TERPERANGKAP OLEHMU

Chapter One: A Child

Sophia.

“I swear, this insignificant thing will betray you. Why aren’t you listening to me, Elena?” I ask, pointing at the child 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 your friend?”

“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 do 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 should 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 little 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 lets 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 yells 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 spoke 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. Elena Lena is the Alpha's most beloved only daughter and my best friend. She lost her mom in the rogue's attack. Everyone in the pack loves her because she is pure and a kind-hearted girl.

We are out of our pack’s territory to get something in town when Elena spots a little boy putting on a rag. She takes pity on him and feeds him, and when it is time for us 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 goodness' sake, we don’t even know him. Although it makes me angry that he can 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 them?”

“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 question. "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. Is she really doing this? I hope she won’t regret this decision one day.

She turns to him. “What is your name, little one?” 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 never have.”

“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.”

“Huh, 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.”

“We have managed to survive by staying out of sight and not getting involved with other werewolf packs. Why are you insisting on bringing him?”

“I don't care. He's staying.”

Elena leaves 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 steals 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.