Chapter 5
After meeting Marshall, I went to the packhouse to bid my farewell to the Luna Fiona whom I had considered my foster mother since childhood.
Aunt Fiona was deeply involved in pack affairs along with the Alpha and today was a crucial meeting with neighboring packs, yet she refused to go for my mother had called yesterday and informed her of the situation of me soon going away.
Alpha Anderson also wished to stay to bid me farewell, yet he was forced to go.
Living here amdist of the twins who had deceived me all my life was disturbing thus I did not bother to wait for the Alpha to come back.
As soon as I entered Aunt Fiona’s office, she embraced me and cried. “Baby Sophie, I have failed you.” Tears that I have held for so long streamed down my eyes as I hugged her back.
“I was so busy these past years that I left you in the care of my sons, I never imagined that they would turn out to be worse than a beast.”
“Aunt, it’s not your fault.” She quickly settled me down and took out a card.
“Your mother had sent me so much money yesterday. I-I never thought even for a moment that I am not raising my own child so to offer me money?
Your uncle and I even thought that you would be our daughter-in-law in future. With your intellect and capability, you could have been the best luna this pack had ever seen but everything is ruined.”
She looked at my face with teary eyes and soon shook her head.
"No, it’s better you go away from my terrible sons.
Your mom told me about the prophecy all those years ago Sophia and believe me you will be happy with the Blood Moon Alpha as his Luna. I have heard that you agreed to get engaged to him…he is a good man Sophie.”
Aunt Fiona gave me an envelope with three properties abroad as my dowry even when I refused.
“I wish you a happy married life Sophie.”
We were only talking when the door opened and Zion, Ashton, and Victoria came back with a ring on Victoria’s finger encrusted with twin diamonds.
When they saw me, the brothers’ faces darkened instantly.
"Marriage? Who wants to be mates with a woman like you, Sophia?!" Zion's tone was cruel as he gritted his teeth.
They must have eavesdropped on bits and pieces of my conversation with Aunt Fiona and reached a conclusion that they thought was most probable.
"Shut up!" Aunt Fiona growled; her wolf fiercely aggressive when she saw the twins behavior.
“Mom, this woman tried to seduce us and even after so many schemes when she failed she came running to you!”
“I am not interested in either of you so stop howling.” I didn’t even try to be polite and looked at them with cold eyes.
“Do you think we are deaf? You were here blackmailing mom to marry us!
Throwing yourself to us when we clearly dont want you, how shameless!”
Aunt Fiona was so furious that she stepped forward and slapped Ashton for his disgusting words.
“You bastard! You aren’t worthy to be my son!” With her outburst the entire atmosphere froze with tension. Victoria came forward with her body quivering as she held Ashton gently, caressing his cheek.
“Auntie, please forgive Ashton, he is just too worried about me.
The entire fault lies with me.
It was I who snatched Ashton and Zion from my sister. She was their childhood sweetheart and would have been the luna if it wasn’t for me.
Ashton spoke those words in anger, it’s all my fault-“Even before she could finish, Ashton embraced her in front of Aunt Fiona and Zion rushed to her side.
"Mom, we never had a serious relationship with Sophia. A few days ago, when she proposed to us, we clearly rejected her knowing her true intentions.
You don’t know her true face, but we clearly do understand her always acting frail and sick.
Now that she knows she cannot have us, she is here to manipulate you mom!"
"No wonder, Sophia wants to leave…it’s all your fault." Ashton laughed at that as if he had heard something comical.
“She will never leave mom; don’t you see that she is after our pack’s wealth. She is lying to you to win you over.
Though Victoria is not the heir of Stone Family and is not a beta’s daughter, she is the most gentle and brave person I have met.
All those years ago when Sophia was living the life of a princess at our expense, Victoria was still in the Jade Moon pack helping out her uncle, Sophia’s father.
Even when Sophia is the biological daughter of Mr. Stone it was Victoria who tried saving her packmates yet failed to save Uncle Stone the day rogues attacked.”
I was stunned when I heard those words as they were all lies.
“It wasn’t her who tried saving my father, in fact she was the one who went into hiding at first begging my father that she wanted to live.”
When I spoke, Zion’s fierce expression was nothing like the person who once followed me around, calling me "my lovely Sophie" in a soft voice.
He had already hit me once so there was nothing new that he could do to scare me.
“Lying like always. Victoria is not like you who could go to any lengths for snatching other people’s happiness.
She does not covet the Silver Moon Pack Family's wealth. Sophia, you have been spoiled too much by us and only know how to bully the servants and pretend to be a princess. Your jealousy is too ugly.”
“But I want to tell you that we will only marry Victoria, we are already engaged to her.
She is going to be the next Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.”
Chapter 6
“Not until I am alive!” Aunt Fiona finally snapped and Victoria, who was hiding behind Zion, crying pitifully looked up as her tears ceased.
“Both of you must be blind to see what kind of treacherous woman you have chosen for yourself. Saving other pack members? Don’t make me laugh!
It was Mr Stone who saved this girl and it was also due to your so-called mate that Sophia has lost her father.”
“Mom, don't be manipulated by this woman!”
“Manipulated? Fine, if you keep on insisting then you must choose for yourself.
If you chose this woman you must give up your position as the Silver Moon Pack’s Alpha for I will never pass my Luna position to such a female who knows nothing but to conspire and cry, pushing innocent people in fire to achieve her objectives!”
At this moment Victoria looked so furious that her facade of kindness slipped.
“Aunt, please don’t listen to Sophia. Do you even know where she was last night?
She was with a strange man, engaging in illicit relations!” Victoria unlocked her phone and it displayed the pictures where I was gently embracing Marshall in a cafe. It was nothing but a friendly gesture yet Victoria twisted the facts ruthlessly.
Ashton and Zion, who were astonished that I could be with another male that wasn’t them, looked livid.
“Illicit relations? Then would I be posting about such relations all over my social media handles?”
I glanced at my dear cousin in disgust before opening my own Instagram page and scrolling down to show all the people present numerous photos that I, Marshall, Sarah and Lily had taken together.
There were also photos of my last night sleepover with Sarah.
Victoria was stunned with nothing to say anymore but surprisingly Ashton and Zion did not look like they were angry but rather relieved…I don’t know why.
Aunt Fiona did not look at them and rather turned to me.
“Dear should we go out?”
“No! Sophia, you stay here, Victoria wants to talk to you.
She misunderstood you since you didn't come home last night.” Upon Ashton’s outburst I sighed nodding to Aunt Fiona, and she understood that this was my last meeting with the twins thus she gave me some privacy and left us alone.
"Victoria's life has not been easy," Zion said "All the way coming here she was worried about you and even brought your favorite wine, why must you make things difficult for her?"
I looked at the red grape wine and my heart clenched. I was allergic to grapes to the extent of being hospitalized even if I took a bite.
Ashton added, "She is your sister and had insisted that you must be the bridesmaid at our wedding.
If you stop throwing a fit now, we can be friends like before." As I listened to those words, the feeling of being wasting my emotions on such people entered my heart.
“Last time I ate grapes, it was you who took me to hospital in an emergency Zion, I was in coma for a month.” When I said those words, Zion could not speak anymore.
“Congratulations on being engaged but from now on I don’t want to do anything with you all.” I did not wait for their reply and left for my room.
Since it had come to this, there was nothing left for me to hold onto. I just wanted to pack my things and leave.
It was late at night when I could not sleep and decided to take a walk in the garden when suddenly a cold liquid drenched my entire body. I looked down to see red tainting my vision as Victoria poured wine over my head.
“You made Luna Fiona say that she wouldn’t accept me? I will teach you a lesson Sophia!”
I pushed Victoria off myself and ran to splash water on my face hurriedly to avoid the liquid getting in my mouth and producing an allergic reaction.
Unknown to me Victoria poured wine over herself too and wounded herself with glass shards making her arm bloody, right now she was sobbing in the garden.
“S-Sister, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please forgive me.
I was wrong to accuse you! But I was worried about you!”
On my way back to the room, my body was held tightly before being roughly pushed against the wall.
“How dare you hurt her!
I will teach you such a lesson that you will never forget!” Ashton roared before picking up the bottle of wine and forcing it down my throat making it burn like I was tortured in hellfire.
I struggled to breathe, scratching my throat in desperation as tears streamed down my face. My vision became blurry as I was barely able to breathe.
“Still acting!” He pushed me away and walked off. I coughed and a figure running towards me was the last thing I saw before completely passing out.
Chapter 7
When I finally woke up groggily, white covered my vision, I found multiple tubes attached to my wrists and an oxygen mask covering my mouth, making me moan in discomfort.
“Miss Sophia! Oh my god, doctor please come! Miss Sophia has finally regained her consciousness!”
It was Melia, my personal maid from three years ago who found me passed out with my body convulsing and rushed me to the hospital.
She was a trusted person whom I have known since childhood yet when Victoria wanted a maid, Zion sent Melia to her.
Soon the doctor came in and checked my vitals.
“Ma’am you were unconscious for two days. If there was a delay in calling an ambulance and quickly admitting you to an emergency ward, you might as well have lost your life.”
Just then the nurse came to apply ointment on my bruised neck, and as soon as her fingers encircled my throat, I flinched and fell back in terror.
“No! Please stop! You are hurting me!” I screamed and struggled.
The trauma Ashton had put me through was engraved on my mind making me clutch my throat and wheeze for air.
“Quickly sedate her!”
I was miserable when I woke up again only to realize that I wouldn’t be the same anymore.
Ashton who choked me that day was the same man who once cried helplessly when I chose Zion over him but he turned to be so monstrous.
“Sophia!” I was lying when Sarah and Lily rushed to the hospital along with Uncle Jonathan who was devastated when he saw my horrible condition.
“To think they did this when you were fighting between life and death!” I frowned, unable to understand only for Sarah to tell me clearly.
“Ashton and Zion organized a grand banquet to officially consolidate Victoria’s position yesterday when you were taken to the hospital.
Today they were at my law firm demanding to transfer half of the Stone Family’s properties and shares to Victoria citing that you are incapable of holding such power!”
To think they would be so ruthless to me was like a blow.
“Uncle Jonathan please sell off all my assets and transfer the money to my mother’s account.” I quickly made a decision and after two hours I received a message from Uncle Jonathan that all my property was sold.
There was nothing remaining for me here in this terrible place.
I unlocked my phone and booked the latest flight tickets to Italy, It was only then a notification message popped up on my screen from Instagram. It was from two days ago.
[Victoria: I heard Ashton made you drink the wine I brought for you even when you are allergic to it? See it is only me that he loves, so you dare not dream of the twins anymore.]
[Victoria: I saw you withering on the floor and trust me I wanted nothing more but for you to die Sophia. A dirty orphan like you dares covet the men that I fancy, nevermind they wouldn’t even look at you anymore even if you died.]
[Victoria: Oh, and by the way last night after you left in an ambulance they were angry at you for always acting sickly to attract their attention and told me to not bother with you.]
I crumbled the sheets that I was holding in my fists.
In fact, this trio was the one who pushed me to the edge, I kept rejecting my mother’s wishes to choose a mate and ruined my own life waiting for them.
[Victoria: I am officially their fiancé and they secretly took me on a picnic at their favorite spot.]
She sent me a photo where she sat on Zion’s lap in the comfy treehouse that I, Zion and Ashton had made far away from the packhouse.
I remember Ashton putting fairy lights in the interior as I was really afraid of pitch darkness. Whenever a classmate bullied me in childhood, Zion would rough them up and bring me to the tree house to cheer me up.
[Sophia: If you want, you can keep the thrash. After Zion hit me and Ashton tried killing me, I guess I have repaid all their debts so all of you are just strangers to me now.]
A gust of cold wind-swept past, and a cold chill surged through me as I blocked Victoria without second thoughts.
“Let me take the screenshots of the messages before you delete them.” My friend Lily recorded the messages exchanged between me and Victoria before bursting into anger.
“She has really outdone herself this time! Sophia, what are you planning to do now?”
“My mom has arranged a marriage for me, I will soon become mates with Alpha Gabriel of Blood Moon Pack.” At first my friends were startled but when I explained to them that I was willing, they encouraged me.
“Sophia, Victoria is jealous of you and once she knows that you chose a better mate than hers she will definitely try sabotaging your relationship with Alpha Gabriel.
We better take some precautions now.” Sarah was a lawyer and understood the nitigrities of how vile human nature could be when fighting dirty in lawsuits.
I called Victoria this time to which she picked up on the first ring.
“Tell me your price.I will give you half of the Stone Property as you wanted,just leave Ashton and Zion.”
There was a silence on the other end for some moments before Victoria burst out laughing.
“Do you think you are in any position to negotiate with me?
Last night I promised to marry Zion and today I will make Ashton mine.”
“Victoria what the hell!”Pleased with my outburst Victoria thought that I was jealous when I simply couldn’t care less.
“Do you think I am a foolish person like you who relies on the love and affection of a man?
from now on I will continue doing so until I conceive.Then even if Luna Fiona doesn’t like me,she will still have to accept me for the sake of my child!
I will definitely become Silver Moon Pack’s Luna and enjoy its wealth!”
I realized that I couldn't take everything back for the time being, and my determination to leave became stronger. But this didn't mean I really gave up my shares. Instead, I planned everything to take everything back.
"Congratulations,I wish you three happiness forever."
After saying this,I curled the corners of my lips into a smile and hung up the phone.
I blocked their number,severing the last tie between us.
I got discharged from the hospital the very next day and after bidding farewell to my friends who dropped me at the airport,I took a flight to Italy.