Chapter 95
Elsa
"Fuck you and your demands," I spat, my voice rising to a shout. But Drake had already pushed past me, his much larger frame easily moving me aside. I stumbled, catching myself against a car, and watched helplessly as he approached Sophia directly.
"Where are they?" he growled at her.
Sophia, to her credit, didn't cower. "At my apartment."
Drake's nostrils flared. "We're going. All of us. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I protested, shoving myself away from the car. My hands were shaking, and I balled them into fists again. "Screw this. Screw you."
"You don't have a choice," Drake snapped, grabbing my arm with enough force to make me wince. "We're settling this today."
Allen stepped forward then, his presence unexpected but welcome. "I'll come too," he said firmly, his eyes fixed on Drake's hand where it gripped my arm.
Drake's lip curled into a snarl, but he didn't object. Whatever was burning through him—rage, disbelief, something else—was stronger than his territorial instincts right now.
"Fine," he bit out. "My car."
---
I sat in the back with Allen while Sophia took the front passenger seat. Drake drove with aggressive precision, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. The silence was a living thing, pressing against my skin like a physical weight. I shifted uncomfortably, my wet clothes sticking to my skin, making me feel even more trapped.
I noticed immediately that something had changed in the car's interior. The simple black leather charm that had hung from his rearview mirror for years—the one I'd given him long ago—was gone. In its place hung a delicate silver wolf figurine. Vera's taste, no doubt. The sight of it sent a fresh surge of bitterness through me, like acid in my veins.
You replaced everything about me so fucking easily , I thought, turning to stare out the window at the rain-slicked streets, my jaw clenching so hard it hurt. Even the smallest goddamn reminders .
A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. I angrily wiped it away, my movements jerky and harsh, hoping no one had noticed, but Allen silently passed me a tissue from his pocket.
"I won't cry in front of him," I whispered, so quietly that only Allen could hear, my voice thick with suppressed emotion. "That asshole doesn't deserve my tears."
His eyes met mine with unexpected gentleness. "You don't have to be strong for everyone else all the time, Elsa."
But I did. That was the thing about being an omega in a world of alphas. Showing weakness only invited more pain. I turned away, staring out the window again, my reflection showing a woman I barely recognized—hollow-eyed and haunted.
---
Sophia's apartment was in a modest building on the border between territories. She fumbled with her keys at the entrance, her hands shaking slightly as Drake loomed behind her.
Once inside, the familiar scent of vanilla candles and old books should have been comforting, but Drake's overpowering presence made the space feel claustrophobic. I pressed my hand against the wall, steadying myself as a wave of dizziness washed over me.
"Where are the reports?" Drake demanded, his patience clearly worn thin.
Sophia hurried into her bedroom, the sound of drawers opening and closing echoing through the small apartment. I could hear her rummaging through papers, the sounds growing more frantic by the second.
"I know I kept them," she called out, her voice tinged with growing panic. "I was so angry after I saw what happened to Elsa that I saved everything from the hospital."
Drake paced like a caged animal, each step radiating barely contained aggression. I flinched every time he passed close to me, my body reacting instinctively to his anger. Allen positioned himself near me, a silent barrier between me and Drake's volatile energy.
After several minutes, Sophia emerged from her bedroom empty-handed, her expression apologetic. "I can't find them. They must be at the café."
Drake's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Or they never existed."
"They existed," I said quietly, my hands gripping the edge of a nearby table so hard my knuckles turned white. "Even if you don't want to believe it, you selfish prick."
Drake turned to me, his expression cold. "If they existed, where are they? Convenient that the only evidence of these supposed pregnancies has disappeared."
I felt a surge of anger that made my vision blur at the edges. "The Twin Moon Hospital was having a power outage that day. The computers were down. Everything was done on paper, and I... I threw mine away." My voice faltered as I slammed my palm against the table. "I didn't want the fucking reminder of another thing you took from me."
"I kept mine," Sophia insisted. "I know I did. Drake, we can go to the café right now. They might be there."
The thought of prolonging this excruciating confrontation made my stomach turn, but I knew we needed those reports. Drake wouldn't believe us without them, and Sophia was right—this could affect both of our positions in Twin Moon City.
"Let's just go," I said wearily, running a shaking hand through my damp hair. "The sooner we find them, the sooner this is over and I never have to look at your face again."
Sophia nodded and headed toward the door, but Drake stepped into her path, his tall frame blocking her exit.
"You're not going anywhere until I get some answers," he said, his voice deceptively soft. "What game are you playing, Sophia? Making up stories about pregnancies to manipulate Elsa against me?"
Sophia's eyes widened. "Are you serious? You think I would lie about something like that?"
"I think you've had it out for me from day one," Drake replied coldly. "And now you've concocted this story to drive a wedge between Elsa and me."
"There's nothing left between us to drive a wedge through," I interjected, a bitter laugh escaping me as I pushed myself away from the table. "You made damn sure of that when you chose her."
But Drake ignored me, continuing to focus on Sophia.
"If you're lying," he continued, stepping closer to Sophia, "I'll make sure you can't operate in Twin Moon City anymore. No one will rent to you. No one will do business with you. You'll be finished."
Sophia's face paled, but her eyes flashed with defiance. "You're threatening me for telling the truth? That's low, even for you."
"Drake," Allen's voice cut through the tension. "Back off. This isn't helping anyone."
Drake's head snapped toward Allen. "Stay out of this, Moonlight. This doesn't concern you."
"It does when you're threatening innocent people," Allen replied evenly.
Drake turned back to Sophia, his expression murderous. "Innocent? She's accusing me of causing my own children to die. Children I didn't even know existed."
"Because you never fucking noticed!" Sophia suddenly shouted, tears springing to her eyes. "You never noticed her pain! You never noticed when she could barely stand! When she was bleeding through her clothes! That was a life, Drake! That was your child!"
I moved quickly to Sophia's side, putting a hand on her arm, my own eyes burning with unshed tears. "Sophia, don't," I whispered, my voice breaking. "This will only make him angrier."
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face now. "No, he needs to hear this. He needs to know what you went through. Where were you? Busy with your mate? Too important to notice your omega was suffering?"
Drake's expression flickered, something like uncertainty crossing his features before hardening again into cold anger.
"You're a liar," he said flatly, but there was a new edge to his voice.
I guided Sophia to her couch, helping her sit down. Her whole body was trembling with emotion. My own hands weren't much steadier as I knelt beside her. "Breathe," I told her softly. "This isn't helping either of us."