Chapter 27 Sofia
Sofia
“Talk to me,” Mum says gently as she walks around the kitchen, putting the kettle on and getting out a plate of cookies. The same ones Elijah and I baked. My lip trembles as I reach out and take one.
My eyes well with tears, but I hug Danger to me a little closer, unable to look at her. The house is quiet.
“They are perfect. Too perfect.”
Mum laughs and leans on the island opposite me. “Is that a crime?”
“I don’t want to hurt them.”
She frowns. “Sofia, if you’re in any trouble, we can help you; you just need to talk to us.”
I shake my head. “It’s not that. I just, when I’m around them, I have such huge feelings. Like they are the only thing that matters.”
“Scent matches,” my mum murmurs.
I don’t think I’m supposed to hear it, but it makes everything worse. I would destroy them if I left. We’re already too close, and that feeling this morning of waking up in Mack’s arms and picturing it for the rest of my life, it was as close to perfect as anything ever was.
“How can they be my scent matches?” I say hysterically.
“You got lucky. They are miracles.”
“I don’t have to choose them, though,” I protest.
My mum’s mouth falls open; she looks horrified. “You’d never be truly happy with anyone else. You’d be damning all four of you to miserable lives.”
I close my eyes. “Okay, so I need to fix everything and then join them, but what if it takes me a while to fix everything? Would they wait? Is that fair?”
Mum circles the bench. “What is going on with you?”
I stand up and step back from her. Danger barks at us. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I’ve got it under control.”
Pops flies into the kitchen and yanks open the drawer.
“Excuse me, Franco, what are you doing?” Mum snaps. “We were talking.”
“My whisk is gone. I can’t create with sub-par cooking utensils,” he shouts and yanks the drawer out and turns it over, spilling everything onto the ground. “Where is it?”
“Franco!” Mum snaps, “This is crazy. It’s a whisk. You have all the talent in your fingertips, not a damn cooking utensil. Pick this up.”
“The damn thief struck again! I hate thieves!” Pops shouts.
I back out of the kitchen but pause when I see my mum’s phone. I snatch it up and put in Pops’ birthday, unlocking it. As I head outside, I grab Danger’s leash and quickly head down to the beach. The wind is blowing the sand up, and it’s roaring across the beach, making it look like it’s alive.
I ring the number that my mum doesn’t have saved.
“Hello?”
“Giselle?”
“Who is this?”
“Sofia.”
“Oh, you!” Her voice turns mean.
I take a breath and hold it for a moment while I compose myself. Sand whips my face, and even Danger won’t leave my side.
“Listen to me for a minute. You won. You have them. Just let me go. I promise I won’t cause trouble. I’m just going to disappear, and we can both live our own lives. Please.”
I swore I would never beg this omega, but here I am shoving every ounce of self-respect aside because I want a chance with these alphas.
She’s silent for a long moment, and then she starts to laugh.
“Please, Giselle.”
“Absolutely not. There is no way, not in this life or another, that I’m going to let this go. You humiliated me. You tried to steal what was mine. Those alphas belong to me.”
“And you can have them, no contest.”
“Oh, so generous of you, now they have chosen me. You ruined my bonding day. But I’ll give you this. If you come back to the city, get down on your knees and crawl, I might consider letting you off.”
“What?” I say. “But you freaking won. You have them. What more do you want?”
“I’m the kind of omega that doesn’t like to be slighted. In short, I want revenge. Your humiliation. Your pain and suffering.”
“Why?”
“Why not? Because I can.” She’s smugly silent. “It will go easier for you if you come back. If I have to send them to drag you kicking and screaming back, I will enjoy it too much.”
“I’m not coming back,” I snarl.
“Well, then, I guess I will see you soon.”
My heart jolts in my chest. Danger crawls into my lap. “You don’t know where I am.”
“Oh, don’t I?”
“There’s no way. I was careful.”
“Sunshine Cove is a really pretty place. I think I might want to come and eat at the restaurant or perhaps visit the art gallery.”
My chest aches from not screaming, but Danger snuggles closer to me.
“I’m not in Sunshine Cove,” I say in desperation.
“You are a terrible liar, Sofie.”
“Sofia,” I correct automatically.
“You think I should care what your name is? You aren’t worthy of a name.”
I make a small sound of protest.
“Enjoy the next couple of weeks, Sofie. They are coming for you, and they are going to rip Sunshine Cove apart to find you.”
I gasp when she hangs up, struggling to breathe. I can’t bring that kind of trouble to Sunshine. Not unless I can figure out a way to stop them.
Danger struggles in my arms, so I kiss his head, check both ways, and let him down. He races up the beach for a minute before a group of seagulls join him and start playing with him.
“Everything happens for a reason. There’s supposed to be a lesson in this somewhere.”
I look up and see the lighthouse, and the tightness in my chest gets tighter.
I kick off my clothes and wade out into the water, catching up Danger when he paddles after me. We swim around while I go over everything I know and try to find an answer, but no matter how hard I think, I can’t find a way out of this that ends with me having what I want.
“All right, let’s take Mum's phone back before she kills us.”
Danger barks and bounces along beside me.
I get back and find the house empty, so I wander upstairs, pushing open the door to my bedroom and going and sitting on the edge of the bed.
It smells like them.
I lay down and breathe in their combined scents.
Mum’s phone rings, and I answer it without thinking.
“Hey, Rebel.”
I blink and sit up. “How did you know I had Mum's phone?”
“Sebastian mentioned it, and Mack told me you needed time.”
It is so good to hear his voice. I swallow hard, wanting to tell them I don’t need time; I need them. Now.
“Do you want to have lunch? Just the two of us? No shenanigans. Just you and me and two wraps.”
My throat is tight. “Okay.”
“Come downstairs, then.”
My heart slams against my ribs, and I get up, pausing to check my face in the mirror before I trip down the stairs, my dog at my heels.
He’s sitting at the kitchen island, waiting. I walk up to him, finding it hard to breathe. I have no self-control around them. None whatsoever.
“Devon, what are you doing here?”
“Bringing you lunch, and I thought we could talk.”
“I just wanted some time.”
“I know, and I’m going to give it to you, just not as much as you think because, Sofia, no matter how you protest or what you’ve told everyone else, I know you better than anyone except your omega besties, and I know there is something going on with you.”
I sit down beside him, bowing my head. “It’s complicated.”
“Of course, it is, but it doesn’t have to mean that I don’t understand. Or that I don’t remember what happens if someone pushes to get the information out of you. So, I’m not going to do that.”
He sighs and slides a wrap to me.
“This is me here as an alpha courting an omega, bringing her food when I know she is distressed.”
My lower lip trembles.
He stands up and wraps his arms around me. “No matter what it is, it’s going to be okay. You’ll be fine because you are Sofia Sol. And I know how capable and strong you are.”
I wrap my arms around him, all these words locked behind my teeth.
I missed you. I love you. You are my scent-match alphas. Stay with me. Be with me. Bond me.
Give me forever.
Save me.
All these things I want to say but can’t. Instead, I just cling to him, refusing to let go, my face buried in his chest, inhaling his scent like it can fix all my problems.
Danger whines, and Devon reluctantly pulls away from me and kneels in front of the pup.
“Hello, little man, did you miss us? We missed you terribly. But it’s all over now, and I know you had a ton of fun with Aunty Asher; she’s got a soft spot for animals.”
Danger licks his face, and he chuckles, and it’s just so Devon that I can’t breathe.
“Do you know what the hardest part about you not being here was?” he asks.
“What?”
“Staying here and not riding off to kidnap you and bring you home. Everyone said you needed to experience the world, that it was good for you, but everything in me wanted to drag you back here and lock you in my lighthouse where I could keep you safe forever.”
“And would you have done that?”
“In a heartbeat.” He stands up and steps between my thighs, his hands stroking over my hair, and as I look up, I see something so raw and tender on his face that I almost don’t recognise him.
“Devon, we-”
“Shh, I know what you want and what you need. I’m going to play the game your way for now. Mack says we’re going to wait, but I’m giving you until Valentine’s Day, and then I’m going to start courting you properly until you are completely swept off your feet, and you can’t see anyone else but us.”
“I already can’t see anyone else but you, but I have to tie up these loose ends.”
“Careful, that sounds like you want us.”
“I do,” I say simply, “but I need to fix this problem.”
“Three days, Sol, and then I’m coming, ready or not.”
I laugh and hug him tighter. “Okay, Devon.”
“Good girl.”
I can’t stop the slight thrill that goes through me at his words, a tingle that leaves me feeling like I’m tripping on air and floating.
Devon stays and eats with me, slaps a kiss on me that has me on fire, and then leaves. I sit on the porch swing and watch the sunset.
“I have no idea how to fix this, Danger, but we’re not running. We’re going to fight.”
Danger barks and climbs onto my lap, lying against my chest, his nose on my shoulder.
Imogen sits beside me. “I’m really glad you came home, Sofia. It wasn’t the same without you.”
I turn to face her. She was eleven when I left. Time goes so fast. I put an arm around her as Ivy and Daphne chase each other with sparklers.
“I’m glad I came home, too.” And I’m not going anywhere.