Chapter 5 Leaving Everything

SOPHIA'S POV

I went ahead with the procedure.

Even though my wolf whimpered inside me, I kept my jaw tight and my eyes forward. I signed the final consent form with a steady hand, refusing to show fear.

My wolf flicked her tail in agitation, begging me to reconsider, but I silenced her with a single, pained command in my mind: We survive on our terms.

When I woke up afterward, I felt an ache in my abdomen.

The pain wasn't just physical. It was emotional too. Even my wolf's spirit felt it.

Yet beneath the ache, there was something else. a strange kind of calm. This was my choice. It was my territory. My body. My future.

Dr. Nancy sat beside me, looking at me with concern.

"Sophia," she said carefully, "you're strong, but strength isn't about doing everything alone. That pup. you could have kept it. You still had time to reconsider."

I shook my head and stared at the window, watching the moon climb slowly into the sky.

"Strength," I whispered, "is choosing the life that keeps you sane. I did what I needed to do. I won't bring a child into a home where their existence is used as leverage." I felt my throat tighten, but I didn't look away. "Or into a world where the father already chose someone else."

Her expression softened. "Your wolf will mourn for a while. You must let her."

"I will," I said quietly. "But mourning isn't the same as regret."

For the next day and a half, I stayed in the hospital, recovering.

I slept, drifted in and out, felt my wolf curl around me protectively. I allowed myself to feel the pain - not to break me, but to cleanse me.

When I was finally discharged, I followed the doctor's instructions carefully. I rested. I ate. I healed slowly, inside and out. But eventually, the need to confront everything I left unresolved hit me.

Three days later, I drove to the Stonewall Villa to formally discuss the divorce.

As I approached the gates, my wolf growled at the familiar scent markers. I could still feel Damien's alpha aura around the property. The guards recognized my car and let me in.

Inside the villa, I waited.

Minutes stretched into nearly an hour. I was exhausted but I was also determined. I had to do this.

Finally, the butler – Cherry - walked toward me with an apologetic look on her face. She looked nervous.

"Luna Sophia. Alpha Damien isn't returning today. He said." She hesitated. It was either she was unwilling or afraid to repeat his exact words.

"Say it," I said calmly.

She swallowed. "He said the two of you should 'try again next month.'"

For a moment, my breath simply. stopped. My wolf went silent. She was stunned.

Try again next month.

As if nothing had happened. As if my entire world hadn't shattered. As if he owned my womb. As if I were a vessel he could schedule like a business appointment.

Cherry looked down. "He told me to give you that message."

"And the message was delivered," I said coldly.

I placed the signed divorce agreement on the coffee table. "Tell him this is the last message he'll ever receive from me."

Then I walked out.

Outside, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Laughter floated in the air - a family's laughter.

I stopped dead. In that moment, I could feel every muscle in my body tightening.

There they were. Damien, Tiffany, and Ashley. It was a picture-perfect scene.

Ashley held on to Tiffany's waist, babbling excitedly. Tiffany knelt to adjust the child's jacket, smiling with a warm, maternal glow that used to belong to me. Damien stood beside them. He had his hand resting on Tiffany's back. He looked protective and affectionate in a way he had never been with me.

My wolf whimpered. Something inside me cracked.

It was a slow break. like ice finally giving way after holding too much weight.

Tiffany whispered something to Ashley, and Ashley laughed. She didn't even notice me standing there. None of them did.

They looked like a perfect family.

That was the moment the last thread snapped.

I finally and truly...let go.

My phone buzzed.

It was Laurel. My supervisor at the shelter I sometimes worked at when I was done with my Alina duties.

I wiped my face quickly and answered.

"Sophia?" Laurel's voice came through "Your evaluations came back excellent. If you want, we can fast-track your training. You can begin full shifts next week."

"Next week?" My voice was hoarse.

I had totally forgotten about the training I had done some weeks ago.

"Yes. And there's more. We're short on volunteers for the rural children's health-screening program. It's demanding, but. I thought you might be interested. You always said you wanted meaningful fieldwork."

For the first time in what felt like ages, something inside me lifted.

"Yes," I said. "I want it. Please sign me up."

"Consider it done."

When the call ended, I stood there for a long moment, breathing deeply.

My wolf lifted her head inside me. It was as if she finally sensed a road that belonged to us-not Damien, not Tiffany, not the expectations of a pack that would never choose me.

I walked to my car without looking back.

Not at Damien. Not at Tiffany. Not even at Ashley.

Some losses can't be reclaimed. Some bonds die before you realize they were already gone.

And some women, some wolves, must learn to survive by shedding every part of the past that poisoned them.

I drove away.