It had to be an accident. It had to be. He held her gaze. Her breath hitched. His jaw tightened and he looked away. Lola hooked her arm into his and together, they disappeared into the waiting crowd.
Unable to stand staying, Sofia wanted to retreat into the kitchen. But just as she was about to, someone grabbed her roughly by the arm. She winced as she turned to see who it was.
"There you are. Come with me," The head chef said coldly as she dragged Sofia across the hall.
Sofia's breath hitched in her throat. What did she do now?
All eyes were on her now. Some were whispering and pointing.
"She must have done something again."
"Argh, why can't she do anything right?"
"Do you think she's trying to ruin her sister's party?"
Sofia fought back tears. She looked in the direction the head chef was pulling her towards. Her heart stopped in her chest.
"What's going on?" Sofia asked when she finally found her voice
"You're in trouble—Ma'am is looking for you, and she's furious."
Sofia knew what her mother's anger meant. Whenever Lady Cara was furious, she was always to blame. As soon as she met her mother's scowl, Sofia knew she was done for.
Before she could say a word, her mother slapped her across the face. The sound echoed over the music. All eyes were on her now. Gasps rippled through the crowd. A few guests turned, whispering behind their hands.
"You just couldn't stand seeing your sister happy, can't you?!" Lady Cara hissed at Sofia in anger.
"What did I do?" Sofia asked, her lips trembling. What did she do to deserve such public humiliation?
Lady Cara grabbed a handful of cookies and threw them at Sofia, earning more gasps from the guests.
"You helped make these cookies, didn't you? Was that your way of ruining your sister's birthday? They are salty!"
"What? No, Mother—I didn't—"
"Do not lie to me!" Lady Cara snapped, her anger rising to its peak. "Always jealous. Always trying to ruin things for your sweet sister. Useless!"
Sofia's throat tightened. She could feel the pressure from every pair of eyes staring at her. It was suffocating. She looked around, catching Damien in her line of sight. He was looking at her with disgust.
Sofia's heart broke. She didn't care what others thought of her, how they looked at her. She only cared about what Damien thought of her, how he looked at her.
"I didn't mean to—" she whispered, but her voice broke before she could finish.
"I don't want to hear any more of your excuses!" Lady Cara lifted her hand again, ready to strike.
Sofia flinched, body tensed.
"Enough!"
The room went quiet. The music stopped. Damien stepped forward.
His eyes locked on Lady Cara, and for a moment, something sharp flashed in them. He hated seeing Sofia like this. Hated the way she stood there, holding her cheek, shaking. Yes, he hated her—or at least, that was what he told himself. He told himself he hated her with every fiber of his being, but watching her get humiliated woke something in him.
He forced his expression to remain cold.
"This is Lola's special day," He said, "And here we are, giving the spare the attention she doesn't deserve."
Lady Cara's hand dropped back to her side, her jaw tight.
Damien's gaze swept the room. "We mustn't forget who we are here to celebrate. Our Lola."
Sofia's chest twisted. His words hurt more than her mother's hits. She wanted to scream at him, to ask why he despised her so much. Didn't he remember? Didn't he once defend her from everyone else?
Now he was the one looking at her with disgust.
Damien kept his mask intact. He couldn't let anyone see the truth.
"Now," he said firmly, "enough distractions. I have an announcement to make."
The crowd buzzed with excitement. Lola's face lit up. She slid her arm through his proudly, smiling at everyone like she already knew what he was about to say.
He exhaled deeply, his expression unreadable. "Since we're all gathered here today," he said, his voice calm, "I think it's the perfect time to make an announcement." He glanced at Lola, who beamed up at him like she already owned the moment. "Lola and I are officially dating."
The hall erupted in cheers and applause. Wolves clapped; some howled in excitement. Cameras flashed as though this was the moment they had all been waiting for.
Sofia's breath caught. The words hit her like a knife to the chest.
Damien bent his head down, and before the crowd, he pressed his lips to Lola's. The hall went wild—cheering, laughing, congratulating.
Someone shouted, "Perfect couple!" and the chant caught, voices rising over the music.
Sofia couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Her cheek stung from the slap, but the ache in her chest was worse. She stared at Damien, kissing Lola, holding her like she was the only girl in the world.
Her vision blurred. She blinked fast, refusing to let tears fall where everyone could see.
At that moment, she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole. She didn't want to live like this, watching the boy she loved all her life kissing her sister.
"Breathe... Sofia... breathe," She whispered to herself, trying to pull herself together.
But then—his eyes found her. Across the sea of faces, across the blur of bodies pressing around him, Damien's gaze slid past the crowd and landed on her.
There was something in his eyes, something confusing and conflicted. Something only she could catch.
Worry? Regret?
Was she imagining it all? Seeing what she wanted to see?
Her chest clenched. Damien blinked and looked away. Lola's arms wrapped around the nape of his neck. She sealed their lips in another deep passionate kiss. The crowd roared again.
This time, it was Lola looking back at her with a devilish grin.
Sofia couldn't stand it anymore. She turned and ran out of the hall. Her instincts kicked in, and her feet carried her back to her room.
Sofia stumbled in, clutching her chest as though she might hold her heart together. She collapsed on the balcony, trying to hold back tears, but she couldn't.
The tears she had fought so hard to hold back finally broke free. She pressed a hand to her mouth to stop the sound, but sobs still escaped. The boy she had loved for as long as she could remember had kissed her sister—claimed her in front of the whole pack.
"Stop... stop crying... please," She whispered to herself.
"Pathetic as always."
Sofia froze.