.

Hearing the commotion, Chester quickly ran into the room, his eyes wild as his wolf fought to take control, already sensing that his mate was in danger. The second he saw Nan standing off to the side, her eyes wide as she watched me tackle Harper, he relaxed slightly knowing she was safe, but then once his eyes found Harper, he was furious.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing??” Chester asked, approaching us, his eyes never leaving Harpers. “Why are you here, Harper? You were fired.”

Tears continued to fall down Harper’s cheeks; when I didn’t think she would attack Nan again, I finally released her.

“I came to get my stuff,” she said, her bottom lip trembling. “But when I saw her here…I just snapped.”

“You need to leave before the security team throws you out,” Chester said, folding his arms across his chest.

She sniffled and wiped at her tear-soaked eyes.

“I’ll help you with your things,” I told her as I stood up from the ground, pulling her to her feet as well. My heart went out to Harper in a way; I didn’t like the fact that she wanted to fight my best friend every chance she got, but I did feel bad that she was so heartbroken.

I knew she had feelings for Chester for a long time and now it was being ripped away from her. Chester stayed behind with Nan and Sammy as I went towards Harper's old bedroom. Once we were in her room, she broke down into more tears. She was a complete mess, and I hated that it was happening to her.

“I’m so sorry, Harper,” I whispered, stepping towards her.

“No, you aren’t,” she murmured. “How could you be? You’re taking her side over mine.”

She started to grab her things, rummaging through the room to make sure Beta Taylor didn’t forget anything.

“Of course, I’m taking her side; she’s my best friend,” I say, sitting on the edge of the bed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not feeling remorseful about what you are going through. I wish there was something I could do that didn’t require hurting my best friend.”

“I’ve loved him for so long,” she whispered. “Ever since he moved to the Silver Crescent pack. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

“Nan is his fated mate. You had to know the possibility of that happening.”

She frowned deeply as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“I thought he would have rejected her,” she admitted. “Like I rejected mine for him…”

My mouth all but fell open as I gawked at her. Did I hear her correctly?

“You rejected your fated mate?” I asked her.

She nodded, nibbling on her lower lip as she processed the gravity of the situation.

“I thought he would have done the same thing,” she whispered brokenly.

Rejecting a mate right off the bat was a rarity amongst wolf shifters. Wolves found their mate bonds to be sacred and unlike anything else they’ve ever experienced.

“Who was your mate?” I asked, perplexed. “When did you meet him?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. He wants nothing to do with me. I rejected him in the worst way possible and now he hates me,” she whispered, more tears falling from her eyes.

“When did this happen, Harper?” I asked her.

“A few months ago,” she admitted. “At that moment, I thought Chester and me were end game. But it ended up being a dead end…”

“I’m so sorry,” I told her. “I can’t fathom the thought of your mate truly hating you like this though. You’d have to do something truly awful to get them to hate you. Maybe you still have a chance?”

She gave me a sad smile and shook her head.

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t.”

I stood up and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Soon, there was a knock on the door, and it opened slightly, revealing Chester. He glanced between the two of us warily, like he expected us to be fighting or something.

“Is everything okay?” He asked after a moment of silence.

“I’m not attacking her if that’s what you’re worried about,” Harper murmured, folding her arms across her chest. “That’s what you came to check on, right?”

Chester sighed and fully stepped into the room.

“Harper, do you think we can talk before you leave?” He asked, his demeanor, oddly calm for someone who just watched her try and attack his mate. I could tell his wolf had relented full control and Chester was back in charge.

Harper nodded her head once and I excused myself, rejoining Nan and Sammy in the living room. I spent time catching them up on what Harper and I spoke about, and they were astonished when I told them that Harper gave up on her own fated mate so she could be with Chester. She was gutted because she thought that Chester would do the same for her, but when that wasn’t the case, it caused her to snap.

“And now Chester is in there right now talking to her,” I concluded the story. Nan’s eyes remained on the hallway that Harper’s room was down. I could tell from the nervous way she was biting her lip that she was nervous.

We were all pretty much thinking the same thing… what were they talking about?

…..

Third Person POV

Once alone, Chester closed the door to Harper’s room. His heart went out to Harper in a way; he had been through a lot with her. Experienced a lot with her. He always told himself that if he were to fall in love with anybody, it would be Harper. But then he found his mate and everything changed. He hated that he was losing his friend like this, and he hated what they had become.

“You can’t keep attacking my mate every time you see her, Harper,” Chester finally started to speak after what felt like an eternity of silence. “It’s not fair to anybody involved and it’s not fair to yourself to keep holding onto the past like this.”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, as she often did when she was nervous.

“I thought it was going to be us against the world,” Harper snapped back. “You always said that I was the only one who got you. That it was me and you forever despite all the obstacles…”

“I said that in the heat of the moment, Harper,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “You can’t fault me for the shit I say during sex.”

“It doesn’t make it any less true! You were supposed to reject her, just like I rejected my mate!”

His eyes grew large at his admittance. He hadn’t heard that Harper found her mate or that she rejected him.

“You rejected your mate?” Chester asked, his brows knitted together tightly. “Why would you do that?”

“For you!” Harper said loudly; she was sure the others had heard her by now. “I rejected him for you, just like you were supposed to reject her for me.”

Chester stared around her tear-stained face for a bit longer, his resolve fading slightly and the fight leaving his body. He had no idea that she rejected her mate for him… he had no intentions of rejecting Nan… the thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

Unbeknownst to Chester and Harper, Nan had snuck away from her friends so she could listen to what they were talking about. Her heart was in her throat as she peeked through the door and saw them talking.

Chester had stepped closer to Harper and Nan didn’t like their close proximity; it made her feel uneasy.

Chester put his hands on Harper’s shoulders, forcing her to remain still and to look up at him.

“I didn’t know you felt that strongly,” he murmured. “I thought this was a casual fling… but knowing you loved me like that. Enough to reject your mate…”

Nan’s eyes immediately filled with tears at the sound of Chester's voice; it was soft and compassionate. Like a lover speaking to his woman. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing, but she needed to hear more; she needed to hear what he was going to say next.

“I would do anything for you, Chester,” Harper whispered, her lip trembling. “When will you learn that?”

“I guess I couldn’t read you as well as I thought,” he admitted gently. “One thing was always certain; you were my best friend. The only one who truly understood me and loved me just the way I was. I never had to be anyone different. I could sleep around, and you’d still be here waiting for me with a warm bed. I always looked forward to spending time with you.”

Every word was a blow to Nan’s chest and heart; she thought she was going to fall to the ground.

“I don’t regret anything that we shared,” he continued softly.

A small smile tipped the corner of Harper’s lips.

“Me neither,” she whispered.

Nan watched as Harper stood on her toes, her cheeks flushed, her eyes hooded and her lips parted slightly as she neared Chester’s mouth. Chester stood still, looking down at her and Nan was seconds away from turning and leaving, but then Chester’s voice made her freeze.

“But I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Nan,” he said softly, making Harper pause and open her eyes even more. “She’s my mate, Harper. The thought of rejecting her makes me sick to my stomach. I could never reject her… I’m falling for her pretty quickly and that scares the shit out of me. It’s a new feeling that’s foreign to me… but it’s real and it’s there. I could never be what you need me to be because I don’t belong to you and I never truly did. It’s Nan… I’m choosing Nan.”