Chapter 23 The photos haunted him like a nightmare . Even with his eyes closed , the flashes continued . Guilt crawled across him until he couldn't breathe . He kept whispering the same words until his voice was hoarse . " I'm sorry , Claire ... I'm sorry ... " But apology did not stop the torment . Cold sweat soaked his clothes as he groped through the darkness for a way to escape . Eventually he found the restroom and stepped in feeling nauseous . He turned the hot water up until it screamed and scrubbed himself again and again , as if he could scrub away the stain on his skin and soul . " Claire , I'm not filthy . I won't touch anyone but you . I'm not dirty- " he muttered to himself in a trance . At last , the ordeal ended , though Aaron had no sense of how long he'd been kept in the dark room . When Aaron was released , his eyes were hollow , his entire being radiating desolation . Passersby on the street cast strange glances his way , but he ignored them completely . He rested for a few days , buried under mountains of work that his Beta pushed onto him . The endless files left him with no spare hour to hunt for Claire . When the backlog finally eased , he called Noah . His voice was flat . " Release Sophie and bring her to me . I'm abroad . " Without question , Noah immediately moved to carry out the order . The next day Sophie appeared before Aaron - broken to a shadow of her former self . Her body was a map of countless wounds - layered , crisscrossed , so dense they nearly erased the memory of her once - smooth skin . Her face was ghastly pale , her eyes hollow and numb . Even when she saw Aaron , she showed no will to speak , as if living in the cell , more exactly the " hell " , had ground every feeling out of her . Prison hadn't been a place of standard incarceration for her ; she had been singled out for " special treatment . " Seeing her like that , Aaron felt no pity . He merely nodded with cold satisfaction . " Go apologize to Claire , " he said . " Okay , " she answered like a machine , moving obediently behind him . He'd had people tail Claire for weeks. It wasn't hard to find her location . He knocked on the door . When no answer came , he didn't press , just waiting in silence . It wasn't until dusk that Claire returned with Caden . The moment he saw them , he stepped forward , pulling Sophie along with him . " Claire , " he said loudly , " look , I brought Sophie . She paid back everything she did to you ten times over . I don't love her anymore . Here she is to prove it . " Sophie stood there like a ghost and recited a prepared confession . " I will never again think of Alpha Aaron in any improper way . Ms. Morgan is the only Luna . I will never bully her again . I am a sinner . I deserve the worst ! " She spoke with the practiced cadence of someone who had been forced to rehearse humiliation until it sounded natural . A cold dread seized Claire at the words . Her hatred for Sophie burned , but deeper still was the certainty that Aaron alone bore the blame . She stepped back , wary . " Aaron , I don't need Sophie to atone for me , she hurt me , yes , but the one who should atone is you , " Claire said sharply . " You do scare me . When you cared for Sophie , you tormented me . Now that you claim to care for me , you can torment Sophie . What's going to happen tomorrow ? Will you hurt me even worse for Sophie's sake again ? Or because of another shewolf ? Your love is terrifying . I won't accept it . " She hissed the last words and instinctively moved closer to Caden's side . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!