Piss Off, Alpha! You Lost Me Forever-Chapter 72 Be A Mother

SOPHIA’S POV

I stood there watching Tiffany smile as everyone applauded her.

I felt hollow inside. My wolf was quiet now. She had learned to deal with the fact that our mate had chosen someone else. Then I felt Zade’s hand on my arm.

"Dance with me," he said softly.

"What?"

"Dance with me. Come on”

Part of me wanted to refuse. Part of me wanted to leave this entire event and hide at home. But another part, the part that was tired of feeling small and defeated, made me nod.

Zade led me to the dance floor as a new song started. The music playing was a slow, elegant waltz. He held my waist while I held his shoulder. We began to move to the music and I was surprised by how naturally we fit together.

From the corner of my eye, I felt Damien watching us.

"Relax," Zade murmured. "You’re too tense."

I tried to let go of the anxiety in my chest. I tried to focus on the music instead of on Damien watching from across the room. I could feel his eyes on me even without looking.

Zade spun me gently and I found myself actually smiling. It had been so long since I’d danced like this. My wolf stirred with happiness. She was enjoying the movement and the attention.

"There it is," Zade said. "That glow. That’s what’s been missing."

"What are you talking about?"

"The light inside you. The joy. I’ve seen glimpses of it before but never like this." He pulled me closer as we turned. "This is who you really are”

Other couples joined us on the dance floor but I barely noticed them. For once, I wasn’t thinking about Damien or Tiffany or Ashley or the divorce. I was just dancing, just living in this moment.

I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Damien had stopped talking to the group around him. He was standing completely still. His eyes were fixed on me and Zade. His expression was complicated. The expression on his face looked something like anger mixed with something that looked almost like regret but I wasn’t sure.

My wolf perked up at the attention from our mate. We were both confused about why he cared when he had Tiffany.

Tiffany noticed where Damien was looking. Her smile faded. She moved closer to him, touching his arm but his eyes stayed on the dance floor. On me.

The song ended and another began. Zade didn’t let me go. "One more?"

"Okay. One more."

We danced through three songs before finally leaving the floor. I was smiling so hard. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I felt more alive than I had in months. Several people stopped us to compliment our dancing, to ask how long we’d been together. Each time, Zade answered. He told everyone we were dating. I didn’t even bother to stop him. I was feeling too free from the dancing.

An announcement came over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to gather everyone for a group photo to remember this wonderful evening. If you could all move toward the main stage..."

People started moving toward the stage area where photographers waited. Zade kept his hand on my back as we moved with the crowd. I was trying to position myself near the edge when someone bumped into me from behind.

I stumbled forward and crashed into someone. Someone caught my arms, steadying me. I looked up and saw it was Damien.

We were standing so close I could see the bit of gold in his brown eyes. I could smell his scent. My wolf whined softly, wanting to move closer to our mate.

"Sorry," I managed. "Someone pushed me."

"Are you alright?" His hands were still on my arms.

"I’m fine." But I didn’t step back. Neither did he.

For a moment, we just stood there. The noise of the crowd faded. It was just us, standing too close, looking at each other like we had when we first met. Before everything went wrong. Before the distance and the divorce.

There was something in his eyes, something that made my breath catch. Then Tiffany appeared at his side.

"Damien, darling, they’re calling us for the photo." She held his arm possessively.

The spell broke. Damien stepped back, releasing me. "Excuse us."

He let Tiffany pull him toward the center of the staging area where the important guests were being positioned. I moved to the back with Zade. My arms still tingledwhere Damien had touched them.

"You okay?" Zade asked quietly.

"Yeah. Just caught off guard."

The photographers arranged everyone, calling out instructions. I ended up in the second row, somehow positioned almost directly behind where Damien stood with Tiffany. I was close enough that I could see the back of his neck, close enough that my wolf was going crazy with his nearness.

The cameras flashed. Everyone smiled. I forced my face into a smile even though I was confused.

What had that moment been? Why had Damien looked at me like that? And why did it matter when he was clearly with Tiffany now?

After the photos, people started leaving. Some returned to the bar or the remaining food. I was about to suggest to Zade that we go when Damien appeared beside me.

"Sophia. A word?" he said.

Zade tensed. "Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of me."

"This is about our daughter. It’s private." Damien spoke coldly.

I touched Zade’s arm. "It’s okay. I’ll be right back."

Damien led me to a quieter corner away from the crowd. When we were alone, his expression turned serious. "Ashley’s sick. She has a cold. Fever, cough, the works. Franca called me an hour ago."

My heart jumped. "Is she okay? Did you take her to the doctor?"

"Franca gave her medicine and she’s resting but she’s been asking for you. Crying for her mother." He paused. "I think you should go to her tonight."

"Of course. I’ll leave right now." I turned to go back to Zade.

"Sophia." Damien’s voice stopped me. "Thank you for being willing to come. She needs you."

I nodded and hurried back to where Zade waited. "I have to go. Ashley’s sick and asking for me."

His eyes went wide with worry "I’ll drive you-"

"No, it’s fine. You stay, enjoy the rest of the event. I can drive myself." I squeezed his hand. "And Zade? About the bracelet. I can’t accept it. It’s too much. Too expensive. Too... everything."

He looked disappointed "Sophia-"

"Please. Just donate it back to the charity or give it to someone else. I don’t want it." The bracelet represented everything wrong about tonight - the competition, the drama, everything..."But thank you for the thought."

I left before he could argue. I quickly headed for the exit.

I drove to Stone Villa. All I could think about was Ashley. My baby was sick and crying for me. Nothing else mattered. Not Damien and Tiffany. Not Zade and the bracelet. Not the confused feelings I felt by standing too close to my ex-husband.

Just Ashley. Just getting to my daughter who needed me.