The Scorned Luna-Chapter 112: The Talk
It was 10:00 PM, but Sofia couldn’t sleep.
She kept tossing and turning in the bed, her mind racing with too many questions. The silence of the mansion felt heavy, almost suffocating. Every time she closed her eyes, the events of the day replayed in her head.
Elizabeth’s clothes being carried away.
The desperate look in Alaric’s eyes.
Jeremy’s chilling warning at dinner.
Was she truly safe here... or had she simply traded one cage for another?
Unable to stay in the room any longer, she stood up and threw on a silk robe. She needed air. She needed to feel the wind on her face to remind her that she was still alive and not just a ghost in a museum.
She made her way down to the garden. The night air was cool, and she took a deep, shaky breath. As she stared into the darkness of the trees, her mind drifted to Damien. She hadn’t heard from him—no messages, no news, not even a whisper through their mind link. For a split second, she felt a pang of worry. She almost wanted to reach out, to just check if he was okay, but the memory of his cruelty stopped her.
Suddenly, a twig snapped. Sofia whirled around, her heart jumping into her throat.
Jeremy was standing there. He was shirtless, wearing only thin gray sweatpants. His skin was glistening with sweat, and his breathing was heavy; it was clear he had just returned from a run in the woods in his wolf form.
Sofia swallowed hard, feeling the heat of his presence as he approached.
"Trouble sleeping?" he asked, his voice low and raspy.
"Yes," Sofia admitted, her voice barely a whisper.
Jeremy nodded slowly. He didn’t head inside. Instead, he sat down on the grass and tapped the space beside him. "Sit."
Sofia wanted to say no. She wanted to run back to her room and lock the door. But something about the way he looked—less like a predator and more like a man who also couldn’t find peace—made her sit down anyway.
They were silent for a long moment, the only sound being the crickets in the distance.
"I heard you are my nephew’s mate," Jeremy said suddenly, breaking the quiet.
Sofia didn’t say a word. She kept her eyes on the moon.
Jeremy scoffed, a bitter sound that vibrated in the night air. "You left your mate for a broken man, Sofia. Alaric will never love you the way Damien could have."
Sofia turned toward him, anger flashing in her eyes.
"You have no right to judge. You know nothing about what happened between us. You weren’t there."
"Really?" Jeremy turned his head, his piercing green eyes locking onto hers.
"Yes!" Sofia said sharply. "Damien made my life miserable. He tortured me, he humiliated me, and he let others treat me like trash. Alaric was the one who pulled me out of that hell. If not for him, I would still be living like a slave, paying for a crime I never committed."
Jeremy let out a dark, mocking laugh. "And you think Alaric is your knight in shining armor? You think he saved you because he has a good heart?"
He leaned closer, the scent of pine and sweat rolling off him.
"Alaric doesn’t save people, Sofia. He collects them. He didn’t pick you up because you were in trouble. He picked you up because he’s spent five years trying to find a way to bring a dead woman back to life. You aren’t the woman he loves; you’re his second chance to fix a mistake he can’t admit he made."
Sofia felt her stomach flip. "What are you talking about?"
Jeremy leaned in even closer, the heat radiating from his body making her dizzy. "You still have a lot to learn," he murmured. "Including the truth about the person Damien saw... the one he mistook for you."
Before Sofia could process his words, Jeremy’s hand reached out. His fingers, rough and warm, hooked under her chin, forcing her to look directly into his piercing green eyes. The intensity in his gaze was suffocating.
"You are so innocent," he murmured. "So ignorant—"
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
The roar was less like a man and more like a beast.
Alaric exploded from the shadows of the veranda. He didn’t walk; he launched himself. Before Sofia could even scream, Alaric’s fist connected with Jeremy’s jaw with a heavy punch. Jeremy was sent sprawling backward into the grass, but he scrambled to his feet instantly, a predatory grin spreading across his bloody lips.
"Is that all you’ve got, Alpha?" Jeremy spat, wiping blood from his mouth.
Alaric didn’t answer with words. He lunged again, his movements a blur of rage. The two brothers collided like stars crashing, a brutal symphony of heavy blows and snarls. Alaric was relentless, his eyes glowing a terrifying, murderous silver. He wasn’t just fighting; he was trying to tear Jeremy apart.
"Alaric, stop! Please!" Sofia yelled, her hands flying to her hair. "Stop it!"
But they were deaf to her. Alaric pinned Jeremy to the ground, his forearm pressed against Jeremy’s throat while his other fist rained down.
"Stay. Away. From. Her!" Alaric roared with every strike.
"She’s... not... Elizabeth!" Jeremy choked out, laughing even as he bled.
Seeing that Alaric was truly going to kill him, Sofia ran forward. She threw herself between them, shielding Jeremy’s battered body with her own. She stood directly in front of Alaric, her chest heaving, her blue eyes wide with terror and fury.
"Stop it! If you kill him—!" she screamed.
Alaric froze, his fist cocked back, trembling with the effort to hold back his wolf.
Slowly, Alaric stood up, but the rage hadn’t left him; it had just turned cold. He didn’t look at his brother. He grabbed Sofia’s wrist, his grip like a shackle of iron.
"We’re going inside," he growled.
"Alaric, let go! You’re hurting me!" Sofia cried, trying to pull away.
He didn’t listen. He dragged her across the lawn, his stride long and furious. He hauled her through the glass doors and into the foyer, ignoring her protests. The guards at the door lowered their heads, terrified to even look at the Alpha in this state.
