Secrets Revealed

Sophia

I was training the warriors with my two best friends, Emma and Conrad. Emma was going to be my beta in a couple of months when I took over the alpha title, and Conrad didn’t know it yet, but when I did become alpha, I planned on promoting him from warrior to gamma, my third in command. The three of us were extremely close and usually did everything together. Emma’s younger sister, Maya, hung out with us on occasion, but her interests were a little different from ours. She was more of a girly girl, not really into training and pack business. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but she would rather spend her time at the mall or reading gossip magazines. That was probably why she didn’t always want to hang out with us.

Emma was a month older than me. She was five-foot-eight with a slim yet muscular build. She had curly dark brown hair that reached mid-back and hazel-colored eyes. I would describe her as easygoing and always in a good mood.

Conrad was two years older than us. He was six-foot-two with short black hair and green eyes. He had broad shoulders and a muscular build. The ladies were always swooning over him, but somehow it didn't go straight to his head. He wasn’t interested in dating anyone because he was waiting for his soulmate. I would also describe him as easygoing, but very protective when he needed to be. I’d only seen him mad a handful of times and when he was, he could be quite intimidating.

“Break off into groups of three and practice fighting two against one,” Conrad instructed before the warriors broke off and started sparring. Once they were all practicing, Emma and Conrad turned their attention toward me.

“What’s up, Sophia? You seem off today?” Emma asked with a curious look on her face.

“Yeah, you haven’t broken anyone’s nose during training yet. What’s the deal?” Conrad added.

“It’s nothing,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“We’re your best friends, Sophia. Do you honestly think that lie is going to work?” Emma asked with an eyebrow raised. I chuckled dryly and shook my head. I should have known better than to try and lie to them.

“I saw Gloria and Dennis leaving my father’s office this morning. Today marks three years since Cole disappeared, and it’s kind of been weighing heavy on my mind,” I replied with a heavy sigh.

Emma’s eyes immediately filled with tears, and I knew that would happen. That’s why I didn’t want to bring it up.

You see, Cole was only a few months older than us, and we all grew up together. He was like a big brother to Emma, Maya, and me. He was an amazing and caring soul that would give you the shirt off his back without thinking twice. The day before his sixteenth birthday, he disappeared without a trace. We searched everywhere and contacted every single pack in the country but found nothing. It was like he just vanished into thin air. His parents or I should say adoptive parents, Gloria and Dennis, never got over the loss of their son. Every couple of months, they visited my father to see if he’d received any new tips on his whereabouts. Sadly, we hadn’t had any information to help us locate him.

My parents had been very secretive about Cole’s biological parents. All they told me was that they were both dead and they flat-out refused to give me any more information than that. I’d always had my suspicions that there was more to the story, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it could be. Even Cole wasn’t told much about his parents, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He loved his adoptive parents like they were his biological ones, so he never pushed for more information.

“I can’t believe I forgot. I hate that I’m starting to forget more and more about him, " Emma whispered as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t remember what today was either until I saw Gloria and Dennis this morning. I miss him,” I admitted.

“Come on, ladies, don’t be sad. How about this? Let’s hang out tonight and reminisce about the past. Remember that time when Cole accidentally ingested wolfsbane? He was all loopy and kept calling me Emma and proclaiming his undying love for me. Or that time when he fell asleep, and we drew penises on his cheeks and forehead, and it took him almost an entire day before he noticed. He kept wondering why everyone was looking at him funny,” Conrad reeled off, and by the end, we were all laughing over the memories. Wolfbane was a substance poisonous to werewolves. It made you feel drunk in small doses, but in bigger doses, it could be fatal. When it was in your system, it also put your wolf to sleep, and you couldn’t shift or speak to them.

“What do you say?” Conrad asked while glancing between Emma and me with hopeful eyes.

“Sure, let’s do it,” I replied, and Emma nodded in agreement.

“Good, now let’s focus on kicking these warriors in the ass. I expect at least one of them to be sent to the pack hospital by the end of training,” Conrad joked, causing Emma and me to chuckle.

The rest of training went by without a hitch. To Conrad’s complete disappointment, no one was sent to the hospital.

We were just about to head back for lunch when I received a mind-link.

Sophia, I need to see you in my office right away. My father’s voice stated through the link.

I’m heading back to the packhouse now. I’ll be there in five minutes. I replied before cutting the link.

“Sorry guys, I need to pass on lunch. My father wants to see me,” I told Emma and Conrad.

“Boo… We can wait for you if you want,” Conrad said.

“Nah, you guys go. I don’t know how long I’ll be,” I replied.

“Suit yourself. Say hi to my favorite second dad for me,” Emma stated, causing me to chuckle. Since our parents were extremely close, our families spent a lot of time together. Emma considered my parents as her second family, and I did the same with hers.

“Will do. I’ll catch up with you guys later,” I replied before breaking off from them and heading toward my father’s office.

When I reached his office door, I knocked.

“Come in.” I heard my father announce from inside the office.

I opened the door and found my father sitting behind his desk while my mother, Isabella, sat across from him. They both had grim expressions on their faces.

“What’s going on?” I asked with a frown, slowly making my way to the chair next to my mother.

“Have a seat, Sophia,” my father said, his expression never changing. I immediately took a seat and waited for one of them to speak.

“We just got a call from Rider,” my father started, and I immediately rolled my eyes at the mention of his name. I couldn’t stand the guy. He was arrogant and thought he knew everything. Not to mention, I thought he was a sexist donkey.

“What does that clown want?” I asked, unable to hide the distaste in my tone.

“Sophia, watch your mouth,” my father warned.

“As I was saying, Rider called. Rogues attacked his pack today, and they lost another warrior.” My father’s words immediately made my frown deepen. As much as I disliked Rider, I didn’t like hearing about innocent people dying.

“The rogues are becoming a major threat to the smaller packs. It’s time for us to put an end to them.” This time my mother spoke, and I could hear the frustration in her tone.

“What are we going to do?” I asked while glancing between the two of them.

“I’m sending you, Emma, Conrad, and a few other warriors to The High Mountain Pack. I want you and Rider to work on this problem together and come up with a solution,” my father replied, and I internally groaned. Rider and I couldn’t even agree on simple things like what toppings go on a pizza. How the hell were we going to come up with a solution to this rogue problem without hurting each other?

“You know how he is; he won’t agree with anything I say even if he knows I’m right,” I replied with a huff.

“This is a test, Sophia. Your birthday’s in two months. If I’m going to step down as alpha, I need to know you’re ready to take over the role,” my father replied with a pointed look.

“But I’m not the problem. He is,” I groaned. My mother chuckled but tried to hide it with a cough, causing me to glare at her.

“Hun, you know I love you, right?” I know her question was rhetorical as I could see a hint of amusement in her eyes, which only irritated me further.

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re just as stubborn as Rider. You two will need to put your differences aside and work together as a TEAM,” she added.

I wanted to roll my eyes and tell them I refused to go, but I knew this was my opportunity to prove that I was ready to take over the alpha title. I wasn’t going to let some stupid dumbass get in my way from claiming what was rightfully mine. If he didn’t want to play nice, I would have to play dirty.

“Sophia, what’s going through that head of yours?” my father asked in a disapproving tone. I internally scolded myself for accidentally letting them see the mischievous smile that I knew was visible on my face.

“Nothing, Father. I was simply brainstorming ideas on how to deal with the rogues,” I said innocently while batting my eyelashes. From the look on my father’s face, he didn’t believe a word I was saying. I looked over at my mother to see her trying to hide the amused smile on her face with her hand.

“There’s one more thing we wanted to talk to you about. I’m unsure if it has anything to do with the rogue attacks, but it definitely could,” my father said, drawing my full attention back to him.

“When your mother and I first met, things didn’t quite go smoothly,” my father started and winced at the thought. I heard my mother snort beside me at his words.

“Umm... You mean locking up your mate in a room for a week isn’t smooth?” my mother cut in sarcastically, and my eyes widened. They had never told me about when they first met. I just assumed it was like every other mated couple. You meet, you fall in love, the end.

“I’ve apologized for that a thousand times. Will you let me continue?” he replied while shaking his head. My mother didn’t respond, but I glanced over and saw her lips pinched into a thin line. It seemed that she was still a little bitter over the subject, even if my father had already apologized.

“Like I was saying, our start was a little rough around the edges. We didn’t quite get along at the beginning, but I swore to her father that I would keep her safe. That’s how she ended up locked in a room. She’s stubborn like you, so I had to lock her up for her own protection. At least, that’s what I thought at the time. Looking back, I know I didn’t handle things in the best way.” My father gave my mother a pointed look before continuing. I thought he would get another snarky comment from my mother, but to my surprise, she remained silent.

“There was a rogue alpha who was obsessed with her, and he wanted her as his mate. He kidnapped her, with the intention of forcing the mate bond on her. He figured she would produce strong heirs given her royal bloodline. Luckily, we stopped him before it was too late. He’s now dead, but sadly, his beta, Thomas, got away. We searched high and low for him but never managed to find him. It’s been nineteen years, and I’m not even sure if he’s still alive. The only reason I’m mentioning it is because these attacks are very similar to what happened back then. I want you and Rider to be aware of him in case he has something to do with all of this. He has a huge vendetta against our family. His sister, Jill, tried to kill your mother out of jealousy. She ended up being executed for her crimes. If Thomas is alive, he will want revenge against us.” My father’s admission shocked me to the core.

They had never told me any of this. I knew that my mother and uncle, Declan, were the only survivors of the royal bloodline, making me and my cousin, Jonah, royals. But I had no clue of the risk that came along with that title. It made sense now that I thought about it. I was stronger than most werewolves, and my wolf, Malia, was big and lethal. I could see why people would be after us.

“We don’t want to worry you. We just wanted you to be aware of this in case that name comes up in the investigation,” my mother added while putting her hand on my shoulder.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me this sooner?” I questioned.

“Honestly, we didn’t want to worry you. We figured he was long gone until these attacks started happening a few months ago,” my father replied with a heavy sigh.

“Is there anything else I should know about?” I asked, unable to hide the irritation in my tone.

“No,” my father replied a little too quickly. When I made eye contact with him, he was quick to look away. I knew there was more.

“I need to know, Father. I’m not a little kid anymore, and if you expect me to take over this pack, I should know everything,” I added, folding my arms across my chest. My father ran his fingers through his hair in frustration before his eyes met mine again.

“You’re not going to like this, Sophia, but Cole is Jill’s son. Making the rogue beta, Thomas, his uncle,” my father blurted out, and I was immediately flooded with so many emotions; disbelief, hurt, sadness, and the main one being anger. Why did they not tell me this sooner?

“You mean to tell me that his mother once tried to kill my mother, and you had her executed?” I asked in a low voice. I already knew the answer, but I needed them to say it.

“Yes.” My mother’s regret was evident in her eyes.

“We wanted him to have a fresh start and not pay for the crimes his parents committed. We commanded everyone who knew what had happened to keep it a secret, even his adoptive parents. We thought it was in his best interest.” My father let out a heavy sigh.

“Do you think his uncle, had anything to do with his disappearance?” I asked while glancing between the two of them.

“We don’t know, but it’s a possibility,” my mother replied.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this sooner,” I said while shaking my head in disbelief.

“We didn’t want you to think any less of him. We know how close the two of you were. He was innocent in everything that happened and didn’t deserve to be tainted with his mother’s crimes,” my father explained.

“I would never have judged him for something he didn’t do. Do you think that little of me?”

“No, we know you wouldn’t have treated him any differently. We made a decision that we thought was best for everyone. I’m starting to wonder if we made a mistake.” My mother cast a glance over at my father.

“I’m sorry, Sophia. We should have told you,” my father said.

“When do I leave for the High Mountain Pack?” I asked in a harsh tone, intentionally changing the subject. I was feeling overwhelmed with all this new information and needed time to sort out my thoughts.

“Tomorrow.” Defeat laced my father’s tone.

“OK, if there’s nothing else, I would like to go and start packing.” My voice came out completely emotionless.

“Sophia, don’t be mad at us,” my mother pleaded with a sad look in her eyes.

“I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed. I’m supposed to be the next alpha of this pack yet you still treat me like a kid.” I glanced between the two of them and I could see the regret in their eyes.

Before they had a chance to say anything further, I stood up from my chair and left the office. I needed time for myself to process everything. I meant it when I said I wasn’t mad at them, but I was extremely disappointed that they kept all this from me.