Chapter 722: What He Wanted Her to Know
Sophia turned to him, her brows drawing together slightly.
"Um... what brought this on?" she asked.
The snow crunched beneath their boots as they continued walking side by side. Around them, pack mbers moved about their duties, but they seed distant sohow, little more than blurred figures in the background.
Orion was quiet for a mont before answering.
"I was just thinking."
Sophia waited.
Orion glanced at her, then looked ahead again.
"You carry a lot for soone so short."
Sophia stared at him.
"Excuse ?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"You heard ."
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"I was listening to you seriously, and you are very close to ruining it," she told him.
Orion’s smile widened slightly, but it faded quickly as his expression beca serious once more.
"What I an is that you’ve carried more than most people ever should."
Sophia fell silent.
"You lived through abuse that lasted decades. You spent years being treated as though your existence only mattered because of what you could provide."
Sophia lowered her gaze.
"You carried responsibilities that never should have belonged to you, and you still carry them now."
Neither of them spoke for a few monts.
Snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky above.
"And as if that wasn’t even fucking enough," Orion continued quietly, "you’ve sohow inherited even more."
Sophia released a slow breath.
Orion turned to her then.
"For a long ti, the only support you had was Neoma."
Sophia nodded slightly.
That much was true.
Neoma had been the only one who stayed.
The only one who knew everything.
The only one who had witnessed every painful mont. The only one who understood.
Orion’s voice softened.
"But you have now."
Sophia looked up, and her gaze t his directly.
"And, to be honest, Shorty, I’d rather destroy everyone else before they destroy you."
Sophia blinked.
Then she frowned.
"That doesn’t sound related to what you were saying."
"It does," he told her. "What I’m trying to say is that I care about you."
His voice beca gentler.
"A lot."
"And, truth be told," Orion continued, "I hate when you keep things to yourself."
Sophia looked away.
That struck a little too close to ho.
"I know you’re going through a lot. And I also know you found out sothing today," he told her.
Sophia’s grip tightened slightly around her cloak.
"And I don’t an the black magic discovery. I know there’s more, no matter how little," he told her.
"I’m not telling you that you have to tell exactly what you found, Shorty. I just want you to know that I’m here. If you want to vent, I’m right here."
Sophia felt her chest tighten.
"If you want to curse the world, I’m here. If you want to curse the Moon Goddess herself, I’m here. If you want to curse fate, anyone in the pack, or even and Dolion—anyone at all and anything at all—I’m right here. You don’t have to keep everything inside."
Sophia looked away.
The truth was that she didn’t even know how not to. Keeping things to herself had beco instinct. Pain was sothing she hid. Fear was sothing she buried. Worry was sothing she carried alone.
Orion seed to understand exactly what she was thinking.
"I know it isn’t easy," he told her. "I know you’ve spent years dealing with things on your own."
His voice remained steady.
"And I know I’m not a healer. I don’t even have what it takes to be one. And I also don’t understand all the ntal and emotional things the way Lysander or Marta probably do, especially when it cos to the brain or trauma. But you are not alone, Shorty. You don’t have to carry everything by yourself."
His voice lowered.
"I know I can’t take all the burden from you," he said, frustrated. "And I fucking wish I could do so. But since I can’t, the best I can do is take part of it, even if it’s only a little."
"And, Sophia..."
His voice softened further.
"I love you far too much to watch you drown."
Sophia froze at that.
"Because if you drown, I’ll probably drown with you. And, um... I cannot guarantee it’ll be pretty either."
Sophia chuckled softly. She stepped closer, and before Orion could say anything at all, she wrapped her arms around him.
Sophia rested her head against his chest.
For a mont, neither of them spoke.
The cold wind continued drifting through the compound.
The snow continued falling.
But neither of them paid attention to it.
"I love you a lot," Sophia said quietly.
Orion’s arms tightened slightly around her.
"And I don’t want to see you hurt," she said.
His chest rose and fell beneath her cheek.
"I don’t want to see you hurt either," he told her.
Sophia smiled sadly.
"I know."
She pulled back enough to look at him.
"But I’m not sure you know exactly how possessive I am of you."
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Sophia nodded seriously.
"Even a scratch on you from soone else could make go crazy."
Orion gave a small smirk at that.
After a mont, Sophia sighed.
Then her expression softened.
"I really do love you," she told him. "And I’ll do what you said. I’ll try not to bottle everything up."
She looked down briefly.
"I know it isn’t just and Neoma anymore. I also know it’s hard to move away from old habits, but I’ll try," she said.
Her voice was quiet but sincere.
"I’ll start depending on you more," she added after a pause. "And you’re right. I think I need soone to talk to. Soone better equipped and even more knowledgeable than you when it cos to things like this. Maybe Lysander or Marta or soone else."
"And also, just as I have you by my side, you have too, you oaf. Don’t forget that."
Orion stared at her with a smile, and then he leaned down, capturing her lips with his.
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