Piss Off, Alpha! You Lost Me Forever-Chapter 116 Mystery Guest

SOPHIA’S POV

I was halfway down the stairs when I realized I’d left my bag in Ashley’s room.

I turned back and headed upstairs. I’d just grab it quickly and leave before anyone noticed I was still here.

But as I passed the master bedroom, I saw them through the open door.

Damien stood in front of the mirror, and Tiffany was behind him, adjusting his tie. Her fingers smoothed the silk, making sure it lay perfectly straight. She said something I couldn’t hear, and Damien smiled.

He pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead.

The gesture was so casual, so comfortable.

That should have been me, standing in our bedroom, helping him get ready for work, receiving those small moments of tenderness that added up to love.

But it wasn’t me. It would never be me again.

I forced myself to move, to walk past without stopping, to pretend I hadn’t seen anything. I grabbed my bag from Ashley’s room and practically ran down the stairs.

"Mrs. Stone!" Franca called from the kitchen. "I’ve made your favorite-"

"I can’t, Franca. I’m late for work." The lie came easily. "Thank you though."

"But you haven’t eaten! At least take some toast-"

"I’m fine” I was already at the door. "Make sure Ashley takes her medication with food."

I didn’t wait for Franca’s response. I just left, got in my car, and drove toward the hospital with tears in my eyes.

My wolf was whimpering constantly now, confused and hurt by our mate’s rejection. The bond pulled at me, trying to draw me back to him, but I ignored it.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Lance standing outside the hospital entrance, clearly waiting for someone. When he saw my car, he smiled.

I parked and got out, trying to discreetly wipe my face before he could see I’d been crying.

"Morning," Lance said cheerfully, then his expression shifted to concern. "Are you okay? You look upset."

"I’m fine. Just tired." I managed a weak smile. "What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you, actually. I saw your car pull in and thought I’d catch you before we both get swallowed by the chaos inside." He walked beside me "I wanted to ask if you’re free for dinner tonight."

"Lance, I don’t think-"

"Before you say no, I should mention there’s a mystery guest joining us, someone I think you’ll want to meet."

I looked at him curiously. "Who?"

"If I told you, it wouldn’t be a mystery, would it?" He grinned. "Come on, Sophia. One dinner. I promise it’ll be worth your time."

The truth was, I had no desire to go out tonight. All I wanted was to go home, curl up in bed, and pretend the world didn’t exist for a few hours.

But Lance was looking at me with such hope that I found myself nodding.

"Okay. One dinner." I murmured

"Excellent! I’ll text you the restaurant details later. This is going to be great. I promise."

We entered the hospital together, heading for the elevators. The lobby was packed with the usual Monday morning crowd - doctors, nurses, patients, visitors all trying to get where they needed to be.

The elevator arrived and the doors opened to reveal it was already nearly full. Lance stepped in first, and I followed, squeezing into the small space left near the back.

As more people pushed in, I found myself pressed against the back wall. The crowd kept increasing with each floor stop and people kept trying to make room for newcomers.

Suddenly, Lance was right in front of me. His body formed a barrier between me and the crush of people. He’d positioned himself protectively in front of me.

"Sorry," he murmured. "This elevator is always ridiculous on Mondays."

"It’s okay," I said

We were close - closer than we’d ever been outside of a medical procedure. We were close enough that I could smell his cologne, close enough to see the stubble on his jaw that he’d missed while shaving.

And close enough to hear his heartbeat.

It was racing. I could hear it even over the noise of the crowded elevator. My enhanced wolf hearing picked it up clearly. It was much faster than it should be for someone just standing still.

I looked up at him and found him already looking down at me. Our eyes met.

Lance’s cheeks got a bit red then he cleared his throat, looking away. "Sorry," he said again. "Tight quarters."

"It’s fine,"

The elevator finally reached my floor, and people began filing out. Lance stepped back immediately, giving me space to exit.

"See you at six-thirty?" he called after me.

"Six-thirty," I confirmed.

After that, I tried to focus on the day ahead. Rounds, consultations, paperwork....but my mind kept drifting back to that image of Damien and Tiffany. The easy intimacy. The casual affection. The life they were building while I watched from the sidelines.

Around noon, I was reviewing a patient’s chart when my phone buzzed with a text from Lance.

Rosewood Restaurant, 7pm. Dress nice but not too formal. And bring your appetite—the food there is amazing.

I sent back a thumbs up emoji and tried to return to work.

The afternoon dragged on. I saw patients, signed off on discharge papers, consulted with other doctors but through it all, I felt hollow. Like

At six-thirty, I finished my last consultation and headed to the locker room to change. I’d brought a simple black dress.

As I was touching up my makeup in the mirror, Lance appeared in the doorway.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Almost." I applied some concealer under my eyes, trying to look less like I’d been crying on and off all day. "Give me two minutes."

Ten minutes later, we walked out to the parking lot together. Lance had offered to drive, and I’d accepted. I was too tired to navigate evening traffic.

The restaurant was about twenty minutes away, in the nicer part of town. As we drove, Lance talked all the way.

When we pulled up to Rosewood Restaurant, I was surprised by how upscale it looked. The place had white tablecloths, soft lighting, a valet parking attendant.

"This is fancy," I said as Lance handed his keys to the valet.

"Only the best for a celebration," Lance replied.

"What are we celebrating?"

"You’ll see." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

We walked inside, and the hostess greeted Lance by name - apparently he was a regular. She led us through the dining room to a private section in the back.

But just as she was about to lead us to our table, the front door opened again.

Professor Archer Reese walked in. He was dressed well in a lovely charcoal suit. He was the professor who’d first reached out to me about the doctoral program, and seeing him here felt like too much of a coincidence.

"Professor Reese!" Lance said, smiling. "What a surprise-"

But Archer walked right past us without looking at us. He went straight to a private room in the back of the restaurant.

Lance and I exchanged confused looks.

"That was odd," I murmured.

"Very," Lance agreed, looking slightly hurt by the snub.

Through the partially open door of the private room, I caught a glimpse of who Archer was meeting.

My stomach dropped.

Damien sat at the head of the table, looking every bit the powerful alpha in his dark suit. Beside him was Simon, and on his other side of course was Tiffany, looking beautiful in an elegant dress.

Archer walked straight to them, and Tiffany stood up with a bright smile.

"Professor Reese!" she spoke. "Thank you so much for coming. Damien has been looking forward to discussing the research partnership."

Lance tried one more time, stepping closer to the private room. "Professor Reese, I didn’t know you’d be-"

But Archer didn’t even turn around. He was too focused on greeting Damien and shaking his hand.

Lance’s face turned with embarrassment. He’d been completely ignored.

"I’m sorry," Lance said quietly, turning back to me. "I had no idea they’d be here. We can leave if you want-"

"No." I straightened my shoulders. I refused to let Damien’s presence ruin this evening. "We’re here to have dinner. So let’s have dinner."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." I linked my arm through his. "Come on. Let’s enjoy our meal and forget about them."

The hostess quickly led us to a table on the opposite side of the restaurant - far enough from the private room.

As we sat down and opened our menus, I couldn’t help but wonder: was this Archer’s way of telling me something? That despite accepting me into the program, the real power and influence lay with people like Damien?

Or was it just a cruel coincidence?