Harper

I stared at the tempestuous ocean from the warmth of my living room three days later.

This morning, its angry waves lashed against the brown rocks, creating a frothy aftermath. The green trees shook violently from the heavy wind, and the rain stamped the windows with countless droplets. A kamikaze seagull dared to challenge the weather, flying against the turbulent wind.

Now, everything was still. The blue sky replaced the angry clouds and highlighted the lone sun. A howling wolf had woken me up and I could not get back to sleep. Alpha wolves howled to attract females and communicate their willingness to mate. But why did the female wolf—whether she was real or just a dream—remain silent?

I must be going crazy.

My sister rang. I wouldn't have taken the call for anyone else, but she was my family despite our differences. She was a social media queen, belle of the ball, and the center of attention while I preferred being off the radar. We lost our biological parents when we were young, and she was all I had. Our parents' death resulted from a hunting accident, the newspaper reported. How I hated guns!

"Hey, Harp! Are you on vacay yet?" Romy always called me Harp ever since we were kids. It was a pet name she had for me, though I didn't like it much.

"Yep, I'm on vacay, and please don't call me that. I'm not a child anymore. On another note, how are Princess and Charming? Are they house-trained yet?" The last time my sister visited me, she brought her dogs to my place, and they pooped on my favorite rug.

"My babies have always been house-trained. I think your scent throws them off," Romy joked. She was a vet who adopted two stray dogs she treated for fleas and ticks. The dogs were in good hands now.

"Haha, very funny. I don't smell that bad. At least I shower every day, unlike some people," I retorted.

"Have you gotten your vaccine yet?" Romy asked.

"You mean the influenza vaccine?"

"No, dummy! Your rabies vaccine." Acerbic sarcasm dripped from Romy's voice.

"I've had my second vaccine dose, so I'm safe. How about you?"

"Do you have to ask? By the way, where on earth are you?"

"Varg Island."

"Oh." Romy remained silent for a while, then spoke again. "Be careful, Harp."

"My name's Harper, not Harp—you know that. And why would I need to be careful?"

"Harper, Harper. I believe the island is owned by crazy Bill Varg. You know, the guy who was on the news years ago."

"I don't know who you're talking about." My eyebrows furrowed. Romy remembered more of the past than I did because she was a few years older than me.

"You know, the guy who murdered a wolf for supposedly killing his wife? She probably ran off with someone."

"I don't remember any of it. I met a guy named Chris Varg. He runs the show these days."

"That's his son. Apparently, the poor boy was traumatized by his mother's disappearing act and the dead wolf."

"Hmm, strange," I muttered under my breath. "I guess the island has some interesting secrets."

"Hey, I gotta go. Princess is begging me to feed her, and Charming is eating my favorite shoes."

"House-trained, huh?" I laughed at Romy's family life.

"Ciao Ciao!" Romy sang.

"Miao Miao!" I teased before stuffing the phone in my pocket.

Curious about wolves on the island, I plucked up the courage to pay a visit to my neighbor. Perhaps Chris could shed some light on the island's history. After knocking on the door several times, I went to his garden, only to see him naked, fucking a beautiful brunette.

She lay on a sunbed, moaning and thrashing as he hovered over her. His ass cheeks moved in perfect rhythm while he grunted in unison with her moans. His lover's red lips formed a perfect O as she arched her back and yelled his name over and over again. He stiffened, growled, then cursed loudly, offloading his pleasure inside her.

Something primal inside me stirred at the sight of the couple. Perhaps I was in heat. Envy spread throughout my veins, and dark thoughts stirred my mind. I wanted the brunette's handsome boyfriend.

I had hoped Chris was single, but such wishes were too good to be true. A guy like him always had a woman to keep him company. As for me, I was a loner. A lone wolf who spent most of my adult life wondering why my relationships never lasted. I crept away from Chris's garden of delights and headed to the beach.

***

Chris

"I'm spent," I said breathlessly, pulling my cock out of Roberta.

She removed the condom from me, got up from the sunbed, and joined me on the soft grass. We rested together, and her head nestled in the crook of my arm. I inhaled the coconut-scented oil that permeated her crown—it wasn't as dark as Harper's jet-black curls, but it was beautiful.

Yet Harper got under my skin. I caught her scent earlier, and I wanted to taste her. I felt an instant arousal when she took off her red hoodie. Her dark nipples peaked through her semitransparent blouse, a flimsy piece of clothing I could've torn with my teeth. I wanted to suck those nipples.

"Chris?" Roberta's green eyes looked at me quizzically.

"Hmm?" I molded her ample breasts with my hands. She usually loved it when I played with her body after sex.

"Can you please stop that?" She removed my hands and distanced her slim frame from mine.

"What's the matter?" I frowned. I tried stroking her hair, but she flicked my fingers away.

"I'm leaving Varg Island."

I sat up and cocked my head to one side. "Why?" I wondered why she didn't answer my call last night. Or why she hadn't joined me for our usual nocturnal runs. The sex we just had was mechanical, a far cry from the usual passion we shared. "Roberta, baby—"

"Please, no more pet names."

"Why are you leaving?"

"You don't need me to be with you anymore because she's here now."

I frowned. "Who?"

"Her. That vacation tenant of yours. Hayley?"

"Harper."

"Exactly my point. You've marked her as yours..." Roberta paused, then stared at me intensely. "You want Harper more than anyone you've ever cared about, except your mother, perhaps. The difference is your mother is dead, and this girl is alive. She's alone in the world."

I silently cursed Roberta's ability to read minds.

"Don't." She smiled bitterly. "I was born with it. I know your heart was never truly with me, but I couldn't stop my wishful thinking. We did have fun, though, didn't we?"

"Sorry. Roberta, please let me explain."

"What's there to explain? Your scent has changed ever since the girl arrived on the island. It was never me, was it, Chris?"

I said nothing. There was no point because my lover knew the truth. We never were serious. We saw other people from time to time over the years, and I felt something was missing in the relationship. However, I never fully admitted it until now.

"I tried, believe me, but I'm not in love with you," I confessed. I was angry at myself for trying to flog a dead dog to life. I believed I was cold-hearted, a result of losing my mother at a young age.

Roberta, you deserve better.

"Don't blame yourself for it," she comforted me. "There's a pack on the mainland. Do you remember Tommy?"

"Yeah." I gulped, trying to hold back my guilt. Men cry too when they farewell their lovers.

"Tommy is sensitive to my needs," she said. "As you will be for Hayley's needs."

"It's Harper," I corrected.

Roberta giggled, then touched my arm. "I know. I was testing you. Promise me one thing?"

"It depends on the promise."

"Be patient with Harper because she'll love you back one day."

"Love?" I scoffed. "What does love have to do with me?"

Roberta laughed. "You have no idea what's coming."