Chapter 77 Chapter 77
The night air in the woods was cool and thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Harper sat on a fallen log in a small, secluded clearing, the One having led her there after the chaos of the day. She wasn’t scared to be alone with him in the forest. The woods themselves felt watchful but not hostile — it was him who was far more dangerous.
“Aren’t you scared to be with me here alone?” he asked, his voice low and teasing as he sat beside her on the log.
Harper turned to look at him, a little smile tugging at her lips as she munched on a bag of chips she’d brought from her bag.
“No, I’m not scared,” she said, popping another chip into her mouth.
“Really now?” The One smirked, shifting closer until his shoulder brushed hers.
“Yes,” Harper replied, meeting his gaze steadily.
He chuckled, the sound deep and warm in the quiet night.
“I thought you were mad at me,” Harper said after a moment, her voice softer.
“Huh?” The One uttered, turning his head toward her.
“Well, you shouted at me to leave you alone,” she continued, “then you helped me win against Molly.”
The One was quiet for a beat, his black-rimmed eyes studying her face in the dim light.
“I wasn’t mad at you,” he said finally, his tone losing some of its usual edge. “I was mad at myself. For letting the anger get the better of me. For almost losing control in front of you.”
Harper lowered the bag of chips, turning fully to face him.
“You don’t have to apologize for that,” she said softly. “I know it’s hard for you. The power, the hunger, the memories… I see it. But you stopped the beasts when I asked. You caught me when I fell. You’re trying.”
He looked away, staring into the dark trees.
“Trying isn’t the same as succeeding,” he muttered. “I’m still a demon, Harper. I still want to burn everything that threatens you. I still feel the pull to take what I want — including you.”
Harper reached out and gently touched his arm.
“I know what you are,” she said softly. “And I’m still here.”
The One turned back to her, his eyes searching hers.
“You shouldn’t be,” he said, but there was no bite in the words. “You should be running from me.”
She smiled, small and genuine.
“I tried that. It didn’t work.”
He let out a low chuckle, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.
They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds the rustle of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl. Harper offered him the bag of chips. He took one, crunching it thoughtfully.
“You really aren’t scared of me anymore?” he asked after a moment.
Harper shook her head.
“Not of you. Of what you might do if you lose control completely… yes. But not of you.”
The One looked at her for a long time, something unreadable in his gaze.
Then he leaned in slowly.
His hand came up to cup the side of her face, thumb brushing her cheek.
“You make it very hard to stay a monster,” he murmured.
Harper’s breath caught.
She closed the distance and kissed him.
It started soft — a gentle press of lips that quickly deepened. His hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She melted into him, her fingers curling into his shirt.
He broke the kiss just enough to speak against her lips.
“I don’t deserve this,” he whispered.
“Stop deciding what you deserve,” she replied, kissing him again.
The kiss grew hungrier, more urgent. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her onto his lap. She straddled him, the log creaking under their combined weight. The forest around them seemed to fade, the only reality being the heat of his body against hers and the way his mouth claimed hers with a mix of desperation and reverence.
He broke away to trail kisses down her neck, his breath hot against her skin.
“Harper,” he rasped, voice thick with want.
She tilted her head, giving him better access.
His hands slid under her shirt, palms flat against her bare back, pulling her even closer.
She gasped when his teeth grazed her collarbone.
He pulled back slightly, eyes dark and searching.
“Tell me to stop,” he said, echoing their earlier nights.
Harper shook her head, fingers threading through his hair.
“Don’t stop.”
He kissed her again — deeper, slower this time, savoring every second.
His hands explored her back, tracing the curve of her spine, then moving to her sides, thumbs brushing the underside of her breasts.
She shivered, pressing closer.
He groaned low in his throat.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered against her lips.
She smiled into the kiss.
“I think I have some idea.”
They stayed like that for a long time — kissing, touching, losing themselves in each other under the watchful eyes of the ancient forest.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, The One rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly.
Harper nodded, her fingers still tangled in his hair.
“Good. Because I’m not letting you.”
The night wrapped around them, the forest silent once more.
For the first time in a long time, the monster and the girl who refused to fear him felt something close to peace.
Got you—let’s clean it up, deepen the emotions, and make everything flow smoothly while keeping the tension sharp.
Molly was furious.
The anger sat heavily on her chest, burning hotter with every passing second. Losing to Harper—Harper—was something she couldn’t accept, not after everything she had said, not after the way she had gone into that fight so sure of herself.
Her friends hovered around her, trying to calm her down, their voices soft and cautious, but Molly wasn’t listening.
She couldn’t.
All she could see was the moment she fell.
The way everyone had looked at her.
The way Harper had been standing.
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.
Ryan approached just then, his steps hesitant, like he already knew he was walking into something dangerous.
He didn’t even get the chance to speak.
Molly’s hand came out of nowhere, slapping him hard across the face.
The sound cracked through the air, sharp enough to make the others flinch.
“You made me look like a fool!” she snapped, her voice shaking with anger. “You lost to Koda like you were nothing—you just went in there and lose. Do you have any idea how stupid that makes me look?”
Ryan’s jaw tightened, his hand slowly coming up to his cheek as he tried to steady himself.
“I didn’t lose on purpose,” he said, his voice strained. “I don’t even know what happened. One second I was fighting him, and the next—”
“Molly lost too,” Claudia cut in bluntly.
The words hung in the air for a second too long.
Molly’s head snapped toward her, her glare sharp enough to silence anything else Claudia might have said.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Then Ryan exhaled quietly, trying to shift the tension.
“Babe… are you okay?” he asked, his tone softer now, more careful.
Molly let out a bitter laugh, the sound empty.
“Do I look okay?” she shot back, her eyes cold. “I want Harper gone. Not embarrassed, not beaten—gone. Forever.”
The words carried weight.
Real intent.
Ryan’s expression changed immediately, something more serious settling over his face as he shook his head.
“Then you’ll have to do it yourself,” he said firmly. “I already tried once, and she didn’t die. I’m not getting involved in that again.”
Molly stared at him, disbelief flashing across her face.
“Ryan—”
But he had already turned away.
“Ryan!” she shouted after him, her voice rising as he walked off without looking back.
He didn’t stop.
Didn’t answer.
The silence he left behind only made the anger worse.
Amy stepped closer, her brows furrowed slightly. “So… what are we going to do?”
Molly’s lips curved slowly, but there was nothing pleasant about the expression.
Her eyes darkened with something colder. More calculated.
“Today,” she said quietly, her voice steady in a way that made it even more unsettling, “we end it.”
The girls’ camp was quieter than the training grounds, filled with scattered chatter and the soft rustling of movement between tents.
Laughter drifted through the air.
Inside one of the tents, Sarah sat with Harper and Catherine, the three of them talking, the earlier tension seemingly far away for the moment.
Harper looked lighter.
Relaxed, even.
Like she could finally breathe.
Molly stopped when she saw them.
Her gaze locked onto Harper instantly, the sight of her laughing making something twist violently inside her chest.
Her expression hardened.
Then—
Movement from the side caught her attention.
Lila.
She was walking past, unaware, her steps quick and quiet as if she were trying not to draw attention to herself.
Molly’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed her arm.
Lila gasped softly, her entire body going stiff as fear immediately filled her eyes.
“Y-you need something?” she asked, her voice barely steady.
Molly leaned in slightly, her grip tightening just enough to make it clear she wasn’t asking.
“I need you to do something for me,” she said, her tone low and controlled.
Lila’s face paled.
Because she remembered.
She remembered exactly who Molly was.
And more importantly—
She remembered that Harper had been the one to save her from her.
Lila stood there for a moment, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure someone would hear it.
Molly’s grip had already left her arm, but the threat of it still lingered, wrapping tightly around her chest.
“Go,” Molly had said quietly. “Bring her to me.”
And Lila knew better than to refuse.
She approached the tent slowly, her steps uncertain despite forcing herself forward. The sound of laughter reached her before she even got there—light, easy, the kind that made her chest tighten with guilt.
Inside, Harper sat with Sarah and Catherine, the three of them caught in a moment that felt… normal.
Safe.
Lila hesitated at the entrance before finally speaking.
“Harper… can I talk to you for a second?”
Her voice was softer than usual, just enough to draw their attention without sounding completely off.
Sarah’s brows immediately pulled together. “About what?”
Lila swallowed, her fingers curling slightly at her sides as she forced herself to meet Harper’s eyes.
“It’s… something personal,” she said, her tone uneven despite her effort to steady it.
Catherine leaned forward slightly, suspicion clear on her face. “Personal? Since when are you two that close?”
The question hit harder than it should have.
Lila’s mind went blank for a second, panic creeping in as she realized she didn’t have a good answer.
“I just—” she started, but the words wouldn’t come.
Sarah’s gaze sharpened, clearly not convinced. “Lila—”
“It’s fine.”
Harper’s voice cut in gently, stopping whatever Sarah was about to say.
She stood up, brushing her hands lightly against her clothes, her expression calm in a way that made Lila’s chest twist even more.
“I’ll go with her,” Harper said simply.
Sarah frowned. “Are you sure? Something feels off—”
“I’ll be okay,” Harper reassured her, offering a small, easy smile. “It won’t take long.”
Catherine didn’t look convinced either, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Lila, but she didn’t push further.
“Be careful,” Sarah said finally, her voice quieter now but still firm.
Harper nodded. “I will.”
The walk away from the tents felt longer than it should have.
Neither of them spoke at first.
The further they went, the quieter it became, the distant chatter of the camp fading until it was replaced by the soft rustling of leaves and the sound of their footsteps against the ground.
Harper glanced around briefly before looking back at Lila.
“Isn’t this far enough?” she asked, her tone light but curious. “We can talk here.”
Lila stopped.
Her hands trembled slightly at her sides as she forced herself to nod.
“Y-yeah… this is fine,” she said, though her eyes kept darting around, scanning the shadows, searching.
Harper noticed.
Her brows pulled together slightly.
“Who are you looking for?” she asked, suspicion beginning to creep into her voice.
Lila froze.
And in that moment—
It happened.
A figure stepped out from the darkness as if it had been waiting there the entire time.
Molly.
The faint light caught the curve of her smirk as her eyes locked onto Harper.
Harper’s expression hardened instantly, confusion flashing into guarded awareness.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice no longer soft.
Molly’s smile widened, slow and satisfied.
“Good job, Lila.”
The words landed heavily.
Harper’s gaze snapped toward Lila, realization hitting all at once.
Lila couldn’t hold her stare.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of it.
Regret filled her chest, sharp and suffocating—but it was too late.
Before Harper could react—
Before she could even turn fully—
A sharp movement came from behind.
Something hard slammed against the back of her head.
The impact was sudden, brutal, sending pain exploding through her skull as her vision blurred instantly.
Claudia stepped back, gripping the bat with a satisfied look.
“Nighty night, maid,” she said with a laugh.
The world tilted.
Sounds faded.
Harper’s body went slack as darkness swallowed her whole, the last thing she felt being the cold ground rushing up to meet her.
And then—
Nothing.