"Yes," Sir Morrison said, oblivious to his son’s rage. "She is from a strong lineage. She is beautiful and well-behaved. She will be the Luna this pack deserves. We will introduce you after the service."
Damien felt like he was going to explode. His father was talking about a "perfect girl" while Damien’s soul was screaming for Sofia.
"I don’t want your perfect girl, Dad," Damien growled, his voice low and full of rage.
"You have a duty, Damien," Sir Morrison said firmly as he stood up. "Wash your face. Fix that cut on your lip. I’ll see you at the ceremony."
anwhile, Sofia ignored the stinging in her bones and focused on the work. She moved through the garden, her thick thighs aching with every step as she carried heavy vases of white lilies.
As she placed flowers near the stage, a group of pack girls walked by. They deliberately bumped into her hips, making her stumble.
"Look at her," one whispered loudly. "The murderer is actually helping set up the morial. How does she even show her face?"
"She probably enjoys the attention," another sneered. "I hope the Alpha kills her."
Sofia kept her head down, her fingers trembling. She walked toward the center of the garden and stopped. There, a massive, gold-frad picture of Lola was hanging. Lola was smiling, looking perfect and innocent.
Sofia felt a sharp pain in her chest. She rembered that night on the balcony clearly. She rembered the wind, the high heels Lola was wearing, and the way Lola had turned to her with a look of pure hate.
If only she hadn’t tried to push , Sofia thought, a lone tear falling down her cheek. If only I hadn’t moved out of the way so fast. If only I had caught her hand.
In the eyes of the pack, Sofia was the monster who pushed her sister. But the truth was a heavy weight: Lola had tried to kill Sofia, lost her footing, and fell. Sofia had reached for her, but she wasn’t fast enough.
"She doesn’t deserve your tears," Nyx growled in her head, her wolf’s voice full of protective anger. "She tried to end us, and now they use her mory to starve us. Look up, Sofia. The Alpha is coming."
Sofia wiped her face and looked toward the palace stairs. Damien was walking down, looking powerful in a dark suit. His golden eyes imdiately locked onto hers, ignoring everyone else.
Sofia tried to look away from Damien’s piercing gaze, but the sight of Queen Elena walking beside a stunning, elegant woman in a shimring gown made her stomach twist. The girl looked like a true Luna—refined, perfect, and exactly what the pack expected Damien to have.
Feeling the weight of her own torn maid’s dress and the heavy ache in her body, Sofia turned and hurried away, her thick thighs brushing together as she tried to disappear into the shadows of the garden.
But she didn’t get far. A large, warm hand caught her arm and pulled her gently but firmly behind a tall hedge, away from the prying eyes of the pack. She gasped, bumping right into the hard, muscular chest of Alpha Alaric.
He didn’t let go. Instead, he crowded her into the corner, his tall body shielding her from view. He leaned down, his nose grazing her temple as he took a deep, slow breath.
"You’ve changed," he murmured, his voice a low vibration that made her skin prickle. "I can feel a different energy on you. You’ve finally gotten your wolf."
Sofia looked up at him, her eyes shimring. "Yes," she whispered.
Alaric’s lips quirked into a soft, dark smile. He reached out, his thumb tracing the curve of her chubby, flushed cheek. "Congratulations, little bird," he said softly. Then, his expression turned uncharacteristically tender. "And happy birthday, Sofia."
Sofia’s heart gave a violent flutter. In two years of being treated like a ghost, no one had rembered. Not her mother, and certainly not the pack. Alaric was the first and only person to wish her a happy birthday.
A lone tear escaped her eye, and she bit her full lower lip, looking down at his expensive shirt. "Thank you," she choked out. "I... I didn’t think anyone knew."
"I told you," Alaric whispered, stepping even closer until his powerful waist was pressed against her curvy hips. "A king knows how to value a treasure."
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his burning erald eyes. The air between them was electric, charged with a different kind of energy than the bond she shared with Damien. With Alaric, it felt like a choice.
"Tell , Sofia," he rasped, his gaze dropping to her mouth. "What do you want for your birthday? Anything. Just na it."
Sofia felt the heat of her wolf, Nyx, purring in approval. She looked at Alaric’s rugged face, then glanced back toward the garden where Damien stood with the girl that was with his mother.
"I want to feel like I’m alive," she whispered, her voice daring and desperate. "I want to forget the world for just one second."
Alaric didn’t need to be told twice. His hand slid into her hair, gripping her head firmly as he groaned, "My pleasure."
He crashed his lips onto hers, his kiss tasting of dark spice and possessiveness. It wasn’t hesitant like before; it was deep and hungry. Sofia let out a soft moan into his mouth, her fingers fumbling to grip the fabric of his coat as she lted against his heavy, muscular fra.
The kiss was deep and dizzying, a wild escape from the cruelty of the garden just a few feet away. Alaric’s hands were firm on her voluptuous hips, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. Sofia let out a soft moan against his lips, her body finally feeling a spark of warmth that wasn’t caused by pain or the shifting of her bones.
Alaric pulled away slowly, his breath coming in short gasps. His erald eyes were dark with a hunger that made Sofia’s knees weak. He stayed close, his forehead resting against hers.
"I want to claim you, Sofia," he rasped, his voice vibrating in his chest. "I’m done watching from the shadows. I’m going to tell Damien that I am taking you with . I want you as my queen."
Sofia’s heart stopped. "No," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Alaric stiffened. His grip on her waist tightened, and a flash of pain crossed his face before it turned into a mask of stone. "Why?" he asked, his voice low and pained. "Do you love him? Do you still love the man who let them treat you like a slave?"
Alaric was scared. He was a King, a man who had everything, but in this mont, he looked like he was bracing for a blow to the heart. He knew the history between them, and he feared the answer.
"What do you see in Damien that I can’t give you?" Alaric continued, his voice growing desperate. "Is it because he is younger? Is it because you grew up together?"
Sofia looked at his rugged face, her mind racing. Because he is my mate, her heart scread. Because the Moon Goddess tied my soul to his, even if he hates . But she couldn’t say it out loud. If she told Alaric the truth, it would start the war Elena had warned her about. Two Alphas fighting over one woman would leave the pack in ashes.
"It’s not because he’s younger, Alaric," Sofia said softly, her eyes filling with tears. "And it’s not because I want to be here."
"Then why stay?" Alaric pressed, his hands moving to cup her face, his thumbs brushing over her full, swollen lips. "I can give you a throne. I can give you a na that no one dares to insult. I can give you a life where you never have to carry a vase of lilies for a dead girl again."
Nyx, her wolf, paced restlessly in her head. "He is kind, Sofia. He honors us. But...."
Sofia looked past Alaric’s shoulder. At the garden, the music for the morial began to play. Damien was standing there, his face like thunder as his eyes scanned the crowd, searching for her. He looked like a man possessed, his nose twitching as if he had caught a scent he didn’t like.
"You have to go," Sofia whispered, pushing gently against Alaric’s muscular chest. "If he finds us like this..."
"Let him find us," Alaric growled. "I want him to know."
Damien began to move. He moved like a predator, his dark suit straining against his heavy muscles. He wasn’t looking at the crowd or the "perfect girl" his mother was presenting. He was following a scent—the scent of sunshine and honey.
"Alaric, please," Sofia whispered, her heart hamring against her ribs. She tried to pull back, but Alaric’s grip on her waist only tightened. "He will kill you. Or he will kill . You don’t understand how much he hates the thought of anyone else touching what he thinks is his."
"Then let him try," Alaric growled, his erald eyes glowing with challenge. He shifted his body, not to hide her, but to fra her against the hedge so that anyone walking by would see them clearly. He wanted Damien to see his hand resting possessively on her hip.
Damien rounded the corner and stopped dead.
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