Chapter 33: Clashing Tides

The heavy oak door of Orion’s office slammed shut with a resonant thud, the sound reverberating off the stone walls like a war drum’s final beat. Sophia stumbled forward, her arm still tingling from the iron grip Orion had used to drag her inside.

The room was a fortress of cold efficiency, maps pinned to the walls with rusted daggers, a cluttered desk groaning under the weight of scrolls, and a single narrow window casting a pale, ghostly light across the floor.

Sophia wasn’t surprised by the scrolls especially because just recently, Ronan and Orion had been running around the pack due to gis negligence of paperwork.

The air smelled of ink and leather, underscored by the faint metallic tang of Orion’s blood-streaked armor.

Orion loomed over her, his broad shoulders heaving with each breath, his eyes filled with a fury that could melt the snow outside. Blood crusted along a gash on his shoulder, a testament to the Trihydra’s venomous bite, yet his stance was unyielding, a predator sizing up its prey.

Sophia’s heart pounded, her mind a whirlwind of the Trihydra’s haunting gaze and the pack’s recent victory, but Orion’s glare pinned her in place.

"What did you think you were doing?" he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the room.

Sophia blinked, her confusion bubbling to the surface as she rubbed her arm where his hand had been. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her brows knitting together in a frown.

Orion’s eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a snarl. "You know damn well what I mean," he snapped, stepping closer, his shadow swallowing her smaller frame.

The heat of his anger was palpable, a storm brewing in the confined space.

She tilted her head, a spark of defiance igniting in her chest despite the tremor in her hands. "I don’t speak grumpy," she retorted, crossing her arms and meeting his gaze with a defiant lift of her chin. "Care to translate that into something resembling a sentence I can understand?"

His jaw tightened, a muscle twitching as he loomed even closer, his breath hot against the cold air. "Don’t play dumb with me, Sophia. You think you can just waltz around like you own the place?" His voice rose, each word dripping with irritation. "I saw you at the gate. What the hell were you doing there?"

The accusation hit her like a slap, and her mouth opened, then closed, a stutter escaping her lips as her mind raced. He knew?

How could he have seen her pressed against the barricade, watching the battle unfold? Her cheeks flushed, a mix of embarrassment and panic, and she took a step back, bumping into the desk. "I, I didn’t think you’d..." she stammered, her voice faltering under his piercing stare.

"Didn’t think I’d what?" Orion pressed, his tone sharpening as he crossed his arms, mirroring her stance but with a menace that made the room feel smaller. "Didn’t think I’d notice you sneaking around where you don’t belong? Or maybe you’re trying to kill yourself out there? Or...wait, do you know something we don’t? Did you know the Skylurs and that damned Trihydra were coming, and you wanted to see for yourself if they’d gotten their mark?"

Sophia’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. The Trihydra’s gaze flashed in her mind, that icy connection she couldn’t explain, but his accusation ignited a fire in her gut. He really was mad if he thought she had anything to down with the beasts.

She straightened, her voice dropping to an icy edge as she glared at him. "You’ve gone bonkers if you think I have anything to do with those monsters. I just found out what a Trihydra is today, you insufferable oaf!"

Orion’s face darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. "Don’t call me that," he shot back, his voice a growl. "You were out there, risking your neck, and ours, when you should’ve been safe with the others. Explain yourself, now!"

Sophia’s lips pressed into a thin line, her anger surging as she took a step toward him, closing the distance with a boldness she didn’t feel. "You’re not my father, Orion," she spat, her words sharp as a blade. "Mind your own damn business!"

The room seemed to pulse with their rising tempers, the air crackling with unspoken tension. Orion’s eyes flashed, a storm of frustration and something deeper, hurt, perhaps, but it vanished before Sophia could define what it was. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"Insufferable," he hissed, the word dripping with venom. "You’re insufferable, Sophia. I should’ve left you to die when we found you bleeding out under that Skylur. Would’ve saved us all this trouble."

The words struck her like a physical blow, and for a moment, the world tilted. Her breath hitched, a fresh wave of anger and pain crashing over her as memories of that day flashed before her eyes. If he hadn’t come, she would have died. If Tobias hadn’t even given her the whistle she wouldn’t be here right now.

Her hands trembled, but she channeled the hurt into a fiery retort, her voice rising with each syllable. "Go fuck yourself, Orion! You should’ve left me to die! I’m sure Brynhild was the one who saved me, even with her pregnancy, carrying me back while you stood there barking orders like some self-important prick!"

Orion’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing to slits, but he didn’t correct her. The truth, that he had been the one to carry her, bloodied and unconscious, back to the compound, remained locked behind his clenched teeth.

"I’m only going to ask one more time, what the fuck were you doing at the gate?" He growled out. "And you better give me an answer this time."

"That won’t work on me. I’m not some kid, Orion." She growled at him.

"But for the time you are with us in this pack, you are under my protection and I have every fucking right to ask you what you were doing at the gate. If you don’t want to answer then you can leave. It’ll save us all the trouble with your unknown past." He spat out.

Each word he said to her made her hurt more but she steeled herself. She did not understand why he was being this angry or livid with her especially since she didn’t hurt anyone.

"Fuck you!"

"No, fuck that shit. Answer me!" Heroared angrily.

"I was curious!" She shouted at him in anger. "There, are you happy now? I was curious as to what was happening. I wanted to know what you guys were fighting."

"So you went to the gate when every person who isn’t liable to fight were gathered safely?" She asked her.

"Yes."

Orion scoffed. She wasn’t lying, he knew that but he could not wrap his head around what was going through her tho

ught process. She was about to hurt herself because she was curious?