3

Sophia

The headache woke me up. I rubbed my face and groaned from the discomfort. I don’t know why I drank so much, but I swear this is the last time I touch a drop of alcohol. I turned over in bed, looking for a comfortable position for my body. But I felt something strange. Something wasn’t right. 

I frowned.

My bare skin touched a warm body.

What the hell?

My eyes flew open.

Bright was asleep beside me. His calm breathing matched his relaxed face. His hair was messy, and one hand rested behind his head. The muscle in his arm was perfectly defined. The sheets covered him from the waist down, allowing me to see his toned abdomen.

I understood why women went crazy for him. But my heart almost leaped out of my chest when I realized what I had done.

The scent of his cologne was all over my body. A shower wouldn’t erase the memory of his fragrance on my skin. A shower wouldn’t erase what we did.

Damn it. No. Why was this happening to me?

I sat up in bed almost in a panic. I held my head, regretting everything. The sheet slid down my body, exposing my breasts. I grabbed it quickly and covered myself. I was completely naked and so was Bright.

The previous night came rushing back to me. Bright's lips were devouring mine. His hands rested on my cheeks. The heat was overwhelming us. Last night, we burned together. We let ourselves go. Desire took over. Bright kissed every inch of my body and…

I noticed movement beside me. Bright shifted in bed. He lazily opened his eyes, only to find me sitting up, staring at him. His arrogance didn’t take long to surface. He ran his eyes over my body and smirked.

“Good morning, princess.”

Shame washed over me. Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I had to cover my face.

THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING.

“Oh, my God. This can’t be happening,” I groaned.

I uncovered my face when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Bright adjusted himself in bed, propping himself up on his elbow. He looked amused. Was he seriously finding this funny? There was nothing funny about this.

He smiled.

“Sophia, please, don’t be dramatic. Why are you covering yourself with the sheets? It’s nothing I didn’t see last night.”

“Shut up!” I scolded. “Do you think this is no big deal? Bright, you and I… We did… You know. This wasn’t right.”

“You’re saying we made a mistake? You didn’t seem to think that last night.”

“We slept together! You and I!”

“Yes, but you were the one who started it all.”

He was right. I started everything. Shit! I undressed, I provoked him, and I seduced him. Bright wouldn’t have touched me if it had been the other way around. What was I thinking?

“Don’t feel bad about it. I liked it. Didn’t you?” he asked curiously.

There was a fire in Bright’s eyes.

The images flashed through my mind again. The way he touched me, kissed me, made me feel. Bright took my pain last night and turned it into pleasure. He numbed the emptiness in my chest and filled the space with his caresses. I let him see me vulnerable. I even cried in front of him, moaned under him.

I loved it, but I didn’t want to admit it.

I got out of bed and grabbed my clothes from the floor to cover myself. Bright’s eyes followed my movements.

“Stop looking at me like that, Bright.”

“Didn’t you like it, Sophia?”

I stayed silent. Like it? It was one of the best nights of my life, but he didn’t know that.

“You did,” he smirked proudly.

“Shut up. It happened once. It won’t happen again.” I awkwardly put on a shoe.

“It happened in one night. But it was multiple times,” he clarified.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Three. It happened three times.

Why did I drink so much?

“No one can find out what we did. Do you understand me, Bright? We made a mistake. We’ll forget it and move on with our lives.”

Bright burst out laughing. I looked at him.

“You want to forget one of the best nights of your life?”

“Enough, Bright,” I glared at him.

Bright got dressed, but his shirt was unbuttoned. He caught me looking, but I pretended to be unfazed. I walked toward the door. Bright stayed near the bed, putting on his shoes. When I opened the door, my heart stopped. A scream echoed through the room.

“SOPHIA!”

My family was outside the room. Even Bright’s father was there. Their faces were a mix of shock and fury.

Just what I needed.

James was fuming. “We looked for you all the night.”

He violently pushed the door open and stormed into the room. I couldn’t stop him. He would see Bright and the unmade bed. Oh God, the condom wrappers were on the floor!

I rushed after him to stop him, but I failed. He saw Bright.

“What the hell did you do to my sister, you bastard?”

Bright had his hands on the buttons of his shirt. My brother looked at the bed, the champagne glasses, and the wrappers on the floor.

“James, it’s not like what you think…”

Before I could find a better exuse, my brother’s fist flew straight into Bright’s face. My mouth fell open in shock.

“God! Stop, don’t do that!” I tried to break up the fight.

Bright hit the ground. His face twisted in pain, but he wasn’t surprised by the punch. He knew this was coming. He wiped the blood from his mouth and glared at my brother.

Bright’s father entered the room. My mom and dad followed.

“Bright. What were you thinking? Are you out of your mind? I need an explanation,” his father scolded.

I felt sick with anxiety. I had to give everyone an explanation.

Mom looked horrified. Dad was glaring at Bright as if he wanted to kill him. I felt cornered. My family is against sex without love. Mom and Dad were strict. They wouldn’t understand. My brother wouldn’t approve either. I felt like a disappointment.

James was going to kill Bright if someone didn’t say something. Bright knew it, but he respected his alpha and wouldn’t fight him.

I had to stop this.

“Enough! There’s an explanation. Bright and I…” I took a deep breath. I was about to tell the biggest lie of my life. “We love each other.” I felt ridiculous.

Silence filled the room. James looked at our parents. Bright’s father looked at mine. No one understood anything. Not even Bright.

“What did you just say, Sophia?” James asked.

Bright stood up beside me.

“You heard Bright and I love each other, and we’re going to be together.” A knot formed in my stomach.

Even I didn’t believe myself. But I forced myself to stand firm.

Bright smiled, let out a low chuckle, and shook his head. There was something unreadable in his eyes.

“Love, I wasn’t expecting that,” he played along.

Bright erased his smile. His expression hardened, and he faced my brother. When Bright got serious, he was intimidating.

“I’ll take responsibility for Sophia,” he declared confidently. "I will marry her."

Terror gripped me.

What the hell?

No one could believe it.

I wanted him to go along with it. I didn’t ask him to take it this far!

“What?!” I exclaimed.

Bright took my hand.

Bright, the arrogant womanizer, had just committed to me.

"It's what it is. should get married," Dad said, looking at me intently. "Sophia, you know what we think about sex before marriage. What were you thinking? How long have you two been together?"

"Two months, sir," Bright lied.

I looked at him.

"Two months ago, Dante left her to marry another woman," Mom reminded father in a low voice.

I felt a knot in my chest.

"Then you will get married," my brother declared. "If you don’t, Bright will be expelled from the pack."