KOL HUMMED as he said, "I'm curious," breaking the comfortable silence in the room as he dug into the dinner Harper had prepared. The atmosphere was warm, the only sounds being the clinking of silverware and the soft hum of conversation. "Not to be rude," he added with a playful glint in his eyes, "but what is so special about you that Freya just gave you a job and a place to stay?"

Freya's eyes narrowed at her brother's comment, and she kicked him gently under the table with an exasperated sigh. But Harper, not at all bothered by the question, merely shrugged and looked up at him as she took another bite of her food. "Honestly, I ask myself the same question," she admitted with a small smile, glancing at Freya. "But Freya won't tell me."

Freya, who had rolled her eyes at Kol's bluntness, leaned back in her chair with a sigh, a faint chuckle escaping her lips. "Well, I can't blame you, honestly. I mean, I hardly know my sister myself," she added, her words playful but carrying a subtle truth. Harper's brow furrowed slightly as she gave Freya a questioning look, which made Kol chuckle even more.

"Uh..." Harper started, unsure how to react to the comment, and Kol immediately realized what he had said. But before he could backpedal, Freya saved him with a slight shift in tone.

"Some things happened, and I ended up with my aunt," she said, the mood in the room shifting as she spoke. "So, I never really met my younger siblings—only Finn and Elijah. The rest, I didn't meet until recently."

Harper smiled softly at that, feeling a mix of sympathy and curiosity. She let out a sigh, trying to mask the undercurrent of longing in her words. "Must be nice to have siblings," she said quietly, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Her comment made both Kol and Freya exchange a glance, and for a brief moment, an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

Kol, ever the curious one, decided to press further. "So, I take it you're an only child?"

"Yep," Harper replied, popping the 'p' with a little more force than necessary. She wasn't bothered by the question; in fact, it was one she had been asked often. "Well, my parents couldn't have kids, so they adopted me."

Kol's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he quickly apologized. "Oh, wow. Sorry if that was a soft subject."

Harper smiled and shook her head, trying to put him at ease. "Oh, no, it wasn't. I don't even know who my birth parents are," she continued, her voice steady but tinged with the quiet sadness of an untold story. "I was literally born and quickly adopted. It was a closed adoption."

Freya's expression softened, her heart aching a little for the young woman. She could sense the weight of Harper's words, even if Harper seemed to brush it off. Freya wanted to ask more, to learn about the woman who had so easily integrated into their lives, but she could sense that it wasn't a subject Harper wanted to delve into further. Instead, she decided to change the topic.

"Um, so," Freya began, her voice lightening, "would you like to join us for dinner tomorrow night, Harper?" she asked, her smile warm but with an underlying hint of mischief.

Harper's eyes widened slightly, and she waved her hands in protest, feeling flustered at the offer. "Oh, I couldn't intrude," she said quickly, feeling the awkwardness rising within her.

She had barely known these people, and the idea of joining them for a meal—felt overwhelming.

But when she saw the determined look in Freya's eyes, her resistance began to falter. Freya wasn't going to take no for an answer, and Harper knew it. With a resigned sigh, she slumped in defeat. "I would be delighted," she muttered, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

Kol, however, looked at Freya as if she had just asked Harper to sign her soul away. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and he mentally cursed his sister for her impulsive decisions. He had never thought Freya to be the manipulative type, but now, seeing her with Harper, he couldn't help but wonder if it ran in the family. After all, most of their siblings were no strangers to persuasion, albeit usually in a more charming way. Kol was starting to see Freya's tactics unfold right before his eyes.

Before Harper could respond to the invitation or say anything more, her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down at the screen, her eyes scanning the alarm that had gone off. With a quiet apology, she stood up and excused herself. "Um, i'll be right back," she said, moving toward the restroom to take her medication.

As she walked away, Freya, always perceptive, tried to sense something more about Harper. She reached out with her supernatural abilities, attempting to catch a glimpse of the woman's aura. But when she tried to focus, she felt nothing. No overwhelming energy, no telltale signs of something extraordinary, just... nothing. Frustration built up in Freya as she huffed in irritation, trying to pinpoint whatever it was about Harper that intrigued her so much.

Kol, noticing his sister's distraction, smirked and leaned closer to her. "I see. So, there is something special about the girl."

Freya snapped out of her concentration, her eyes narrowing slightly as she shifted her attention back to Kol. "It's just her aura. It's a little... strange," she admitted, her voice tinged with confusion. "She's definitely human, but..." she trailed off, still unable to place her finger on what made Harper stand out so much.

Kol raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "But...?"

Freya shrugged, still lost in thought. "I don't know. There's something there, but it's hard to pin down."

Kol, ever the inquisitive one, leaned forward and tried to sense something himself. He even caught a hint of her scent, which was oddly familiar. Then, it hit him—a faint, almost imperceptible smell. Fresh blood.

His brow furrowed as the realization settled over him. Something wasn't adding up with Harper, and Kol was starting to wonder just what kind of woman she really was.

As Freya continued to mull over her thoughts, her eyes momentarily flickered to the door where Harper had gone. She knew that there was more to Harper than met the eye. But for now, all they could do was wait and see just how much they could uncover—one dinner at a time.