SOPHIA’S POV

I had barely made it home when my phone rang.

The moment I saw the caller ID, I frowned.

Klara was calling.

A five-year-old usually didn’t call adults unless something was wrong. The only times she used the phone her parents gave her was strictly for emergencies only. Nothing else.

My heart started beating faster.

I answered quickly.

"Klara?"

The little girl’s voice came through the phone, trembling badly.

"Aunt Sophia!"

I started to panic "What happened?"

"Ashley is sick. She fell!"

Everything inside me froze. My wolf moved forward.

Fear slammed into me so hard that I nearly dropped my phone.

"What do you mean she’s sick and she fell?"

Klara sounded close to tears.

"We were playing outside at kindergarten. Ashley fell down. She’s crying. The teachers are here."

I was already grabbing my bag "Is she bleeding?"

"I don’t know."

"Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m coming."

I ended the call and rushed out.

My heart pounded wildly inside my chest.

My wolf whimpered anxiously inside me.

The drive to the kindergarten felt endless. Every red light irritated me. Every second felt too long.

By the time I arrived, I was breathing hard. I practically ran through the school gates.

Several teachers were gathered near the playground. Children stood nearby watching curiously.

Then I saw Ashley. She was sitting on a bench.

The moment our eyes met, she immediately started crying louder.

"Mommy!" she screamed.

My heart clenched at the sight of her.

Without thinking, I rushed over.

"Ashley!" I said.

I knelt beside her. My hands quickly checked her arms, legs, head, and neck.

"Ashley, where does it hurt?" I asked.

She pointed dramatically at her knee, then her arm, then her stomach, then her ankle.

I blinked in confusion. I didn’t understand what she meant. The locations kept changing.

Something felt strange, very strange.

Still, I pushed the thought away. Maybe she was just confused as a kid and maybe due to the fall, she hurt her whole body.

"What happened?" I asked one of the teachers.

The teacher looked relieved to see me.

"She fell while running." She explained.

"Did she hit her head?"

"We don’t think so."

Ashley started crying again.

"It hurts!" she whined.

My wolf growled nervously.

I didn’t want to take chances.

"Let’s go to the hospital." I said.

Ashley’s crying instantly stopped, for a split second. Then it started again.

I noticed that. My doctor instincts noticed as well but I ignored it. She was still my daughter. I had to make sure she was perfectly fine.

I picked her up carefully. Ashley allowed me to carry her.

She even rested her head against my shoulder. The feeling almost made me emotional. I hadn’t held her like this in a long time.

I kissed the top of her head "It’s okay."

She remained silent.

The hospital wasn’t far away. Within thirty minutes Ashley was undergoing examinations, blood work, X-rays, neurological assessments.

Everything.

As a doctor, I personally made sure every necessary test was done.

I sat beside her throughout the process, holding her hand and reassuring her.

Hours passed. Finally the results arrived.

I studied every page carefully, then I studied them again and again.

There was nothing wrong with her. Absolutely nothing.

Ashley was perfectly healthy. There wasn’t a single injury. Not even a minor bruise.

I lowered the reports. Across from me, Ashley sat swinging her legs. She was eating candy, looking completely relaxed.

My wolf narrowed her eyes “She’s pretending”

I looked directly at her "Ashley."

She looked up innocently "Yes?"

"You’re fine."

She shrugged.

"I know."

I blinked "You know?"

She nodded. The candy continued moving between her lips.

Something inside me cracked.

"Ashley... why did you pretend to be hurt?"

She rolled her eyes. She actually rolled her eyes.

She shrugged "I wanted you to come."

The answer shocked me.

I stared at her in total disbelief. She continued chewing her candy....as if this entire situation was normal.

"You lied?" I repeated.

She shrugged again "So?"

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

"Ashley."

Her face suddenly became stubborn "You’re always busy. You never come."

Her words made me freeze. My throat tightened and for a moment, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

But before I could say anything, Ashley continued.

"Aunt Tiffany comes when I call."

My heart shattered a little more.

"Aunt Tiffany buys me toys." She said "Aunt Tiffany reads to me."

My wolf whimpered painfully.

Ashley crossed her arms "You’re mean."

I stared at her.

Everything hurt. Every word, every comparison.

I knew Tiffany had been influencing her. I knew Damien had allowed it. But hearing it from Ashley’s own mouth was different. It was far more painful.

I took a deep breath “Ashley, I’m your mother."

She looked away "I don’t care."

Something inside me snapped.

At this point, it was everything – the pressure, the exhaustion, the divorce, my illness, the betrayal, the constant rejection. Everything suddenly exploded together.

Before I could stop myself, I slapped her across the cheek.

The room became silent.

Ashley froze. I froze in shock. My hand froze.

I didn’t mean to do that.

For several seconds neither of us moved. The red mark on her cheek appeared slowly.

Shock filled her eyes then it turned to rage.

My wolf recoiled “What have we done?”

I started feeling regret instantly.

"Ashley-"

Before I could finish speaking, she lashed out. Her little leg kicked forward violently straight into my abdomen. It was directly where my injuries had barely healed.

Pain exploded through me so hard that I gasped. My entire body folded.

The force wasn’t that much but it landed exactly in the wrong place.

Hot pain shot through my stomach and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

I stumbled backward then I fell to the floor.

Ashley started screaming "Help!"

Tears poured down her face as she spoke "Mommy hit me!"

The door suddenly opened and Damien walked in.

My heart sank. Perfect timing. Absolutely perfect.

I’d messaged him earlier to let him know Ashley was sick.

Damien’s eyes immediately landed on Ashley, then the handprint on her face, then me.

"Daddy!"

Ashley ran toward him. Damien caught her instantly.

"What happened?" he asked.

Ashley buried her face in his chest. She pointed at me.

"Mommy hit me!"

I stared at my daughter in shock. Ashley wouldn’t even look at me. The betrayal hurt more than the injury.

Damien’s expression darkened.

He looked at me "You hit her?"

I opened my mouth. "Damien-"

Ashley interrupted immediately "She was angry!"

Tears streamed down her face now as she cried out "She doesn’t love me!"

Every word stabbed deeper. The pain I felt wasn’t much compared to this.

Damien’s eyes became colder and colder.

He didn’t ask questions. He simply believed her.

My heart broke again. Of course, he did.

"Sophia." He growled "What is wrong with you?"

I stared at him. "You aren’t even going to ask what happened?"

"Ashley is five."

I scoffed "As if children don’t lie?"

His jaw tightened "Not about this."

I laughed. It was a broken laugh, a painful laugh. It was the kind that came when someone had already given up.

Of course he believed her.

My wolf lowered her head sadly “He never chooses us”.

The realization hurt because it was true.

Ashley buried her face deeper into Damien’s shoulder.

He comforted her and stroked her hair. He whispered gentle words.

The sight shattered something inside me.

I looked at my daughter. I looked at my husband.

And suddenly I felt tired.

"Ashley." I called.

She refused to look at me.

"Ashley." I called again.

Nothing.

The rejection hurt.

I swallowed hard, then the words escaped. They were words born from pain and heartbreak.

"I regret it." I whispered,

The room became deathly quiet.

Damien slowly looked up "What?"

Tears filled my eyes.

"I regret giving birth to Ashley."

The moment the words left my mouth, everything stopped. Even my wolf gasped.

Ashley’s eyes widened. Damien looked horrified. For several seconds nobody moved.

Then Damien exploded.

"Enough!" he growled.

The roar echoed through the room. Everyone outside immediately turned to look.

His wolf pushed forward and Alpha dominance filled the air.

"How dare you say that?" he growled. His voice shook with fury. "Do you know how much she loves you?"

I laughed bitterly. "Really? Because all I see is a child who hates me."

"She’s a child!"

"It’s because of you!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

We were both shouting now.

Years of resentment filled every word. Years of pain and disappointment.

Damien’s face became darker "You’re her mother."

I smiled sadly "And what are you?"

He froze. For one brief second guilt flashed across his face then it disappeared.

Ashley clung tighter to him. The answer was right there. He chose her. He chose her version. He chose everyone except me.

Finally Damien picked Ashley up.

"Come on." He told her.

Ashley nodded. They left together. He didn’t even look back, not once.

The room became silent.

My wolf curled up inside me, feeling broken.

I stood there alone. For several seconds I didn’t move.

Then even more pain exploded through my abdomen.

I gasped, holding the spot. My whole body was filled with pain. My vision blurred.

Something was wrong.

I grabbed the edge of the bed. The room spun violently.

My legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor.

I could hear voices echoing nearby as I laid on the floor. Then suddenly another voice broke through.

"Sophia!"

My eyes fluttered open. It was Zade.

He looked terrified as he dropped to his knees beside me.

"What happened?" he asked.

I couldn’t answer. The pain was overwhelming.

Tears slid down my cheeks.

"Sophia." His voice shook. "Stay awake."

Zade picked me up and carried me toward emergency treatment with panic written all over his face.

That was when darkness finally swallowed me whole.