Chapter 58: Last Day

​Sofia’s fingers moved to the buttons, her hands shaking so violently she could barely hook the fabric. She looked at the floor, her face burning with a mix of shame and heat from the steam. Damien didn’t wait for her to struggle. He stepped toward her, his hands covering hers. Slowly, almost reverently, he undid each button.

​As the maid uniform fell to the marble floor, Sofia stood before him in nothing but her undergarments and the heavy, stained bandages. Damien’s breath hitched in his throat, but he held himself back.

​”Sit,” he whispered, his voice losing its roughness.

​He helped her onto a marble bench within the walk-in shower. Using a soft sponge and warm water, he began to wash her. He was impossibly gentle, his movements careful as he cleaned around the bandages on her shoulder. Sofia sat frozen, her heart racing against her chest. She wondered why he was being so kind. Where was the monster who had snarled at her in the car? Where was the man who had looked at her with such pure loathing for two years?

​When he finished, he didn’t grab a standard robe. He took his own plush, oversized towel and wrapped it around her, his arms lingering for a second too long as he pulled her against his warm, damp chest.

​”Dry yourself,” he said, his voice thick. “A maid will be here in a moment.”

​He stepped out of the bathroom to let her have her privacy. True to his word, a maid entered minutes later, carrying a garment bag. There was no maid uniform inside. Instead, she pulled out a long, fitted gown in a deep midnight blue. It wasn’t revealing—the sleeves were long enough to hide her bandages, and the neckline was modest—but the silk clung to her full, curvy hips and emphasized her voluptuous waist.

​Sofia dressed in a daze. By the time she was finished, Damien had returned, having taken a quick shower in the secondary bathroom. He was dressed in a sharp, charcoal suit that made him look every bit the powerful Alpha King.

​When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks. His green eyes darkened, raking over her from head to toe. He couldn’t get his eyes off her; the way the blue silk made her sea-blue eyes pop and the way the dress hugged her soft, rounded curves made his wolf growl with a possessive pride.

​”You look…” He cleared his throat, snapping his mask of coldness back into place, though his eyes remained hungry. “Acceptable. Let’s go. You are accompanying me to an event. This isn’t a social visit, Sofia. Stay close to me.”

​He didn’t wait for her to ask who they were visiting. He gripped her hand—not with the strength of a captor, but with a firm, steady heat—and led her out of the suite.

​Damien’s grip on Sofia’s hand remained firm as they entered the dimly lit executive lounge. The air was heavy with the scent of expensive cigars, aged bourbon, and the underlying pheromones of powerful Alphas.

​In the center of the room sat six men, including Alpha Alexander. Beside each man sat a beautiful woman, dressed in beautiful dresses.

Alexander’s eyes immediately locked onto Sofia, his gaze traveling over the midnight blue silk of her gown with a predatory hunger.

​Damien took his seat at the head of the table, pulling Sofia to sit on the chair directly beside him. The conversation was cold and political, regarding pack boundaries and trade. Sofia remained silent, her heart hammering against her ribs.

​As the meeting neared its end, the Alpha of the Stone Ridge pack leaned back and chuckled. “Enough business. Since this is the final night of the summit, let’s have some fun. We are Alphas, aren’t we? Let’s see how much we trust our instincts—and our property.”

​Another Alpha leaned forward, a dark smirk playing on his lips. “What did you have in mind?”

​Damien’s jaw tightened as the Alpha of Stone Ridge placed a heavy silver bowl on the mahogany table. Inside, six golden keys caught the dim light, each one tied to a private, luxury suite in the hotel.

​”The rules are simple,” the Alpha announced, his voice booming. “The ladies will each take a key. We draw from the bowl. Whichever key you pull, you spend the next two hours in that suite with the lady who holds the match. It’s just for fun.”

​Damien felt a surge of possessiveness so violent his wolf clawed at his chest. He looked at Sofia, her sea-blue eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. He hated this. He hated the way these men looked at her, but he was in a corner. To refuse would be an admission of weakness, a signal to the other five packs that he was compromised by a woman.

​”Fine,” Damien rasped, his voice a low warning.

​Sofia was led to the front with the other five women. Each took a key. She held hers with trembling fingers, the cold metal biting into her palm. She looked at Alexander, who sat with a calm, composed smile. Unlike Zach’s frantic aggression, Alexander exuded a steady, protective aura. He didn’t look at her like a piece of meat; he looked at her like a puzzle he intended to solve.

​The bowl was passed. Damien reached in, his fingers brushing against the cold gold. He pulled out a key with a crimson tassel. He looked up, his heart sinking as the lady from the Stone Ridge pack stepped forward to join him.

​Then, it was Alexander’s turn.

​He reached in and pulled out a key with a midnight blue tassel—a perfect match for the silk of Sofia’s gown.

​The room went silent. Damien stood up so quickly his chair screeched against the floor. His green eyes flashed with a predatory gold. “Alexander.”

​”It’s the luck of the draw, Damien,” Alexander said, his voice smooth and untroubled. He stood up and walked toward Sofia. He didn’t grab her; he offered his arm with the courtly grace of a true gentleman. “I am a man of my word. She will be safe with me.”

​Sofia hesitated, looking back at Damien. She saw the raw agony and the territorial rage in his eyes, but there was nothing she could do. Slowly, she placed her hand on Alexander’s arm.

​”Two hours, Alexander,” Damien hissed, his aura so heavy the glasses on the table began to rattle. “If there is a single scratch on her, if you so much as breathe on her the wrong way, I will burn your territory to the ground.”

​Alexander simply nodded, his expression unreadable as he led Sofia toward the elevators.

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