Chapter 8
Sophia’s POV
“Sophia! Die!”
Bella’s shriek ripped through the sacred silence.
The silver dagger flashed, a harbinger of death aimed straight for my heart.
Everyone was frozen, stunned by the sudden attack.
The guards were too slow. Gabriel was three steps away.
In that split second, a body slammed into mine, shoving me out of the dagger’s path.
It was Ethan.
“No!”
The silver dagger plunged deep into his chest.
“Ethan!” I gasped.
He used the last of his strength to wrap his arms around the crazed Bella. “Why… why would you save her?” Bella stared at him in disbelief. “She’s not yours anymore!”
Blood trickled from his lips, but his eyes, fixed on me, were clearer than they had been in years. “Because…” he coughed, his voice a hoarse whisper. “I failed you, Sophia. Let this… let this be the one right thing I do.”
Bella finally snapped, her face twisting in a mask of triumph and madness. “You’re insane! For her, you’d actually…” With a final surge of strength, she shoved the dagger deeper.
Ethan let out a groan of agony, but his arms only tightened around her.
His arms were like steel bands, trapping her. “Then we go to hell together, Bella…”
With his last ounce of strength, he dragged her with him, and the two of them tumbled off the back of the altar, into the dark
chasm below.
“No-!” Bella’s scream faded into the darkness until it was gone.
The temple was dead silent.
Gabriel was at my side in an instant, pulling me into a fierce embrace. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his hands checking me over, making sure I was unharmed.
I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes.
I wasn’t crying for the man I had once loved, but for the ghost of a bond that never truly was. I was mourning a past built on lies
> and betrayal, for an Alpha who had found his redemption in the most tragic way possible.
It was the end of an era, and my final goodbye to the past.
“The ceremony continues,” Gabriel said, gently tilting my face up to his. “Don’t let their madness ruin our future.”
I took a deep breath, wiped my tears, and nodded.
The past was over.
It was time to begin my new life.
1/2
Chapter 8
+15 Bonus
Gabriel took my hand and led me back to the altar.
Under the watchful eyes of the Moon Goddess, Gabriel leaned down.
He didn’t just bite my neck; he claimed my soul, sealing it to his.
The true mate mark bloomed on my skin, a golden light enveloping us both. For the first time, I felt whole.
Three Years Later
“Mommy, Daddy’s home!”
A little girl with Gabriel’s deep eyes and my golden hair ran toward me.
Gabriel, just back from a Pack Council meeting, immediately swept us both into his arms. “How are we feeling today?” he asked, his hand resting gently on my swelling belly.
“Perfect,” I said with a smile. “The pack healer says this little one is already a fighter.”
Our family was growing. Gabriel sighed with contentment and kissed my forehead. “I love you, Sophia.”
“I love you too.”
We walked through the manor gardens as the sun set.
I was no longer a victim of betrayal, but the cherished mate of a true Alpha.
A mother, and a Luna in every sense of the word.
This wasn’t just my happily ever after.
This was everything.
