Chapter 688: Before the Truth Spreads

Within minutes, the house was empty leaving only Sophia and Orion.

Sophia sat for a moment while the warmth of the hearth crackled softly nearby.

Then Orion reached for her hand.

Sophia looked at him as his fingers intertwined with hers.

"I hope you are not going to start blaming yourself for everything again," he told her quietly.

Sophia smiled faintly before nodding once. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"I will try not to."

Orion narrowed his eyes slightly.

"That response does not inspire confidence."

Sophia laughed softly under her breath.

"It is the best you are going to get for now."

Orion sighed dramatically as though burdened by fate itself and Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Stop being dramatic, you oaf," she said with an eye roll, making him chuckle.

Sophia’s smile widened slightly at the expression on his face before her features softened again.

"There is something I need to do before court," she said after a moment.

Orion’s expression eased slightly.

"What is it?"

Sophia hesitated briefly before answering.

"I need to speak to some people."

Orion watched her quietly. Then understanding settled into his expression.

"You want to meet your friends."

Sophia nodded.

"Brynhild, Ronan, Lysander, and Tobias are not the only people I care about," she said softly. "And... since I woke up, I have not seen the others."

Her fingers tightened slightly around his hand.

"I am certain they are worried about me."

Orion hummed softly in acknowledgment.

"Dren was the one who went to get Lysander earlier," he told her.

A small smile touched her lips at the thought of him.

"I want them to hear it from me first," Sophia admitted quietly. "Not during court alongside everyone else."

Orion remained silent, letting her continue.

"I am going to tell them everything," she said. "About being the Luna from the prophecy. About Victoria being my mother. Everything."

The words sounded heavier aloud.

But even so, Sophia felt oddly calmer saying them now compared to before.

Perhaps because there was no longer any point hiding.

Everything had already begun unraveling anyway.

"It is better they hear it directly from me," she continued softly. "Rather than hearing it from the crowd."

Orion sighed quietly.

"I understand."

Sophia watched him carefully.

Then Orion added flatly, "And just so you know, if any of them gets angry at you, I will set them straight."

Sophia chuckled immediately.

"You say that as though you are preparing for war."

"Who knows?" he asked her with a shrug.

Sophia shook her head softly before her expression gentled again.

"I appreciate you," she told him quietly. "And I am thankful for you being your annoying self."

Orion stared at her for a second before the corners of his lips curved slightly.

"And I am thankful for you being your annoying self too."

Sophia narrowed her eyes but before she could say anything, Orion leaned closer and pressed a small kiss against her lips.

The kiss was brief, soft, grounding in a way that made the tension in Sophia’s chest loosen slightly again.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead briefly against hers.

"I will send for your friends," he murmured. "But wash up first."

Sophia blinked.

Then he added with complete seriousness, "Your breath stinks."

Sophia punched him immediately.

Orion made a wounded sound and clutched his side dramatically.

"Shorty, your punches are becoming genuinely hurtful."

Sophia ignored that completely.

"Your breath stinks too," she shot back.

Orion laughed loudly at that.

"Then we match."

Sophia rolled her eyes again, though the laugh threatening her lips betrayed her.

Honestly, she did not know what she would have done today without him.

Even now, with everything falling apart around them, Orion still somehow found ways to pull her out of her own head. And perhaps that was one of the reasons why she loved him even more.

—

Some time later, Orion was gone.

Sophia had washed up properly, changed clothes, and tried to make herself look at least somewhat composed before the others arrived.

The panic attack from earlier still lingered faintly in her chest, but it no longer felt like something swallowing her whole.

Now it simply felt like dread.

Manageable dread, which was admittedly an improvement.

Voices sounded outside not long after.

Then the front door opened.

Joren entered first and immediately froze.

His eyes slowly lifted toward the ceiling before trailing around the house in complete awe.

"This is the first time I have ever entered Alpha Orion’s home," he announced loudly.

Sophia blinked.

Nia walked in behind him and immediately spoke in the driest tone possible.

"It smells like Sophia and Alpha Orion."

Joren nearly choked.

Sophia felt her face warm slightly.

Then Laia entered behind them and sniffed once before nodding thoughtfully.

"That is because they fu—"

"LAIA!" Dren nearly shouted as he rushed forward in horror.

Laia burst into laughter immediately.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Was I wrong?"

"Please do not talk about the f word when I am with my sister," he cried.

Joren exhaled at that too.

"I am with Dren on this. I do not want to know too."

"But it does smell like the both of them," Laia said laughing.

Cat chuckled too as she and Micah walked in and she closed the door.

"I really cannot believe we are in Alpha Orion’s home," Joren said in awe.

"Boy, that is not why we are here. You can fawn over this some other time," Cat said with an eye roll.

"You are not much older than me though," Joren grumbled.

Cat paused and then smiled at him.

"That may be true but you see, I am still older."

Joren rolled his eyes and Dren took Cat by the neck.

"Stop harassing my friend," he told her.

Cat slipped through his hold with a smile on her face.

"He is my friend too."

While they argued, Micah took a seat on one of the available chairs.

Then Sophia took in a deep breath.

"There is a reason I called you all here," she said and the jokes stopped immediately. "I have something to tell you all."