Sofia's POV

The car finally stopped right in front of Damien's pack house.

My heart jumped inside me.

I had left this place only a few days ago, but it felt like I had been gone for years. Everything looked the same, but today it felt different. Today it felt cold.

I stepped out slowly.

I didn't bring our son.

I didn't want him near Damien until I knew how Damien would react to seeing me.

Or if he even wanted to see me at all.

My legs shook as I climbed down from the car.

Two guards opened the doors automatically… but their eyes widened when they saw me.

"L–Lady Sofia?" one whispered.

I forced a smile. "Where is Alpha Damien?"

They shared a look—an uneasy one—and did not answer.

My chest tightened.

Fear started crawling inside me again.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

As I stepped into the main hall, a few maids stopped walking. One girl almost dropped the plates in her hand. Everyone… everyone looked shocked.

They whispered softly among themselves.

"She came back…"

I pretended not to hear.

Then suddenly—a loud scream tore through the air.

A man's scream.

A scream filled with pain.

"AHHHHHHHHH—!!!"

I flinched hard, my hand going to my chest.

"What… what was that?" I asked one of the maids.

She froze, eyes wide, and shook her head. "I-I don't know…"

But I knew she was lying.

They all knew what was happening.

And they were terrified.

Another scream followed, louder this time.

My whole body turned cold.

"Where is Damien?" I demanded.

No one answered.

But the screams…

They were coming from below.

From deep inside the mansion.

From the basement.

My feet moved on their own.

Past the maids.

Past the guards.

Past the long hallway.

The screams guided me like a rope.

I opened the heavy door that led to the underground hall.

Another scream echoed through the walls.

I stepped down the stairs slowly… one step… then the next… until I reached the basement door.

The screaming stopped.

The silence was worse.

I pushed the door open.

And what I saw made my breath break into sharp pieces.

There—

in the middle of the room—

was a man tied to a chair.

He was shaking.

His shirt was torn.

His skin was burned.

Sweat and tears mixed on his face.

And Damien…

Damien stood in front of him.

Holding a burning coal rod in his hand.

He was sweating.

His shirt was stained with blood.

The wound I gave him was hidden beneath the fabric, but I could see the pain on his face.

He looked tired.

He looked angry.

He looked dangerous.

He looked like an Alpha who had lost control.

I froze.

"Damien…" I whispered.

He turned.

His eyes widened for half a second—

half a second—like he didn't know whether to be shocked… or furious… or hurt.

Then…

His expression went blank.

Completely blank.

He looked right at me.

Right into my eyes.

And then…

He looked away.

He didn't say my name.

He didn't ask why I was here.

He didn't ask where our son was.

He didn't even ask if I was okay.

He just… looked past me.

Like I was a stranger.

Like I was nobody.

Then he turned back to the injured man—

and continued what he was doing.

Like I wasn't even there.

Like I didn't exist.

My mouth fell open a little.

My heart cracked so loudly it felt like everyone could hear it.

"Damien…" I whispered again, but it came out small and weak.

He didn't turn.

He didn't flinch.

He didn't blink.

He pressed the burning coal against the man's shoulder.

The man screamed again.

Damien didn't react.

He just kept going.

Panicked, I rushed towards him. "Damien!" I cried.

But he didn't look at me.

Not once.

Not a single glance.

My heart squeezed painfully.

"What is happening?" I whispered, my voice shaking as I stopped beside him.

Still—

nothing.

He didn't answer.

He didn't even breathe differently.

It was like I was invisible.

Like he had erased me from his world.

My hands trembled as another scream ripped from the tied man's throat.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

I flinched.

Damien didn't.

My chest pounded harder. "Damien, please… talk to me—"

Before I could finish my sentence, the man in the chair suddenly lifted his head, his eyes red with pain and fury.

"You Bastard!" he spat at Damien, his voice hoarse. "You will regret this! My brother—Alpha Nigel—he will come for you! He will kill you!"

The moment he said that name—

Alpha Nigel—

My whole body froze.

My stomach dropped.

Alpha Nigel.

The Thorn Pack.

Rebecca's email.

Her abuser.

Her captor.

Her killer.

A sharp gasp escaped me.

"This is him…" I whispered. "Oh my God… this is the man Rebecca wrote about."

The man glared at me with madness in his eyes, but I couldn't look away.

My tears fell fast.

The monster who hurt her…

The monster who kept her trapped…

The monster who killed her…

Was right in front of me.

Damien turned to the man again, still ignoring me, his jaw tight, eyes burning with cold rage.

"Even your brother…" Damien hissed, leaning close to the man's ear, "Alpha Nigel fears me."

The man trembled, but tried to hide it.

Damien lifted the burning coal again. The orange glow lit up his face, making him look like a demon sent from hell.

"After I'm done with you…" he said slowly, "I will deal with him too."

My breath caught.

Damien's voice dropped even lower.

"For turning a blind eye while you tortured Rebecca."

Tears streamed down my face.

He knew.

He knew everything.

"And for killing her," Damien added.

My hand covered my mouth as another sob left me.

The man laughed weakly, blood dripping from his lip. "She deserved it," he spat.

Damien's whole body went still.

Frozen.

Then he turned slowly, his eyes dark—too dark.

"Why," he said softly, "did you kill her in such a gruesome way?"

"You cut off her head," Damien continued. "And you dropped it at my border."

My knees weakened.

My breath stopped.

The world spun.

The man smirked, even in his suffering.

"She ran," he said simply. "I warned her not to leave. I told her she was mine. And when I caught her—"

Damien punched him across the face, the sound echoing through the basement.

My heart slammed against my chest.

"Do NOT say another word," Damien growled, his voice shaking with rage.

But the man laughed again like a lunatic.

"So what, Alpha?" he spat out blood. "You loved her? Was she your little toy? Did you enjoy—"

Damien rammed the burning coal into the man's thigh.

The scream that followed was the loudest yet.

I covered my ears, crying harder.