Sophia’s POV
I was pacing around my little office nervously.
My parents, my aunt and uncle, and Hunter went to the Alpha gathering. They were gone for a while and they needed to go back. Mike was probably home or downstairs. He was excited to participate this year. I had no idea where Lex and Mason were, but the important thing was that they weren’t there and I could use this opportunity to talk to Anna.
I asked Seth, one of the warriors in the packhouse, to go get her. I didn’t want my family to see me walk around the packhouse. They would ask questions and I wasn’t ready to talk about it with them. I didn’t want to worry them. I had to find a way to deal with my magic before I told anyone.
My office door opened and Anna walked inside with a worried look on her face.
“Is it true?” she asked as soon as she closed the door. “You found your mate?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I didn’t even know how she found out, but I didn’t care about that.
A huge smile spread across Anna’s face.
“That’s amazing, sweetie!” she said as she approached me and pulled me into a hug. “Who is he? What did your dad say? What did Alex say? Did they scare the crap out of him?”
Anna let me go and chuckled. She kept her hands on my shoulders, smiling softly at me.
“He is Alpha Nathan’s son,” I mumbled, making her eyes widen.
“What?” she mumbled as her hold on me tightened.
“He is Alpha Nathan’s son,” I repeated quietly.
She studied my face for a few seconds.
“Wow, the Goddess has a crappy sense of humor,” Anna mumbled as she let me go.
I sighed and gave her a small nod.
“What did your family say?” Anna asked.
“They weren’t thrilled,” I sighed.
Anna studied my face for a second. “What did Alpha Hunter say?”
A small smile spread across my face. I remembered how it felt when he first touched me.
“I can tell by the look on your face that, unlike your family, he was thrilled,” Anna said, chuckling.
“He was,” I said. “He said that his family is happy too.”
Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you going to do?”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I stepped away from her and started pacing around the office again.
“I don’t know, Anna,” I mumbled. “I want to accept him, but I am aware of everything that happened between our families.”
“That’s not an issue, Sophia,” Anna said. “Your families will have to suck it up and move on from what happened.”
She wasn’t wrong. I knew that my family would never stop loving me and supporting me. I didn’t know much about Hunter’s family, but I had a feeling that they would support him too. We would find a way to get past everything that had happened. It wouldn’t be easy, but we would find a way.
But that wasn’t the biggest issue I was facing. That didn’t worry me as much as my magic did. I felt it grow stronger. I felt it consuming me.
“Don’t worry about that, Sophie,” Anna said softly. “Your family will support you.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I know,” I mumbled. “I know how hard this is for them, but I am sure that everything will be okay.”
“Why are you so worried then?” Anna asked, making me look at her.
My heartbeat raced. I felt shivers run down my spine. It made me uncomfortable. It made me even more nervous than I already was.
“It’s my magic, Anna,” I said quietly. “It’s getting harder and harder to control it.”
Anna’s eyes widened. She furrowed her eyebrows. I could tell that her breathing picked up.
“What are you talking about, Sophia?” she asked quietly.
I started pacing around my office again. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.
“I can feel the darkness pressing to be released,” I explained. “It started a few days ago, but it intensified when I saw Hunter for the first time today. It’s like the emotion of seeing my mate for the first time made it worse.”
I didn’t want to admit that to myself, but it was the truth. It felt like my insides were shaking. I felt like I had to keep my muscles clenched at all times just to be sure the darkness won’t come out. I had bad days before, but it was never like this.
“Oh, Goddess,” Anna mumbled.
“I am afraid, Anna,” I sighed. “What if I can’t control it? What if I hurt my mate? I can’t accept him if I am a danger to him and his pack.”
Stella whined. I felt a lump in my throat. Just thinking about rejecting him hurt like hell. Just thinking about rejecting him made me want to cry. But I would do it if it meant that he would be safe. I would never be able to forgive myself for hurting him or his pack.
I was dangerous. What happened between our families wasn’t the only issue here.
“You are not a danger, Sophia,” Anna said, making me look at her. “We will find a way to stop the darkness. I will find a spell or a potion. I will start immediately.”
“What if it doesn’t work, Anna?” I asked, my voice trembling.
I stopped by the window and looked at our backyard. My eyes found my mate immediately. My heart fluttered. My body shivered. He was so handsome and I wanted him so much.
I looked away from him. I couldn’t accept him until I found a way to control this darkness that was making it hard for me to breathe.
I looked at my mom and dad who were talking with Drake and Amy. They must have arrived recently. I saw them glancing at Hunter. My parents must have told them what had happened.
“It will work, Sophie,” Anna said softly. “We always found a way. We will find a way this time as well.”
My office door opened, making me turn around.
Lex walked inside with a worried look on his face. He sighed in relief when he saw me.
“Why are you up here?” he said, glancing at Anna. “What happened?”
“I just wanted to talk to Anna about my magic,” I said quietly.
Lex looked at Anna and clenched his fists. I saw him take a deep breath.
“Can she share it with me?” he asked her, making me gasp.
“Lex, no!” I said immediately. “I already told you that I won’t do that!”
Anna looked from Lex to me with a confused expression on her face.
“You think that she could share her darkness with you?” Anna mumbled quietly.
“Yes,” Lex nodded, ignoring me completely. “I want to make it easier on her.”
“Lex…,” I wanted to argue, but Anna interrupted me.
“It could work,” she said, glancing at me.
No. I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t put my brother in danger. There was no way that I would be giving him any of my darkness. There had to be another way to contain it.
