Piss Off, Alpha! You Chapter 158 This Too Will End

Chapter 158: Chapter 158 This Too Will End

SOPHIA’S POV

Sky Manor was lit up when I pulled into the driveway. Every downstairs light was on.

I sat in the car for a mont just looking at it. I was so tired. My arm ached with every heartbeat. My eyes felt like they had sand behind them. But I gathered my bag, got out of the car, and pushed through the front door.

Klara ca running before I had closed it behind .

She was still in her day clothes. She ran to

but stopped just short of throwing her arms around , rembering at the last second about my arm. Instead, she grabbed my left hand with both of hers and looked up at .

"You’re so late," she said. "I was worried. How’s your arm? Did you keep it dry like the doctor said? You didn’t keep it dry, did you-"

"Klara." I said her na softly, the way I always did when she was spiralling. She stopped. I reached out with my good hand and pressed it gently to the top of her head, smoothing her hair the way I had done since she was small. "I’m fine, just tired."

"Your arm—"

"Is fine." That was mostly true. "I’m ho now. Everything is okay."

"Are you hungry?" she asked with a smile. "I kept so soup warm."

"I’m not hungry. I just want to wash up and sleep."

She looked unhappy about this but nodded. "I’ll wait until you’re done."

"Klara, you don’t need to-"

"I’ll wait," she said, in the tone that ant the conversation was over. Then, she turned back toward the living room.

I looked at her and felt sothing in my chest warm up. She was waiting up for . In a season where I had felt invisible to almost everyone who was supposed to see , my niece sat in a lit living room past midnight just to make sure I got ho safely.

I went upstairs to shower. When I was done, I put on so clean clothes then headed downstairs to check on Klara.

Klara was sitting on the sofa with her knees pulled up, fighting sleep and losing. Her head kept tilting to the side. When she heard my footsteps she looked up imdiately.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Okay," I confird.

She smiled then walked to the stairs. She looked back at

and said. "You work too hard,"

I chuckled "Goodnight, Klara."

"Goodnight, aunt Sophia." She went upstairs.

I went back to my bedroom. Everywhere felt quiet when I pushed the door open. I reached for the bedside lamp, clicked it on, and stood in the doorway for a mont letting my eyes adjust.

Then I noticed it.

The window on the far side of the room was half open.

I always closed my windows before I left - Always. It was habit I was so used to that I did it without thinking. I had closed that window this morning. I was certain of it.

I walked beside it, and that was when the scent reached

- Cedar and tobacco. Zade’s scent.

My heart jolted hard in my chest.

He had been in here.

Not recently, I guess. The scent was too thin for that. It seed faded enough that it had probably been earlier in the evening, before the event, before the hospital, which ant he had been here while I was gone. He had climbed in through the window the way he always did, had stood in my room in my absence doing God knows what and then left.

The thought sent a complicated feeling through

that I refused to think about. I felt uneasy and another part of

felt pissed about having my space entered without permission.

I shut the window hard, locked it and pulled the curtains close.

"Stop it," I said to no one.

Then my phone rang.

The screen showed Damien’s na. With a heavy sigh, I picked up.

"You’re ho?" His voice was quieter than usual.

"Yes," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It’s late, Damien."

"I know." I heard him exhale slowly. "Ashley asked about you again tonight before bed. She asks every night, Sophia about where you are, why you don’t co anymore. I tell her you’re busy but-”

Sothing pulled in my chest. I pressed my hand flat against my stomach and breathed through it.

"She’s adjusting," I said, keeping my voice neutral. "Children do."

"She’s not adjusting. She’s waiting." His voice had dropped further "She keeps her light on until she falls asleep in case you co."

I closed my eyes.

The image of it was brutal. I imagined Ashley in her bed in the dark of Stone Villa, the small lamp on her nightstand on as she waited for a footstep that didn’t co. In my mind, I saw my daughter, waiting for

in the dark.

I felt an ache in my chest. Then I breathed out slowly and opened my eyes.

"She’ll be okay," I said. "You need to help her understand that okay doesn’t an I’m gone forever. It just ans things are different now."

Silence.

Then: "Sophia. The divorce papers. I haven’t had a chance to—"

The warmth I felt drained out of

instantly. My wolf growled with anger.

Not this again.

"Damien." I cut him off "Don’t. Don’t call

at midnight to talk about Ashley’s feelings then tell

you’ve been too busy to sign three pages of paperwork. I’ve been waiting. I’ve been patient. I have asked you repeatedly. Stop delaying."

"I’m not delay-"

"Stop. Delaying." I said each word separately, cleanly, so there was no room for misinterpretation. "Sign the papers, Damien”

He didn’t say anything.

"Goodnight," I said, and ended the call.

I set the phone face-down on the nightstand and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

I should have slept off imdiately. My body was exhausted down to the marrow - four hours of surgery, a full day of work before that, weeks of carrying things too heavy for one person.

But my mind wouldn’t stop.

I thought about a lot of things - Ashley’s light left on in an empty room, Damien’s voice, Zade’s headlights in my rearview mirror, following

ho through the dark without being asked, the scent of his cigarettes fading from my curtain, Declan’s foot extended deliberately.

I thought about Tiffany fixing Ashley’s hair while Damien looked on like everything was exactly as it should be.

I turned onto my side and faced the wall.

It will end, I told myself. The papers will be signed. The certificate will be found. You will walk out of that courthouse and none of this will have the sa hold on you that it does right now.

I almost believed it.