SOPHIA’S POV
I took a deep breath as I entered Stone manor.
I slowed my steps for just a mont. My wolf stirred inside . Even from here, she could sense the tension before we got inside This place had always done that to . It was beautiful and intense, much like the family that lived within its walls.
The manor felt colder than I rembered.
Not in temperature, but in spirit. The warmth I once tried so desperately to belong to had never truly existed. As I got in, I heard voices coming from the living room.
As soon as I entered, the murmur of voices stopped all at once. Everywhere was silent.
Damien and Ashley turned toward at the sa ti.
Their expressions were already set. They glared at . I could see the judgnt written plainly across their faces. Damien’s eyes eyes imdiately scanned . He looked at like he was looking for proof that my excuse was a lie. Ashley didn’t bother hiding her irritation. She didn’t even say hi to .
I ignored them.
Instead, I looked at Grandpa George.
I felt relieved when I t his eyes. He sat in his usual chair. He looked smaller than I rembered but still commanding. He had lost a lot of weight due to how sick he was.
Grandpa George was the only one in this family who had ever treated like I mattered. He was very kind to . He treated like a real person. Not as Damien’s mate. Not as Ashley’s mother. But as Sophia.
I smiled at him gently. “I’m sorry I’m late,” I said calmly. “There was an ergency at the hospital.”
Damien studied my face, like he was expecting to apologize to him as well. I could almost hear his thoughts, how he was judging . Ashley rolled her eyes openly. She scoffed and stomped her foot. George’s cane tapped sharply against the floor. He looked at and his wrinkled eyes softened.
“I understand, child. Co. Sit down. You look exhausted.” He looked at with concern. “Have you eaten?”
I shook my head slightly. “Not properly.”
“That won’t do,” he said firmly. He turned to Damien and Ashley. “You will bring her dinner. Both of you. Now.”
It wasn’t a request. It was an order.
The room seed to hold its breath as Damien hesitated. He looked at his grandfather in disbelief. Ashley narrowed her eyes too. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say sothing but stopped.
As they left, Grandpa George leaned closer to .
“You’ve grown stronger,” he said quietly. “But you’re far too thin.”
I smiled. “I’ve been busy.”
He chuckled softly. “That sounds like you. Always carrying the weight of the world. Even when it was never yours to carry.”
We talked while we waited. He asked about my work, my patients, the hospital. I answered honestly. I felt a bit free for the first ti since arriving. He even cracked a joke about pack politics, and I surprised myself by laughing. It felt strange, laughing here. With everything I had endured here, it felt almost forbidden.
When Damien and Ashley returned, the tension ca back with them.
Damien placed a tray down in front of . Ashley all but dropped her plate onto the table.
We ate in silence. The clink of cutlery sounded too loud in the huge dining room. George watched closely. Damien avoided looking at . Ashley pushed her food around.
When the al ended, George cleared his throat.
“It’s only proper,” he said looking at , “for Damien to keep you company here.”
My body went still for a second.
“No,” I said calmly “That won’t be necessary.”
Damien’s head snapped up. George studied more closely then.
“I see,” he said quietly. After a pause, his shoulders sagged “The manor has grown very empty,” he admitted. “I am... tired of being alone.”
His vulnerability caught off guard. He didn’t sound like the strong Alpha I knew. Right now, he sounded like an old man asking for comfort.
“Having you here,” he continued, “even for one night, would an more to than you know.”
I hesitated.
Staying ant reopening wounds. Sharing space with Damien. Enduring Ashley being an to longer than necessary. But George’s eyes held sothing sincere, sothing fragile.
“I’ll stay,” I said finally. “But I’ll keep to myself.”
His face brightened imdiately. “Thank you, Sophia.”
Damien looked conflicted. Ashley was so angry that she was red in the face.
Without another word, I stood and excused myself, walking straight toward the stairs.
Behind , sothing crashed to the floor. From the sound of it, I guessed Ashley knocked sothing to the floor. She always did that when she was angry.
Why was she angry?
I couldn’t be bothered to care.
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