Chapter 16 Sixteen
Koda’s POV
I was in my bed thinking about Harper.
Which was ridiculous—because thinking about her had become a habit I didn’t remember choosing.
The room was dark, the kind of dark that usually calmed me. The hum of the pack house was steady, familiar. I’d slept through worse nights than this. Bloody ones. Violent ones. Nights where my wolf had been restless, pacing beneath my skin.
But tonight?
My wolf was silent.
Too silent.
I stared at the ceiling, jaw clenched, replaying everything like a curse I couldn’t shake.
Her on the ground.
Molly’s hand around her wrist.
The way Harper didn’t scream.
That was what haunted me.
Most girls would have cried. Shouted. Begged. Harper didn’t. She endured it like pain was something she was used to swallowing whole. Like humiliation was an old companion.
And that made something ugly twist in my chest.
I dragged a hand down my face and sat up, elbows resting on my knees.
Why do I care?
That was the question I kept circling back to—and the one I refused to answer honestly.
She was wolfless.
She was weak.
She was trouble.
And yet… when Molly touched her, it felt like my skin was the one being burned.
My wolf should have been roaring. Demanding blood. Demanding dominance. Instead, it had gone still—focused, alert, like it was watching something precious.
That scared me more than anger ever could.
I clenched my fists.
Mate.
The word echoed in my head like a curse.
No.
I shook my head hard, as if that alone could knock the thought loose. She wasn’t my mate. She couldn’t be. Fate didn’t make mistakes like that—not cruel ones. A wolfless girl tied to me? To my bloodline? To my future?
Impossible.
And yet—
I exhaled sharply.
The kiss.
I hadn’t meant for it to happen. I hadn’t planned it. Hell, I hadn’t even wanted it. One second she was running, crashing into me, her body warm and trembling—and the next—
Our lips touched.
Just barely.
But it had felt like lightning.
Not the dramatic kind. Not sparks and fireworks.
Something deeper.
Like my wolf had recognized her before my mind could catch up.
I pressed my palm against my chest unconsciously, right where that strange pull had bloomed since that day. Since her.
Power.
That was the terrifying part.
I felt stronger when she was near. Sharper. More aware. Like my senses were tuned to her existence alone. I could smell her emotions now—fear, anger, stubborn defiance. Even her sadness had a scent.
That wasn’t normal.
That wasn’t coincidence.
I growled low under my breath.
Kai’s voice echoed in my head.
From when did you start playing hero?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
He was right. I hadn’t cared before. I’d laughed when others tripped her. I’d ignored the whispers, the bullying, the way people treated her like she was invisible—or worse, expendable.
So why now?
Because when I imagine someone else touching her—
My wolf snarled for the first time that night.
I stood abruptly, pacing the room. “Get it together,” I muttered.
This wasn’t me.
I didn’t get attached. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t protect out of emotion. I protected what was mine—my pack, my blood, my territory.
And Harper?
She wasn’t any of those.
Yet.
The thought slipped in uninvited.
I stopped pacing.
My hands trembled slightly.
That scared me.
I’d fought grown wolves without shaking. I’d broken bones without flinching. But a wolfless girl had somehow managed to crawl under my skin and twist everything upside down.
I leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
If she really is my mate…
No.
I refused to finish the thought.
Because if she was—
Then fate had just declared war on me.
And worse?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight it.
I was thinking when Kai entered my room, not even bothering to knock like he owned the place.
“Dude, party tonight,” he said, flopping onto my chair like he didn’t feel the tension thick in the air. “You coming? There’ll be a lot of hot girls.”
“Not in the mood,” I muttered, eyes still fixed on nothing in particular.
Kai narrowed his eyes at me. He knew me too well.
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about Harper.”
“I’m not,” I lied too quickly.
He scoffed. “Right. And I’m suddenly a monk.”
I shot him a glare, but he wasn’t done.
“Good,” he said, his tone shifting—lower, more serious. “Because you know thinking she’s your mate is dangerous, right?”
My jaw tightened.
Dangerous.
The word echoed louder than it should have.
Kai leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You know what it means if you’re wrong. Or worse—if you’re right.”
I looked away.
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Because the one always came with consequences.
Memories I kept buried clawed their way up—blood on my hands that wasn’t metaphorical, screams I pretended not to hear, promises I was forced to make before I was old enough to understand what they cost.
A mate wasn’t a blessing for me.
It was a weakness.
A door.
And if that door opened…
I exhaled sharply. “I wasn’t—” I started, then stopped. Lying to Kai was pointless. “I wasn’t thinking she’s my mate.”
Kai raised an eyebrow. “You hesitated.”
I clenched my fists. “I was thinking she’s a problem.”
“That I can agree with,” he said lightly, but his eyes stayed sharp. “So don’t make her your problem.”
Silence stretched between us.
My wolf stirred—uneasy, alert.
“She’s wolfless,” Kai continued. “Fragile. The pack will tear her apart if they even think you’re interested.”
“I know,” I snapped.
“Do you?” He stood. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re already halfway gone.”
He walked toward the door, then paused. “Come to the party. Clear your head. Girls who don’t complicate things.”
The door shut behind him.
I sat there long after he left, staring at the empty space.
Girls who don’t complicate things.
I’d had plenty of those.
And none of them had ever mattered.
Harper’s face flashed in my mind—defiant even when she was scared, stubborn even when she was bleeding, refusing to bow even when the world kept trying to shove her down.
Wolfless.
And yet… unbreakable.
I growled under my breath.
This was exactly why it was dangerous.
Not because she was weak.
But because she wasn’t.
I lay back on the bed, arm thrown over my eyes.
If the one ever found out…
My chest tightened.
No. I wouldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t.
Which meant one thing.
I had to stay away from Harper.
Even if every instinct in me screamed otherwise.