Chapter 6 Unable to Reach Her

DAMIEN'S POV

I arrived at the pack house.

It'd been two months since my last meeting with Sophia and the radio silence told me she hadn't gotten pregnant.

Time to try again.

I told myself that today would be different.

My wolf had been restless for days. He kept pacing inside me as if sensing something and I just dismissed it as anticipation.

However the moment I stepped into the foyer, I felt it. For some reason, the place felt empty.

I called out, "Sophia?"

My voice echoed back at me.

A figure moved ahead, and for a heartbeat my chest went tight, thinking she was the one, but it was only the butler, Cherry. She bowed quickly, but the scent that reached me was wrong.

Not Sophia. Not even close.

I narrowed my eyes. "Where is she?"

Cherry flinched at the sound of my voice. "Alpha. Luna Sophia hasn't returned. Not since the last time you left."

My wolf bristled. What did she mean she hadn't returned?

I stepped closer, my tone dropping.

"What do you mean she hasn't come back? She should have been here. I told her to wait here and that we'll try again this month"

Cherry swallowed tightly. "She never came back, Alpha. Not once."

The words hit me hard. I didn't respond. I simply turned and stormed out of the villa. My wolf growled.

He was irritated.

Where the hell did she go? Why didn't she call?

I got into my car, slammed the door, and sped out of the pack house.

Halfway down the road, my phone rang. It was Tiffany.

Her voice came in smoothly through the speaker.

"Damien, where are you? I just finished rehearsal. You didn't pick me up."

"I'm busy," I muttered.

My eyes were fixed on the road as I scanned every turn like Sophia might appear out of thin air.

She sighed dramatically. "I have a performance tomorrow night. And because of that, I can't go to Ashley's school. They're having some Family Fun Day. Could you tell Sophia to handle it? You know Ashley prefers me but I won't be able to make it."

I cut her off. "Sophia will do it." I said it automatically, not even thinking. I only wanted Tiffany to stop talking so I could focus. "I'll let her know."

Besides, Sophia always took care of everything.

"Good," Tiffany replied, relieved. "Ashley will listen to her. Besides, she owes me after-"

I hung up before she finished.

I called Sophia immediately. I got even more frustrated as her number rang once. twice. then played a cold prerecorded message.

"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable or no longer in service."

I stared at the screen, confused, then tried again.

Same message.

My brows pulled tight. "Sophia," I muttered under my breath, "what the hell are you doing?"

I texted her.

DAMIEN: Where are you? Come home now.

Message failed.

I tried again. Failed.

A strange pressure squeezed my chest. It felt strange.

What the hell is going on?

My wolf paced inside me.

"She wouldn't ignore us," he said, "She never ignores us."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel as I sped toward the city.

For the first time in years, I realized I didn't know where my own wife was. or what she was doing. or who she was with.

And it bothered me far more than it should have.

*

SOPHIA'S POV

I was finishing a late shift at the rural school clinic.

The small children had exhausted every ounce of my strength. They might be pups but they sure knew how to work a woman up.

When I finally closed the clinic for the night, my legs ached, and my wolf lay curled quietly inside me. We were both tired but we felt peaceful.

I reached my dorm room, tossed my bag onto the floor, and collapsed on the bed.

My phone was on silent from the clinic hours, but I didn't bother checking it. I was too tired to care. For once, sleep came easily to me.

By morning, I woke up early.

As I got ready, I remembered something suddenly – today was my father's birthday.

I smiled just thinking about it. I hadn't been home for months. I wanted to cook for him, laugh with my mother, sit with my niece. I wanted peace.

I packed quickly, humming under my breath. My wolf hummed too. She felt really light. We both felt. free.

As I drove back to my childhood town, I felt happy.

The moment I stepped into my parents' home, their scents hit me.

"Sophia!" my mother gasped the second she saw me, pulling me into her arms. "My girl, you didn't even tell us you were coming!"

My father peeked from the kitchen doorway. He grinned. "Look at you! You came home."

I laughed. "Of course I did. It's your birthday."

Before I could take another step, a tiny figure ran toward me. It was Camila, my niece. Her wolf aura was so small and adorable. She jumped at me and held on to my leg like a koala.

"Aunty Sophia!" she squealed "Don't leave again!"

Her little voice cracked something inside me. I bent down and hugged her tightly, breathing in her innocent scent.

"I'm not leaving today," I said softly. "I promise."

My mother cupped my face, studying me. "You look tired. but softer. Happier."

I looked away, but the feelings inside me made my eyes sting.

"I'm trying," I whispered. "I'm really trying."

And in that moment, surrounded by real love, love that didn't demand anything of me, love that didn't force me to keep trying to produce heirs, I felt myself healing.

My wolf stretched within me. She purred softly in a way she hadn't in years.

I cooked, laughed, cut vegetables with my father beside me, listened to Camila's excited talks and watched my mother hum at the stove.

I felt alive in a way that made me realize just how dead I had been with Damien,

For the first time, I wasn't Sophia Stone.

I was simply Sophia.

And that was enough.