Chapter 41
Sofia Bliss
I tried.
I swear, I really tried to sleep after telling myself to think positively.
But I tossed and turned so much, the sheets were tangled, the blanket thrown to the floor, and my patience... completely gone.
My head felt like it was about to crack open from the pressure.
Images of everything that happened just kept flashing behind my eyes—
The bar.
The cop.
That goddamn tension that made my skin crawl.
Adrian’s touch.
And then… my aunt’s message.
Fuck.
It was like God was in a bad mood and decided to dump a whole bucket of chaos on my head.
I couldn’t even breathe. Things just kept happening, one after the other, getting worse every time.
I sighed and dragged my hands over my face, trying to calm.
But the thoughts kept echoing.
Letícia...
Adrian...
That predatory stare from the cop…
That worrying message from my aunt...
“Enough.”
My own voice came out muffled against the pillow.
“I have to sleep. I 'need' rest. If not, I’m going to lose my mind for real!”
I squeezed my eyes shut like it would shut the world off for a few hours.
It didn’t work.
Not even five minutes passed before I was staring at the ceiling again, waiting for some kind of answer from the shadows.
And then...
“You’re trying to sleep… when you should be waking up.”
The shiver ran slowly up my spine, spreading throughout my body.
I shot up in bed, heart thudding out of rhythm.
“Who?!” I looked around, gasping.
Nothing.
No one.
The room was exactly the same.
I let out a shaky laugh and rubbed my arms.
“Great. Now I’m hearing voices. That’s just fucking perfect.”
I blinked a few times to be sure I was awake.
“Sleep deprivation, stress, and insanity, the full damn package.”
I flopped back down on the mattress.
“You will lose your mind like this… Sofia…”
And then…
It came again.
But this time, not from outside.
This time, it came from 'inside'.
"We need to wake up."
My breath caught.
My whole body locked in place.
Frozen.
“What…?”
I whispered, my throat bone-dry.
“We need to wake up…?”
And then...
"You keep looking for answers… but they’re all inside you. Inside 'us'. When your eyes truly open… when 'we' awaken… you’ll understand."
My hands started to tremble.
No.
No fucking way this was just a thought.
Or my imagination.
This…
This was real.
“Stop… stop it…” I whispered into the empty room, trying to shut out the panic clawing its way up my throat.
“This is just stress. Just… just…”
But I was already on my feet.
My bare feet hit the cold floor.
My fingers were shaking so hard, I couldn’t feel them.
I ran to the bathroom.
Flipped the light on.
And when I looked up, I nearly collapsed.
“Aaaah!” I screamed, the sound tearing out of me before I could even think.
Because staring back at me from the mirror…
Wasn’t 'me'.
It was a wolf.
A massive one.
Eyes burning gold, wild and sharp under the harsh bathroom light.
Its fur was as black as the night.
And its gaze, It wasn’t just looking at me.
It was 'seeing' me.
Like it knew exactly who I was.
The moment it happened, I wanted to run.
Disappear.
Vanish into thin air.
But all I managed was one shaky step back—pure panic flooding my veins.
And then… I tripped.
The world spun.
The ceiling. The mirror. The light.
It all twisted and flipped as my body crashed to the ground—
Then, suddenly…
Darkness.
I jolted awake, gasping for air.
My body was soaked in sweat, sheets tangled around my legs.
My heart slammed inside my chest like it was trying to rip its way out.
My fists clenched the bedding, as if that could hold me together.
“Sofia?!”
The door burst open, and Letícia ran in, her voice laced with panic.
Her wide eyes locked on mine, and she rushed to the bed.
“What happened?! Are you okay?! You were screaming—like you were dying!”
I couldn’t even speak.
Could barely breathe.
My eyes searched around, looking for the mirror, the light, the reflection...
The wolf.
That giant beast staring back at me.
But there was nothing.
Just my room. My bed.
Reality.
“Sofia, please, say something!”
Letícia’s voice trembled as she grabbed my arm.
I tried to sit up.
Tried to pull the pieces of my mind back together.
But the scream still sat in my throat.
That image…
Still burning behind my eyes.
Too real.
I ran a hand through my damp hair, forcing myself to breathe.
“I…” I inhaled slowly, chest tight. “It was just a nightmare. A really vivid one.”
Letícia sat beside me and pulled me into a hug. Tight.
“I’m so sorry, Sofia… I know this has been hell on you. You’re going through so much and I—”
Her voice cracked.
“I don’t know how to help.”
I closed my eyes in her arms.
Still trembling.
Still shaken
And even though I knew she cared,
The fact that she was hiding something from me?
Still burned.
Right now, though…
All I wanted was to be alone.
To think.
“I’m okay,” I murmured, pulling back and meeting her eyes. “It was just a scare. I swear. I’m fine now… go back to your room.”
She didn’t move at first, her face full of doubt.
“You sure you don’t want me to stay? You don’t want to talk about the dream?”
“No. Really. I just need to lie down and forget it.”
I turned away, sliding under the sheets, making it clear that I meant it.
And honestly…
What would she even think if I told her what I saw?
No.
Better to keep that part to myself.
Letícia hesitated.
Then gave a small nod.
She stood up and walked to the door.
“If you need anything… call me, okay?”
There was sadness in her voice. Something soft.
“I will,” I replied, settling into the bed.
She stepped out quietly, closing the door behind her.
And just like that, I was alone again.
I exhaled, hard.
Let my body sink into the mattress.
Turned my face to the side…
And that’s when I saw it.
The faint glow of my phone lighting up the nightstand.
I reached for it.
2:13 a.m.
It had barely been ten minutes since I laid down.
“What…?” I whispered.
I could’ve sworn I spent hours trying to fall asleep.
I swallowed hard.
This night…
Was going to be so much longer than I thought.