SophiaThe darkness that held me begins to recede, bit by bit, though I’m not ready to face the world just yet. I’m caught between two realms: the overwhelming truth and the warm embrace of the woman who was supposed to be a ghost in my life.How do I know who's holding me? Her scent surrounds me, comforting yet unfamiliar, filling the hollow space in my chest.I never thought I’d feel this.I’m caught between two realms: the overwhelming truth and the warm embrace of the woman who was supposed to be a ghost in my life.Her soft whispers reach my ears, barely audible, yet laced with the weight of years of loss. She hums a melody—a lullaby maybe—one I don’t remember, but my heart seems to recognize.I want to hold onto this moment, but the pain of everything comes rushing back, suffocating me again. Gregor.The lies.The stolen years. Every single revelation crushes me, and I feel like I’m drowning all over again. I try to push it down, but it claws at my insides, demanding to be ackn
MikhailIt has not been even a few hours since she met Atlas and Artemis, but if you look at her you can't say that, because it seems like she has always know them.Sophia's laugh pulls my attention back to her. The sound is light, genuinely joyful like she's finally at peace. The faint shadow that's lingered in her eyes since we met, the one that always made me feel like she was holding a part of herself back, is finally gone. And it's all because of the family she's found, the one that should have been there for her all along.I can't ignore how Artemis glares at me when Sophia is not watching, and honestly, it is amusing. Because I can tell her wolf is still on edge because she thinks that I wanted to keep her daughter away from her. But does she realize that her daughter is my mate, and there is no way she can get rid of me?I meet her glare head-on, suppressing the urge to smirk. She can stare daggers all she wants; she'll have to get used to me being here.Just to ruffle her feat
SophiaSeeing the love in Mom's and Dad's eyes, it feels like a part of me I didn't even realize was hollow is finally full.The grief I've held onto for so long is still there, but it's quieter, softened by the love that only parents can give to their children.The love I feel for my pup is something that is beyond this world... words might not be enough to explain this kind of love. And now I realize there is someone who feels the same for me... my own parents. This thought begins to heal the scars that years of abandonment and the feeling of being unloved caused. There are so many unanswered questions, but at this moment, they all seem unimportant. I am just basking in this happiness of finally living something that I couldn't even dream of.Mom's eyes are a little red, and I can tell she's been trying to keep her emotions in check. But the softness in her gaze, the way she looks at Rose, tells me everything she doesn't say out loud. I know she's been hurt too. She's missed so muc
MikhailHolding back is never my strength.Especially when it comes to protecting my family.Atlas and Artemis are Sophia's parents, but there is nothing we know about them other than this.They weren't part of most of Jake's life, so there is so much about them that he is even unaware.As of now, they haven't done anything that might raise any doubts, but I am still responsible for the safety of my family and my pack. And I need to know what kind of trouble they might bring to us.Sophia's parents or not, my priority is my family and my pack.Artemis has put Rose down to sleep, and her eyes never leave her face, even for a moment. And there is no doubt that she doesn't love her. She holds our daughter in a way that’s filled with all the love she couldn’t give Sophia as a child. It's beautiful, and it's painful, but I need to know the truth: how did Sophia end up in Redwood pack? Why did Gregor keep her away from them? Even I want to know why they left Jake.All the answers to these q
MikhailSophia's head dips, her jaw tight. I reach over, running my thumb over her knuckles, trying to comfort her as her grip on my arm loosens.Her eyes lift to meet mine, and in that one look, I know her pain is just as raw as it was when she first found out she had been kept from her parents, forced to endure a life built on lies.Rubbing her eyes and face, Artemis lifts her face toward the sky as if she is still pleading for some miracle that heals her pain."I didn't get to hold her properly; my heart was craving to feel her heartbeat against me... but my pup was gone. She took away my baby from me. The person whom I trusted my daughter with me took her away from me. I was protecting that place with my life, there was no chance that I would have let anyone near that place. But she stole my pup from me." Her voice is nothing more than a whisper, but her pain echoes loudly in her words, "My mate didn't even get a chance to see his daughter's face... the same daughter for whom he wa
Mikhail"Motherfucker!" I whistle through my teeth as my eyebrows slightly raise while something clicks in my mind.Gregor, even if he’s one of the people I’d most enjoy tearing apart slowly, yet I have to give to him for the way his mind works.For years, his command over Sophia’s life was ruthless, controlling, abusive… but it had a dark, twisted logic to it.I understand now why he never let her shift, though it doesn’t make me hate him any less; if anything, my hate for him increased.As I put the pieces together, I feel a low growl rumbling in my chest. Gregor knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that if Sophia shifted, she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden. Atlas and Artemis would sense her because they must be trying to reach out to her. So, he kept her caged in her human form, never allowing her to embrace the wolf inside her.It’s clever.Cruel but clever."What happened?" Sophia places her hand on my arm lightly and tries to get my attention.Blinking, I look at her. Sudde
SophiaThe light filters softly through the curtains, warming the room and slowly nudging me awake. I stretch out a hand to the left, reaching for the familiar warmth that I expect to find there. My fingers touch only the coolness of an empty bed.Mikhail's side is cold. He's already gone.My eyes snap open, and I sit up, blinking away the sleep as I glance at the clock on my nightstand.9:30 a.m.I overslept, which isn’t like me. I try to remember the last time I slept this deeply, but it feels like a distant memory. Maybe that’s what peace does—real, settled peace, the kind that sinks into your bones.The bed feels too big and too empty without him here. I reach for the faint scent he’s left behind on his pillow—cedar and rain, the scent that usually lingers in the air long after he’s gone. I close my eyes, breathing it in, as memories of last night return, a series of touches and whispers in the dark. I brush my fingertips over the mark on my neck, where his teeth sank in last nig
MikhailClosing the reports file, I run my hands through my hair.My wolf has been on edge since the moment Alexei informed me that Gregor has been contacting several Alpha. He is calling a summons for Sophia, me, and others to appear before the council. He’s stirring up trouble, claiming that Artemis attacked him and threatened him. The council is going to favor that manipulative bastard because Artemis even attacked the councilmen. Anger pushing through my veins, I never bow down in front of anyone. What does he thinks that I am going to let this council dictate me?Alpha Mikhail, your presence is demanded at the lunch.Sophia mindlinks me, her playful tone cutting through the tension like a knife.In an instant, the anger and frustration that have been churning in my gut ease. Damn it, I love that woman. Her voice is like a balm to my soul, soothing the jagged edges of my thoughts.I can’t help but smile, picturing her in the kitchen, likely humming to herself while swaying her bo
MikhailThe moment I have Sophia in my arms, it feels like my heart is finally able to beat again, like my lungs can take in air properly.I didn’t realize how much I was suffocating until now. Until she was here, pressed against me, where she belongs.Having her back in my arms feels like I’ve gotten my life back, like I’m whole again.But then, she shifts slightly, trying to take a step back.A growl rips from my chest before I can stop it, deep and primal. My arms tighten around her instinctively, refusing to let her move away.My wolf is losing it, clawing at me, desperate to keep her close. Possessiveness surges through me, raw and unrelenting. I don’t want her to go—I can’t let her go. Not even for a second.Sophia laughs softly, the sound light but a little tired. Her arms tighten around me, and for a second, it feels like she’s holding on just as much as I am.“I’m dirty,” she murmurs, tilting her head back just enough to meet my eyes. There’s something teasing there, but also
MikhailShe’s drenched in blood, but it’s not hers. It drips from her fingers, streaks down her arms, soaks into the floor beneath her feet.She’s trying so damn hard to keep it together, to hold back the tears threatening to spill over. But the second I tighten my arms around her, she breaks.A shudder runs through her body, and then she’s shaking, her walls crashing down as she buries herself against me.“I was so afraid I’d lose you…” Her voice cracks, barely more than a whisper. “I’ve lost myself, but I can’t bear to lose you.”She presses her face into my chest, her sobs muffled against me. I hold her tighter, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other gripping her waist like I can somehow keep her from falling apart.“I’m right here,” I murmur against her hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”Her fingers dig into my back, clutching me like I’m the only thing keeping her together. And maybe, in this moment, I am."This darkness is suffocating," she whispers, her voice barely hol
MikhailSophia doesn’t even glance at Artemis. It’s like she’s not even there. But her eyes? They stay locked on mine, unblinking and intense. There’s no sense of recognition in them, no softness, no warmth. Just something cold and distant.Still, I feel her.Our mate bond doesn’t hum with the warmth it once had, but it’s there, faint and pulsing like a thread stretched too thin but refusing to snap completely. She doesn’t say a word, doesn’t make a move. Just keeps staring at me, her gaze drilling into mine like she’s waiting. Then I realize... she’s waiting for me to see her, to really see her. All of her. The darkness she carries, the evil she’s let in, it’s twisted and terrifying, but beneath all that, she’s still my mate. She’s still Sophia.And she needs me to accept that. She’s not looking for judgment or fear. She wants reassurance, a promise that I’m not going anywhere, no matter how deep her shadows run. She needs to know I’m still with her, that I won’t turn my back on he
MikhailSophia's smile falters just enough for me to notice. There’s a flicker in her gaze—unsure, almost fragile—and it hits me like a punch to the gut. My heart clenches as I watch her wrestle with whatever storm is brewing in her mind.“You don’t hate me,” she says, her voice so quiet it feels like a secret.The vulnerable side that wonders if she deserves to be loved.... that her darkness would make me not love her.Anger floods through me, hot and fierce, almost too much to hold back.Because this uncertainty I see flickering in Sophia’s eyes, that doubt gnawing at her, it didn’t just come out of nowhere.It’s him. Gregor. That worthless piece of filth lying broken on the ground. He’s the reason she even questions her worth. He’s the one who planted this poison in her head, making her feel like she can’t be loved, like she’s undeserving of it. Every insult, every cut he threw her way was meant to chip away at her, to leave her feeling unloved and worthless. I take a deep breath,
MikhailGregor’s cries fill the air, raw and broken, as he tries to get away from Sophia. He’s crawling like a beaten dog, dragging himself through his own blood. It smears across the ground, a trail of his pathetic attempt to escape.His hand clamps over the empty socket, but it doesn’t stop the blood. It pours down his face, dripping onto the ground, staining everything in his path. His body shakes like a leaf in a storm, and all the while, Sophia watches him with that same cold, detached look.He’s finally tasting his own medicine, and damn if it doesn’t feel satisfying to watch.All that fake power, that smug confidence he wore like armor, has crumbled. What’s left is the real Gregor: a coward who can’t handle the pain he’s dealt out to others for so long. It’s poetic, really.Sophia stands up slowly, her movements are steady, almost graceful, as she straightens herself. The blood on her claws glistens under the dim light, dark and sticky.Without a flicker of emotion, she wipes t
MikhailSophia somehow lifts Gregor even higher, her claws tearing the tendons of his neck even more.The raw strength in her is unreal. He’s gasping, his hands clawing at her wrist, but she doesn’t flinch. If anything, her expression hardens even more, her jaw set in cold determination.Gregor’s no small guy. He’s built like a damn boulder, broad shoulders, thick arms... he is Alpha even if he is illegitimate; he still has blood in him. Sophia, though? She’s barely half his size, slender and petite compared to him. Normally, anyone would assume she wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like him.But right now, none of that matters. Her strength is something else entirely, something that shouldn’t even be possible. She’s got him off the ground like he weighs nothing, her hand gripping him with ease. Gregor struggles, his muscles flexing as he tries to fight back, but it’s useless. He looks like a child in her grasp, completely powerless.And then, with a sudden force, she hurls him
MikhailSophia’s gaze shifts to me, and for a moment, the cold mask she’s been wearing cracks. Her eyes soften, and a flash of pain crosses her face. It’s so quick that I almost think I imagine it, but then she whispers, her voice trembling with something I can’t quite place."Leave."There’s regret in her tone, maybe even a hint of helplessness. Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and for a second, I forget the darkness radiating from her, the raw power she’s been wielding like a weapon."I am not going anywhere," I hold her gaze steadily.Her lips part, and there’s this flicker of vulnerability in her expression."You wouldn’t want to witness this," Her voice breaking slightly.Something about the way she says it makes my chest tighten. It’s not just the words—it’s the regret laced in them, the quiet plea for me to walk away.The tears glistening in her eyes are such a stark contrast to the ruthless strength she’s been showing. If it weren’t for Gregor dangling helplessly from her cla
MikhailGregor laughs, and then his eyes land on me. There’s a smugness in his gaze, a sick kind of satisfaction that makes my blood boil."It’s been so long since I’ve been with you," he says, his voice dripping with mockery as he shifts his attention back to Sophia. But I know his words are aimed at me. He’s trying to get a rise out of me to prove that he won."So long since I’ve properly held you," Gregor continues, his tone turning low and possessive like he has some kind of claim on her. "But now, my longing will finally end."My wolf growls inside me, but I give him a sharp warning to stay in control. However, it’s taking everything to hold him back because he is on the verge of taking control.This bastard is so twisted he doesn’t even care that the woman he’s drooling over is someone who used to call him father. It churns my stomach just thinking about it. The way he looks at her now, like she’s some prize he’s been waiting to claim, makes me want to rip him apart all over ag
MikhailColdness settles deep in my chest as the silence stretches after her words. I lock away every emotion clawing at me, burying them under a layer of ice. My eyes stay on her face, maybe searching for the glimpse of Sophia that I know.But I find none.Have I really lost her? No, it can't be because a part of me refuses to believe this, even when everything screams that she is gone.“I’ll take you to Gregor.” My voice is flat, my tone sharp as I curtly nod.“What the hell are you saying?” Caleb’s voice cuts through the tension like a whip, his outrage spilling into the air. “You’re gonna take her to that bastard? Are you out of your mind?”Out of the corner of my eye, I see Caleb step forward, his hands balled into fists, but I don’t move. I keep my gaze on Sophia.A small smirk lifts the corner of her lips as she raises an eyebrow like she’s enjoying the chaos her words have created. It’s not a smile I recognize. It’s taunting and cold.“Yes,” I say firmly, ignoring the way Cale