Chapter 106: Threats

​As Damien’s arms locked around her, the room seemed to shrink. Sofia’s mind was screaming for her to fight, to push him away and run away, but her body was a traitor.

​The moment their skin made full contact, the mate bond—which had been hurt and bleeding—suddenly snapped tight. It was like a surge of electricity jumping between them. Her wolf, which had been whimpering in a corner of her mind, suddenly stood up and let out a long, soulful howl of recognition.

​Damien let out a broken sob against her skin. “Sofia… please. Just for a second.”

​Sofia felt her own resistance melting. Despite the torture, despite the pain, and despite the way Alaric had made her feel like a queen only hours ago, her soul recognized the man holding her. Her heart, which had been beating in a fast, panicked rhythm, began to slow down, syncing perfectly with Damien’s.

​She felt the coldness of the room vanish, replaced by the familiar heat of his body. Her hand, which had been pushed against his chest to shove him away, slowly uncurled. Her fingers brushed against the thin fabric of his shirt, feeling the frantic, weak thudding of his heart.

​”My life hasn’t been worth living since the day you left,” he rasped. He tightened his grip, pulling her even closer until there wasn’t a breath of air between them. “Every day without you is like living in a tomb. When I felt you with him today… I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. I thought I was dying. I was dying.”

​Sofia found herself turning slightly in his arms, her sea-blue eyes meeting his haunted, green ones. The air between them was thick with unsaid apologies and the intoxicating scent of their bond. For a split second, everything disappeared. She only saw the boy who had once been her entire world.

​Damien leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. “Tell me you don’t feel this,” he breathed, his lips inches from hers. “Tell me your wolf isn’t calling for mine. You can’t lie to the bond, Sofia.”

​Sofia’s breath hitched. She felt her eyes flutter shut, her body leaning into him as if by magnetic pull. She knew she should leave, but she couldn’t.

​Damien ran a gentle finger over her face, tracing her skin as if she were made of glass. His fingers were shaking. “I love you, Sofia,” he confessed, his voice breaking. “I know I don’t deserve it, but is there any way you could give me a chance? Just one chance for us to fix this?”

​Inside her head, Sofia’s wolf was whispering, Yes, yes, stay with him. The bond was pulling at her heart, making her want to melt into his arms and forget everything else. But then, she thought of Alaric. She thought of the way he had protected her when no one else would. She felt torn in two.

​With a huge effort, she used her strength to pull away from his hold. She sat up on the edge of the bed, her breathing heavy.

​”I can’t, Damien,” she said, her voice trembling. “A chance for ’us’ died a long time ago. You didn’t believe me when I needed you most. You chose to be my monster instead of my friend.”

​She looked at him, seeing the tears in his eyes, but she shook her head.

​”The bond is screaming for you, but my heart is scared of you. And Alaric… Alaric is already here. In my head and in my life.”

​Damien reached for her hand, his face full of pain. “He’s an old man living in the past, Sofia! He doesn’t love you for who you are!”

​Sofia stood up, nodding. “Let me be the one to worry about that…” She turned and walked toward the door, then she turned around and glanced at Damien, whose eyes were clouded with unshed tears. “You have to let me go, Damien… this is for the best.”

​Sofia walked away from Damien’s room, her heart feeling broken. Every step toward the exit of the mansion felt like she was tearing a piece of her soul away, but she kept going. She took a bus back to her small apartment, needing the cold air to clear her head.

​But when she reached her door, her blood ran cold.

​The door was hanging off its hinges, the wood splintered. Sofia stepped inside with trembling hands. Her tiny home was a disaster. Her clothes were ripped, her furniture was overturned, and her few belongings were scattered everywhere.

​Then she saw it. Scrawled across the white wall in jagged, red paint were the words: “WE WILL KILL YOU, BITCH.”

​Panic flared in her chest. She was alone, and someone was hunting her. With shaking fingers, she pulled out her phone and called the only person she knew could protect her.

​”Alaric…” she whispered when he picked up. “Someone… someone was in my house.”

​”I’m coming. Don’t move,” Alaric’s voice boomed, filled with a protective rage that made the phone vibrate.

​Ten minutes later, Alaric slammed his car to a halt outside. He burst into the room, his eyes scanning the mess before landing on Sofia, who was shivering in the corner. He saw the writing on the wall, and a low, terrifying growl erupted from his throat.

​”I will find out who did this,” he promised, his voice like grinding stones. “And I will make them regret this.”

​He turned to her, his green eyes sharp. “Sofia, this is over. You are not staying here another night. You are coming to live with me at my private estate.”

​Sofia shook her head, her pride flaring up even through her fear. “No, Alaric. I can’t. I’ll stay at a hotel. I’ll sort something out.”

​”This isn’t about pride, Sofia! It’s about your life!” Alaric stepped closer, his hands framing her face. “The door is broken. There are death threats on your wall. I cannot—I will not—leave you here to be hurt. You are coming with me.”

​They argued for several minutes, Sofia trying to maintain her independence and Alaric refusing to budge. Finally, looking at the wreckage of her life on the floor, Sofia realized she had no choice. She was a target, and she didn’t even know why.

​”Fine,” she whispered. “I’ll go.”

​She packed her few remaining things into a small bag. Alaric took it from her hand and led her out to his car, his hand resting protectively on the small of her back. As she sat in the passenger seat and watched her ruined apartment disappear, she felt a strange mix of safety and fear.

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