Fractured by N.O Darling

Chapter 299

**|osie’s POV **

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Luke wakes us up in the best way possible. He's found Harper, and she’ll be coming hsoon. | can already

feel the excitement bubbling insideas | pace the kitchen, imagining the moment when I can finally wrap my

arms around her. The thought that she is safe fillswith overwhelming joy, and | can’t wait to see her again.

Axel informs Raff, who arranges to have Archie’s parents brought here. | expect them to be a little hostile

towards us because it’s our fault that Archie was lost in the first place, but when they arrive they just seem to be

reviled and as anxious as the rest of us.

It has been less than an hour since Luke confirmed he had Harper, but it feels like a lifetime. The anticipation is

killingand the air feels thick with tension.

Mason is no better. He's a prolific pacer at the best of times Now I'm worried he’s going to pass out from

exhaustion before she even arrives at this rate.

Theo is sitting at the kitchen table bouncing his knee and Axel is resting his head in his hands. Deacon

is the only one of us that is not showing any outward signs that give away his emotions, but | can feel he is just

as keyed up as the rest of us.

The last weeks have been a chaotic mess of frantic searches, desperate pleas and unanswered prayers, until

now. We have barely spoken since Luke gave us the news.

| can barely see past the haze of my own thoughts and tear-blurred eyes. There are so many questions running

through my mind. How is she? What has she been through? Will she need healing? Stherapy? The

uncertainty

gnaws at me.

“Mum,” | hear the most beautiful sound in the world and my heart skips a beat. I turn to see my daughter

running towardsfrom the hallway.

Everything happens in a blur. | don’t even register that I've moved before my arms are wrapped around her, and

we sink to the floor in floods of happy tears. My guys are around us in seconds, enclosing us in the biggest of

hugs. A thousand unspoken words pass between us and my heart feels as though it is going to burst in my chest

as | get a rush of love that’s similar to the one | got when | gave birth to her and held her for the first time.

“Letlook at you,” | say pulling back to look at Harper's face, which looks pale and gaunt.

Her clothes are ragged and filthy. She has changed in the last weeks, her bright eyes now seem shadowed as if

they've seen too much, and she looks more mature in a way that only happens with life experiences. | hear my

guys all talking to her, but their words all mix into one jumbled hum as my ears ring with adrenaline.

“I'm sorry, mum,” she cries, her voice raw. | pull her towardsagain, kissing the top of her head as she

presses. her face to my shoulder.

“It's okay, you are here and you are safe. Just don’t ever do something like that again. We would have cwith

you to get Dillon if you'd told us. We had no idea he felt so important to you,” | tell her.

“She’s home,” | hear Deacon say into the mind link, and seconds later Luke joins us.

I reach for him, needing to touch him too. | don’t ever want to let any of them go again. | want to lock them away

in the house and never let any of my kids or bonds out of my sight again.

“You are grounded forever for that stunt,” Luke says with an exasperated laugh once he has had a moment to

hold bothand Harper.

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Cluster 209

“What happened?” Theo asks.

“I'm sorry, it’s the only thing | could think of to say,” Harper laughs.

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“She is terrifying. You have no idea what | have just been through,” Luke blows out a breaths and shakes his

head. “Oh con, give us the full story, this sounds Interesting Then complains.

Harper tells us how she had told Mandy, one of her captors, that Lake was one of her bonds and Lake had gone

along with it to buy Harper stto find Archle and Dillon and get them back to Robert. Luke had spent

almost an hour dodging: Mandy's advances and making up excuses to delay their ‘bonding. Both he and Harper

say Mandy is wild and kind of scary. | have a feeling I'll get more in-depth retelling from Luke later. He seems a

little spooked by the whole thing.

| look over to see Archie is in a similar situation to Harper, is parents surrounding bin and fussing over him. Then

I look for Dillon and Robert.

Robert is sitting on the floor in the hall, slumped against the wall and looking a worrying shade of grey. Dillon

kneels beside him, a hand on his shoulder.

“Dad,” | gasp, scrambling to my feet to get to him.

| kneel beside him, and he givesa weak smile.

“Hey,” he says, his voice sounding as weak as he looks.

“Thank you for bringing her home,” I tell him, taking his hand with tear-filled eyes. He is not in a good way.

“Let's get him on the couch,” Deacon says, helping my dad up and porting him to the couch in the sitting room.

| follow after them, bringing my hands to his head to heal him a little.

“I'll be okay. | just need to rest,” he says.

“I hate to cut this reunion short, but | think we need to get you all out of here. The rogues may chere when

they discover that the kids have absconded. I'm going to have a team here, waiting for them just in case, but I'd

rather have the kids and Robert somewhere safe,” Raff says and | nod, he’s right.

Harper walks into the sitting room with Mason’s arm around her shoulders and Dillon following closely behind,

looking a little out of place.

“So this is my grandad?” Harper asks as she looks at Robert

watery smile.

“Yes, he is,” | smile, taking his hand in mine again, and he givesa watery

“Thank you for coming for us,” Harper says.

“Any time,” Robert breathes.

“Let's get out of here,” Luke says, putting his arm around Harper's back so she is sandwiched between him and

Mason.

“I suggest we go back to headquarters first. We will need to debrief and get Robert smedical attention. |

want to get into those tunnels as soon as possible. | have a team gearing up for you to port in. There's also the

issue of what we are going to do with the boy. | asshe has no parents in our realm,” Raff says, nodding

towards Dillon.

‘He's staying with us, right Mum?” Harper says, her eyes pleading.

“We will work something out,” I nod, and share a look with Deacon.

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