Chapter 134: Turning Them Against Each Other

​”Going back where?” Sofia asked, her brow furrowing. “Back to the apartment?”

​Bella didn’t look up. She let a single, perfect tear roll down her cheek, her shoulders trembling with a simulated sob. “No, Sofia… I’m leaving for good. I can’t stay.”

​”Why?” Sofia’s voice was rising with confusion and worry. “What happened?”

​”Alpha Damien…” Bella choked out, finally looking at Sofia with wide, red-rimmed eyes. “He thinks I had a hand in your condition. He grabbed me by the throat, Sofia. He pinned me against the wall and threatened to kill me. He said if anything happened to you, he’d end my life. I’m terrified. I was only trying to help you, but I realize now that as long as I’m near you, he’ll always see me as a threat.”

​Sofia’s frown deepened. She knew Damien was protective, but the idea of him physically threatening a girl who was already an outcast made her blood boil.

​”Bitch,” Damien’s voice echoed sharply through the room.

​Sofia froze. Because of her awakening White Wolf powers, her senses were becoming so sharp that she had caught his mental snarl as clearly as if he’d shouted it out. She whipped her head around to look at him, her eyes flashing with anger.

​”What did you just call her?” Sofia demanded, her voice raised.

​Damien stiffened, his eyes widening in shock. He hadn’t spoken out loud, but seeing the anger in Sofia’s gaze, he realized she might have heard him. “Sofia, I didn’t say anything,” he tried to deflect, but the guilt was written all over his face.

​”You called her a bitch in your mind, Damien! I heard you!” Sofia snapped, pushing herself up further on the hospital bed. “And did you really threaten to kill her? While I was in there in pain, you were out here terrorizing the only person who was trying to help me?”

​”Sofia, listen to me,” Damien stepped forward, his hands reaching out to calm her. “My instincts—”

​”I don’t care about your instincts right now!” Sofia shouted, her protective aura flaring so brightly the healer in the corner took a step back. “You threatened her because she’s a stranger. She’s been through enough, and you just proved every fear she had about Alphas was right!”

​Bella lowered her head, hiding the wicked, triumphant smirk that was spreading across her lips. She had driven a wedge between them.

​Damien opened his mouth to defend himself, to tell Sofia that his wolf was practically howling in warning, but he saw the wall she had built up between them. Without hard evidence, he was just another overbearing Alpha in her eyes. He bit back his frustration, his jaw tight.

​”I’m going home,” Sofia declared, swinging her legs off the bed. Her movement was sharp, fueled by the lingering anger at his behavior.

​”Sofia, you should rest here for at least an hour,” the healer began, but Sofia ignored her.

​”I’m fine. I want to leave.”

​Damien didn’t argue this time. He knew he had stepped over a line she wasn’t ready to let him cross. They walked out of the hospital in a heavy, suffocating silence. When they reached the sidewalk, Sofia turned to walk toward the bus stop.

​”Sofia, please,” Damien pleaded, his voice cracking with a rare hint of vulnerability. “At least let me drive you home. It’s dark, and you’re still recovering. I won’t say a word. Just let me get you back safely.”

​Sofia hesitated, her arms crossed tightly. Before she could refuse again, Bella stepped in. She placed a gentle, lingering hand on Sofia’s shoulder.

​”Come on, Sofia. Let him drive us,” Bella said softly, her voice melodic. “He meant no harm. He was just scared for you. I’ve already forgiven him, so you should too.”

​Sofia looked at Bella, amazed by her kindness toward the man who had just threatened her. She sighed, her shoulders dropping. “Fine. But just a ride.”

​As they settled into the back seat, Damien focused entirely on the road, his grip on the wheel iron-clad. In the darkness of the rear cabin, Bella leaned back, a cold, satisfied smirk playing on her lips. She had done it. She had turned Sofia against her protector and made herself look like the victim.

​”He acts like more than just a friend,” Bella thought, her eyes shifting between the back of Damien’s head and Sofia’s frustrated look. “The intensity, the rage… are they mates? If they are, breaking them apart will be even more delicious.”

​The car pulled up to the luxury apartment complex. The tension was so thick.

​”We’re here,” Damien said, his voice flat.

​Sofia didn’t wait for him to open her door. She hopped out, Bella following close behind like a loyal shadow. They reached the apartment door, and Sofia turned back one last time.

​”Goodnight, Damien,” she said, her tone blank.

​”Goodnight, Sofia,” he replied, watching her go. As soon as the door clicked shut, Damien pulled out his phone. He didn’t care what time it was. “Where is that background check? I need it now!” Damien grunted as the investigator’s voice crackled through the line. “We have gotten nothing yet on her, Alpha, but we are on it. It’s like this girl doesn’t exist on any registry. We’re digging into the rogue databases now.”

​”Dig faster,” Damien snapped, his grip nearly cracking the phone. “I don’t care how deep you have to go. Find out who she is before she does more damage.” He ended the call with a sharp flick of his thumb, staring up at the apartment window with worry.

​Inside the apartment, the atmosphere was deceptively peaceful. Bella acted like the perfect, doting friend. She moved with soft, careful steps, escorting Sofia to her room and helping her settle under the heavy duvet. She fluffed the pillows and made sure the bedside lamp was dimmed to a warm, comforting glow.

​”There,” Bella whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed. She wore a look of lingering sadness, her voice hushed. “He is not just a friend, right? He really likes you… I saw it in his eyes. He was so worried it turned into rage.”

​Sofia sighed, her head sinking into the pillow. The exhaustion of the day and the lingering ache in her body made her defenses drop. “He is my mate,” she confessed.

​Bella’s eyes widened in a look of perfect, shocked awe. “Wow… you are mated to Alpha Damien? A high Alpha?” She let out a small, breathy gasp. “I had no idea. You’re like royalty, Sofia.”

​Sofia shook her head slowly. “It’s not like that. There are some issues between us… it’s a long story. It’s been a very hard road.”

​Bella nodded sympathetically, reaching out to pat Sofia’s hand with a touch that felt like ice to a more observant eye. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. I just feel so bad that I’m the reason you two are fighting. A mate bond is sacred.”

​”It’s not your fault, Bella,” Sofia said firmly. “He shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

​”You’re too good to me,” Bella replied, standing up and heading toward the door. “Rest now. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything. I’ll make sure the doors are locked tight.”

​The moment Bella stepped into the hallway and closed the door, the warmth vanished from her face. Her expression became cold and sharp. She leaned against the wall and opened the Mind Link, her pulse racing with the value of the information she had just uncovered.

​”Honey, it’s better than we thought,” she mind-linked to the Rogue King. “She’s not just a White Wolf. She’s the fated mate of the Full Moon Alpha. Taking her won’t just give us her power—it will break the strongest pack leader in the region.”

​The Rogue King smirked. “Then I think we have another plan.”

​

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep