For one heartbeat, the entire world went silent.
Then his eyes dropped to Alaric’s hand on Sofia’s waist.
His rage exploded.
In two long strides, Damien was there. He grabbed Sofia’s arm and yanked her behind him.
"What the hell is going on, Uncle?" he demanded, his voice shaking with fury.
Alaric didn’t back down. He caught Sofia’s other hand and pulled her back toward him.
"And what are you doing, Damien?" Alaric shot back coldly. "Dragging her around like property?"
The raised voices drew attention imdiately. Pack mbers turned. Murmurs spread through the garden. The morial music faded out.
Sofia stood between them, her heart pounding violently.
"Let her go," Damien growled.
"You first," Alaric replied.
Damien’s eyes flashed. "She is my slave. She belongs to ."
Alaric’s expression hardened. "Not anymore."
Damien scoffed. "You don’t get to decide that."
Alaric stepped forward, his voice carrying clearly over the gathering whispers. "I do when I have proof that she is innocent."
The entire garden fell silent.
"What did you say?" Damien asked slowly, his brow etched with confusion.
Alaric turned toward the crowd. "I gave Sofia a birthday gift."
He lifted a hand, signaling his n.
Two warriors stepped forward carrying a laptop. One of them connected it to the projector that had been displaying Lola’s smiling portrait monts before.
The image flickered.
The golden-frad morial picture disappeared.
The screen went black.
Then grainy footage appeared.
On the screen, Sofia and Lola stood on the balcony.
They were arguing.
The sound played.
"You’re not going anywhere," Lola hissed.
She grabbed Sofia’s wrist and twisted her violently so her back pressed against the railing.
Sofia’s breath caught.
"Lola, let go."
Lola leaned close, her face twisted with hate.
"Do you know when I’ll finally be happy, Sofia? When you’re gone. When you’re dead. Only then will I have everything I ever wanted."
A wave of shock moved through the crowd.
On the screen, Lola shoved Sofia.
Hard.
Sofia gripped the railing desperately, trying not to fall.
"Lola, stop! Please!"
They struggled. It was chaotic.
Then Lola’s heel slipped.
"No—!" Sofia cried on the recording, reaching out.
But Lola fell.
The screen froze on the mont her body tipped over the rail.
Silence.
Heavy, crushing silence.
Every pair of eyes turned toward Sofia.
Tears stread down her face, but she stood straighter now.
"I tried to save her," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I reached for her."
Damien stared at the screen, unmoving.
His breathing beca shallow.
The CCTV footage they had shown him weeks ago had been edited.
It had cut out Lola’s threats.
It had cut out the shove.
It had shown only the struggle—and Sofia’s hands near Lola’s shoulders.
His chest tightened painfully.
Alaric’s voice cut through the silence. "She didn’t push her sister. She defended herself."
Queen Elena covered her mouth in horror.
Sir Morrison staggered back a step.
Murmurs turned into shocked gasps.
Damien slowly turned toward Sofia.
The girl he had punished.
The girl he had called a murderer.
The girl he had chained.
His mate.
His green eyes t hers, but Sofia looked away.
Alaric moved closer to Sofia and gently wiped the tears trailing down her cheeks with his thumb. His voice softened. "How do you like your birthday present?"
Sofia burst into tears and fell into his arms. She hugged him tightly, not minding that half of the pack was watching.
"Thank you... thank you," she whispered through her tears.
Damien stood frozen. Each word of gratitude she gave another man felt like a blade sliding between his ribs. He watched her cry in Alaric’s arms—the sa girl who used to run to him when she scraped her knee as a child.
Now she didn’t even look at him.
Alaric wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly as if daring anyone to challenge it. He pulled back just enough to look at her tear-streaked face, then lowered his mouth to hers.
A collective gasp went through the garden.
Damien’s world turned red. His wolf was clawing at his insides, screaming to rip Alaric’s throat out. The sight of another man—his own uncle—kissing his mate made his skin burn with fire.
Alaric pulled back just enough to look at the crowd. His voice bood with authority. "Sofia is leaving with . Today. She is no longer a slave, and she has no reason to stay in a place that treated her like dirt."
"Never!" Damien roared, his voice filled with desperation. He stepped forward, his fists clenched. "She stays here! You cannot take her!"
Alaric raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking. "And why is that, Damien? If the video isn’t enough to prove you were wrong, perhaps this will help you understand how deep the rot goes in your own house."
Alaric signaled his warriors again. They marched forward, dragging two people into the center of the garden: Sofia’s mother and a pale young man who looked terrified.
Sofia’s father, Stephen, stepped forward, his face pale. "What is the aning of this?"
"This young man was Lola’s secret boyfriend," Alaric explained. "He is a tech expert. He is the one who edited the CCTV footage to make Sofia look like a killer. And your wife," he pointed a finger at Sofia’s mother, "knew everything. She wanted the ’perfect’ daughter to be the victim and the ’unattractive’ daughter to be the monster."
The pack erupted into chaos. Sofia looked at her mother, who couldn’t even et her eyes.
"Sofia is free," Alaric declared. "She is not your slave. She owes you nothing. So tell , nephew, by what right do you claim she belongs to you?"
Damien looked at Sofia. He saw the tears on her face, the way she was leaning into Alaric for support, and the way she wouldn’t even look at him. He couldn’t let her walk away. He couldn’t let his story end like this.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes as if gathering the courage, then he opened his eyes and looked straight at his uncle.
"She is not leaving because she is bonded to ! Sofia is my mate!"
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