Chapter 112
DAMIEN’S POV
After Sophia left, I stood in the hallway for a long moment. My wolf paced restlessly inside me. The mate bond pulled inside me, wanting me to go after her, but I forced myself to stay still.
“Damien?” Tiffany’s soft voice came from behind me. “Are you okay p>
I turned to find her watching me with concerned eyes. She looked exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes.. The stress of her mother’s illness was clearly taking its toll.
“I’m fine,” I said, though I wasn’t sure that was true. “Are you p>
Tiffany’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m trying to be. But watching my mother go through this, knowing she’s in pain and there’s nothing I can do Her voice broke.
I pulled her into my arms, letting her cry against my chest. She felt small and fragile.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured into her hair. “I promise. The oncologist I contacted is one of the best in the country. Your mother will get the treatment she needs p>
“But what if it’s too late? What if the cancer has already spread too far p>
“Then we’ll deal with it but you can’t think like that. You have to stay positive.” I pulled back to look at her face. “And you need to take care of yourself too. When was the last time you ate p>
“I don’t remember,” she admitted.
“Come on. I’ll make you something.” I led her to the kitchen, settling her at the counter while I pulled out ingredients for a simple meal.
As I cooked, Tiffany watched me with grateful eyes. “Thank you for being here. I don’t know what I’d do without you p>
“You don’t have to thank me.” I set a plate in front of her. “I told you, you’re family p>
After Tiffany finished eating, I walked her to her car. She hugged me goodbye, and I found myself checking my phone as I walked back inside.
Three missed calls from my assistant. Two from Simon. And a text from Nate: Dude, have you seen this?
He’d attached a link to some gossip site. I opened it reluctantly.
The headline read: Mystery Woman Spotted with Billionaire Alpha at Luxury Resort
The photo was grainy but clear enough. It was a woman in an elegant dress standing close to a man who looked suspiciously like Zade Morrison. Her face was partially turned away from the camera, but something about her profile made my wolf go rigid.
I zoomed in on the photo, studying every detail. The woman’s hair color, her build, the way she held herself p>
It couldn’t be Sophia. Could it?
I scrolled through more photos. There were different angles, different moments from what looked like the same evening. In one, the woman’s hand was on Zade’s arm. In another, he was leaning close to whisper something in her ear.
My wolf snarled with possessiveness.
I tried to video call Sophia. It rang through to voicemail. I tried again. Same result.
“Franca,” I called out.
The housekeeper appeared quickly. “Yes, Alpha p>
“When was the last time you saw Sophia p>
“Earlier tonight, sir. She came looking for Miss Ashley, discovered she was with you, and then left. She seemed quite upset p>
“Has she been back since p>
“No, sir. I haven’t seen her p>
I pulled up the photos again, comparing them to recent pictures of Sophia on my phone. The woman in the gossip photos had the same slim build, the same way of standing with her weight slightly to one side.
But why would Sophia be at a luxury resort with Zade Morrison? And why wouldn’t she answer my calls?
Unless she was avoiding me because she was with him right now. Jealousy burned through me.
The thought made my blood run cold. My wolf was pushing at my control, wanting to hunt, to find our mate and drag her away from any other alpha who thought they could touch what was ours.
But was she still ours? We’d pushed her away for months.
Had Sophia finally moved on?
The mate bond pulled, as if responding to my thoughts. It was still there, still connecting us, but it felt… strained.
I tried calling Sophia again but it went to voicemail.
I pulled up my messages to text her, then stopped. What would I even say? Are you with Zade Morrison? Why aren’t you answering my calls? Come home immediately?
None of those felt right. And the truth was, I’d lost the right to demand anything from her.
I’d made my choice. I pushed Sophia away at every turn.
So why did the thought of her with someone else make me want to tear the world apart?
SOPHIA’S POV
I lay in bed at Sky Manor, staring at the ceiling. My phone buzzed repeatedly on the nightstand. Damien’s name kept flashing on the screen – five calls in the last hour.
I didn’t want to talk to him.
The phone finally stopped buzzing. Blessed silence.
But then it started again.
With a frustrated growl, I grabbed it and turned on Do Not Disturb. The screen went dark, and I set it face-down on the nightstand.
I should try to sleep. Tomorrow was another study session with Lance, and I needed to be focused. But I kept recalling Damien’s words.
You’re family, Tiffany.
You stopped being Luna the day you stopped acting like one.
Each word hurt me more.
I rolled over and grabbed my phone again, hating myself for doing it but unable to stop. I pulled up social media and, against my better judgment, navigated to Tiffany’s profile.
She’d posted thirty minutes ago.
The first photo showed her and Damien in the Stone Villa living room. He was sitting on the couch, and she was curled up beside him, her head resting on his shoulder.
The caption read: Grateful for the people who show up when you need them most. Some families are born, others are chosen.
I felt like I’d been punched in the chest.
I swiped to the next photo. This one was a close-up of their hands – his larger one covering her smaller one, both resting on his knee. She was wearing a bracelet I’d never seen before, probably a gift from him.
The next photo showed them in the kitchen. Damien was cooking while Tiffany watched with an adoring smile. The intimacy of the scene made my wolf whimper.
When he takes care of you even when you insist you’re fine, the caption read, followed by a string of heart emojis.
I closed the app and threw my phone across the room. It landed on the carpet.
My wolf was howling. The mate bond burned in my chest like acid. This was my husband. My mate. The father of my child.
And he was building a life with someone else while I watched from the sidelines.
I buried my face in my pillow and let myself cry again, muffling the sounds so my family wouldn’t hear.