Chapter 17 Seventeen
Harper’s POV
I was in my room, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Kai—and the way he had spoken to Koda earlier.
Not joking.
Not mocking.
Serious.
The tone of his voice had been different, almost… careful. Like every word he said carried weight. Like there were things I wasn’t supposed to hear—things buried deep between the two brothers.
Thinking she is your mate is dangerous.
The words replayed in my head, over and over.
Dangerous.
Not wrong.
Not impossible.
Dangerous.
Which meant there was a reason. A real one.
I rolled onto my side, hugging my pillow tighter. Four days. That was all that stood between my mother and that wedding. Four days before everything changed permanently. Before I was tied to that house, those brothers, that Alpha—whether I liked it or not.
I couldn’t let it happen.
I had already lost my father. I wasn’t about to lose my mother to a mistake she was too blinded to see.
My phone buzzed suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts.
Catherine.
I sat up and answered immediately. “Hey.”
“Harper,” she said, her voice urgent. “Please tell me you’re at home.”
“Yes… why?”
“There’s a party tonight. A big one.”
I frowned. “Okay… and?”
“And Koda and Kai are hosting,” she continued. “Half the school is going.”
My stomach twisted.
“Why are you telling me this?”
There was a pause. Then, quietly, “Because your name is already being mentioned.”
I stiffened. “Mentioned how?”
Catherine sighed. “People are saying you and Koda are… a thing.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I know,” she rushed to say. “But Harper, you know how fast rumors spread here. And Molly—”
“What about Molly?” I cut in.
“She’s furious,” Catherine said. “She’s telling people you’re using Koda to climb your way up. That you’re seducing him because you’re wolfless and desperate.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
Figures.
“I don’t care what she says,” I muttered.
“I know you say that,” Catherine replied softly. “But I care. And I don’t like the way they’re looking at you lately.”
I swallowed.
Neither did I.
“Listen,” Catherine continued. “If you go to that party, things could get messy. But if you don’t go, they’ll say you’re scared.”
I closed my eyes.
No matter what I did, I was already the villain.
“I’ll think about it,” I finally said.
After we hung up, I tossed the phone onto my bed and stared at it like it might explode.
A party.
Koda.
Kai.
And whatever secret they were hiding.
If there was something dangerous about Koda thinking I was his mate… then I needed to know exactly what that danger was.
Because if I was going to stop this wedding—
I needed leverage.
And something told me the answers were waiting at that party.
Even if going meant stepping straight into the fire.
—
I decided to go to the party.
If I was going to do this—if I was really going to stop the wedding—then I couldn’t afford to hesitate. Delaying things would only make everything harder. Koda and I needed to move fast, and whether I liked it or not, the party was the perfect place to corner him without his father or the pack breathing down our necks.
I moved to my closet and pulled out a short dress with long sleeves. It was simple, black, and hugged my body in a way that made me feel… confident. Strong. Like I wasn’t the weak, wolfless girl everyone loved to step on.
I tied my hair into a high ponytail, letting a few strands frame my face. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself.
Good.
Maybe tonight, they wouldn’t either.
“You look hot.”
The voice startled me.
I turned quickly to see my mother standing in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes scanning me in a way that made my skin itch.
“Going somewhere?” she asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Of course she’d notice now.
I straightened my shoulders. “Yes.”
She stepped further into the room. “With Catherine?”
I hesitated for half a second. “Something like that.”
Her smile softened. “I’m glad you’re finally going out. You’ve been so withdrawn lately.”
I bit back a laugh.
Withdrawn? If only she knew how loud my thoughts were. How everything inside me felt like it was screaming.
“I’ll be back later,” I said, reaching for my bag.
She nodded, then paused. “Harper… about the wedding—”
My chest tightened.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said flatly.
Her expression fell. “I know you’re upset, but I’m doing this for us.”
“For you,” I corrected, finally meeting her eyes. “You didn’t even ask me if I was okay with it.”
Silence filled the room.
She sighed. “Alpha Derek is a good man. He’ll protect us.”
Protect you, I almost said.
But I swallowed the words.
“I’m leaving,” I said instead.
As I passed her, she reached out, hesitating before letting her hand fall back to her side.
“Be careful,” she murmured.
I didn’t answer.
I slipped out of the house, my heart pounding harder with every step. The night air was cool against my skin, but it did nothing to calm the fire burning in my chest.
Koda was hiding something.
Kai knew it.
And whatever that secret was, it was big enough to make even someone like Koda afraid.
Tonight, I’d get answers.
Even if it meant stepping straight into danger.
Because one way or another—
That wedding was not happening.
—
The moment I stepped into the house, I was hit with loud music blasting through the hall, the bass so heavy it vibrated through my chest. Colored lights flashed across the walls, and everywhere I looked, I saw familiar faces from school—laughing, dancing, acting like this was the best night of their lives.
So yeah.
Pretty much everyone showed up.
My eyes scanned the crowd until I spotted Catherine near the center of the room. Relief washed over me, and I quickly made my way toward her, weaving through bodies and spilled drinks.
“Hey, Catherine,” I called out.
She turned around, and her eyes widened instantly. “Oh my goodness, Harper—you made it!” she squealed before pulling me into a tight hug. She pulled back just enough to look me up and down. “Wow… you look so hot.”
I laughed softly. “Thank you. You look good too.”
She grinned proudly, then suddenly frowned, tilting her head. “Wait… I didn’t give you the address. How did you even get here?”
My heart skipped.
For a split second, my mind betrayed me—flashes of this same house during the day, the massive gate, the long hallways, the rooms I shouldn’t know existed. I pushed the memories away fast.
“Well,” I said casually, forcing a shrug, “they’re pretty popular. Stuff about them is all over the internet. It wasn’t hard to find.”
Catherine nodded immediately. “Yeah, that’s true. Everyone knows this place.”
Before I could relax, a familiar, irritating voice cut through the noise.
“Who invited little Miss Peasant here?”
I turned slowly to see Molly standing a few feet away, arms crossed, a cruel smile playing on her lips. Her eyes dragged over me like I was dirt on her shoes.
I rolled my eyes. I really didn’t have the energy for her tonight.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, already stepping away.
I leaned toward Catherine. “I’ll be back.”
Before she could respond, I slipped into the crowd, wanting distance—space to breathe, space to think.
Suddenly, the music lowered slightly, and a loud howl echoed through the hall, making everyone cheer.
I looked up to see Kai standing on a small stage near the DJ booth, a drink raised high in his hand.
“Hey everyone!” he shouted. “Welcome to my brother’s and my party!”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
“Well,” Kai continued, grinning wickedly, “our father isn’t home, so party however you like. Tonight’s gonna be wild!”
He threw his head back and howled.
Everyone howled back.
Everyone except me.
The sound scraped against my ears, a painful reminder of what I lacked. No wolf. No howl. Nothing inside me answered the call.
I turned away, suddenly feeling out of place.
I walked toward a quieter corner of the house when I accidentally bumped into someone solid.
“Sorry,” I muttered, looking up—
And froze.
Koda.
He stood right in front of me, dressed in black, his sharp eyes widening slightly when they landed on my face.
“You came,” he said, surprise clear in his voice.
For a second, neither of us moved.
The noise of the party faded into the background as his gaze lingered on me—too intense, too focused, like he was seeing something no one else could.
“Yeah,” I replied cautiously. “It’s a party. People come.”
A corner of his mouth twitched, almost like a smile. “I didn’t think you would.”
I raised a brow. “Why not?”
His eyes darkened just a little. “Because being here means trouble.”
My heart skipped, but I crossed my arms anyway. “Funny. Trouble seems to find me whether I want it or not.”
He studied me for a long moment, then leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping so only I could hear.
“Then you should stay close tonight.”
I scoffed. “Why? So you can protect me?”
“No,” he said quietly. “So I can stop myself.”
That sent a chill down my spine.