Chapter 179

Chapter 179
Sophia‘s POV:
I watched as Lucas moved through the crowd toward me.
The murmurs around us grew louder as he approached. I caught fragments of conversation:
"Isn't that Alpha Lucas Stone?"
"The one who rejected Princess Sophia?"
"He actually rejected royalty?"
"He doesn't know Sophia's true identity, and we just found out about it as well. Isn't it?"
Lucas reached us quickly, his breathing slightly labored. He stopped just a few feet away, his dark eyes filled with regret and confusion.
"Sophia," he said, his voice carrying across the suddenly quiet space around us. "I'm so sorry I'm late. The meeting ran longer than expected, and I—"
"Alpha Lucas." Ryder's voice cut through Lucas's apology like ice. My brother stepped slightly forward. "Be honest with yourself, don't keep making excuses."
I felt the tension in the air thicken. Lucas's gaze flicked between Ryder and me, and I could see him trying to process what he was witnessing.
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Lucas said, each word carefully controlled, "my relationship with Sophia is between her and me. I don't appreciate your interference."
"Princess Sophia," Ryder corrected, stepping closer to Lucas. "And I am her brother. Her protection is my responsibility."
Lucas froze. His eyes went wide, darting between Ryder's face and mine.
"Brother?" Lucas whispered, his voice barely audible. His gaze fixed on me with growing shock. "Princess... Sophia?"
The color drained from his face as he stared at me, really seeing me for the first time. Not just Sophia, the woman he'd married and rejected, but Princess Sophia Anderson.
"You're..." His voice cracked. "You're actually Princess Sophia."
When he looked at me again, his expression was a mixture of disbelief, horror, and devastation.
I opened my mouth to speak, to explain, but Ryder's voice rang out clear and commanding before I could say anything.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, his voice carrying to every corner of the ballroom. "I believe most of you are familiar with the story between Starlight Pack's Alpha Lucas and my sister Sophia. I am here to formally announce that from today onwards, Sophia and Lucas will have no further connection."
What?
My heart stopped, and I spun to stare at my brother in complete shock. "Ryder!" I gasped, unable to believe what I was hearing.
Lucas's reaction was equally stunned. His face went white as marble, and he took a step back as if he'd been physically struck. "What... what are you saying?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The crowd erupted in whispers and gasps around us. I could hear voices rising:
"I heard they were getting back together..."
"Princess Sophia should have left that terrible place long ago!"
"This is for the best..."
"Don't waste your life on someone who isn't worth it."
"But Lucas still seems to love Sophia..."
"Choose someone who is good by nature, rather than trying to change a person. I support Princess Sophia's decision to leave."
But I couldn't focus on their reactions. I was staring at Ryder in complete bewilderment, my mind reeling from his unexpected announcement.
"Ryder, what are you doing?" I whispered urgently. "We didn't discuss this—"
Ryder's expression softened slightly as he looked at me, and I caught a flash of regret in his golden eyes. "I'm sorry, Sophia," he said quietly, his voice meant only for me. "But I need you to see Lucas for who he really is."
He gestured to the technical crew, and suddenly the large screens around the ballroom flickered to life. The crowd murmured in confusion as a video began to play.
My blood ran cold as I recognized the scene unfolding on screen.
It was surveillance footage, grainy but clear enough to make out the figures. Aria was there with many other males.
She was toyed with by that group of men.
A wave of nausea washed over me as I watched, my heart clenching with a mixture of sympathy and revulsion. Despite everything that had happened between us, seeing anyone subjected to such treatment made my stomach turn.
"Turn it off," I whispered, my fists clenched.
The footage was disturbing enough, but what confused me even more was why Ryder was showing this now.
But Ryder placed a firm hand on my arm, his grip gentle yet insistent. "Keep watching, Sophia," he said quietly, his golden eyes serious. "You need to see this."
I wanted to look away, to escape this horrible scene, but something in his tone made me reluctantly turn back to the screen.
Just then, a powerful Alpha roar echoed through the speakers, causing several people in the ballroom to instinctively step back.
My eyes snapped up to the screen, and my heart shattered into a million pieces.
Lucas appeared in the frame. And the time happened to show half an hour ago
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched, feeling the sharp sting of betrayal cut through me like a knife.
The video continued playing, and Lucas burst into the room, his Alpha command ripping through the air to scatter the men surrounding Aria.
They immediately retreated and scattered in all directions.
Lucas moved protectively in front of Aria, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it gently around her shoulders. His voice was soft, soothing, as he comforted her.
And in his eyes—those same dark eyes that had looked at me with such intensity just hours before—I saw that familiar tenderness.
That look of gentle devotion I had thought was mine alone.
Around the ballroom, I could hear the low murmurs of the guests beginning to spread:
"The pull between fated mates is undeniable..."
"Lucas fell onto Aria again..."
"Aria here looks pitiful, but don't forget what she has done..."
"No wonder he can't stay away from her..."
"Lucas betrayed Sophia once again."