Chapter 37
The room was quiet, except for the small crackling sound from the fire that was almost out. Sofia was fast asleep. Her breathing was slow and deep as her body tried to heal from the fever, the tiredness, and everything that had happened that night.
Damien sat up slowly. The cold air touched his bare skin. He looked at Sofia lying beside him. She looked calm and relaxed, as if his bed was the safest place in the world for her. A small smile was still on her face, the kind of smile from a dream she thought was real. Soon—maybe in less than an hour—that smile would be gone. She would remember everything.
Releasing a deep sigh, he moved quietly. He picked up her torn maid uniform from the floor and hid it deep inside his closet. Then he wrapped Sofia in a thick, soft fur blanket from the end of his bed.
He lifted her into his arms. She felt warm and soft. Her head rested naturally against his chest. He carried her out of his large room, walking through the pack house without making a sound. He used the back stairs so no one would see him.
When he reached her small room, he saw the damage from his fight with Matthew. The broken table. The mattress on the floor.
He laid Sofia gently on the thin mattress and wrapped the fur blanket around her so she would not feel cold. He brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, his hand staying there for a second longer than it should have.
“Wake up hating me, Sofia,” he said quietly as he stepped back. “It’s safer that way p>
He left the room and closed the door just as the sun began to rise.
An hour later, Sofia’s eyes snapped open.
The fog was gone. So was the warmth.
Pain filled her body. Her muscles ached. She looked around her room and saw the broken things. Then she noticed the expensive fur blanket covering her.
Her memories came rushing back—the kitchen floor, the dirty water, and then… the fight. But after that, her memories were blank. She remembered nothing.
Confused, she lifted the blanket and realized she was naked, and not just that—she felt a little discomfort between her thighs.
Sofia stared at the expensive fur, her mind racing. The scent of cedarwood and cold rain—Damien’s scent—clung to the fibers, heavy and unmistakable.
I was with him? She thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. But how? Why can’t I remember?
She pushed the blanket off and stood up. Her legs felt like jelly, and a sharp, dull ache between her thighs confirmed her worst fears. She wasn’t just naked; she had been fucked. She stumbled over to the cracked, broken mirror leaning against the wall.
In the dim morning light, the reflection staring back at her made her eyes widen. Dark, purple hickeys decorated the curve of her neck and the slope of her breasts. There were faint finger marks on her hips where someone had held her with a strength that was both desperate and possessive.
She closed her eyes tight, clutching her head, trying to force the memories to surface. She remembered spitting on him. She remembered the fever. She remembered the heavy darkness falling over her eyes… and then nothing.
Did he take advantage of me while I was sick? The thought made her stomach turn.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open. Sofia didn’t even have time to grab the blanket before Martha marched in. The head maid’s eyes raked over Sofia’s naked, marked body with a look of pure disgust.
“Cover yourself, you pervert!” Martha snarled, tossing a fresh, stiff uniform at her head. “The Alpha has new orders for you p>
Sofia scrambled to pull the dress over her aching body, her hands shaking so hard she could barely do the buttons. “Martha, I… I don’t feel well. I think I had a fever p>
“I don’t care if you’re dying,” Martha spat, grabbing Sofia by the arm and yanking her toward the door. “You aren’t scrubbing floors today. You’ve been assigned to the training grounds. You’ll be assisting the warriors with their weapons. Now move p>
As Sofia walked out into the cold morning air, she saw them. Dozens of warriors were already sparring, the sound of wood hitting wood and the growls of shifting wolves filling the air. Luckily, Damien wasn’t around.
But everywhere she turned, the warriors—men she had grown up with—looked at her with mocking grins. They didn’t see her as a person anymore; they saw her as a fallen traitor who had been reduced to a toy for the Alpha.
“Hey, traitor! Sharpen this!” one warrior yelled, tossing a heavy steel sword at her feet.
“Run these shields to the south rack! Faster!” another barked.
Sofia moved like a ghost, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Every step she took made the ache between her thighs pulse, a constant reminder of the memories she couldn’t find. She felt a deep, hollow shame as she carried heavy loads across the dirt, her muscles screaming for rest she hadn’t had in days.
Suddenly, a thick hand clamped around her wrist, jerking her to a halt.
It was Caleb, a warrior who had tried to have her three years ago. Back then, she had turned him down gently, hoping for a future with Damien. Now, Caleb’s face was twisted with cruel satisfaction.
“Look at you,” he sneered, his grip tightening until Sofia’s bones groaned. “The high-and-mighty Sofia. A common whore to the Alpha now. I told you to be my woman, to stay under my protection, and you refused. You thought you were too good for me p>
“Let go of me, Caleb,” Sofia whispered, her voice trembling. “I have work to do p>
“Work?” He laughed, his eyes roaming over the purple hickeys peeking out from her collar. “You look like you’ve been doing plenty of work in the Alpha’s bed. If he’s done with you, maybe it’s my turn to see what you’re worth p>
The warriors nearby started to whistle and jeer. The humiliation was too much, and something inside Sofia—something that had been stepped on and crushed for weeks—finally snapped.
She didn’t think. She didn’t calculate. With the last of her adrenaline, she balled her hand into a fist and swung.
Her punch landed squarely on Caleb’s jaw. The force of it shocked everyone. Caleb stumbled back, his hand flying to his bleeding lip, his eyes wide with fury.
The training ground went deathly silent. Every head turned toward the commotion.
“You little bitch!” Caleb roared, his eyes glowing yellow as his wolf pushed to the surface. He lunged forward, his hand raised to strike her back.
“ENOUGH p>