Chapter 12

Alex

"This is my decision. Not yours."

"Karina cannot be allowed to live."

I ponder Sophia's words, turning them over in my head. While I'm angry that Patrick told her what I was intending to do, I hadn't realized how desperately she wanted to go after the Queen. But then, Sophia's concerns mirror mine. Karina will not stop hunting us.

Seeing such bloodlust in Sophia's eyes made me shiver with excitement. It's not that she isn't capable of being fierce, it's just that she has a softer heart than other shifters. But I'm starting to realize that, when it comes down to it, Sophia is every bit as ruthless as any one of us.

I'm passing by the shops in the village when I see a small woodworking shop that one of the older women runs. In the window display is a hand-carved bird sitting on the edge of a cage, about to take flight. It's a beautiful piece, and I stare at it, mesmerized. It reminds me of Sophia. Caged all her life, and now she's finally spreading her wings and finding her voice.

She keeps surprising me. Prickly, sweet, fierce, and yet, thoughtful.

I didn't realize I was smiling until there's a tap on the glass and I see my reflection. The door opens, and the small bell hanging on it jingles. Marjorie, the owner of the shop, steps outside. "See something you like, Alex?"

I point at the carving in the window. "Is that for sale?"

Marjorie turns to see what I'm pointing at, and she blinks. "Are you sure you want this? Ruby carved it. She's still getting the hang of things, and it's not the best quality we have here. I just put it in the display because she insisted on it."

Ruby is her granddaughter. With Marjorie's daughter and son-in-law dead, she has been raising the sixteen-year-old, who is soon going to be the successor of the woodworking shop. Ruby is still learning the ropes of this once booming family business.

"I have better pieces inside," Marjorie offers.

I shake my head. "The person I want to get it for will really appreciate this one."

Marjorie's eyes crinkle at the corners as she beams at me. "Wait right here."

She goes into the shop, and a couple minutes later, she returns with the packaged carving of the bird. "Here you go."

I pull out my wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

She puts her hand on mine, lowering it. "It's a gift for your young lady."

The knowing look in her eyes makes me smile. "I couldn't possibly—"

"This is the first time I've seen you so happy, Alex. That girl is good for you. I'm glad you found her. This is my gift to you both."

I know if I turn down the older woman's kind gesture, she'll feel hurt. "I appreciate it, Marjorie. Sophia will love it."

"She's a lovely young woman." Marjorie looks at me with a gentle smile. "Soft-spoken and kind. And she's wise beyond her years."

I don't know about Sophia being soft-spoken or wise beyond her years, and the doubt in my eyes must be showing because Marjorie chuckles. "That girl has lived. I can tell. I was feeling a little nosy and dropped by the other day, and she didn't turn me away, although she could have. Offered me tea and something to eat. Asked me what I do in the village. I like her, Alex. She suits you. And she's going to make a wonderful addition to our pack. You've chosen well."

I don't need Marjorie's approval, but it pleases me nonetheless. "I'll tell Sophia that this is a gift from you."

Just then, Marjorie's eyes shift to someone behind me, and I look over my shoulder. Hilda is standing at the corner of the street, watching us, her expression taut.

The last time I saw Hilda was when I told her off for insulting Sophia. She didn't like it, but I hadn't been very pleased with how she had behaved. Even if she didn't know who Sophia was to me, she still should have treated her with respect, considering that Sophia was supposedly an important guest in the eyes of the pack. However, seeing Hilda run out of the bakery with tears in her eyes still made me feel guilty. I lift a hand in her direction, and she approaches me.

"Who is that for?" she asks bluntly.

"It's for his young lady friend," Marjorie replies. Is it just me, or is there a hard undertone in the older woman's voice?

"Who?"

"The shifter from out of town," Marjorie emphasizes. "The one staying in his home."

"That female is just here for the clothing shop. Stop assuming things, Marjorie," Hilda spits out.

"Hilda!" I frown at her. "Watch your tone. Marjorie is your elder."

Hilda gives me an angry look. "Why are you letting people talk about you and that female as if there's something going on between the two of you? You shouldn't be letting her stay in your house. It's giving everyone the wrong idea!"

I never took Hilda to be so dense, but her constant denial about the open secret of my courtship of Sophia seems odd. My mate's words drift back to my mind, and they trouble me.

Surely not.

I practically raised Hilda. There's no way she looks at me in that way. I find it hard to believe.

"Sophia is important to me," I tell her firmly. "You need to stop referring to her as ‘that female,' Hilda. We've already talked about this."

"Well, she's only here because of the store." Hilda looks annoyed. "And you can do much better than her, Alex. There are better women out there for you, women who suit you and understand you."

She gives me a meaningful look, and I ignore it. "Sophia and I are in a relationship, Hilda. I know I haven't been able to spend as much time with you as I normally do, but I would prefer it if you gave her the respect she deserves."

Hilda's expression turns white, and I realize this is the first time I've verbally confirmed anything about me and Sophia. Even if it's not the whole truth, it's still something. It'll give my pack enough to go on.

Marjorie chuckles. "Well, well, well. I think I should close the shop for a while. I suddenly remembered I have somewhere to be."

I grin at her, already knowing what she's planning to do. She's going to go spread the word to anyone who will listen, which is basically everyone. But I realize that's exactly what I want. Let everyone see Sophia as my romantic partner, not somebody whose existence is a threat to Karina. At least, not yet.

"I have to get going, as well."

"What about the festival tomorrow?" Marjorie asks.

I look around and see that a few of the stores have already strung up fairy lights. Once a year, the pack likes to get together for a two-day event. It's a good bonding time for the entire pack.

"What about it?"

"Will you bring her?" Marjorie's eyes are twinkling.

"Sure."

When I look toward Hilda, she's already gone.

Marjorie shakes her head. "Don't worry about her. She'll get over it. You focus on your young lady. Bring her to the festival. Introduce her to the pack. Not everyone has met her yet, but I know they will all be happy to see you there together."

While I feel pleased at the idea of finally introducing Sophia to the pack, I also know that the festival will be the best time to gain access to the pups. The nannies and the soldiers like to go running in their wolf forms when they know all the pack members are in one place. Only one soldier is left behind to guard the pups, and we can deal with him easily.

The festival is a tradition that was started by some of the older females two years after I became Alpha. What was once considered a way to bring some happiness into the lives of the shattered children has now become a time of hope for all of us. The event always lasts for two days. The first day, the entire village mingles. We don't have any humans here, so it's just the pack. Food is served, and everyone has a good time. On the second day of the festival, stalls are set up with games and entertainment and snacks. Karina's people only step out on the first day, when they're sure the entire village will be there. That is the window of opportunity we will have. We may not be able to break the links of all the children, but it is a good chance to be able to free some of them.

Bidding farewell to Marjorie, I carry the packaged bird to my office, planning to give it to Sophia tonight. There's a pile of letters on the corner of my desk. The village is quite isolated, so our mail is deposited in the human town near us and gets picked up once a week. This is Karina's only way of communicating with us—aside from showing up out of the blue, which is something she enjoys doing.

As I sift through the envelopes, one of them catches my eye. My blood instantly turns cold.

The seal on it is the insignia of the Cross River Wolf Pack, Karina's pack. It looks like an invitation, and I have a feeling I know which event it's going to be for. Opening the envelope, I see the formal invitation card regarding the Winter Banquet that will take place in mid-December.

The Winter Banquet is a week-long event that occurs every three years, where all the representatives of the three Alliances meet. It's usually the pack Alphas of each territory that show up. The last time I attended this event, Karina spent a good amount of time mocking my parents and laughing about their murders. The room was silent, disapproval etched on every face. But no one uttered a word. Even the South Alliance disapproved of her methods. But it was none of their business, so they didn't have any reason to say anything. The Central Alliance, on the other hand, simply did not care since they were not affected.

I'm not looking forward to attending the banquet this year. But it does give me a deadline which I have to work against. We have two weeks to get everything together.

A knock on the door has me looking over. Patrick is standing in the doorway.

"Got a minute?"

"I've got several, and I have some things to say to you," I growl at him.

"Don't bother." My friend throws himself into the visitor chair. "Sophia already told me that you know. Believe me, my intention wasn't to stir something up between the two of you. I was simply trying to tell her how much you care about her. This was just after the fight the two of you had when she first met Hilda." He gives me a curious look. "What did she say, though?"

"Why?" I scowl. "She didn't tell you?"

He gives me a small smile. "Don't blame me that you picked a mate who's more stubborn than you are. She wants to protect you. Sounds pretty reasonable to me."

"But I don't need her to protect me. I'm the one who does the protecting."

"Also sounds reasonable," Patrick says lazily. "Go tell her that. And if you need me to set up my couch for you, let me know."

I glare at him. "Stop trying to be funny."

Patrick shrugs. "I've got no one to impress. Anyway, seems Sophia has really gotten through to Nathan. He's reluctantly agreeing to not getting her involved in the whole shebang."

"Only now, she wants to get involved!" I wonder if this is what humans call rising blood pressure. My head is seconds away from exploding.

"Anyway…" Patrick stretches his arms out. "Things suck for you, so I came to tell you some good news. Sophia's speed has picked up."

"Speed?" I give him a confused look. "What are you—?" I cut myself off, realization dawning on me, followed by swift anger. I slowly get to my feet. "How did she get access to another child?"

"Three children," Patrick says smugly. "Newborns who needed to be fed. We snuck Sophia into the homes of the parents. Told them to trust me, took the kids into another room that was sound-proofed. It took her half an hour with each child. She's not even getting tired out now. It's almost as if her stamina for magic is increasing."

I don't know whether to be proud of or frustrated with the woman. Why is she constantly putting herself in danger? If any of the soldiers see her with the children, they're going to attack her, no questions asked. They're already looking for a reason to go after her.

"She wasn't alone," Patrick assures me. "I had the guards distracted. She's resting at home now. My point is, we're left with at least twenty pups at this point. How do you want to go about this?"

His eyes fall on the invitation in my hand, and his brows knit together in an apprehensive expression. "Don't tell me." Reaching out, he plucks the invitation card out of my hand and looks sick to his stomach when he confirms what it is. "I guess it's pointless to ask if you're going?"

There's no point in beating around the bush with Patrick. "I don't have a good feeling this year. I don't want to leave Sophia by herself. I think we might have to sit this one out."

"And risk Karina's wrath?" Patrick looks circumspect.

I decide to share with him the plan that Sophia laid out for me, one that is both ingenious and extremely risky.

"If Sophia is able to unlink the children by the time we get rid of Karina's people, we can gather all the pups and get out of here. The next course of action will be to contact the other packs in the Alliance that Karina is controlling using the same tactic. We offer our help—the Silver Wolf's help—and if they accept it, we unlink their kids and gather more allies. The more allies we accumulate, the better chance we have of standing against Karina, in terms of numbers at least."

"You think Sophia will be on board with this idea?" Patrick looks shocked. "She'll have to reveal what she is to the other packs."

I lean back in my chair, deflated yet a little bit proud. "This was her idea. She doesn't want to go after Karina with just our soldiers. She thinks it's best to get everyone in the North Alliance behind us. Even if we don't succeed in killing Karina, she will lose power."

Patrick lets out a sharp whistle. "That's what I call a solid plan. She's not worried about revealing herself, then?"

"She calls it a calculated risk."

My friend stares at me. "And clearly, you don't agree with her."

"Would you if you were in my shoes?" I sigh. "The risk is enormous. But she's right. This might be our only chance. We just have to make sure word doesn't reach Karina about us having found the Silver Wolf. The element of surprise is all we have going for us."

Patrick has a thoughtful expression on his face. "When do you plan this attack?"

"Most likely after the banquet. Anything on Julia?"

He shakes his head. "Jared and Saul have been scouring the woods around the village for any sign of her. I'm trying to get a few more men to relieve them, but that's all we can do. Nathan is still waiting for the towers to get fixed so that he can send out signals to the two units."

I steeple my fingers together. Julia has become a threat of massive proportions. "Give the order to kill her on sight. We can't waste any more time. If anyone sees her, they should simply execute her on the spot."

My friend gives me a grim smile. "Consider it done. We'll be patrolling the village borders on the day of the festival. I've arranged duties for everyone."

"Good."

Once Patrick leaves, I study the invitation for the Winter Banquet, my thoughts churning in my head. As much as I dislike the idea of Sophia getting involved with Karina, she's right. The Queen has to be dealt with. I had also considered the possibility of Karina tracking us down if we attempted to disappear. She has it out for me, her hatred having grown over the years as I've meticulously broken the puppet strings she attached to me, one by one.

Skipping out on the Winter Banquet will force my pack to face a terrible backlash. But if I listen to Sophia and reach out to the other Alphas in the rest of the North, we may be able to unlink the children during the event, when Karina is sufficiently distracted. Sophia simply mentioned rallying the rest of the packs behind us by saving their young ones, but the best time to do so would be during the Winter Banquet. However, I cannot ignore the risk, which is huge. If even one shifter from one pack betrays us, Sophia will be in instant danger.

My eyes fall on the package sitting on the shelf in the corner of my office. Stretching my legs, I make my way over to it and unwrap the carved bird and its cage. The detail is not exquisite, but it's obvious that the piece was made with love and attention. And right now, it symbolizes Sophia completely. She really has begun to spread her wings, and with that, her confidence is growing. I always knew she was brave and courageous, albeit with bouts of recklessness and selflessness. It was one of the things that drew me to her when I was struggling with our fated mate bond. My mate is a complicated woman who is still growing into her new identity, and I plan to help her.

It strikes me that I never would have met Sophia had Karina not sent me to Oakrest to search for the mysterious Silver Wolf. The Queen had received a prophecy from a witch who told her about a Silver Wolf who would unite all three Alliances and who was the source of great power. While I don't see Sophia uniting the three Alliances, I do know that my mate is incredibly gifted. She learns quickly and adapts to every situation, and despite the circumstances of her life, her resilience is startling.

As I replace the carving on the shelf, I hear a fluttering noise and a loud tapping on glass. These are familiar sounds; I leap over the desk to reach my office window, which I throw open.

In front of me is a gray pigeon. On its leg is a small piece of paper, rolled up and tied with a thin ribbon. The bird holds out its leg to me, and I unfasten the message.

When I unroll it, I see that it reads as follows:

"Prisoner was removed over a year ago. Secondary location empty. Movement in the North. Free zones. Black Alder."

I stare at the words, my eyes narrowing.

This cannot be coincidence.

Black Alder is the name of the wolf pack that Karina most recently massacred.

What was Robert Black doing in Black Alder territory around that same time?