Saving Briar

Harlow had gone by the strip club and begged to pick up as many shifts as she could this week, even though the schedule was already set. A girl she didn’t know that well, Amber, had asked for a night off, so she was going to be able to pick that up, but so far, nothing else was available. But the manager, Larry, had promised her that she’d be the first to know if anything else opened up.

She was halfway home when her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out before frowning at the number, her thumb brushing across the cracked screen. The crack was another result of an argument with Hux six months ago.

“Harlow. Did you take your shot this morning? You know the doctor said that it was important not to miss.” Her mother sounded stressed on the other end of the line.

“Well hello to you too, Mom.” Harlow rolled her eyes at the strange greeting and picked up her pace. Her mom sounded stressed and she wanted to get to her house as quickly as possible to pick up Kayla and take her home, so that her mom could have a little time to herself to rest.

“Did you take your meds Harlow? I ran into Dr. Warner this morning when I took Kayla out for waffles at the diner. He said you needed to be better about taking your shots because your blood work at your last appointment looked worse than it had in years.”

Harlow frowned, her brows drawing together as she shook her head. “Mom, that’s just not true. My numbers are fine. And even if they weren’t, I’m a grown woman and he shouldn’t be sharing that with you. It’s not like I’m Kayla’s age anymore and I need you to manage my shots after every meal.”

“Harlow, don’t fuss about it. And don’t you dare say a word to the man. He’s just looking out for you. Now tell me. Did you take it this morning?”

Taking a deep breath, Harlow seriously considered pretending that the call had been dropped and hanging up the phone. But she knew that if she did that her mother would just call back, and with Kayla at her house needing to be picked up in the immediate future, there was really no avoiding her, and apparently that meant no avoiding this conversation. When her mom had something on her mind she was like a dog with a bone.

“I feel fine, Mom. Seriously. And I checked my blood sugar last night and this morning and it’s absolutely perfect. I really think we might want a second opinion or something. Maybe we shouldn’t have gone to a werewolf doctor for a-”

“No. No. Absolutely not. Harlow. Are you telling me you’ve missed two consecutive doses of your medicine?”

“Mom. It’s not a big deal. In fact I feel better than I ever have in my life.” Harlow frowned as she realized that what she was saying was actually true. She stopped walking, cocking her head to the side. She really did need to get a second opinion. Her head felt clearer and she felt stronger than she could remember feeling in all her life, like she could take off and run all day for miles without needing to stop.

“Harlow, where are you right now? I’m sending Poe to come get you right now.”

“Um, your little boyfriend doesn’t need to come get me. I just told you I’m perfectly fine. And he’s not over there hanging out with Kayla right now, is he? You know I hate how he has her call him Grandpa. You two aren’t even married. If he wants her to call him that, then you tell him he needs to leave his wife and stop fucking around and put a ring on your finger. Although that would be the mistake of a lifetime on your part if you ask me. That man’s fucked half the women in this town and he’s still-”

“You shut your mouth Harlow. And he has every right to spend time with Kayla. And just so you know he just walked out the door, Harlow. You’ve been on speaker. He and Hux are on their way. They’re coming to pick you up and make sure you’re making good decisions for your health.”

“Mom. I’m not a child. This is ridiculous. I’m going to get off the phone now, so that you can call your boyfriend and call him off.”

“I’m not going to do that, Harlow.”

Harlow angrily punched the red button, ending the call, staring at her phone for a long moment, unsure of what to do. After a long pause she scrolled through the number before hitting a now familiar number and putting it up to her ear, nearly certain that the person she was hoping would pick up wasn’t going to answer. After two rings though she heard his voice and she was surprised to hear the concern in his tone when he said her name.

“Harlow. Are you safe?”

“I’m not sure.” Her answer was honest. She still hadn’t started walking and she wasn’t sure why, but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach after hanging up the phone. “I just got off the phone with my mom. She flipped out because I accidentally missed two days of my meds, which okay, fine, I get that. But she said she’s sending Poe and Hux to pick me up and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I don’t know why I’m freaking out about this, but I just have a really bad feeling right now. She’s never done anything like this before and-”

“No. Your instincts are right. Fuck.” Theon’s voice was hardly more than a growl. “Listen, I’m on the other side of the state right now. I’m going to call someone I trust. Where are you?” She gave him the street and location and heard him swear again. “And you’re walking? Where are you coming from?”

Harlow drew in a sharp breath but before she could answer he’d continued on. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. We’ll fix all that later. What matters is getting you safe. And I need to get off the phone to do that. You get away from the road and look for Tim. He drives an old blue truck. You know him right?”

“He’s the pack warrior with red hair and freckles?”

“That’s him Babe. Promise me you’ll stay away from Poe and Hux, okay? I found some stuff out before I left, especially talking to the doctor who took care of me after I passed out in the parking lot of the diner. I have a lot to tell you when I get back. But now get your butt away from the road and be careful, Harlow. Alright?”

“Alright, Alpha.” For once she sounded sweet and not entirely sassy when she said his title and she felt like she could almost hear him smile on the other end of the line as she began to head back away from the road. “You be careful too, T. I want to see you home in one piece. We never did get to take Kayla out for breakfast and I think she had her heart set on it.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“It’s a date.” She felt her cheeks turn pink, as she blinked slowly. She’d just reached a small green space, with a few trees and she slowed her brisk pace. “Bye Theon. See you soon.”

“Bye Sweetness.” Harlow let out a breath that she didn’t realize she’d been holding and took a step forward, planning to sit down at the base of the trees in the shadows, but she never made the next step.

Two thick muscular arms banded upper body, trapping her upper arms at her sides and as hard she fought they wouldn’t budge. She stomped down hard on the boot of the person behind her, before slamming her head back, hoping she might break their nose, fighting with all her might until she felt a sharp sting where her neck met her shoulder.

Harlow only stopped fighting for a moment, her head jerking to the side as if she could swat at whatever had stung her with her ear.

“Just give in Baby.” That was Hux’s voice. She would know it anywhere. Whoever was behind her set her down on her feet as the fight seemed to drain from her body, right along with the strength and the clarity of mind she’d felt like she had earlier. “There’s my girl. So beautiful. Too bad you’re such a little whore who had to go spreading her legs for that fucking loser of an Alpha. I’ll remember that when I’m the Alpha here. You could have been my mistress, Harlow. With that mouth-”

“Enough.” The voice behind her barked the words, although Harlow was struggling to focus on them as the world began to spin around her. “You think I want to hear about how my daughter gives head Hux. Fuck that.”

“But you’re fine with what happens next?” Harlow felt her eyelids growing heavy and despite her best efforts she took a step forward.

“Fuck. Am I okay with it? I don’t know about that. But I have more than enough kids at this point and this one is too much trouble. Especially now that she’s fallen in with Theon. Her mama has Kayla. Let her have another shot at raising that kid, see if she can do it right this time.”

Harlow’s head had fallen forward and was laying against Hux’s shoulder before he picked her up, cradling in his arms as he carried her towards the SUV they’d driven up in. “Do me a favor though. You’ve got Cara now. Stay away from the rest of my girls. It’s getting a little weird, don’t you think?”

“You’re one to talk.”

The last thing Harlow heard before she slipped into the darkness was the two men laughing as they tossed her into the back of the SUV, her head hitting the floor hard a moment before they slammed the door shut.