Chapter 8 Eight

Chapter 8 Eight
Harper’s POV
Saturday morning arrived too quietly.
The sunlight slipped through the curtains in thin golden lines, brushing over my bed, my desk, the walls of a room that still didn’t feel like mine. I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts tangled and restless. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw red hair. Black hair. Smirks. Blood. Laughter.
Elite High.
That house.
Those brothers.
A soft knock sounded on my door.
I didn’t move.
The door creaked open anyway.
“Harper,” my mother’s voice called gently.
I turned my face toward the window, pretending she wasn’t there. Pretending I wasn’t boiling inside.
She stepped farther into the room, her presence heavy. I could hear the hesitation in her steps, the way she didn’t know where to stand anymore when it came to me.
“I know you’re angry,” she began softly. “And I know you haven’t spoken to me properly since—”
“I’m not angry,” I cut in, my voice flat. “I’m tired.”
She sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed. The mattress dipped slightly, too close for comfort.
“Harper, please,” she said. “Look at me.”
I didn’t.
“I know you think I’m making a mistake,” she continued, her voice calm in that way that always meant she’d already decided everything. “But I’m doing this for us. For our future.”
That word made something twist painfully in my chest.
“You don’t see what I see,” she said. “Alpha Derek is a good man. He’s kind. He’s respected. He has influence, Harper. He can protect us. Take care of us. We won’t have to struggle anymore.”
I laughed under my breath. It came out bitter.
“Protect us?” I finally said, turning my head just enough to look at her. “Is that what you think this is?”
Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I pushed myself up, sitting on the bed now, my hands clenched tightly in my lap. “You think marrying him is protection? You think putting a ring on your finger suddenly erases everything we’ve been through?”
She opened her mouth, but I didn’t let her speak.
“You said the same thing about Derrick,” I snapped. “You said he was kind. You said he would take care of us. You said he loved us.”
Her face paled.
“That’s different—”
“No, it’s not!” My voice cracked despite myself. “It’s exactly the same. Just a different man. A bigger house. A shinier lie.”
She stood abruptly. “That’s not fair, Harper.”
“What’s not fair is you dragging me into this again,” I shot back. “What’s not fair is you not listening to me—again.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
She inhaled shakily. “You’re still young. You don’t understand how hard it is to be alone. To raise a child without a mate. Without protection. People look down on us, Harper. They always have.”
“So you think marrying an Alpha fixes that?” I asked quietly.
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “I do.”
My chest tightened.
“He makes me feel safe,” she added softly. “He makes me feel wanted again.”
I swallowed hard. That was the truth of it. Not safety. Not stability.
Loneliness.
“And what about me?” I asked. “Did you ever stop to think about how I feel?”
She hesitated. Just for a second.
That was enough.
“You didn’t,” I whispered. “You never do.”
Her eyes glistened. “That’s not true.”
“Then why are you marrying a man whose sons hate me?” I demanded. “Why are you forcing me into a house where I’m already being treated like trash?”
Her head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
I laughed hollowly. “Of course you don’t know. Of course you don’t see it.”
“Harper—”
“Koda and Kai,” I said sharply. “Your future stepsons. They’ve humiliated me. Threatened me. One of them nearly strangled me at school.”
Her face drained of color.
“That’s—” she started. “That can’t be true.”
“It is,” I said firmly. “And it’s only going to get worse.”
She shook her head, disbelief battling fear. “They’re just boys. Alphas can be rough. They’ll grow out of it.”
“They won’t,” I said, my voice trembling now. “They hate me. And they always will.”
She reached for my hands, but I pulled away.
“We’re going to their place today,” she said carefully. “The wedding is next week. You need to try. For me.”
That was it.
My heart shattered into something sharp and angry.
“No,” I said.
She stiffened. “What?”
“This is a bad idea,” I said, standing. “Moving in. The wedding. All of it. I don’t want this. I don’t feel safe. And if you do this—if you marry him—you’re choosing him over me.”
Her breath hitched. “That’s not true.”
“It is,” I said, tears burning my eyes. “And one day, when everything falls apart again, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Her lips trembled. “Harper, please—”
“I won’t stop you,” I whispered. “But don’t expect me to pretend this is a happy ending.”
I turned away from her, staring at the wall, my hands shaking.
Behind me, she stood frozen.
And in that moment, I knew—
no matter how big the house was,
no matter how powerful the Alpha,
we were walking straight into another nightmare.

—
We arrived at their house—or mansion. I honestly didn’t care what it was called.
The place was massive, cold, and suffocating all at once. Tall iron gates closed behind us with a heavy clang that echoed through my chest like a warning. The driveway stretched endlessly, lined with trimmed hedges and stone statues that looked more like guards than decorations. Everything about this place screamed power. Control. Ownership.
I followed my mother inside silently.
I had tried to warn her. Over and over again. But it was obvious she wasn’t ready to listen. Or maybe she just didn’t want to.
The moment we stepped inside, Alpha Derek welcomed us with a wide smile, his posture relaxed, confident—like a man who had never been told no in his life.
“Samantha, Harper,” he greeted warmly. “You’re finally here.”
My mother smiled back immediately, her hand tightening around her purse as if she needed something to anchor her excitement. I stayed quiet, my gaze drifting around the enormous living room. Marble floors. High ceilings. Expensive paintings that probably cost more than our old house ever did.
After a few moments of small talk, Alpha Derek turned his attention to me.
“Why don’t you go find Kai and Koda?” he said casually. “They should be in their rooms.”
My stomach twisted.
“Oh, I’m fine staying here,” I replied quickly. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with those two psychopaths.
Before he could respond, my mother chimed in, her voice light, hopeful. “Go on, Harper. You know they’re going to be your brothers soon.”
Brothers.
The word made my skin crawl.
Gosh. The both of them were annoying. Insufferable. Cruel.
I nodded slowly, not because I agreed, but because I desperately wanted to get away from the room—from the forced smiles, the expectations, the future being shoved down my throat.
“Okay,” I muttered.
I turned and walked away before anyone could say anything else.
But instead of looking for those brats, I wandered off in the opposite direction.
The house was huge—far too huge for one family. Long corridors stretched endlessly, each one quieter than the last. My footsteps echoed softly against the floor as I scrolled through the mansion, not really searching for anything specific—just something. Something that felt… off.
The air grew colder the farther I walked.
Portraits lined the walls, their eyes seeming to follow me. Old Alphas. Powerful wolves. Generations of dominance frozen in paint. I hugged my arms around myself, my instincts screaming that I shouldn’t be here.
That was when I heard it.
A low growl.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned my head toward the sound.
At the end of the hall stood a dog—or rather, a massive wolf-dog hybrid. It was enormous, easily as tall as my waist, its muscles coiled tightly beneath thick fur. Its eyes glowed faintly, sharp and intelligent. Vicious.
My heart slammed into my ribs.
“Oh,” I whispered.
The dog’s ears flattened, and suddenly it barked—loud, aggressive, the sound ripping through the silence like thunder.
I stepped back instinctively. “Hey… it’s okay,” I said softly, raising my hands. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
The barking intensified.
The dog lunged forward, stopping just short of me, teeth bared.
Panic exploded in my chest.
“Nope,” I breathed.
I turned and ran.
My feet slipped slightly on the polished floor as I sprinted down the hallway, my breath coming out in sharp, frantic gasps. The barking echoed behind me, heavy paws slamming against the floor.
My heart pounded wildly.
“Why does every terrible thing happen to me?” I cried under my breath.
I took a sharp turn, not looking where I was going—
And slammed straight into someone.
Hard.
I gasped as the impact sent both of us tumbling to the floor. Arms wrapped around me instinctively as we fell, the world spinning for half a second before everything stilled.
Too still.
Warmth pressed against me.
Breath fanned across my face.
My eyes fluttered open.
Our lips were pressed together.
My brain completely shut down.
I froze, barely breathing, my hands resting against a broad chest. The scent hit me next—strong, intoxicating, unmistakably wolf. My heart stuttered.
Slowly, the person beneath me moved.
Gray eyes met mine.
Koda.
For a split second, neither of us moved. His hand was still gripping my waist, firm, steady. His lips were warm—too warm. Too real.
Then his eyes darkened.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growled.
I scrambled backward immediately, my face burning as I shot to my feet. “I—I didn’t—there was a dog—”
Koda sat up slowly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his gaze never leaving mine. Something unreadable flickered across his face.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
Kai appeared beside him, his dark eyes flicking between us—and then narrowing.
“Well,” he drawled slowly, a dangerous smile spreading across his face, “this is interesting.”
My stomach dropped.
The barking echoed again in the distance.
And I knew—
whatever I had just fallen into was far worse than a dog.