SOPHIA’S POV
Damien dragged me through the resort hallways. His grip was so tight on my arm so tight I knew it would leave bruises. My wolf was whimpering inside me.
We reached a stairwell and he shoved me inside.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Damien growled.
His eyes were still flashing gold. His wolf was right at the surface.
"I could ask you the same thing!" I shouted back. "How did you even find me? How did you get into that room?"
"I’m an alpha. I have resources. Simon told me you’d left the beach. I tracked your scent to Zade’s wing. The hotel manager gave me a key when I told him my wife was in danger."
"I wasn’t in danger!"
"You were half-naked in bed with another man!" His voice rose to a roar that made me flinch. "What the fuck were you thinking, Sophia? Do you have any idea what people will say when this gets out? What it will do to Ashley when she finds out her mother was-"
"Was what?" I cut him off. "Was seeking comfort from someone who actually wanted to be near me? Was trying to feel like something other than a piece of garbage for once in my life?"
"So you decided to cheat on me with my business rival?"
The hypocrisy was so absurd I actually laughed. "Cheat on you? CHEAT ON YOU? You’ve been sleeping with Tiffany for months! She’s living in our house, wearing matching pajamas with you, sleeping in our bed! But somehow I’m the one who’s cheating?"
"Tiffany and I aren’t-"
"Don’t you dare lie to me!" My voice cracked. "I’ve seen the photos. I’ve heard Ashley talking about your ’perfect family of three.’ I saw the lipstick mark on your neck. I know she stayed overnight at the villa. So don’t you dare stand there and act like I’m the one who broke our vows!"
Damien’s jaw clenched. "This isn’t about Tiffany."
"Then what is it about? Because you sure as hell didn’t drag me out of there because you suddenly care about our marriage."
He was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was calmer but somehow colder. "I need your help."
I almost laughed again. "My help? After you refused to help me? After you hung up on me when I begged you to stop Simon from destroying Lance’s life?"
"This is different."
"How is it different?"
Damien’s eyes met mine. "Simon’s mother had a stroke. She needs emergency brain surgery or she’ll die but the surgery is extremely complex. Only a handful of surgeons in the country can perform it successfully."
My stomach dropped. I already knew where this was going.
"Lance is one of those surgeons," Damien continued. "One of the best, actually. Simon’s family doctor recommended him specifically."
"No."
"Sophia-"
"Absolutely not. You want me to ask Lance - the man whose hands Simon had shattered, whose career Simon destroyed, whose entire life Simon ruined - to save Simon’s mother? Are you out of your mind?"
"It’s not about what I want. It’s about saving a woman’s life."
"Then get one of the other surgeons!"
"They’re all booked or unavailable. The surgery needs to happen within forty-eight hours or there could be permanent brain damage. Lance is the only option."
I stared at my mate, this man I’d once loved with my whole heart, and felt nothing but disgust. "So this is why you burst into Zade’s room. Not because you were jealous. Not because you cared about what I was doing. But because you need something from me."
"Sophia-"
"How did you even know Lance could still perform surgery? Simon had his hands broken! Both of them!"
Damien looked uncomfortable. "The damage wasn’t as severe as Simon thought. Lance has been in intensive physical therapy. His doctor says he could potentially operate again with assistance, though it would be risky."
"Risky for him or risky for the patient?"
"Both."
My wolf snarled. The sheer audacity of this man - of all of them - was staggering.



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