SOPHIA’S POV
I didn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those photos - Damien’s arm around Tiffany, the soft smile on his face.
By the time the sun came out, I was exhausted.
There was a knock on my door.
"Aunt Sophia?" Klara knocked softly on my door. "Are you awake?"
I opened the door to find my niece already dressed. Her backpack was on her shoulders. "I’m awake, sweetheart. What’s up?"
big eyes were full of concern. "Can we go to the amusement park? Please?"
The idea of spending the day surrounded by screaming children and overpriced carnival food didn’t exactly appeal to me but looking at Klara’s hopeful face, I found myself nodding.
"Sure, baby. Let me get dressed." I said.
-
We spent the entire day at the park. Klara dragged me from ride to ride. Her excitement was contagious enough that I almost forgot about my problems......almost.
But every time I checked my phone and I checked it obsessively - there were no new messages from Damien. No missed calls. Nothing.
He’d called five times last night, and now silence.
Which meant whatever urgency he’d felt had passed.
Either way, the message was clear: I wasn’t important enough to keep pursuing.
We didn’t get back to Sky Manor until after dark. Klara was exhausted, half-asleep on my shoulder as I carried her inside. Patricia met us at the door.
"How was it?" she asked, taking Klara from me.
"Good. She had fun." I managed a tired smile. "I’m going to shower and probably crash early."
But just as I reached the stairs, my phone rang. Bianca’s name flashed on the screen.
I was shocked. Why was Bianca calling me?
I hesitated. We hadn’t spoken since our fight about Marcel, when she’d chosen to believe him over me. But something made me answer.
"Hello?" I said hesitantly.
"Sophia." Bianca’s voice was oddly calm. "Can you come pick me up?"
"Where are you?"
"The Blue Moon bar downtown." She paused. "Please. I need you."
The words were simple, but something in her tone made my wolf go on alert. "Are you okay?"
"I will be. Just... please come."
"I’ll be there in twenty minutes."
I grabbed my keys and headed back out, ignoring Patricia’s concerned questions. The Blue Moon was one of the pack’s more upscale establishment. The place had expensive drinks, VIP rooms. It was the kind of place where wealthy wolves went to see and be seen.
What was Bianca doing there?
When I arrived, the bouncer recognized me as Luna. He waved me through without the usual ID check.
The bar was crowded and loud. There was music pounding through expensive speakers. I scanned the room for Bianca and found her in a corner booth.
She was there with Marcel and three of his friends.
My wolf growled immediately.
Was this a setup? Had Bianca called me here to ambush me somehow?
But then Bianca saw me and her expression... something was wrong. Her eyes were too bright. Her smile felt forced.
She stood up and walked over to me "Thank you for coming."
"What’s going on?" I asked quietly. "Why is Marcel here?"
"Because I need witnesses." Her voice was still calm. "Come on."
She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the booth. Marcel looked up as we approached. His expression shifting from smug to irritated when he saw me.
"What’s she doing here?" he demanded.
"She’s my friend," Bianca said simply. She reached for something behind the bar. It was the remote for the sound system. The music cut off abruptly, and suddenly everyone in the VIP section was looking at us.
"Bianca, what are you-" Marcel started.
"I’m leaving you," Bianca said clearly. "I’m done with you, with this relationship, with all of it."
My eyes went wide with shock.
Marcel’s friends looked at each other. One of them tried to intervene. "Bianca, maybe you two should talk about this privately—"
"No." Bianca snapped.
I looked at Bianca in shock. Everything was happening so fast but I wasn’t surprised.
Marcel was an asshole. I was glad Biance finally had the chance to stand up to him.
Marcel laughed, but it sounded forced. "Baby, you’ve had too much to drink. Let’s go home and we can talk about this-"
"I haven’t had anything to drink and I’m not going anywhere with you." Bianca pulled out her phone and held it up. "I have a recording of you from last night. Want to hear what you said about me?"
Marcel’s face went pale. "Bianca-"
"And I realized I didn’t even recognize the man I’d been defending. The man I thought I loved." She wiped at her eyes. "You tried to tell me. You tried to show me what he was, and I called you jealous. I’m so sorry, Sophia."
"Anything."
"I need to get my things from his apartment tonight, before he comes back and tries to talk me out of it." She looked at me steadily. "Will you come with me?"
"Of course."
We drove to Marcel’s apartment in silence. Bianca had a key, and we let ourselves in. The place was a mess. There were dishes in the sink, clothes everywhere. It had that particular smell of a man who’d never learned to properly clean.
"How did I ever think this was acceptable?" Bianca muttered, grabbing a suitcase from the closet.
While she packed, my phone rang. Damien’s name flashed on the screen.
I almost didn’t answer but something made me pick up.
"What?" I answered coldly.
"Where are you?" Damien’s tone was equally icy.
"That’s none of your business."
"You’re still my wife. That makes it my business."
"Your wife in name only, remember? You made that very clear." I moved to the window, looking out at the city lights. "What do you want, Damien?"
"I want to know where you were Saturday night."
The question caught me off guard. "What?"
"Saturday. Where were you? There are photos circulating-"
"Photos of what?"
"Of a woman who looks remarkably like you at a luxury resort. With Zade Morrison."
I almost laughed. So that’s what this was about. There wasn’t concern for my wellbeing. He wasn’t missing me. it was just jealousy over tabloid photos.
"And if it was me?" I asked. "What would you do about it?"
"Sophia-"
"You’ve made it clear you’re moving on with Tiffany. You invited her to live in our home. You call her family. You post intimate photos with her on social media." My voice was hard. "So why do you care if I was with Zade or anyone else?"
"Because you’re my mate," he said.
"The mate bond you’ve ignored for years? The one you broke every time you chose her over me?" I laughed bitterly. "You don’t get to claim that now, Damien. You don’t get to be jealous when you’re the one who pushed me away."
"I’m not pushing you away. I’m trying to-"
"Fuck off, Damien” I snapped.
Then, I hung up.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Piss Off, Alpha! You Lost Me Forever