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Sofia talks about how much her brother’s friends drive her crazy with their overprotectiveness, but she speaks about them like they are annoying rather than intimidating.

She has me giggling when she whispers conspiratorially, telling me about how she’s been sneaking out for years and hiding it when she dates to avoid them scaring off anyone she is interested in.

But never once does she seem like there is any fear of what they would have done to her if they found out.

I need her to tell me how this is possible. It can’t be easy to sneak around when your overbearing brother is the pack Alpha.

My stifled giggles soon turn to laughing out loud at some of Sofia’s stories. I can’t recall when I last laughed. It feels good. Free. Sofia’s life sounds so, well, normal. The complete opposite of my life, but it’s hard to begrudge Sofia when she has been so kind to me.

“So, honey, your turn. Are you ready to tell me where you’ve come from?” I inhale deeply, trying to chase down the nerves of what could happen if I tell her.

“Can you promise me no one will send me back?”

Sofia recoils slightly. “To the place you were tortured? Of course not!” Her reaction makes it easier to talk. It’s like she couldn’t even imagine sending me back. So, I tell her everything—well, a shortened, watered-down version of everything, but more than I’ve ever told anyone else.

I tell her all about how my Alpha had suggested we were likely fated mates.

He had felt the bond, and I trusted his superior instincts.

But that led to complete isolation and being put down so much that when he started to physically abuse me too, I had nowhere to turn and didn’t believe I deserved better.

My breath catches in my throat when I reflect on how the idea of having pups with him made me see I needed to get out. That I’d realized I’d rather die than bring life into that nightmare. How I’ve been running for weeks on a broken leg to avoid being captured and returned to Aidan.

“Looking back, I know I should have left sooner. It wasn’t so bad at the start, but things kept getting worse as time went on. I didn’t think it would get better, but I thought maybe I could get better at not making him angry. I tried so hard, but it was never enough.”

I was so na?ve.

Sofia listens intently, never interrupting me.

Her face tells me everything she’s thinking without her having to use words.

The way she covers her mouth when she gasps shows me her horror at how Aidan hurt me.

Her glassy eyes tell the story of the empathy she has for me.

It’s almost too much to bear, and I find myself gazing away.

I don’t want her pity. All I want is a chance to start again.

“Oh, sweetie,” Sofia whispers after I finish.

I peek up at her in time to see her wiping away the wetness on her cheeks before she envelops me in a hug.

It’s soft and caring, and the difference between this embrace and almost every other physical interaction I’ve had over the past couple of years is striking.

I can no longer suppress my tears; they come out in loud sobs.

As the tears stream down my face, my body trembles with the intensity of my sobs.

Each cry carries with it a release of pent-up emotions, as if my body can finally let go of the weight it has been carrying for so long.

My breath comes in ragged gasps, my body struggling to find a rhythm amidst the overwhelming surge of emotions I spent so long bottling up.

The sound of my wracking sobs fills the room, and I can’t bring myself to stop.

But even now, faced with all of my pain, a sense of peace starts to take shape.

The gentleness of Sofia’s embrace acts as a balm, soothing the rawness of my emotions.

It’s as if the warmth of this connection is slowly mending some of the broken pieces of my heart.

The low-level tension constantly a part of my body is gradually easing, replaced by, well mostly exhaustion but there's a calmness there too.

Sofia continues to hold me until my loud sobs and shaking shoulders have given way to slight whimpers.

“I don’t think my being here will cause any trouble for your pack.

Aidan will look for me, but I’m not twenty-one yet, so even if he is my mate, he can’t track me through the mate bond.

He won’t know where to look, and I covered my tracks by traveling in the water as much as I could until I got far enough away.

I don’t want to cause trouble. Aidan might come looking.

But I’ll move on soon. As soon as Doc says I can shift. ”

Sofia holds my shoulders at arm’s length as she pulls back and looks me straight in the eye. “You are not alone anymore. You’ve got me. And I’m kind of a badass,” she smirks and I manage a watery laugh before letting my tears fall again.

I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to cry. Red puffy eyes would have angered Aidan and I couldn’t take any risks of setting him off. But now, it feels great to release my emotions finally. And with every sob, a wave of catharsis washes over me, leaving me both drained and renewed.

“Okay, I think that’s enough ugly crying for now!” Sofia says in such a bubbly, optimistic tone that she has me letting out a watery laugh. She grasps my hands and the warmth from her has me feeling connected. “Let’s get you ready to leave. ”

“Um, I don’t have anywhere to go or anything to wear.

Doc said I need to stay nearby for another few days, but I don’t uh.

...” I trail off, embarrassed and unsure of what to say.

Sofia points to the clothes she had brought with her and raises an eyebrow.

I blush when I remember she brought them for me.

“You can stay with me at the alpha house or in one of the rooms in the pack house. We have rooms there for unmated wolves who need to get out of their parent’s homes.

Whatever you are more comfortable with.”

“Oh, okay, the pack house sounds great!” I don’t want to intrude, and staying in the pack house is probably the least imposition on my new friend.

“Perfect, let’s get you ready.” Sofia claps her hands together before handing me a matching purple sports bra and leggings outfit. It’s so much comfier and more casual than what Aidan let me wear.

“Sorry, everything is super girly! It was mine when I was younger. I guessed at sizes based on what the guys told me.”

Jackson knocks on the door and pops his head in as I reach for a hoody to pull on. He stares at me, and his eyes darken before taking on the golden hue of his wolf. “How is everything going?” he asks, his voice gravelly.

“Um, good. I get to leave today, and I’ll be staying in the pack house for a few days,” I explain. A low growl escapes his lips while he shoots a glare at Sofia.

“Is that a good idea?”

“Oh, shut it, Jack; she can’t leave until her leg is better and you know it.”

Discomfort engulfs me like an invisible weight, settling deep within my chest. My heart races, thumping against my ribcage, as if trying to escape the tension that engulfs me.

A knot forms in my stomach, twisting and churning with each passing word as they talk like I’m not here.

It’s clear Jackson doesn’t want me here, and the last thing I want is to make waves.

“I can leave.” I offer quickly. “I could go stay in the nearest human town now that I have clothes to wear.”

“Absolutely not!” Sofia snaps. “Don’t mind Jack, he’s crazy overprotective of the pack and afraid of smoking hot omegas, apparently,” she says with a wink. My cheeks burn as Jackson glares at Sofia before he storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Why did you say that?” I ask, pressing my cool hands to my face as Sofia laughs in such a carefree manner that I yearn to experience it. “Seriously, what is his problem? ”

“Jack has always been protective of the pack, but some awful shit happened a few years back and now he’s a bit over the top about it. Also, he’s suspicious of girls he’s attracted to. He hasn’t dated in years,” she explains with a shrug.

“Why do you think he’s attracted to me?” I ask.

Sofia laughs again before saying, “That’s the part of my sentence you picked up on, huh? Perhaps he’s not the only one crushing.” She wiggles her eyebrows and grins at me while I pray for the ground to swallow me up.

“No one is crushing,” I groan, throwing myself back against the pillows. I’m not remotely ready to date again. And even if I was, it’s obvious he hates me, so it’s not like he would ever want me.

Sofia is currently my favorite shifter in the world, but she is obviously delusional. She couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, Jackson is attractive. Really attractive. Like insanely attractive. But I can’t even imagine being alone in a room with him, let alone consider dating him.

“Oh, he definitely is. You’ve seen yourself, right?” she asks, and I roll my eyes. Yes, I know I’m pretty. I’ve been told enough that it’s the only positive thing about me.

“There’s more to attraction than what someone looks like.”

“True, I used to be obsessed with Luca until I realized he was an asshole.” She taps on her chin as if in deep contemplation on this subject. “Okay, fine, let’s say you guys aren’t attracted to each other,” she says, even though I can see she’s not buying it. “What makes you think he hates you?”

“Well, he is the one that found me. At first, he was a total gentleman, but then we got back here, and Doc was asking about my older injuries and Jackson got mad at me. He’s a delta, right?

Well, he must have recognized how weak I am.

If he doesn’t hate me, at the very least, he’s disgusted by me.

And then just now, the way he glared...”

“Okay, I’m going to say something—and don’t take it the wrong way—but do you think it’s possible that you are maybe jumping to a whole bunch of conclusions?” I raise an eyebrow but don’t say anything, wanting to see where Sofia is going with this.

“Look,” she continues, gentler now, “you’ve been badly hurt by your Alpha, who also claimed to be your mate.

I get that you’d expect everyone else to be awful too.

Jack is one of my brother’s best friends and I’ve known him my whole life.

He’s been an overprotective pain in my ass that whole time—not as bad as Luca—but still, super overprotective.

And he’s grumpy as fuck. But he’s got his reasons for that.

And underneath it all, he’s a good guy and he would never treat you or any other female like that monster from your old pack.

Couldn’t he have been angry for you instead of angry at you? ”

She leans back and crosses her arms as if to say, ‘I rest my case,’ and I’ve got to admit, it’s compelling.

What if I have been jumping to conclusions?

It’s possible, but it’s also irrelevant.

I can’t stay here. I need to get far enough away.

Far enough that Aidan can’t track me once I turn twenty-one and the mate bond potentially snaps into place.

But perhaps I can enjoy having a friend for a few days. Just while I wait for my leg to heal.

“Doc said the same thing. But I don’t want to take any chances. I can’t.”

“I get that, but you do need some self-defense training and Jack’s the guy to do it. I’d love to help you myself but I’m up the walls with my stand-in Luna duties at the moment,” she replies with a roll of her eyes.

“That would be amazing, but I’m sure he doesn’t have time either. Even if he did, he wouldn’t want to.”

“Yeah, that would make sense except he already offered it,” she winks at me. “I’ll call Doc in to sign you off as ready to go and then take you over to the pack house,” she chirps before practically skipping out of the room. Not giving me a chance to reply.

A nervous shiver runs through my body. It would be great to know some self-defense. Maybe I could stay an extra few days before I get moving again.