Chapter 69 Chapter 69
Harper pushed The One away with both hands, her palms flat against his chest. The force wasn’t strong, but it was enough to make him step back.
“You don’t get to kiss me after being so rude to me,” she said, voice trembling but firm.
The One looked at her, his black-rimmed eyes narrowing slightly, the faint brown centers flickering like embers struggling to stay lit.
“Then you can leave,” he said, his tone cold and flat, like ice cracking underfoot.
Harper shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
“Now I really miss Koda,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. “And I wish it wasn’t you.”
She turned and ran out of the room, footsteps echoing down the hallway as she disappeared toward her own bedroom.
The One stood motionless for a long moment.
Then something sharp twisted in his chest — a tight, unfamiliar ache that made his breath catch. He pressed a hand over his heart, fingers curling into his shirt as if he could physically push the feeling away.
“What is she doing to me?” he muttered, voice low and rough.
He had always believed he didn’t truly love Harper. That the warmth he felt around her was nothing more than a calculated softness — a tool to keep her close, to use her as the key to the underground world only she could unlock. She was useful. Nothing more. A means to an end.
Yet the ache in his chest refused to fade.
It felt like breathing through broken glass.
He closed his eyes, forcing the sensation down.
“I have to do my mission fast,” he said to the empty room, voice hardening.
Then he disappeared — dissolving into shadows that slipped through the cracks in the floor like smoke.
Downstairs, Alpha Darius stood at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed, watching the spot where The One had vanished. His face was tight, jaw clenched. He flinched slightly when the shadows swallowed the figure completely, but he quickly regained his composure, straightening his shoulders as if the display hadn’t rattled him.
Samantha appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
“Darius?” she asked softly. “Is everything alright?”
He didn’t answer right away.
His gaze remained fixed on the empty space.
“He’s getting stronger,” he said finally, voice low. “And Harper… she’s getting pulled deeper.”
Samantha’s expression tightened with worry.
“What do we do?”
Darius exhaled slowly.
“We wait. And we watch. If he loses control completely… we may have no choice but to act.”
Upstairs, Harper had locked herself in her room.
She leaned against the door, sliding down until she sat on the floor, knees drawn to her chest.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
She missed Koda — the real Koda, the one who smiled softly and protected her without the darkness.
But she also missed the version of The One who had held her gently just minutes ago.
And that confusion hurt most of all.
The One moved through the dense woods behind the Blackthorn estate with silent, purposeful steps. The moon hung high above the canopy, casting fractured silver light between the trees. He paused every few yards, head tilting slightly as he scanned the darkness for any sign of followers. Nothing. Only the rustle of leaves and the distant call of night birds broke the silence. Satisfied, he continued deeper, the underbrush parting around him as if the forest itself recognized the predator walking through it.
His mission was simple tonight: locate the old sealed entrance to the underground realm — the forgotten gateway his kind had once used before the wolves claimed this territory. Harper was the key, but he needed to confirm the location first. The sooner he secured it, the sooner he could complete what he had started nineteen years ago.
Behind him, hidden among the thicker trees, Alpha Darius moved like a shadow. He had slipped out of the house the moment he saw The One disappear into the night. Darius kept his distance, heart pounding with a mix of rage and dread. He knew the creature wearing his son’s body was up to something dangerous. The way The One had looked at Harper earlier, the black tears, the sudden departure — none of it felt random. Darius was determined to find out exactly what the demon was planning before it was too late to stop him.
The One stopped at a small clearing where ancient stones jutted from the earth like broken teeth. He knelt, pressing a hand to the moss-covered ground. A faint pulse of dark energy answered him, confirming the gateway was still sealed but weakening. He smirked.
“Close,” he muttered to himself. “Soon.”
Darius watched from behind a thick oak, fists clenched. He could feel the unnatural power radiating from the spot. Whatever The One was doing, it involved the old demon legends — the ones the pack had buried long ago. If the creature succeeded, the balance they had fought to maintain for generations would shatter.
The One straightened, brushing dirt from his hands.
He sensed the presence behind him but didn’t turn.
Instead, he spoke into the night.
“You can stop hiding, Alpha. I know you’re there.”
Darius stepped out from the trees, shoulders squared, eyes hard.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
The One turned slowly, black eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
“Preparing,” he said simply. “For what comes next.”
Darius’s jaw tightened.
“You won’t touch my family again.”
The One’s lips curved into a cold smile.
“Your family?” he echoed. “This body, this house, this territory — it all belongs to me now. You stole it from me once. I’m simply taking it back.”
Darius’s hand twitched toward the silver knife hidden at his belt.
The One noticed.
He laughed softly.
“Go ahead. Try. But remember — if you kill this body, you kill what’s left of your precious son too.”
Darius froze.
The One stepped closer, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“And if you interfere with my mission… I’ll make sure Harper watches while I tear every one of you apart.”
The Alpha’s face paled, but he didn’t back down.
The One turned away, melting back into the trees.
“Run home, old man. It’s getting late, don’t wanna be alone where the demon's spirit resides .”
Darius stood alone in the clearing, heart pounding, the weight of his past mistakes pressing down on him like the night itself.