Chapter 307: The Path Back to Her

Orion knew, from the moment Sophia’s friends stormed into the medical facility—anxious, excited, buzzing with an energy that made even the older ones look Joren’s age—that they’d stay a long while.

He let them. They needed the time. And when they were done, he intended to have Sophia all to himself, without interruption—goddess willing.

After leaving the facility, he made his way to Marta’s home to ask whether Sophia could be released the next day.

He was tired of staying there too. He was tired of the stifling heat of dried herbs, the sting of medicines in the air, and the faint scent of pain that always clung to the walls. He hated the medical facility—hated being trapped inside it.

But he’d willingly endured all of it for Sophia.

His jaw clenched as her words came back to him, the memory she had recovered, the one she had been forced to relive.

He hated that she had gone through something like that at the hands of the woman who birthed her. At this point, he was beginning to doubt whether that woman was even her real mother—whether she could truly be the one who’d given life to Sophia.

He couldn’t understand how someone who had suffered through childbirth could inflict such cruelty and then blame the child. It made no sense.

But for now, he had to stay calm. She would remember everything eventually: who her mother was, what pack she belonged to, and when that day came, he would help Sophia inflict the same pain that woman had inflicted on her.

After he asked Marta about Sophia’s release, she told him yes—Sophia wasn’t that sick anymore. She could move, only with mild pain, and that pain was mostly from replicating the abuse she’d suffered on herself during the memory recovery.

As long as she continued coming in for the healers to check the smaller injuries, there was no issue. Her fever had already taken a steep dive; by tomorrow, she should be more than clear to leave.

Orion could already imagine the look on her face when he told her. That joy. That small, bright smile—the one that made him do things he never planned to do. The one that always tugged at something inside him he had never been able to name.

A smile he wished would remain on her face forever.

And she deemed him worthy of seeing it. That alone made his chest feel too full.

He shook his head at himself. It was obvious—painfully obvious—to anyone with eyes that he was a goner for Sophia. Maybe he’d been a goner from the very first day, from the moment those blue eyes met his.

And even if some members of the pack didn’t approve... well, he didn’t care anymore. Let them gossip. Let them sulk. Let them whisper.

He and Sophia were together. That was all that mattered.

"Time for the next stop," he muttered to himself.

As he walked through the pack, people greeted him. Some told him how happy they were for him and Sophia. Others only nodded politely. But many couldn’t hide the joy lighting up their expressions.

He appreciated those ones the most.

When he finally reached his destination, he paused outside the door.

Noctis released a low growl. Not a menacing sound—more of a warning. Enough to make the hairs on Orion’s arms stand.

The scent was still familiar... but mixed with something else. Something odd. Something he couldn’t quite place.

What had Eldric been doing to alter his scent? Perhaps that was why he’d been avoiding Orion—not because Orion had sent Eldric’s mate with Ronan into the heart of Nirvana.

Orion frowned.

He knocked on the door. No answer. He steadied his breathing, listening for the faintest movement inside, but the house was still. Too still. Noctis’ ears, which never missed anything, caught nothing.

Orion tried the handle but it was locked.

A small knot tightened inside his stomach.

"Do you think there’s something wrong?" he asked Noctis.

*Wrong as in we need to alert the entire pack and prepare for an attack? No.*

"But don’t you think it’s convenient?" Orion murmured. "Just when I need to see him, he’s suddenly not home."

*That is true. But we will find him. Eldric cannot hide forever.*

Orion nodded. With nothing more to do here, he turned away.

He had almost reached the medical facility when two old men stepped directly into his path—men he knew very, very well.

Orion groaned and immediately turned to walk the other way, but the two elders grabbed him. Daniel’s grip was tight—tighter than Caspian’s even though Caspian only had one hand.

"Where do you think you’re going, boy?" Caspian asked with a pleasant smile.

A familiar smile. A dangerous one. The kind he’d fallen for when he was younger and far more foolish.

"I was trying to escape you," Orion told them.

"Too bad," Daniel said. "You can’t."

"Is something the matter?" Orion asked cautiously.

"Apart from the fact that you were with your future wife under our noses and thought you could take us for fools?" Daniel said innocently.

Orion sighed. So that was it. They’d finally cornered him. He’d been dodging them for days, but it seemed his luck had run out. Better to face them now than later.

"Technically, you two assumed I wasn’t with her," Orion pointed out.

"And you didn’t correct the assumption," Caspian said gruffly.

"Come with us. To my home," Daniel said. "Someone gave me a new batch of grape juice."

And just like that, the two elders dragged Orion away like a criminal being taken in for questioning.

Perhaps Orion was a criminal to them but unlike the other crimes people committed, his crime was letting the elders believe that he and Sophia were not together.

But he was not to be blamed for them jumping to conclusions right?

As they moved, some pack members gazed at him with a frown while some others chuckled muttering that Orion was in trouble with the elders again.

Orion sighed, they couldn’t be more closer to the truth.