The Scorned Luna-Chapter 82: Decision

​Sofia stood frozen as she looked at Damien, her fated mate—the boy she had played with as a child, the man she had dreamed of standing beside at the altar. She could still feel the invisible thread of the bond pulling at her chest, but then she remembered the coldness of the basement. She remembered the weight of the chains he had placed on her wrists and the way his eyes—once full of kindness—had turned to ice every time he looked at her. Could she ever look at him and not see the man who had let her starve... who tortured her?

​Then, she looked at Alaric. He was a stranger in many ways—a powerful king she barely knew. Yet, in just a few days, he had seen what no one else bothered to look for. He hadn’t just given her food and a warm bed; he had given her back her dignity.

​"Sofia, please," Damien whispered, his voice trembling with fear. Obviously, he knew Sofia wasn’t going to choose him. "Look at me. I’m your mate. You can’t just throw away what the Goddess gave us."

​Sofia glared at him. "You didn’t just hurt my body; you killed the girl who loved you."

​Alaric didn’t pressure her. He simply stood there, but his heart was racing. Slowly, she took a deep breath and said, "I am going with Alpha Alaric."

​Damien shook his head in disapproval. "No! Sofia, no!"

​"I can’t be with you, Damien... I can’t..."

​She turned to Alaric and nodded. "Take me away. Please."

​Alaric attempted to take her hand, but Damien shoved his hand away from her and stood between them, his body shielding her. "It will be over my dead body before I’ll allow you to take my mate away, Uncle... You will have to kill me," Damien spat, already baring his teeth, fangs, and claws.

​A great wave of fear gripped Sofia as she watched Alaric already getting ready to strike. Damien attacked Alaric first, his body halfway through a shift, his muscles tearing through his expensive suit. Alaric met him halfway, his own emerald eyes glowing with a terrifying, ancient power. The sound of snarling and the breaking of wood filled the air as they crashed into the mahogany desk.

​Sofia watched in horror. The two most powerful men in her life were about to kill each other, and it was all because of her. The guilt was suffocating.

​"STOP!" Sofia screamed.

​The sound that left her throat wasn’t just a human scream; it carried the vibrating growl of her wolf, Nyx. The sheer force of it made the windows rattle. Both Alaric and Damien froze, their claws inches from each other’s throats. They turned to look at her, stunned by the raw power in her voice. Sofia was trembling, her chest heaving, but her eyes were cold and determined.

​"I am not going with either of you," she said, her voice shaking but firm.

​Damien’s jaw dropped. "Sofia, no—"

​"I mean it!" she snapped, stepping out from the corner. She looked at Damien, then at Alaric. "I will not be the reason an uncle and a nephew kill each other. I will not be the reason for a war."

​She looked around the room, then she looked at Alaric, the man who had shown her a glimpse of a better life.

​"I am leaving this mansion," Sofia declared. "And I am going alone. I will find a place to stay. I will find a way to live my own life. For two years, everyone else decided my fate. Today, I decide."

​"Sofia, you have no money, no home," Alaric said, his voice full of concern as he stepped toward her. "The world is dangerous for a lone wolf who hasn’t fully shifted."

​"I survived a basement and torture, Alaric," she said, a bitter smile touching her full lips. "I think I can handle the world."

​Damien reached out, tears already gathering in his eyes. "Please... you’re my mate. I’ll stay away from you if that’s what you want, just don’t leave the pack. You’ll be safe here."

​"I have never been less safe than when I was with you, Damien," she replied coldly.

​She turned and walked out of the office. She made her way back to the tiny room, picked up a bag, and began shoving in a few clothes. There was nothing for her to pack except the maid uniform and the expensive dresses Damien had gotten her during the trip. The door of the room pushed open, and Sofia lifted her head to see a drained-looking Alaric making his way towards her.

​Sofia stopped packing, and for a moment, they both just kept staring at each other.

​"You shouldn’t be here, Alaric," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Damien will lose his mind if he finds you in my room."

​"Let him," Alaric rasped. He took a slow, hesitant step forward, his large frame casting a long shadow over her. "Sofia, I wasn’t lying. I didn’t say those things in the office just to win a fight against my nephew."

​Sofia looked away from him. She looked down at her suitcase, her heart racing. "You said you love me. We’ve only known each other for a few days."

​"I know how it sounds," Alaric said, his voice low and vibrating with honesty. He reached out, his fingers grazing her chin to force her to look at him. "But I have spent my life surrounded by people wearing masks. Then I met you. You were in pain, you were broken, but your soul was the brightest thing I had ever seen. I don’t need years to recognize a treasure, Sofia."

​A lone tear escaped Sofia’s eye. "I can’t go with you, Alaric. If I do, the bond will pull Damien toward your kingdom. He will follow. He will start a war, and people will die. I can’t have that on my conscience."

​Alaric’s thumb wiped away her tear. "I am strong enough to protect you from him."

​"It’s not just about protection," Sofia said, stepping back so his hand fell away. "I need to find out who I am without an Alpha telling me what to do. I’ve been a daughter, a sister, a prisoner, and a mate. I’ve never just been Sofia."

​Alaric looked at her, his emerald eyes filled with a painful kind of pride. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, leather pouch and a heavy gold key. He set them on the edge of her bed.

​"I won’t stop you from finding yourself," he said softly. "But I won’t let you starve again. There is enough gold in that pouch to start a life. And that key? It’s for a small house I own on the neutral lands, near the Silver Creek. No one knows about it. Not even my sister."

​Sofia looked at the key, her breath catching. "Alaric, I can’t take this."

​"Take it," he commanded gently. "Consider it a birthday gift from a man who just wants you to be safe. If you ever need me... if you ever decide you want to be a queen... you know where to find me."

​He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead. "Goodbye, little bird."

​Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked out, leaving the door swinging in his wake. Sofia stared at the leather pouch and the heavy gold key on her bed. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed. She didn’t want to be a burden or take charity, but she knew Alaric was right about one thing: she had nothing. If she wanted to survive long enough to find herself, she needed this.

​She tucked the pouch into her bag and gripped the key tightly before sliding it into her pocket. With a final look at the tiny, miserable room that had been her prison, she shouldered her bag and walked out.

​The mansion felt eerily quiet. She moved quickly as she hurried toward the main gates. She wanted to be gone before anyone noticed. But as the iron gates came into view, her heart dropped. A tall figure was standing there.

​Damien.

​He looked exhausted. His suit was torn from the fight with Alaric, and his eyes were bloodshot. As Sofia approached, he stepped into her path, his hands trembling at his sides.

​"Sofia, please," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I’ve been thinking. I know I can’t force you to be with me right now. I know you hate me. But don’t leave the territory. You don’t have to stay in the mansion. There are houses on the edge of the village... I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. Just stay in the pack."

​"No, Damien," Sofia said, her voice hard. "Staying in the pack is just a bigger cage. I’m leaving."

​"It’s dangerous out there!" Damien cried, his desperation turning into anger. "You just got your wolf! You don’t know how to defend yourself against rogues or hunters. If you leave, I won’t be able to protect you."

​"I don’t want your protection!" Sofia shouted, trying to push past him.

​Damien’s expression shifted. The pleading boy vanished, and the Alpha took his place. He straightened his broad shoulders, and a heavy, suffocating pressure filled the air—his Alpha command.

​"I tried to be gentle, Sofia," he growled, his voice vibrating with power. "But I won’t watch you walk into a grave. I am not asking you as your mate."

​He stepped closer, his green eyes flashing with authority. "I am commanding you as your Alpha. You are not leaving this pack. You will stay where I can see you."

​Sofia felt the invisible weight of the command slamming into her chest, trying to force her knees to buckle. Her wolf, Nyx, let out a furious snarl in her head, fighting against the submission.

​Damien turned to a guard standing nearby. "Take her to the cottage near the north stream. She is to have everything she needs, but she is not to cross the border."

​Without another word, or even a glance back at her tear-filled eyes, Damien turned and walked away.

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