Emma’s POV
I didn’t want to lock up my daughter again. My heart would break the moment I closed those doors.
But she wouldn’t be in there for long. I already had a plan and I knew what I needed to do.
I just couldn’t tell anyone. “I knew they would try to stop me and I couldn’t let that happen. My daughter was going to go to her pack and start living her life. I was going to deal with the darkness. I was responsible for it and I was going to take the burden of it.
“What happened?” my brother asked as he barged through the back door.
Mason was behind him and he looked like he was ready to fight.
“Sit down,” Logan told them calmly. “We will tell you everything after Nathan, Janet, and Anna get here.”
“Where is Sophia?” Mason asked worriedly.
“She is in the living room with Hunter,” Logan said, glancing at the door.
I knew how much he wanted to go there and take her into his arms. I wanted to do the same. I didn’t care that she was an adult. She would always be my little girl and I would always want to hold her like I did when she was a child. It was the same with Alex. He was so much taller and bigger than me, but that didn’t matter. He would always be my little boy.
“Alex,” I called him softly.
He stopped pacing around and looked at me. I patted the chair next to me and gave him a small smile.
He groaned but listened to me. He sat down next to me and leaned his head on my shoulder. I kissed his forehead and took his hand in mine.
“Everything will be okay,” I said quietly. “I promise.”
I would make sure that everything was okay. I just needed to get Sophia into that room. I would take it from there.
“What happened, Emma?” my brother asked sternly, making me look up at him.
I was just about to tell him that we had to wait when I heard Nathan, Janet, and Anna approaching the back door.
As soon as Anna walked through the door I knew that she already knew why we called her here.
“Okay, talk,” Andrew said as soon as Nathan closed the door.
“The darkness isn’t gone,” Anna said before any of us could speak.
Mason gasped and looked at her wide-eyed.
“Goddess, Anna, why would you say that?!” Mason exclaimed and looked at me.
The fear I saw in his eyes made my heart clench painfully.
“It isn’t true, right?” Mason asked. “Hunter’s mark took it away.”
I gulped and shook my head a little. Mason paled.
“It brought Sophia back, but it didn’t take the darkness away,” I said. “It is still here.”
Everyone was silent after I confirmed what Anna had shared. I kept my eyes on Mason. He looked like he was about to shift.
“Are you sure?” Andrew asked quietly.
I looked at my brother and nodded.
“I am sure,” I said. “I can feel it.”
Andrew clenched his fists and cursed loudly. He started pacing around and shaking his head.
“What are we going to do?” Nathan asked quietly.
I looked at him and took a deep breath. I knew what I was going to do, but I wasn’t going to tell them. They would find out soon enough.
“Sophia wants us to lock her back into that room,” Alex said quietly, making Mason gasp.
“Is she insane?!” Mason exclaimed loudly. “We are not doing that!”
He rushed toward the living room, but Logan stopped him.
“She wants it, Mason,” Logan said, his voice laced with pain and worry. “She is afraid of hurting someone again.”
Mason’s eyes widened. “We won’t let her! I am not letting you lock her up again!”
The kitchen door opened and Sophie and Hunter walked inside.
“You wouldn’t be able to stop me, Mase,” Sophie said, making Mason look at her. “I will be okay. I won’t be in there for long. My mom will find a way to destroy the darkness.”
Mason growled quietly and pulled Sophie into a hug.
“You are okay with his?” Mason asked Hunter.
One look at Hunter and I knew the answer to Mason’s question. He was definitely not okay with it.
“No,” Hunter said quietly. “I am not okay with it, but it is what she wants.”
Mason growled again and looked at Sophie.
“We will be able to stop you,” Mason said. “Your mom stopped you once and she would be able to do it again.”
“At what cost, Mase?” Logan sighed. “Emma barely managed to do it last time and it completely exhausted her.”
Mason looked at me and took a deep breath.
“I will find a way to take the darkness away,” I said, giving him a reassuring smile. “I promise, Mason. She won’t be in there for long.”
Mason sighed and looked back at Sophie. She smiled at him and hugged him tightly.
“I will be back soon and we will prank Alex again,” Sophie said, smirking at Alex.
Sophie and Mason always found new ways to mess with Alex. Well, the three of them messed with each other all the time. I remembered one time when Alex and Mason cut a small strand of Sophie’s hair while she was asleep. They waited until she woke up, showed it to her, and convinced her that all of her hair fell off her head while she was asleep. I would never forget the way she screamed. My heart stopped beating and I thought that something happened. She pranked them back the next day. She never let them off the hook for anything they did.
I smiled at the memory. I would make sure that they had a lot more of those carefree days.
“Hey!” Alex said. “What did I do to you?”
Sophie winked at him and let Mason go.
“I need a day with her,” Hunter said and I looked at him. “I won’t let you lock her back in there until I had some time alone with her.”
I really wished that we could take her to the room today so I could execute my plan tonight, but I understood Hunter. He was her mate, and he needed some time with her before she was taken away from him again.
I wished that I could tell him it wouldn’t be for long. I wished that I could share my plan with everyone and stop them from worrying.
But they would find out soon enough. I would do everything I needed to do tomorrow night and they would get Sophia back for good.
