Piss Off, Alpha! You Lost Me Forever novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Chapter 149 Higher Climb, Higher Fall

DAMIEN’S POV

I heard myself say the words before I fully decided to say them.

"The higher you climb, the harder the fall."

Lance didn’t flinch. He didn’t lower his eyes either, which told me everything about the kind of wolf he was. He might not be dominant enough to challenge me directly, but he was too proud to submit.

He looked me in the eyes for exactly two seconds, then looked away on his own terms. He looked unbothered, like I was a mild inconvenience rather than an Alpha who had just issued a warning.

That bothered me more than I expected.

Beside me, Tiffany had gone very still. I could feel her hurt radiating from her. Her wolf energy was small and wounded. Her breathing was a bit unsteady. She was trying not to cry in public and barely managing it. Lance’s words had hurt her deeply.

Then Sophia spoke.

"Lance." Her voice was quiet as she spoke "Let’s go."

Something about the way she said it calmly, with no drama, not even looking at me, made me feel an ache in my chest.

She wasn’t trying to make me look at her. She simply wanted to leave, and that unsettled me in a way I couldn’t describe.

Lance rose from his seat. He looked at me once more, and when he spoke, his tone was polite.

"This has nothing to do with research," he said. "There’s no reason to stay."

Then he placed his hand on Sophia’s arm and walked her out of the restaurant.

I watched them go.

Sophia never looked back, not once.

Tiffany touched my sleeve. "Damien."

I turned. Her eyes were wet. She looked genuinely hurt.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn’t have approached them. I just thought-" She stopped, swallowed. "Maybe I really am not good enough. Maybe he’s right."

"He’s not right." I reached up and touched her cheek, tilting her face toward mine. I ran my thumb along her jaw "He was being cruel for the sake of it. That has nothing to do with your ability."

"Then why does it feel like it does?"

"Because you care too much about what people think." I held her face in both hands and looked at her "You are talented. You have always been talented. Lance is not the authority on that."

She leaned into my hands. "You really believe that?"

"I’ll help you with the research direction myself," I said. "We’ll find something that fits your strengths. You don’t need his approval."

I wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

But even as I held her, my mind kept pulling back to the restaurant exit. I kept thinking of the door Lance and Sophia had walked through together, of the way his hand had rested on her arm like it belonged there.

A thought moved through me - How long has that been happening?

I pushed it away. It wasn’t my business anymore.

But it didn’t leave.

*

SOPHIA’S POV

We found a small Chinese restaurant three streets away. It was quieter, warmer, and smelled like garlic and ginger.

We were seated by the window. He handed me the menu without a word, and I took it. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

I stared at the pages without really reading them. My chest was still tight from the restaurant - not from Lance’s words, which had been honest, but from watching Damien step forward to defend Tiffany the way he had.

He had never used that voice for me, not once.

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