Sophia.

“I swear to you, this insignificant thing will betray you. Why aren’t you listening to me, Elena?” I inquire, pointing to the kid she is holding. “I don’t trust him. I have a hunch he’s going to turn on you.”

“No, he won’t,” Elena responds emphatically. She strokes the child’s face softly. “I trust him, and I know he won’t do me any harm.”

“What the hell, Elena?” I say incredulously. “Don't tell me you trust him over me. You put your trust in a stranger over me?”

“Sophia, pay attention to what I’m saying,” Elena yells. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with you.”

“Elena, please listen to me.”

“How did you come to dislike this little guy? Why, for the love of the goddess, do you despise him? It’s been weeks since we met him, and you still despise this helpless child?”

I look her in the eye, desperate for her to believe me. “Trust me,” I reply emphatically. “Not only will he betray you, but the entire Shadow Pack. He is not one of us, and he will never be. We must get rid of him before he creates any problems for us.”

She is shocked by what I say. It is written on her face. Do I go too far? Do I talk too much and hurt her?

“Betrayed?” she wonders. “You keep telling me he’s going to betray me. You continue to accuse him even though you have yet to witness him do anything improper. This small one you’re referring to is just ten years old. How can he possibly betray me? How can he possibly betray us? How do you know he will turn against the pack?”

“But…,” I stammer. “But… Elena.”

I can’t think of the perfect words to express how I feel, so I simply stutter incoherently answering her query.

She let out a sigh. “Sophia, please stop and pay attention to what I’m saying. I’ve had my fill of you. I’m not sure why you despise him so much, but I trust him and know he won’t hurt me or my people.”

“Elena.”

“Hey,” she says as she raises her hand to silence me. “I’m tired of your allegations. We’re leaving right now.”

Before I can say anything else, she turns and leaves the room with Mark in her arms. A knot forms in my gut when I realize I speak so harshly to her. If I talk softly to her, maybe she will listen to me.

*****

My name is Sophia Stewart, and I am the third child of the Shadow Pack’s Gamma. I have an elder sister, an older brother, and a younger sister, Rita. I was born with a rare gift.

Elena Lena, the Alpha’s daughter, is my childhood friend and best friend. We have been close since we were kids, and I care for her as she does for me. Being Gamma’s daughter, we have the privilege to live with the Alpha in the pack house.

The pack members didn’t like me ever since the day of that incident, and they think I’m unkind and a bad influence on the alpha daughter, Elena.

My mother is an incredible female warrior of the pack. Her relationship with my father is one that everyone admires, and they both work well together. In a few months, I will be old enough to meet my fated mate. I’m excited to find out who I’ll be with for the rest of my life. I hope my relationship with my mate will be as strong and loving as my parents. I can’t wait to find out who my fated mate will be.

Elena Lena is a kind-hearted girl and the Alpha’s most beloved daughter. Elena is so kind to everyone, unlike me. Despite having a loving father, her stepmother, who is the beta sister, hates her. Elena’s mother is the former Luna of our pack, who died in a rogue attack. The Alpha is forced to choose a wife by the elders of the pack. His choice is Lina, the only sister of the beta, who lost her mate in the attack as well. She accepts the Alpha and is kind to Elena. When she finds out that the Alpha is not going to crown her as his Luna, Lina is disappointed. As a result of not having a title and always being looked down on by everyone in the pack, she is angry and annoyed. She takes all her anger out on little Elena, who is ten years old at the time her mother is killed.

We have been living peacefully and in hiding because the Alpha feels we will be attacked again.

We are not the strongest pack in the werewolf kingdom, but we are also not the weakest pack. We have managed to survive by staying out of sight and not getting involved with other werewolf packs. We have a plan in place in case of a potential attack, and we are prepared to defend our territory if necessary.

We are out of our pack’s territory to get something in town when Elena spots a little boy putting a rag as a cloth. She takes pity on him. She bathed him in a nearby house, cloth him, and fed him. When it is time to leave, however, the little one refuses to let her go and insists on coming with us as her slave. He insists on following her. He cries and says he is okay, even if she turns him into her slave. He’s fine as long as he’s with her. I hate the idea. How can we allow a stranger into the pack? For goddess’ sake, we don’t even know him. Although it makes me angry that he could even suggest becoming her slave just to stay with us, we can’t just let any stranger into our pack.

“Hey Elena, we can’t bring him with us to the pack,” I say firmly. “You can't.”

“What are you talking about, Sophia?”

“I know you are having strange thoughts about bringing him along with us. I won’t support you in this decision - we don’t know his origin! How can you trust someone you don’t know and bring him into the pack? Are you not scared he’ll betray us? Don’t you think he’s our enemy spy sent by our enemies?”

“Easy love, don’t you see he is pitiful?” she asks. “He has nowhere to go or live. Why don’t we bring him along with us? Let him live with us.”

“No, we can’t just allow anyone into the pack just because you’re too kind, and who tells you he has nowhere to live?” I ask. "Where does he stay before he meets us? How will you allow someone you don’t know into the pack?”

Elena laughs until her eyes are full of tears at my questions. “What the hell are you thinking, Sophia? He is just a kid. How can he possibly betray me or the pack? Stop thinking like this. It’s not good for your health! Anyway, he has no wolf, so there is no way he can betray us!”

“But!”

“No, but, Sophia. He’s staying. I’m going to talk to my dad to accept him as one of us.”

I’m speechless. She’s really doing this? I hope she won’t regret this decision one day.

She turns to him. “What is your name, little guy?” she asks.

“Mark. My name is Mark,” he whispers softly.

“Mark,” she calls. “You have a nice name. Welcome to the shadow pack. I’ll be adopting you as my brother. The brother I have never had.”

“What!” I scream. “Brother? He’s not just staying here, but also as your brother?”

She smiles sweetly at me before responding, “Yes, my darling Sophia. Starting from today, Mark is my brother.”

“Uh, I hope you won’t regret your decision. Accepting and bringing him into the pack isn’t enough for you. Turning a stranger you just met into your brother is something I pray you won’t regret.”

“I won’t regret my decision,” she replies. “Sophia, honey, I have never regretted anything in my life. We need to go back. I need to show him to our father.”

Elena left with a smile. She is very happy with her decision. Why am I angry? Am I jealous of Mark? Am I angry with him because he stole my best friend from me?

No, he can’t stay in the pack. I won’t allow him. I have the feeling that he’s a bad guy. I must find out his purpose and send him out of the pack as soon as possible. I will talk to him and try to find out what he wants. If I don’t get a satisfactory answer, I will have to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the pack. I won’t let anyone threaten it.