“I’m okay,” I whispered, though my voice shook.
His jaw tightened, but he nodded once, squeezing my hand like he didn’t quite believe me—but he wanted to.
And as I looked at him, scarred and relentless, I realized something deep in my bones: Redwood could send every man they had, and fear could scrape me raw every time, but I would keep standing.
Because Carter wasn’t my shield anymore. He was my partner.
And I wasn’t walking away.
118
Harper
The forest still smelled of smoke and gunpowder, the tang of iron clinging in the air. My hands shook as I wiped the dirt from my palms onto my jeans, trying to make the tremors stop.
Carter was still scanning the tree line, every muscle taut, but when his eyes came back to me, the steel in them shifted. Just a fraction, but enough that I saw it—the crack in his armor, the fear he wouldn’t admit.
I reached for him before he could hide it. My fingers slipped into his, and his grip was strong, almost too strong, like he needed to feel I was solid and real.
“I’m not broken,” I whispered, surprising even myself with how steady the words came out. “Shaken, yes. Terrified, absolutely. But I’m still here. Still with you.”
His jaw flexed, his chest rising and falling hard, and for a long moment, he just looked at me like he was memorizing every word, every breath.
“I was so scared,” I admitted, my throat tightening. “When the bullets hit the trees, when I dropped to the ground—Ithought it was the end. But then… I realized I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.”
I lifted his hand to my chest, pressing it over my pounding heart. “This—this is what makes me strong. You. Us. Together.”
The wind rustled through the branches, carrying away the smoke, and in the quiet that followed, something settled between us. Not just survival. Not just love. A partnership forged in fire and blood, unshakable now that it had been tested.
Carter’s thumb brushed against my skin, his eyes softening, though his body was still coiled for battle.
And for the first time since all this began, I didn’t feel like prey marked by Redwood.
I felt like a fighter.
119
Harper
The quiet after battle was almost worse than the fight itself. My ears still rang with echoes of gunfire, my body still braced for another round that didn’t come. The world around us looked scarred—bark shredded from the trees, the earth torn up by bullets and boots.
But we were still standing.
Carter stayed close, his hand firm around mine, his eyes sweeping the treeline one last time. River and the others moved like shadows through the brush, securing the perimeter, but my focus never left Carter.
When his gaze finally came back to me, I saw it there—the weight he carried, the fury still burning, and the fear he’d never say out loud.
I stepped closer, pressing my free hand to his chest. His heartbeat was a drum under my palm, strong and steady despite everything. “I meant what I said,” I whispered. “I’m not walking away. Not from you. Not from this fight.”
For a second, I thought he’d argue. His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing like he wanted to push back, to protect me evenfrom myself. But then his shoulders eased, just a fraction, and he covered my hand with his own.
The warmth of his touch grounded me. And in that touch, I felt it—his trust. Fragile, hard-earned, but real.
Tears stung my eyes, but I didn’t look away. “You don’t have to carry this alone, Carter. You never did.”
His thumb brushed over my knuckles, slow and deliberate, as though he was memorizing the feel of me. And though his voice was low, roughened by battle and exhaustion, I heard every word clear as day.
“You’re stronger than you know, Harper. Stronger than I ever deserved.”
