SOPHIA’S POV

The sounds of children laughing and teachers talking slowly faded into the background as I walked away from the campsite alone.

I didn’t even know where I was going. All I knew was that my chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe properly anymore.

My wolf whimpered painfully inside me with every step I took. She was restless and emotional after everything that happened earlier. Seeing Ashley scream cruel words at Boris had already shaken us deeply, but hearing the hatred in my daughter’s voice afterward completely shattered something inside me.

All this surprised me because Ashley used to be sweet, so sweet.

I still remembered the little girl who used to crawl into my bed at night holding her stuffed rabbit while calling me Mommy with sleepy eyes. I remembered tiny hands clinging tightly to my clothes whenever she got scared. I remembered how she used to laugh so brightly whenever I came home from work.

But lately...everything had changed. And I didn’t know how to fix it anymore.

I finally stopped walking when I reached a quieter area near the edge of the forest. Tall trees surrounded the small clearing. The distant sounds of the field trip barely reached this place anymore.

The quietness broke me completely.

The moment I realized nobody else was nearby, my tears finally spilled.

I covered my mouth immediately, trying desperately to stay quiet, but the sob still escaped anyway.

My shoulders shook as I bent forward slightly, struggling to breathe through the pain crushing my chest. My wolf cried painfully inside me too

I wiped my face quickly with trembling hands, but more tears kept falling anyway. The image of Ashley screaming that she hated everyone replayed painfully inside my head over and over again.

Maybe I really had failed her. Maybe I’d been too absent because of work. Maybe I’d spent too much time emotionally exhausted from Damien. Maybe Ashley truly no longer needed me anymore.

The thought nearly destroyed me.

“She doesn’t even want me anymore,” I whispered brokenly.

“You’re wrong.”

The deep voice behind me startled me badly. I turned immediately.

Zade stood several feet away, silently watching me.

For a second, neither of us spoke.

I was shocked to see him. After our fight earlier, I didn’t expect him to come after me at all, especially not after I slapped him and called him disgusting. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

But somehow...he still came.

My wolf reacted strongly to his presence.

I quickly looked away from him and wiped my face angrily.

“I’m fine.”

It was an obvious lie.

Zade walked closer anyway.

“No, you’re not.”

His voice sounded quieter now than before.

“I said I’m fine.” I muttered.

Zade stopped directly in front of me. For several seconds, he simply stared down at me silently while I avoided his eyes completely.

Zade sighed “Come here.”

Before I could react, he gently pulled me against his chest.

This time...there was no force, no anger. There was just warmth. And somehow, that completely destroyed the last bit of strength I had left.

I broke down. I sobbed as my fingers grabbed the front of his shirt tightly. My entire body shook against him.

Zade held me silently.

“I don’t know what happened,” I whispered “I don’t know how things became like this.”

Zade stayed silent.

“Ashley used to love me,” I whispered painfully. “She used to cry whenever I left for work. She used to sleep beside me every night, but now she looks at me like I’m a stranger.”

My wolf whimpered loudly.

I pressed my face harder against Zade’s chest while trying calming my breathing.

“She’s changing so much,” I whispered helplessly. “And I don’t know how to stop it.”

For several seconds, only the sound of my crying filled the quiet forest.

“It’s not your fault.” Zade said.

I laughed bitterly through tears “You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

I looked up at him.

Zade’s expression looked darker than usual again, but this time the anger wasn’t directed at me.

“You care too much to be a bad mother,” Zade said quietly.

My chest tightened painfully hearing that. No one had said something kind to me like that in a very long time.

I swallowed hard “Then why does she hate me?”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

His thumb gently brushed tears away from my cheek. The tenderness of the action made my breath catch.

“She’s confused,” he said softly. “Children are easily influenced.”

My eyes burned again. Then finally, I whispered the thought hurting me most.

“What if I lose her?”

The words nearly broke me all over again. That fear had been haunting me for months now.

Zade held me tighter “You won’t.”

He looked directly into my eyes “I’ll help you.”

I blinked in shock “What?”

“You heard me.” His expression remained serious. “I won’t let anyone take your daughter away from you.”

My wolf reacted strongly to his words. I hated how much comfort I felt hearing him say that.

I knew I shouldn’t rely on him emotionally anymore, not after everything, not after how complicated our relationship had become.

But standing here now while he held me carefully against him... I felt less alone.

Before I could respond though, distant voices suddenly echoed from the campsite direction again. I could hear Ashley’s crying.

My wolf became alert instantly too.

Zade glanced toward the camp before slowly releasing me.

“We should go back.” he said.

I nodded, wiping my tears.

The walk back felt painfully tense, not because of our earlier fight anymore. But because I already knew seeing Ashley again would hurt me.

My wolf stayed restless the entire way too. She remained emotionally unstable after crying earlier, and being near Zade only complicated her emotions further.

When we finally returned to the campsite...my entire world stopped.

Ashley sat near the picnic area crying heavily in Tiffany’s arms.

Several adults nearby watched awkwardly while teachers pretended focusing on the children instead. Tiffany knelt beside Ashley gently stroking her hair while speaking softly to calm her down.

“Tiffany...” Ashley cried “Don’t leave me.”

Something inside me cracked painfully.

Tiffany’s eyes briefly lifted toward me, and I immediately saw it - the satisfaction hidden deep inside them.

My wolf growled softly.

Beside me, Zade went stiff.

She buried her face harder against Tiffany’s shoulder while sobbing.

“Please stay with me forever.” She said.

Tiffany’s expression softened instantly.

Ashley’s voice became smaller “Mom.”

Everything inside me shattered completely. My breath stopped.

My wolf cried out painfully inside me like she’d been stabbed directly through the heart. The bond between mother and pup was instinctive for wolves. And hearing my own daughter call another woman Mom...it destroyed me completely.

The entire world blurred around me.

I could barely hear the surrounding voices anymore over the roaring pain inside my chest.

Meanwhile, Tiffany slowly hugged Ashley tighter.

“I’ll always love you.” Ashley whispered.

The words nearly killed me.

Beside me, Zade suddenly moved. His Alpha aura exploded across the entire campsite now. Nearby adults gasped while several children looked frightened immediately.

He looked furious, absolutely furious. His wolf had completely lost control now after witnessing everything.

“How dare she-” he snarled.

Before he could take another step toward them, I grabbed him.

“Stop.” I said.

Zade looked down at me in shock. His entire body radiated rage now.

“Sophia-”

“Please.”

My voice broke painfully. My wolf whimpered weakly inside me now too.

Despite everything...Ashley still looked terrified. And I couldn’t bear making this worse for her anymore.

He looked at me “She’s manipulating your daughter right in front of you.”

“I know.”

Tears rolled silently down my face again while I watched Ashley cling tightly to Tiffany like I no longer existed.

My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe.

I tightened my grip on Zade’s arm.

“Please don’t.” I said.

For several long seconds, Zade looked ready to explode anyway.

Then finally...he stopped moving, but the terrifying rage in his eyes never disappeared.