Page 120 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

I had expected Sophia to be grateful. My soft-hearted mate has far too much empathy for her own good, but when she looks at Tina, it is with anger and wariness. “Why did you save him? What do you want?”

Tina has a hard time meeting Sophia’s eyes. “Alex is safe and alive. You owe me a favor now.”

There is no arrogant edge to her voice, but there is desperation.

“What do you need a favor from Sophia for?” Elsa pushes Tina’s hair away from her face, forcing her daughter to look at her. “What’s wrong, Tina? Tell me.”

Tina is struggling to speak, and it doesn’t surprise me. The witch I remember was exceedingly arrogant and cocky. And from what Sophia told me, once she betrayed Sophia, she had treated Sophia and her mother in the cruelest manner she could.

Tina’s betrayal had shaken Sophia to the very core. My mate had just begun to trust again. Tina was the first person she had trusted after finding out her entire life had been nothing but a lie. But when Tina turned around and stabbed her inthe back, it broke something inside Sophia.

For Tina to have to bend the knee in front of the girl she had once tortured must be hard. I didn’t sympathize with her, but I could understand her. She must be desperately in love, or she wouldn’t be willing to do this.

“I want you to save Noah’s life.”

Elsa releases her daughter, her face turning pale. “You’re still with Noah.”

Tina wraps herarms around her stomach. “He’s my fated mate. And we are already full mates. He gave me his mark. Karina…I told Noah not totrust her, but he wouldn’t listen to me. After what happened at the banquet hall, I told him we should leave. I didn’t care about power and all of that to begin with. He wanted power. I just wanted him. But he got involved with Karina, and she betrayed him.”

She finally meets Sophia’s eyes. “You can undo dark magic. I can’t, but you can. She injured him. And she did something tothat injury with dark magic. He can’t die, but he is suffering. Just…”

She falls silent, her body shaking. When she speaks, her voice is hoarse. “If you don’t want to save him, don’t. I won’t blame you. But you can end his suffering, can’t you? I can’t see him suffer any longer.”

Elsa’s eyes widen at her daughter’s request and she grabs her shoulders. “If he dies, then, you will also…”

Tina shakes out of her mother’s hold, looking away. “I don’t care. Without him, I have nothing. I just want his suffering to end. Even if it means I have to let him go.” She looks at Sophia. “I saved your mate. Save mine.”

Sophia is silent, and I don’t know if she’s going to refuse or not. It could go either way. But from the anger in her eyes when she looks at Tina, I’m getting the hint that she’s not going to help her. It would be against her nature, but then Sophia has had to make harder decisions lately. Either way, I will not blame her. I did what Tina asked. I asked Sophia. That is all I can do.

“Where is he?” Sophia asks, after a prolonged silence, her voice sounding strange.

Tina glances at me, worry in her eyes. “I hid him where Alex was buried.”

Once again, Sophia is silent. Her eyes settle on Elsa, who is looking down at the ground. Her voice, soft my mate asks, “Are you going to ask me to help your daughter, Elsa?”

A tear slips out of Elsa’s eyes, but she’s quiet.

Her hands tighten around her daughter’s arms, but no sound escapes her.

Sophia covers the distance between them and then hugs the older woman. “You love Tina. No matter how badly she treated you, you love her. And you’ve been a mother to me when I’ve had none. You were a sister to my mother and a mother to me. I’ll save Tina. But I’ll do it for you, because I don’t want to break your heart.”

Elsa lets out a choked sob, burying her face in her hands. Sophia just hugs her tighter. “I would never have made it this far without you. Even though you were looking after me because of my mother, you’ve been family to me. There is nothing I won’t do for you, Elsa. Remember that.”

Tina’s eyes are wet as Sophia looks at her. “I’ll save Noah. But not for you and not because you saved Alex. I won’t be manipulated that way. I’ll do it for your mother because, despite everything you’ve done to her, she still loves you.”

I look at my mate in wonder.

It’s been months since I first met her. Our lives have changed so much. Sophia always underestimates herself, but she doesn’t see herself from my perspective. She’s changed. She’s grown and adapted. There’s still that impulsive streak in her, still that recklessness that I adore, but she’s gained control of it. I don’t think she’ll ever realize how special she is, how remarkable and clever and smart.

She’s changed the world and she doesn’t even realize it. And not just my world, but everybody else’s as well.

And to think that Karina wanted to destroy this.

Chapter 28

Sophia

I had expected that I would run into Noah once again at some point in my life.

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