A Beta's Half-Blood

Chapter 2: Her Father

-Harper-

How long had it been? It had to have been back when I turned eighteen, and he had come for me one last time, asking me, now that my mom had died, if I wanted to come back with him and live there. He made this stupid speech about taking care of me and helping me. I had been so mad at him, just slamming the door in his face and telling him to go to hell because I would not be going anywhere with him. He had knocked on the door for a while, asking, pleading, begging, me, but I had not listened. I just told him I never wanted to see him again, and eventually, he left. He had respected my choice for about six years, so why the hell was he here now?!

“You aren’t welcome here,” I told him, pointing at him, before darting down another hallway that led to an elevator.

I pressed the button again and again, feeling him draw closer, which was why I wanted this f*cking elevator to arrive.

Ding. I jumped in and pressed the second-floor button, but just as the doors closed, he made it inside at the last second.

“Why are you here?! I told you to leave me alone!” I exclaimed.

“Harper...” His green eyes, which I inherited from him, were pleading and begging me to listen to him, but I wouldn’t.

“Go!”

“Just listen, please.”

“No! I won’t,” I stated firmly. “I don’t want anything to do with you or any other wolf for that matter!”

My father groaned and ran his hand through his hair. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes. There was this small part of me, the same part that had wanted to go with him when he had asked me after my mother died. It was probably the child in me, the one who longed for her father, wanted to get to know him, learn about him, and have a relationship with him. But he had let me down, and I was not about to be disappointed again.

“Go,” I said in a cold, hard voice. “I don’t want to see you again.”

“Harper, I know you blame me for a lot of things, and I know I am guilty of them,” he said.

I crossed my arms and looked away.

“But I want you to give me a chance.”

“A chance?!” I scoffed, meeting his gaze with disbelief. “No!”

“I want us to get to know each other.”

I shook my head.

“Why should I give you one?” I asked. “I know what happens if I do.”

“Things have changed,” he said.

“Changed? You honestly expect me to believe that?” I challenged.

“They have,” he insisted, putting weight behind his words to make them seem more truthful, but I was not about to be fooled.

“How stupid do you think I am?” I retorted just as we arrived on the second floor, the elevator signaling our stop with another ding.

I pushed past him, not wanting to be trapped in there with him for a second longer. Of course, he wasn’t taking the hint and followed me.

“Harper, let us just talk,” he pleaded.

“No! Go away!”

I walked towards my office, hoping I would be able to shut him out, when suddenly, Ryan reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me.

“Let go!” I snarled quietly.

“Just hear me out, please,” he implored.

“Why is it you wolves never understand a no? Especially annoying alphas like you!”

He looked hurt by my words, and of course, a part of me felt bad. The broken look in his eyes was not something I wanted to be the cause of, but I meant it when I said I wanted nothing to do with him or the wolf world.

“Is there a problem here?” We both looked behind me, where, surprisingly enough, the famous Rich had appeared. For the first time, I was a little relieved he had come out of the blue. Usually, it just gave me goosebumps, but it was clear Ryan wasn’t listening to me.

“No,” he replied.

“Actually, there is,” I said, locking eyes with Ryan. “This man won’t leave me alone.”

He looked so shocked that I was doing this, but what did he expect?

“I think you should release my colleague now and leave before I call security,” Rich stated.

Ryan shot Rich a murderous look, and I could see he was barely holding onto his self-control. I knew how dangerous it was to come between an alpha and his pup, but I was not his to protect or be possessive over.

“Harper...” he began.

“Just go. You heard him. He will call security,” I instructed.

He glanced at Rich one more time before finally and slowly letting go of me. Then he took a small step back, the hurt look never leaving his eyes.

“I will come back another time,” he said.

“Don’t bother,” I retorted.

He just nodded slightly and then turned around, walking out of there, looking like someone had completely knocked him down. I knew it was all on me, but I refused to feel bad.

“What was that about?” Rich inquired, coming to stand beside me.

“Just someone who doesn’t know what ‘no’ means,” I remarked and looked up at Rich, who turned to me and frowned.

Yeah, there was a little hidden message in there for him as well, but I didn’t think he got it, so I turned around and walked over to my office. I had barely opened the door when Rich came running, placing his hand on the doorframe.

“You know he might come back,” he warned.

“No, he won’t,” I insisted and tried closing the door, but he placed his other hand on it and held it open.

“I should probably stay close to you, just to keep an eye out for him.”

“Listen Rich, if you think you’re now my hero, let me tell you, you’re not. He would have left in the end, and whether you had been there or not really doesn’t matter. So, you can go now. I have work to do,” I told him.

He didn’t look very pleased with me, and I could see I had hurt his ego.

“You know you really should just say thank you,” he suggested.

“For?”

“He had his hands on you.”

“And you haven’t?” I asked him and leaned closer.

“There is a difference.”

“Oh?”

“You wanted them there,” he said, making me shiver.

“As I said, I’ve got work to do.”

I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back, catching him off guard, so he stumbled a few steps away. Then I slammed the door in his face, locking it afterwards. I sighed deeply, leaning against it. This was too much. I couldn’t deal with all these horrible men in my life who simply did not take ‘no’ for an answer. Why was it so hard to get? I wanted to be left ALONE.

I shook my head as I walked over to the small couch I had in my room and fell onto it. I was so tired. I knew I had a lot of work to do, but I allowed myself just to close my eyes for a moment. Just one small... And I was out like a light.