Chapter 7: Unwanted Sanctuary
1389 Words
The SUV smelled like leather, rain, and wolf. Sofia sat rigid in the back seat, arms wrapped tightly around her middle as if she could shield her unborn child from the entire Blackwood Pack. Marcus sat beside her, silent and watchful. Two other wolves occupied the front seats, their eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every few seconds.
No one spoke for the first ten minutes.
Rain hammered the roof like impatient fingers. Sofia’s cheek still stung from the rogue’s slap, and her wrists burned where the zip ties had cut in. But the real pain was deeper — the constant, throbbing ache of the broken mate bond that had flared back to life the moment Marcus’s wolves appeared.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she finally said, voice hoarse. “I was handling it.”
Marcus let out a low breath. “Handling it? You were seconds away from being sold to the highest bidder. Those rogues have been sniffing around Silverhaven for weeks. We had no idea they’d found you.”
Sofia turned her head to stare out the window. City lights blurred into streaks of gold and red. “And how exactly did you find me, Marcus? Been keeping tabs on the rejected omega all this time?”
The Beta didn’t deny it. “Julian ordered discreet checks after you left. He wanted to make sure you were… safe.”
A bitter laugh escaped her. “Safe. That’s rich coming from the man who publicly humiliated me and told me to go play house with a human boy.”
Marcus shifted uncomfortably. His massive frame made the back seat feel cramped. “He’s been different since that night. Quieter. Meaner to everyone else. His wolf hasn’t stopped howling for you.”
“Good,” Sofia whispered. “Let it howl.”
The vehicle turned off the main road into a quiet, upscale residential area on the outskirts of Silverhaven. Tall gates opened automatically as they approached a modern mansion hidden behind thick trees. It wasn’t pack territory, but it screamed money and security — Blackwood property, no doubt.
They pulled into an underground garage. Marcus helped her out, but Sofia shrugged off his hand the moment her feet touched the ground. Her legs felt unsteady, but she refused to show weakness.
Inside, the house was beautiful in a cold, luxurious way. Marble floors, high ceilings, and soft lighting that did nothing to warm the tension in the air. A middle-aged woman in medical scrubs waited in the foyer with a kit.
“This is Dr. Elena Reyes,” Marcus said. “She’s discreet and one of the best. She’ll check you and the baby.”
Sofia stiffened. “I don’t want—”
“Please,” Marcus interrupted gently. “For the child’s sake. You were drugged. Hit. We need to make sure everything’s okay.”
The mention of her baby cracked her resistance. She allowed the doctor to lead her to a ground-floor bedroom converted into a temporary medical room. Marcus waited outside.
Dr. Reyes was kind but efficient. She checked Sofia’s vitals, cleaned the cut on her cheek, and performed a quick ultrasound with a portable machine.
“The baby’s heartbeat is strong,” the doctor said with a small smile. “A little stressed, but fighting. You’re roughly ten weeks along. Everything looks good considering what you’ve been through.”
Ten weeks. Sofia stared at the blurry image on the screen, tears blurring her vision. That tiny bean was her entire world now.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Dr. Reyes squeezed her shoulder. “Rest. And eat something. You’re both going to need your strength.”
When Sofia emerged twenty minutes later, showered and wearing soft black sweatpants and a hoodie someone had provided, Marcus was waiting with a tray of food — soup, bread, and herbal tea.
“You need to eat,” he said, setting it on the low table in the living room.
Sofia sat but didn’t touch the food immediately. “How long am I a prisoner here?”
“You’re not a prisoner,” Marcus replied. “But we can’t let you go back to your apartment right now. Those rogues mentioned a buyer. This goes deeper than random kidnapping. Someone knew about your pregnancy.”
Sofia’s spoon paused halfway to her mouth. “And I suppose Julian is on his way?”
Marcus hesitated. “He’s been notified. He’ll probably arrive by morning.”
Her appetite vanished. She set the spoon down, heart racing. The broken bond pulsed painfully at the thought of seeing him again.
“I don’t want to see him,” she said quietly. “Tell him to stay away. Tell him I’d rather face the rogues alone than accept anything from him.”
Marcus rubbed his face, looking exhausted. “You know that’s not how this works. He’s the Alpha. And if that child is his—”
“He is,” Sofia cut in sharply. “But Julian made his choice. He doesn’t get to claim fatherhood now that it’s convenient.”
A heavy silence fell between them. Marcus studied her carefully, as if seeing her for the first time.
“You’re different,” he said finally. “Back at the warehouse… what you did to those rogues. That wasn’t normal for a wolf-less omega. Your eyes glowed. You threw a grown wolf across the room without touching him.”
Sofia looked down at her hands. The strange warmth still simmered beneath her skin, quieter now but undeniably present. “I don’t know what it is. It started after the rejection. Like something inside me finally woke up when it had nothing left to lose.”
Marcus leaned forward. “The pack has been weakening, Sofia. No True Alphas being born. Julian’s been under immense pressure. That’s why he chose Valeria. But if your child is a boy with strong blood…”
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said coldly. “But my son will not be used as a pawn. Not by Julian. Not by the pack. Not by anyone.”
Marcus didn’t argue. He simply nodded and stood up. “Get some rest. There are clothes in the closet and guards outside for your protection. I’ll be in the next room if you need anything.”
He left her alone.
Sofia curled up on the large bed, staring at the ceiling. The house was silent except for the rain tapping against the windows. She placed both hands over her belly and whispered to her son.
“I won’t let them take you from me. No matter what.”
Sleep came eventually, restless and filled with fragments of memory.
She dreamed of Julian pinning her against his car that final night. The heat of his body. The cruelty in his words. The way his wolf had howled as she walked away.
She woke sometime after midnight to the sound of raised voices downstairs.
Marcus. And another voice — deep, commanding, and painfully familiar.
Julian had arrived sooner than expected.
Sofia’s heart slammed against her ribs. She slipped out of bed and crept to the top of the stairs, staying hidden in the shadows.
“…confirmed it’s his scent on the boy in the reports,” Marcus was saying. “And she’s pregnant. Ten weeks when she left. The timing matches.”
A low, dangerous growl rumbled through the house.
“Pregnant,” Julian repeated, voice rough with disbelief and something darker. “She was carrying my child when I rejected her.”
Sofia pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle any sound.
Footsteps moved toward the stairs. Heavy. Purposeful.
“She’s upstairs,” Marcus said. “But Julian… she’s different now. Stronger. And she hates you. Be careful.”
“I don’t care,” Julian snarled. “She’s mine. The child is mine. And I’m not leaving here without them.”
Sofia backed away from the stairs, power flickering wildly under her skin. Her eyes glowed gold again in the darkness.
Julian’s scent — dark cedar and storm winds — drifted up the stairs, wrapping around her like chains she had tried so hard to break.
He was coming for her.
And this time, she wasn’t the same broken girl who had walked away under the moon.
- Writer
