Chapter 62
Sophia‘s POV:
I trembled violently as I clutched what remained of my torn shirt against my chest. The cool air against my exposed skin made everything feel more real, more humiliating.
I slowly removed the black cloth from my eyes and couldn't bring myself to look directly at Lucas.
"I... I need something to wear," I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible. The words came out as a mixture of anger and complete humiliation. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, trying to preserve what little dignity I had left.
Lucas let out a cold laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
"Now you think about your dignity?" His voice was sarcastic, cutting through the thick tension in the room. "We've already done everything, and your sense of shame comes too late, doesn't it?"
Despite the cruelty in his words, he turned toward his wardrobe with slowness. I watched as he pulled out a black dress shirt and tossed it toward me carelessly like I was nothing more than an inconvenience.
I grabbed the shirt quickly, my hands shaking as I slipped my arms through the sleeves. I can't even care anymore that the shirt is covered in his scent. The scent once brought me comfort but now only brought pain.
I couldn't stand being in this room for another second. Every breath felt like I was drowning in the remnants of what we used to have. I moved quickly toward the door, each step feeling like I was escaping from a nightmare that had consumed my life.
As I walked away, I could feel Lucas's gaze burning into my back, following my every movement.
---
When I was almost at the end of the hallway, Marcus suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my path. His presence caught me off guard, and I stopped abruptly, my heart still racing from everything that had just happened.
There was a time when he treated me with genuine respect and kindness. He had been one of the few people who actually helped me adjust to my role as Luna, always willing to assist me when I faced challenges or needed guidance.
But ever since our heated argument outside the restaurant, everything had changed. His attitude toward me had done a complete one-eighty, becoming cold and hostile in a way that confused and hurt me. The warmth that used to be in his eyes when he looked at me had been replaced by something much darker.
I couldn't understand what had caused such a dramatic shift in his behavior toward me.
Marcus's gaze swept over me with an unreadable expression, lingering pointedly on Lucas's oversized black shirt that hung loosely on my frame.
His eyes flashed with a dangerous light and his voice low and threatening.
"Never approach Alpha Lucas again. Don't give him any more false hope."
As soon as he finished speaking, agonized groans and wolf howls echoed from Lucas's room behind me. The sounds were so raw they made me look in that direction unconsciously.
But Marcus quickly blocked my sight.
His voice became even more brutal and cold as he continued: "Sophia. Your very existence around him only brings more pain. If you have even a shred of dignity left, you'll leave Starlight Pack territory forever."
The finality in his words hit me like a physical blow. He clearly saw me as nothing more than a threat now.
He didn't seem to intend to hear my response, appearing only to have come to warn me, and after speaking, he turned around and walked quickly in Lucas's direction.
I stood there frozen, watching his retreating figure disappear around the corner. Bitterness bloomed in my heart. Could I really be that annoying? It seemed even my breathing was wrong here.
Don't look back, I took a deep breath and told myself firmly, continuing down the hallway.
---
The moment I stepped into the main corridors of Starlight Pack territory, I knew I'd made a mistake. The black dress shirt that had felt like a shield in Lucas's room now felt like a beacon, advertising exactly where I'd been and what I'd been doing.
All the way, pack members kept glancing at me, I was too strongly scented with Lucas's smell.
I kept quickening my pace, yet idle talk still reached my ears.
"Is that... is that Alpha Lucas's shirt?" I heard a female whisper to her companion, not even bothering to lower her voice.
"Look at her," another voice sneered from behind me. "Shameless. Absolutely shameless."
I wanted to pretend didn't hear, but their words followed me like a fly.
"The rejected Luna, crawling back for more," someone said with obvious disgust. "Pathetic."
"I heard she's been throwing herself at other Alphas too," a younger woman added, her voice dripping with malice. "Michael Wilson from Galaxy Pack was seen staying at her quarters. Such a slut! "
"No wonder Alpha Lucas chose Aria," someone else chimed in. "At least she has some dignity. This one..." There was a pause filled with judgmental silence. "Well, we can all see what she really is."
I finally reached the quarters. I slipped inside my room and closed the door, finally allowing myself to breathe.
But the sight that greeted me made my heart clench with worry. Michael was in an even worse state than when I'd left him. His entire body was flushed a deep red, sweat dampening his golden hair and making it stick to his forehead. His breathing was labored and shallow, and he looked utterly exhausted from fighting against the effects of the Lunaris potion.
Realizing that I was back, he turned his gaze toward me.
Despite his obvious suffering, when Michael's fever-bright eyes focused on me, they immediately filled with concern rather than self-pity. He struggled to sit up slightly, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Sophia... did Lucas hurt you?"
His gaze swept over me, taking in my disheveled appearance and the oversized black shirt that clearly wasn't mine.
"Michael, don't worry about me," I said softly, moving closer to the bed but maintaining some distance. "You will be okay soon."