Chapter 53: Leaving

The heavy silence in the room was broken only by the sound of Sofia’s ragged breath. Damien stayed buried inside her for a long moment, the heat of his release still pulsing between them. He looked down at her—at the red marks on her wrists where the chains had bitten into her skin, and the hollow, haunted look in her eyes.

​The whiskey had lost its power to numb him. Every word Alexander had said—that he was a monster, that he would be left with nothing but a ghost—screeched in his mind. With a guttural groan of self-loathing, Damien pulled away from her. He stood by the bed, his hands shaking as he adjusted his clothes. He didn’t look at her until he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver key.

​The metallic click-clack of the locks echoed in the quiet room. First the left wrist, then the right. As the heavy cuffs fell away, Sofia didn’t move. Her arms stayed pinned above her head for a second, frozen, before they slumped down to the mattress.

​Damien didn’t say a word; rather, he left the room and made his way to the living room. Slumping on the couch, he closed his eyes, his head spinning with thoughts. What have I become? He asked himself.

​His wolf scoffed. “And who are you asking?”

​Damien ignored him and thought of it all… yes, Sofia betrayed him… she hurt him, but was this worth it? Being a monster because of what she did—was it worth it? He couldn’t even recognize himself anymore; this was not the man… the Alpha he dreamed to be.

​”It’s not too late, Damien… you can still work it out… go to Sofia, ask her why she did what she did… I believe she had an explanation for betraying you two years ago; you just never asked her. And for Lola’s death—you and I know Sofia didn’t do it… it was a mistake,” His wolf murmured.

​Damien clenched his jaw.

He had never truly believed Sofia would push her own sister. Betray him? Maybe. But murder? The girl he grew up with, the one who cried when animals were hurt, who stole food for hungry pups—she wasn’t capable of that.

​The clock ticked 12:00 AM, and instantly Sofia remembered Alexander’s words… his promise of freedom. She swallowed hard and thought about it… anything out of this place is better than this. She ignored the ache in her body and the sticky heat between her thighs. With trembling hands, she reached for the discarded maid uniform. Every button she fastened felt like a step toward a new life. She didn’t wash his scent off her skin; she didn’t have time.

​She crept to the bedroom door and cracked it open. Damien was still slumped on the couch, his back to her, his head buried in his hands. He looked so small for a man who ruled with such a heavy hand. For a second, her heart wavered. She wanted to walk over, touch his shoulder, and tell him what really happened the night Lola died—how the video didn’t show the railing giving way, or the way she had reached out not to push, but to save. ​But then she remembered: he will never believe her.

​Sofia turned away, moving toward the small service door tucked behind the velvet curtains. She slipped inside the narrow corridor, the door clicking shut with a sound that felt like a final goodbye. She flew down the back stairs, her breath hitching in her chest. Her mind was a whirlwind. Alexander’s promise of asylum in the Silver Moon pack was her only hope. She reached the ground floor, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.

​She smoothed her apron, ducked her head, and stepped out into the grand, gold-leafed lobby. It was quiet, the air thick with the scent of expensive lilies and woodsmoke. Her eyes scanned the room frantically until they landed on a woman standing near the massive marble pillars.

​She was wearing a red coat.

​The woman made eye contact, gave a subtle nod, and began walking toward the side exit where a black sedan was idling. Sofia didn’t look back. She didn’t look at the guards. She followed the flash of red, her scuffed shoes clicking on the marble floor.

​Outside, the biting wind hit her face, shocking her senses. The woman opened the car door. “Sofia? Alpha Alexander sent us. Get in. We cross the border before dawn.”

​Sofia slid into the leather seat, her body finally going limp as the door shut. As the car pulled away, she looked up at the high-rise suite window. Somewhere up there, Damien was still sitting in the dark, unaware that she was leaving.

​The black sedan had barely driven out of the hotel’s gated perimeter when the screech of tires echoed through the quiet night. Three black SUVs roared out of the shadows, swerving with military precision to block the road in a deadly formation. Sofia’s driver slammed on the brakes, the car skidding to a jarring halt. Panic flared in Sofia’s chest, her body jolting forward against the seatbelt.

​”Don’t move,” the woman in the red coat hissed, reaching for a weapon tucked into her door panel.

​The door of the lead SUV flew open, and Alpha Zach stepped out. “Hand over the girl!” Zach roared, his Alpha aura echoing through his voice. “Alexander’s little rescue mission ends here. She belongs to me.”

​”She has claimed asylum with the Silver Moon!” Sofia’s driver yelled back, his hand hovering over the gear shift. “If you touch this car, it’s an act of war!”

​”Then it’s war,” Zach sneered, his eyes locking onto Sofia through the tinted glass. “Break the windows!”

​Meanwhile, back in the suite, a sudden, chilling realization washed over Damien. The silence in the bedroom wasn’t the silence of sleep—it was the silence of something being terribly wrong. He stood up, his heart thundering against his ribs, and strode into the room.

​The bed was empty. The chains lay pooled on the silk sheets like dead snakes. His eyes darted to the corner of the room, noticing the slight flutter of the velvet curtains where the hidden service door was left open.

​”Shit!” Damien hissed.

​He didn’t hesitate. He tore through the service door, his Alpha speed carrying him down the stairs three at a time. He didn’t need a tracker; he could already tell she was not in the hotel anymore. He burst into the lobby, his presence making the night staff shrink back in terror. “Get the cars!” he roared into the mind link. “Sofia is missing.”

​

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep