Chapter 691: The Daughter of Victoria

Gradually, the noise in the square died down.

The arguments faded first, then the muttering, until eventually only the cold wind could be heard moving through the crowd.

Thousands of eyes remained fixed on Sophia.

Some angry.

Some uncertain.

Some openly distrustful.

Sophia inhaled slowly as snow drifted softly around the square.

Then finally, she spoke.

"Before I begin..." she said clearly, her voice carrying through the silence, "I must apologize to all of you."

A faint ripple moved through the crowd.

Then Sophia bowed deeply.

"I am sorry."

The square fell even quieter somehow.

Orion stood behind her, jaw tight, a low growl escaping him. He hated hearing her apologize for things that were not hers to carry.

But he stayed silent.

Because this was Sophia’s moment.

Slowly, she straightened again.

"Everyone in this pack knows that when I arrived here, I had memory issues," she continued calmly. "I did not know who I was. I remembered only my name and nothing else."

Some people in the crowd exchanged glances.

Others remained still.

"I did not know where I came from. I did not know who my family was. And never, not even once, did I think I would have any connection to Victoria."

Her voice remained steady despite the heaviness behind it.

"So for the fear and confusion this revelation has caused... I am sorry."

A low growl left Orion’s chest again.

Sophia heard it.

But she continued anyway.

"I know what Victoria has done to all of you," she said softly. "I know how much pain she caused."

The crowd remained silent.

"She destroyed families," Sophia continued. "She labeled innocent people traitors. She turned your lives upside down and forced you all to flee across regions just to survive."

Her throat tightened slightly.

"And because of Victoria and the Enclave, the Nightshade Pack now lives in Nirvana instead of the home that once belonged to you."

A few expressions in the crowd shifted at that. Most of them uncertain. They had thought she would avoid the main issue, but instead she was acknowledging it.

"I know all of this," Sophia continued quietly. "And I understand why many of you are angry."

Snow crunched faintly somewhere in the crowd as someone shifted.

"But I am not Victoria."

Her voice sharpened slightly for the first time.

"I am not a spy."

Someone near the front scoffed quietly, but Sophia did not react.

"If I were lying right now," she continued, "Orion would expose me immediately."

That caused another ripple through the square.

Because everyone knew it was true.

Orion could detect lies. It was one of the things feared most about him.

Sophia gestured slightly toward him.

"He can tell when someone lies," she said. "And everything I am saying to you now, and will continue to say, is nothing but the truth."

She inhaled slowly before continuing.

"Victoria may have given birth to me," she said quietly, "but I am not Victoria."

Her blue eyes moved across the crowd carefully.

"When I arrived here, the Nightshade Pack welcomed me with open arms despite not knowing who I was."

Some faces softened faintly.

Others still remained guarded. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"You gave me clothes," Sophia continued. "You gave me food. You gave me work."

She smiled faintly at the memories despite herself.

"You laughed with me. You fought beside me. You treated me like I belonged here even when I did not even know myself."

Emotion tightened quietly in her chest.

"And because of all of you..." she admitted softly, "I finally understood what family meant. It is not the one who births you. It is more than that. It is the people who care, who support you despite everything, who would cry with you when you are sad, who would laugh with you, make you comfortable, see to it that you are okay and are able to move forward even when things are tough. It is the people who do all of that. It is not just blood, it is more than that."

Silence spread again.

No one interrupted her.

No one shouted or even scoffed this time either.

"In this pack, I found something I had never truly known before," Sophia continued. "Kindness, loyalty, care."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward familiar faces in the crowd.

Toward people who had once trained beside her.

Eaten with her, played with her.

People who had slowly become important to her without her even realizing it.

"I know my words may not fully convince everyone," she admitted honestly. "And perhaps some of you may still hate me after today."

A woman lowered her gaze quietly.

"But you should know this..."

Sophia straightened slightly.

"I will never do anything to harm this pack."

The wind swept through the square again.

"I am not Victoria," she repeated firmly. "I am Sophia."

Her voice echoed softly through the silence.

"Yes, we share blood. But sharing blood does not make us the same."

Her eyes hardened slightly.

"Victoria may be my mother by birth... but she was never truly a mother to me."

The words carried enough quiet bitterness that even those still angry felt it.

"And just like all of you," Sophia continued, "I also see Victoria as the enemy."

Several people visibly stiffened at that.

"I would do anything necessary to fight against her," Sophia said steadily. "And I would do everything in my power to protect this pack."

The square remained silent afterward.

Sophia could practically feel thousands of thoughts moving through the crowd all at once.

Doubt, confusion, conflict.

Some still looked suspicious.

Others looked uncertain now instead of furious.

And some... some looked guilty.

Then finally, a man somewhere near the middle of the crowd frowned and shouted,

"Then who exactly are you?"

The question echoed across the square.

Immediately, several people nearby groaned.

"Did you not just hear her?" someone snapped at him. "She literally said she is Sophia."

"You people never listen properly," another muttered.

The man looked offended.

"Well, excuse me for asking!"

A few strained laughs escaped somewhere in the crowd, and the tension loosened just slightly.

Even Sophia smiled faintly.

Then she inhaled slowly once more.

"Yes," she said softly. "I am Sophia."

Her expression steadied again.

"The daughter of Victoria."

Sophia could feel Orion’s gaze on her from behind, steady and grounding.

Then she took another breath.

"And..."

Her voice carried clearly through the crowd.

"I am also the foretold Luna from the prophecy."