Chapter 13

Sophia

I've cleaned enough second-hand furniture that I've bought at flea markets and yard sales to know what I'm doing. But as I squat in front of the high-back chair that I'm beginning to realize is not olive green in color, I wonder if I've met my biggest challenge yet.

The chair is blue.

It's blue. Not green.

I've been scrubbing at it for two hours now, and the light blue shade is starting to show.

"You haven't won yet," I say out loud, glaring at it. "I know your true colors now."

Snickering at my own wit, I start scrubbing again.

I don't even bother glancing at the black paint sitting ignored, just a few feet from me.

Lily is the living personification of the word "lazy." I asked her to touch up the carving on the frame of the chair, and the young witch began sighing after two minutes, complaining about how her delicate wrist wasn't meant to hold a paint brush. Now she's upstairs, napping.

Although, to be fair, we did spend the entire morning and afternoon sneaking into homes and unlinking children from Karina's people. What had once been a difficult and time- consuming task now takes a mere thirty minutes. It also no longer drains me to the extent that I'm close to passing out. However, I still need boosts of magical energy from Lily. Not as much, but especially during the last session today, I found myself fading.

I lean back, studying the new color emerging from the chair. Maybe I'm being harsh. Lily must be exhausted. I'm starting to sense that her stamina for magic vastly differs from mine. I wonder what Alex will say when he finds out what we did today.

I glance at the wall clock before turning my attention back to the chair.

I've spent my whole life trying to survive, unwanted by the people I believed should have cared about me, deceived by the ones I trusted. So now, having Alex constantly trying to protect me is a foreign sensation. I don't know how to react. A part of me is thrilled that he cares so much, and the rest of me is flustered and defensive. It's a strange feeling to have someone be so concerned about you when you've spent a lifetime being pushed away. Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed and scared, with doubts filling me. And then there are times when I'm deliriously happy.

I hum to myself as I begin touching up the chair's frame with the black paint. For a change, I feel more relaxed tonight, doing something I'm familiar with.

Lost in my secret little project, I don't hear the footsteps behind me till Alex's voice reaches my ears. I nearly jump out of my skin.

"What are you doing?"

I tilt my head back from where I'm sitting on the floor only to see him looking down at me from above, the question in his eyes.

"Cleaning your chair."

"That's not my chair," he responds quickly. But I see the doubt enter his expression almost immediately. "Is it? Wasn't my chair green?"

I hold out my hand, and Alex helps me up. I grin at him. "You never actually cleaned this thing, did you?"

From the baffled look he gives me, I know I've hit the nail on the head.

"I was supposed to clean it?"

I press my lips together to hold in my laughter. "Well, I cleaned it for you. And I also touched up the paint. You'll have to let it dry, though."

"But I thought you wanted to throw this thing out!" Alex sounds surprised. "You hated it so much."

How could I hate something that you love?

The words are on the tip of my tongue, but they don't come out. "It grew on me."

He gives me a quizzical look, and then there's a small smile on his face. "Thanks. I really like this chair. I'm glad you didn't throw it away."

I lean against him. "Shouldn't you be praising me for doing such a good job on it?"

Alex chuckles. "A good job?" He runs his hand over the fabric. "It looks brand new. You did a fantastic job."

I smile, pleased. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I was going to put it in your study. I didn't think you'd walk in on me fixing it up."

"A surprise?"

I shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "I knew it meant a lot to you. So, I thought I'd clean it up for you."

Alex presses his lips against my cheek. "Thank you. I love it."

My heart flutters. The chemistry between us is sizzling hot, but the affection he is showing reaches inside and warms me up.

"Why are you back so early? I thought you were planning to do some work in the office."

The expression on his face goes from happy to grim in a heartbeat. "I wanted to discuss something with you."

The tone of his voice has my heart crawling up my throat. "What happened?"

Alex guides me to the love seat in the living room and sits down with me. "I've been looking into your mother's possible whereabouts. I had my spy network try to find records of Robert's movements from the time when you were born."

I don't remember telling Alex any details about my birth, but before I killed Alpha Black, he said so much that Alex might not have needed to ask me anything.

"Did you find her?" I ask abruptly.

"No." He shakes his head. "But the town Robert lived in had an old manor in the woods."

I blink. "I remember that place. We were never allowed up there. It was fenced off."

"My sources tell me that up until last year, Alpha Black visited the manor regularly. There was evidence in the basement of someone having been imprisoned there."

My mate's voice is gentle, but it doesn't lessen the blow any.

"Wait." My heart sinks. "Are you saying that all those years, my mother was just a ten-minute walk from where I grew up?"

"I believe so. Last year, he moved her to a different location, but that place had also been emptied out by the time my people figured it out and went there. They found the same evidence of imprisonment."

I shake my head, anxiety and desperation eating at me. "So, where is my mother now? Where has Robert hidden her this time?"

I can only describe the look on Alex's face as pensive. After a moment, he tells me, "Around a year ago, Karina wiped out an entire pack, the Black Alder Wolf Pack. They didn't believe the Queen had actually linked the lives of their children to her nannies and soldiers. They decided to get rid of her people, and when their own pups didn't survive, they knew she had been telling the truth. Karina showed up while they were grieving their loss, and she eliminated the entire pack. Then, she seized their territory."

I remember Alex telling me something about this previously, but he didn't mention the name of the pack.

"What does all this have to do with my mother?"

"Before Karina massacred the adults, I had reached out to the Alpha of the Black Alder Pack, offering assistance if he needed it," Alex explains. "The man was half mad with heartache. His own newborn son had been one of the victims. I got nowhere with him, but something really stood out to me. He kept saying, ‘I never should have trusted him. I never should have trusted him.' He was delirious, grief-stricken, and at the time, I wrote it off as a madman's rambling. I assumed he was referring to one of his advisers who had perhaps convinced him to go ahead and attack the soldiers and the nannies."

"Alex—" I begin, not having the faintest idea where he's going with this.

"Sophia, Robert Black began visiting Black Alder's Alpha around the same time the pack went after Karina's soldiers and nannies."

For a moment, I forget how to breathe. "What are you saying? How would Robert even get into North Alliance territory?"

"Ever since Karina took over the North, the packs that usually oversee the border with the South are next to nonexistent. It's not hard to slip into the North Alliance anymore. Also, I remembered that the Alpha of the Black Alder Pack and Robert were getting along surprisingly well during the last Winter Banquet. I saw the two of them together on more than one occasion. It was odd because North and South leaders rarely mix. Sophia, I believe Robert got into the Black Alder Alpha's head and convinced him to defy Karina."

"But why?" I'm having a tough time following him.

"I wish I could give you a confident answer," Alex says gently. "I do know that after Karina destroyed the pack, she claimed the territory, but it is still untouched. And according to my sources, after the Black Alder pack was annihilated, Robert's visits to the North increased. To be more specific, he used the free zones to travel to former Black Alder territory with alarming frequency."

I jump to my feet, something akin to hope filling me. "You think he hid my mother there?"

"It's a possibility. If someone in the South figured out his secret—that he's had your mother, the Silver Wolf, imprisoned all these years—he might have been forced to stash her somewhere else, somewhere nobody could find her. Somewhere in the North would have been perfect."

I can barely contain my excitement. "If you're right, then we should go right now—"

"Slow down, there." Alex stands up and takes me by the arms, stopping me. "These are just assumptions, Sophia. I promised you that my people would look into the matter, and they are doing so. Besides, getting into Black Alder's former territory is not going to be that easy."

"How hard could it be? If Robert—"

"We don't actually know if Robert has been entering the territory. Maybe he has a place near it. Also, the area we're talking about is massive. We will need several teams searching at once. It's going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I have units of soldiers located in different regions, and they will be arriving here soon, once Nathan is able to make contact with them. I'm going to be sending them to start the search. The two of us leaving right now to do that may not be the wisest idea."

"But she could die of starvation!" I pull away from Alex. "Robert has been dead for weeks, Alex. He was probably the only one who knew where she is. She hasn't had any food or water—"

"Julia has escaped from the South, Sophia," Alex cuts me off, his gaze heavy. "I need to stay put for now. We believe she's making her way here, and we have to stop her first. There's another problem, too. The Winter Banquet I just mentioned? It only happens every three years. It's taking place two weeks from now, and I just received an invitation."

I stare at him. "I don't understand. You're telling me to forget about my mother so you can go to a party?"

"No!" Alex insists. "I'll explain more about the banquet later. For now, just know that the journey alone to Black Alder territory takes a few days. I will send my men to start searching the area. With Julia on her way here, we cannot leave the pack here unprotected. You have to put your trust in me, Sophia. I told you I would look for your mother, and I meant it. But we're talking about a quest that may take weeks or months. I'm waiting for more information before you and I go; we may be able to narrow down the search area."

"My mother—"

"She won't starve," Alex assures me. "Robert would have left some rations for her. He needed her alive, remember? If she is in the North, we will find her. But we cannot go just yet. We have to prevent Julia from finding out about you and reporting to Karina. Right now, the entire fate of the North rests on keeping your identity as the Silver Wolf a secret from everyone, even my own pack."

His words make sense, but my heart disagrees. I want to drop everything and go running to look for my mother. Goddess knows how long she's been left alone. Who knows what her condition is at this point? All these thoughts are eating me alive.

Sensing my distress, Alex takes me in his arms. "I'm not abandoning your mother. She's your family. We're going to find her, Sophia. I promise you. I will send people who are specialized in tracking to search for her, a team who knows what they're doing. A general area is not enough for you and me to go on. The Black Alder territory used to be the largest in the North after my father's. It will take months for the two of us to find anything. We need trackers, and I'm trying to contact my best ones. I'm asking you to be patient and to trust me."

I search his gaze, and as hard as it is, I can understand his point of view. Leaving the pack to go look for my mother when we don't even know where she is would be foolish. At least we have somewhere to start now.

Besides, Alex has a point. Trackers will be our best bet in this scenario. Trackers are wolf shifters born with sharper senses than normal and a greater drive to hunt. If anyone has a hope of finding my mother in such a vast territory, it will be them. Drew, my neighbor back in Oakrest and somebody I once considered my friend, was a tracker. Of course, now I don't know where he is. The last time I saw him, Robert tried to kill him, and I saved his life despite uncovering the terrible lies he had been telling me.

I shake my head, trying to stop the ache in my heart. Drew and his young son, Tim, were like family to me. I don't want to remember them because when I do, it hurts.

"Alright." I look away, not knowing what else to say. It's not easy to be patient, but I'm not left with a choice.

Alex smiles with relief. "Come on. I'll make you some coffee. I still need to tell you about tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I feel his hand wrap around mine as he guides me to the kitchen. "What's tomorrow?"

"It's the start of a two-day festival," he tells me. "There's going to be music, dancing, and food. I thought it would be the best time to officially introduce you to the pack."

His words make me blink. "I thought you weren't intending to tell the pack about me just yet."

Alex takes two mugs from the cupboard. "That was the plan, but I haven't exactly been very discreet, now, have I? They already have their suspicions. I want to confirm them."

There's a small grin on his face as he turns on the coffee maker, but I don't need to see it to be able to sense that he's happy.

"Then what?" I ask hesitantly.

Alex glances at me over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"The mating mark, Alex." I take a step toward him. "Why haven't you given it to me?"

His back stiffens, and he's quiet.

I haven't forgotten Patrick's words, the reasoning he gave me, but I need to hear it from Alex himself.

The silence in the room is suffocating, but I force myself to wait for his response.

"I want to give you my mark." Alex's hands come to rest on the edge of the counter. "I want nothing more than that, Sophia. But you have no idea how precious you are to me. Even the mere thought of something happening to you is unbearable to me."

My heart skips a beat, my pulse racing at his words.

"If I give you my mating mark, and I don't succeed against Karina, you will suffer along with me. I can't do that to you. My wolf is getting more and more desperate, and I'm doing my best to keep it at bay, but I cannot put you in a position where you could get hurt."

I touch his back, and he turns around to face me.

"You think you can't beat Karina?" I ask quietly as the blaze in his eyes burns me.

"It's not a matter if I can win against her or not." His hands settle on my shoulders as if anchoring me to him. "I want you to be free, Sophia. After all the years that you've suffered, I want you to be able to breathe and live life the way you were meant to."

"Being your mate isn't going to—"

"That's not what I meant." He caresses my cheek. "If Karina finds out you're the Silver Wolf, all she has to do is capture me, and then she can force you to do her bidding. You will become nothing more than her slave."

Tension fills my body, and I reach out to grab the front of Alex's shirt. "If she were to come right now and capture you, you think I wouldn't do her bidding? Do you think I wouldn't try to save you?"

"Our lives will be linked."

"I understand that. It doesn't matter. I would still go to every length for you."

"I wouldn't want you to," Alex says, quietly. "I love you, Sophia. So deeply that it feels like you are a part of me already. Your happiness and your safety are paramount to me. It was so easy for me to think that finding the Silver Wolf would solve all my problems. I never imagined you would ensnare my heart so easily. And now, you are in my every breath. I can't—"

"I am safe. I will always be safe as long as you're with me. I need you to be by my side, Alex. I want to wear your mark. I don't need you to protect me anymore. I am growing stronger every day. I don't want to be the kind of mate that you feel you have to safeguard all the time. I want to stand by your side as an equal."

His smile has me growing weak in the knees. "I will always want to protect you, Sophia. You could have the strength of a thousand shifters, and I would still want to protect you. I have lost everyone I have ever loved. Losing you would break me."

Tears burn my eyes, and my voice cracks. "Then you won't break because you won't lose me. I won't let that happen. I never thought I would ever fall in love with someone, Alex. Heck, I didn't even know love could be in the cards for me. I know we've had our problems, but you…There's never going to be another you in my life. You are where my happiness begins and ends. In the time we've spent together, you were patient with me when I resisted the idea of you. You were understanding when I used my words to hurt you. And you were gentle with me when I was being crushed. You make me feel safe and protected. You make me feel wanted. You're the one who gave me my confidence, the kind of confidence I never knew I lacked. When my entire world was shattering, Alex, you held out your hand to me. Even when it was your pack on the line, you chose me."

"How could I not choose you?" Alex asks simply, emotion welling in his eyes. "You are my whole world, Sophia."

"Then, I want what's mine." I wrap my arms around his neck. "I want my mating mark."

His own arms come to encircle my waist, and he sighs good-naturedly. "You're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?"

I smile. "What do you think?"

His response is a heated kiss that has my toes curling. I'm pretty sure I know where this is headed, and I'm reaching for the buttons of his shirt when he pulls away, laughing. "Not yet. I bought you a present. Well, no, I was trying to buy you a present, but the owner of the shop wanted to give it to you as a gift."

"You should've stuck with you got me a present," I giggle. "More romantic."

"Fair," he agrees. "Let me go get it."

Releasing me, he heads into the hallway. I sip my coffee, my lower muscles tightening in wanton need. I can already feel the wetness between my lower lips. One kiss from Alex, and my engines are revving.

A moment later, Alex returns with something covered in brown paper. As I begin unwrapping it, he says, "It reminded me of you."

Alex has given me plenty of things, but it feels like this is the first time he's gotten me a gift. Excitement courses through my veins.

I remove the paper to reveal a wooden carving. It's a bird sitting on the edge of a cage, about to take flight.

"It's beautiful," I breathe. "Simply stunning!"

"When I saw it, I thought of you." Alex runs his finger over the bird's head and its wings. "It feels like you're spreading your wings. You're ready to take on the world, Sophia."

I sniffle, rubbing my eyes fiercely. "Why do you always make me cry?"

Chuckling, Alex pulls me into his chest. "Why are you such a crybaby?"

I kick him in the shin before burying my face in his chest and inhaling his scent. "Shut up."

But as I peek at the wooden carving, I feel a delicate sort of happiness bloom with me. "We should—"

Out of nowhere, the smell of blood reaches my nose just as it does Alex's. His whole body goes still.

"What is that?" I move away from him, about to head toward the door, but he is two steps ahead of me.

He throws it open, and I can hear faint shouting from further away in the village. Neither of us hesitates, running outside. We are not the only ones, as other people are leaving their houses, too. The stench of blood is spreading.

Just a short distance from us, I see a man stumbling in the street.

"It's Nathan!" I shout in shock as I recognize him. I run to the boy, and he falls into my arms, holding his shoulder where his right arm used to be. His face is white as a sheet, and he's shivering.

As I lower him to the pavement, he stammers, "S-She's…Alex, I tried—I tried to stop her…"

"Nathan!" Alarmed voices cry out his name as other pack members race toward us.

Alex, however, is standing frozen in place, looking at something down the road.

I lift my head to follow his gaze, and my heart nearly stops.

A woman is walking toward us, her clothes covered in blood. Nathan's blood.

Julia.