I told you what hurts me the most
and you did it perfectly. ~Mohit
Chapter 24.
Third pov.
Sophia stares as her father paces back and forth in the narrow space behind his office. She's desperate to break the ice and come clean to her father, but she's afraid he's too furious to listen to a single word that will come out of her mouth, and she's not wrong. Her father is babbling words of anger, using every curse word in the Engish Vocabulary, even inventing some while at it.
"Dad, can you sit down and let me explain?" Sophia pleads, her voice gentle and soft, careful not to provoke him further.
He spares her no glance at her and continues his angry stride.
"Sophia is right, honey." Her mum backs her up as she enters the office and rounds the corner of the office, standing in front of her mate and preventing him from continuing his pacing.
"Stay out of it!" He hisses back at her, coming threateningly close to her face and baring his teeth. "This is between me and our daughter."
"Don't talk to my mother like that!" Sophia abruptly stands up, knocking the chair backward. She made a mistake going behind his back like that, but she won't let her mother take the heat from something she had no control.
"Who did you speak to like that?" Her father's attention is solely on her as he passes by his mate and stands next to his first-born daughter.
Sophia turns sideways to face him. "To you." She responds strictly, locking eyes with him and having a staring contest.
"Show some respect to the one who brought you to this world." He bares his teeth, his eyes changing color. "Don't forget I can strip you of your title in the snap of a finger."
He believes his active threat will intimidate Sophia, but it falls on deaf ears. Sophia was never interested in that title anyway. It was never in her book that she became a princess and had the weight of the entire werewolf world on her shoulders. It would be beneficial, to say.
"You called me here for this-" She snatches the photograph from the office and shoves it into his face, "-yet you're barking at everyone, including your mate and mother of your children, without hearing anything I have to say! If you don't sit your ass on the fucking chair and listen to me, I'll walk out of the door and your life this instant. It's up to you." She shrugs her shoulders.
At the mention of her daughter leaving, her mother angrily marches toward her mate and grabs him by his shirt before shoving him down to the chair. "Sit down and listen to Sophia like a good little boy because if she were to walk out of the palace, she wouldn't be alone. I'll grab the twins and follow her, and you can continue your pity party."
Her father remains quiet for the first time today while sitting on the chair, but the dark expression doesn't leave his face.
"I traveled to Alaska to find Lauren and Luke Smith," Sophia admits, her shoulders dropping down with relief. It was a burden holding such a secret and acting as if nothing happened. "There was no contact with either of them besides the one you saw in the photo."
He grunts with disbelief, but Sophia pays no attention to him. "I talked to the Alpha, requesting information about them, and we came face to face when I was leaving. I walked away, but she sent a boy after me to pass a letter. That was it. If you don't believe me, I have the note to prove it." She takes the folded paper from the pocket and shows it to him.
"Whose to prove that you didn't conspire with them to take away the throne." He casually shrugs, behaving as if his words didn't break his daughter's and his mate's heart.
"Do you really believe what you said?" Sophia is a minute away from breaking down, but she holds it in and with a hopeful expression, waits for her father to retract his words, but he falls through.
"I can't confirm nor deny it."
"Don't you know your daughter?!" Sophia snaps, tears streaming down her face as she's clenching and unclenching her fists.
"You may be my daughter, but I never raised you. A bunch of kidnappers raised you. For all I know, you may have turned out like them."
Sophia's arms fall to her side in defeat. "You win." She brokenly whispers. "I'm a monster daughter who returned to overthrow you and bring in her real family." She places the paper on the desk in front of him. "Congrats! You figured my plan out." She claps her hands. "As a reward, I'll get out of your hair."
Sophia slowly walks to the door, giving further time for her father to apologize, which he doesn't, and she walks out of the palace disappointed and heartbroken beyond words.
The night has come, and it's been hours since Sophia left the palace in her sweatpants in a tank top, leaving everything behind. The chilly air makes the hair on her arms stand, but it doesn't faze Sophia as she continues her walk through the once-inviting forest, which has now become creepy with animal sounds and leaves rustling. Not once did she think about returning to the palace. Not after the words her father uttered. Despite how harsh and untrue they were, it was even worse they came from her father. They became so close, and she could even call herself a daddy's girl. Yet, here they are.
"This is dangerous, Sophie!" Astra warns Sophia. "Something is wrong here."
Sophia scoffs. "And where do you think I should go? Back to the place where they called us schemers? No thanks!"
"This is not about pride here! People are on the hunt for you. They'll have a party if they find you alone."
"I have powers."
"Yeah, but you don't know how to use them properly." She replies.
As stubborn as Sophia, Astra is even worse. Sophia knows that, so she blocks her. Unbeknownst to her, Astra's instincts were correct again, while Sophia was unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows.
'Am I such an awful person that God's punishing me with this much heartache?' She thinks to herself. 'When I found my real family, I assumed I got a second chance and that there would be no heartache for me anymore. How stupid was I being?'
Sophia stares at the ground, her hair covering her face as she strolls through the forest. She pays no attention to her surroundings or the one following her.
"Well, well..." A familiar torturous voice echoes through the silent night, making Sophia spin around to face them.
Her blood runs cold, and sweat drips down her face.
"I've been waiting for the moment I'll be able to get you back for that night." He shudders. "Let the games begin, Sweetheart."
Edited: 18/05/2024
Words: 1186