Chapter 194- Where is She? Cara's POV My gaze was resting on the view outside the window, but my mind was consumed by Sophia’s room. It has been three full days since she appeared in Damon's study. The silence was deafening as the days passed. Not at breakfast, not around the pack house, did I hear a faint whisper through the walls or glimpse a hint of her presence. Lucas in particular seemed utterly unlike himself, as did Asher who had lost his trademark boisterousness. Nobody brought her up nor offered any explanations and as such, no one bothered to ask me either.Most likely, they were waiting for the storm to arrive.And unlike the rest, I did not want to wait. Every display of her willingness to offer her `grace` followed by a rhythmic entrance, soothing words, and perfect timing was something I chose to omit. I did not want to wait. Instead, I was anticipating looking straight into her eyes and telling her that she did not belong here anymore.To alleviate the excitement
Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Three Somewhere I Am LoveSophia's POVThree days.Three whole days.And Damon hadn't come.Not once.Not even to visit me.I sat on the edge of the bed, my arms folded tightly around my knees, my head tucked inside the fold between them. The room was heavy with silence. It enveloped me like a freezing blanket I couldn't escape.I had cried until I had no more tears.But tonight, they returned.Mild to start. then harsher. Until my body convulsed under the strain of them. The kind of tears that make you question if you will ever be able to breathe normally again.I had approached him.I had gone with shaking hands, unsteady steps, and with a hopeful heart.I was finally ready to inform him of the child I carried in my womb.Our kid.But Cara screamed. And in one moment. I was forgotten.Once more.And he never returned.Not to hear what I had to say. Not to ask if I was all right.He didn't care.The phrase ran through my mind over and over like a bitter
Chapter 192: Cara's DesperationCara's POVThe second Damon burst into my room, desperation written all over his face, I knew that I had won—again.I was fetal on the bed, arms around my stomach, gasping as if something was horribly wrong. I did not hurt, not really. But I needed to scream. I needed to do something—because I'd seen the way he'd looked at her. I'd seen the way he'd stood up from that chair when Sophia came into his study.And I knew I needed to move quickly."Cara! What is wrong?" he said, beside me on his knees.I whined, turning my head to the side and gnawing on my lower lip for dramatic effect. "It hurts," I whispered, suppressing mock tears. "Damon, the baby… I don't know… I just… I felt something move. It hurt."His arms were around me in seconds. I shut my eyes and allowed myself to melt into his chest. For a moment, I could pretend this was real—this love, this comfort, this warmth.He rubbed my back in gentle strokes. "It's all right. I've got you. You and the
Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-One: Almost HeardSophia's POVI stood in front of the mirror, gazing at my reflection.My eyes were tired, my complexion pale. Yet there was a gentleness to the way I pressed my hand against my stomach, the way my fingers lingered there. I could sense something within me… something new… something alive.I was pregnant with his child.I tried to smile, but the ache in my chest wouldn't allow it.I was happy, yes. But I was also afraid.I walked over to the chair and sat, folding my arms around my body. The house was silent. So silent. Nobody had been to my door since yesterday. Not Damon. Nobody.But I couldn't fault him. He had too much to deal with. Cara was everywhere. The elders. The whispers. The shame.Still… I had my right. I had my side of the story. I had my baby.I stood up again. Walked towards the door. Legs were shaking. But I move. I needed to have my say. I couldn't wait any longer.I took in a deep breath and stepped into the corridor. Th
Chapter One Hundred and Ninety: A Flicker of LightSophia's POVThe atmosphere in my room tonight was heavy, as if the mourning had crept into the walls like dust.I sat on the floor in front of the window, knees pulled in to my chest, eyes puffy and red from silently sniffling. I had given up trying to hold back the tears. I was alone now. No one to pretend for. No one to be strong for.The packhouse was empty. An eerily beautiful empty space that once held laughter and promises and kisses that went on into the night. Now it was as if all the hallways whispered secrets that taunted me.And the worst part—Damon didn't arrive.He hadn't turned up last night when I cried myself into bed. He hadn't turned up when I locked myself away and missed every single meal. He hadn't turned up even when the quietness was beginning to asphyxiate me.I rested a hand on my belly as a strange nausea rolled over me once more. My heart thudded with unease.I lurched towards the bathroom, making it only t
Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Nine - The Cruel VisitSophia's POVI sat on the bed, the room filled with silence.The echoes of the elders' words still resonated in my mind. I could still see Elder Myra staring at me—one of disappointment. A Luna with no child. A woman not enough.And I could still see Damon, torn between his duty and the chaos he helped, standing and watching me walk away but not attempting to hold me back. His silence was louder than the roar.My hands trembled in my lap as I gazed down at the ground, my thoughts a raging storm of anger. I had given everything to this pack. My loyalty. My strength. My body. My heart. I had made it through war, betrayal, torment. I had stayed faithful to Damon when even he did not deserve it.And now?And now I was pitied Luna. The one being covertly asked to step back. Not for another leader… but for a uterus.The door creaked open.I didn't have to look up. The scent told her in a moment. Sweet, with the subtle condescension that
Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Eight : The Lie I Tell MyselfDamon's POVThe room was silent.It wasn't quiet.It felt like judgment.As if the walls were observing. As if the floor was tallying each step I made away from her.I sat on the side of the bed, gazing out at the space ahead of me, back hunched, elbows resting on my knees, fingers grasping the sheets as if they were the only things keeping me anchored to the ground. My breath was jagged, and I could feel the stinging behind my eyes—but I would not cry.I did not deserve to cry.I stroked the hair back from my face and gazed up at the ceiling.Sophia.Her name hurting in my chest like a bruise that was pushed too tightly.The look on her face a while ago—so serene, so peaceful, but cracked in all the places only I could see. I knew those cracks. I had put them there. Every time I retreated instead of advanced, every time I let Cara fall behind instead of making her get left behind, every time I dodged Sophia's gaze like a to
.Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Seven : The Broke Brothers' DiscussionDamon's POVThe evening descended dense over the pack house like a tempest waiting to break. Clouds rolled in above the sky, blanketing the previously golden air with a dim gray hue, reflecting the churn in my belly.I leaned over the edge of my office couch, knees supported by arms, head dipped. The quiet was oppressive. The house was too full — too full of tension, memory, watching eyes, waiting for me to take my next move. And yet it was empty.For Sophia wasn't there with me.I had seen the tears well up in her eyes when the elders had spoken.I'd seen the agony she fought to hide behind those steadfast shoulders.And I'd seen Cara standing there, shining like she was the Queen of Everything. Like she was the Luna, when in fact even I'd known — she couldn't be.The door creaked open inch by slow inch.Lucas entered.He didn't knock. He never did.We'd known each other too long. Fought together. Bled together.
Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Six: You Still Have MeSophia's POVThe door shut behind me with a soft slam, closing me off from the world below. From their gazes. Their whispers. Their condemnation.I stood in the middle of my room, shaking.The elders' words were echoing in my mind — bitter and cold, sharp as broken glass."She is not the mother of the heir."."Perhaps it's time to begin considering relocating the Luna title."As if I were a rag to be discarded. As if my sacrifice, my suffering, my loyalty meant nothing.I dropped to my knees.My hands trembled as I clutched the edge of the bed, trying to remain intact. But the pain — it was too loud. Too huge.Tears actually burst from my eyes, softly at first… then savagely. I struggled to breathe in my chest as I wept as hard as I hadn't since I was a little girl.The Luna.They wanted to strip me of that title. The title I proudly bore. With honor.Merely because I hadn't produced an heir for Damon yet.I should have run.I shou