5 - Council Meeting

Sophia's POV

"Jacob will be there, Mia informed me. Will you be okay, honey?" Mom asked with anxiety written all over her face. Weirdly enough, mom isn't teasing me right now. She really must have been extremely fretful about this all night.

"Mom, don't worry. Knowing Carter, and I meant the young one, he would do absolutely anything and everything to sneak out." I snorted out and tilted my head to Aidan's shoulders. Jayden tucked me in some blanket, tossing away Carter's jacket. Lia whimpered and insisted on snuggling with the jacket, so I reached out for it. I heard the twins scowl in annoyance.

"Mate's scent calms us down, Pia. His smell is comforting." Lia leaped up and down and was rolling around and around. She really felt giddy yesterday when Carter took off his jacket and gave it to me. This wolf even gets horny and tries to force me to undress Carter myself. Thank God, I fought that urge and instead focused on scolding my blood-hungry family.

I still feel a little bit lethargic; I have no idea what that punk did to me. He just pulled my hair, but it is making me sick. Did he do some kind of forbidden spell or magic? Does magic even exist? I sighed in annoyance. When Carter left yesterday, I instantly vomitted because I could not feel his presence. Mom said that it was because of the fact that we are mates, but he rejected me. Being away from him and because I am not yet marked, caused to trigger some motion sickness, which is constantly making me dizzy and want to barf. Dad was horrified when he heard the news, and guilt took over him again for rejecting mom. Didn't he know about this news already? The twins then scolded dad, and after quite some time they collectively planned to bring Carter to our interrogation room, which of course I stopped them and said I would annoyingly also die if he died.

Bonds are like that—extremely bothersome, since we can feel each other if we are hurting or in danger. It should be really romantic, but in our case, it is highly repulsive. I know Carter also feels that way, which is why I denied his rejection. No way in hell will I let myself suffer alone, and he can mark some other she-wolf to be his chosen mate! Lia growled and sneered with my train of thoughts. I giggled, knowing we were on the same page.

Although it works both ways, and I can also be taken by another wolf, I cannot have it in me to be with some other guy who isn't my fated mate, and at the same time, I don't also want to be with him after what he did. That is why this whole thing utterly sucks, but at least it sucks for both of us. It is absolutely infuriating. I need him around me, but I would absolutely and never ever beg him to do that. I would rather die than do that. Lia whimpered at the idea of leaving her beloved mate behind. I apologized and told her it was just a figure of speech. When we were almost there, my motion sickness gradually vanished, and Lia was skipping like some teenage girl who had just seen her crush. It could only mean one thing. I hopped down the car, and when I lifted my head up, I saw him walking slowly towards me as if he were some kind of actor in a cliché romantic movies in a slow motion. Like a typical male lead with his black hair and eyes that have the same color, he intently meets my gaze, not backing away in this stare showdown of ours as I feel an electric jolt of connection. Is it that usual feeling of a heart skipping a beat? No. Pure annoyance with one another is what I felt with that jolt of electricity.

"Of course you had to be here," I blurted out since this is the only reason Lia could've been so giddy and hyped, aside from ripping throats apart like my family. I sighed. I am the only sober one because even my wolf loves blood and torture. I then held my temple because I still feel a bit sluggish. Mom and dad just told me that they would be heading inside and I should hang out with Carter. I slightly chuckled when they said that, knowing dad just planned to technically kill Carter in our packhouse. The twins were about to protest, but mom, well, knowing mom, she glared at them, obviously scolding the both of them through the mind link as they just obediently followed our parents inside.

Great. Now I am stuck with this sicko. Aunt Mia and Uncle Frank joined our parents as well after greeting me for a bit. I should've just stayed at the packhouse; I am much safer and more comfortable there than here. I looked around the place; it has been awhile since I've been here. I then turned my head in a specific direction when I heard some murmurs that seemed to be discussing something. When I saw who and where the voices were from, I cursed quietly. It was the elders! And some of the past lunas and alphas. The one that I really wanted to avoid the most at this meeting! They will chastise me with endless reprimands and advice. I know they are doing it for our own good, but honestly, I surely do not want to deal with this right now. I was uneasy, even more than before. Literally considering if I'll just go and simply leave Carter behind here to deal with them or just to suck it all up and stay, I would rather do the former. As they were about to turn right where we are, I felt some strong arms that lifted me up in a tight embrace. Since I was too shocked, I closed my eyes and unconsciously wrapped my arms around his neck, afraid of suddenly falling down. His addicting scent lingers through the tip of my nose. When I opened my eyes, fuck. His lips are just a breath away from mine; he focused on watching up front as the elders and past leaders passed by. I just froze there, like a complete idiot. When he slightly moved his head, my lips grazed his cheeks, causing him to lose his grip on me, and my butt fell first on the ground.

"Ouch. What the fuck?" I cursed out loud, and he suddenly leaned in to cover my mouth with his left hand and his right forefinger to his, like a shush sign. I nodded, and once we were sure that all of them went inside for the meeting, I bit his hand so hard that it left a mark on him. He cursed the same as what I blurted out, and I laughed, serves him right. He looked at me; rather, he glared with this weird expression on his face.

"What was that for?" he sneered.

"For letting me go, dumbass." I rolled my eyes at him. Lia teased me about what specific circumstance I meant; I just huffed at her. This wolf, really, she and I are the same person or wolf, the same being! She laughed at me and pranced around because she was happy to land a peck on her mate's cheeks. I reckon Luke is also quite ecstatic, seeing Carter's annoyed face as proof.

"I was surprised! That was uncalled for, Addison!" he yelled and scoffed.

"I was also surprised! You suddenly covered my mouth!" I defended, knowing fully that I intentionally did that.

"You do know your reaction time is seconds apart, right?" he argued, still insisting he didn't do anything wrong and that I did. What is wrong with this guy? I was about to contend when a voice loomed at our side.

"So this is where the two of you were hiding," the voice enthusiastically stated. When we shifted our attention to see what or who it was coming from, it was former Alpha Fred of the Blood Moon Pack, Carter's grandpa. I sensed that Carter tensed up and froze. I then gulped down what seemed like a glass of water; if he sensed us, no doubt the others did too.

"You seriously thought you could hide from us, Sophie?" Granny Daria mentioned, one of the elders of our pack, as she emerged from former Alpha Fred's back. I awkwardly chuckle at her.

"It was a cute attempt though! I was stopping myself from biting the cheeks of these two!" Former Luna Azura, Carter's grandma, squealed as she wrapped her arms around both me and Carter, causing us to bump our heads. I heard him grunt, and when I took a peek, former Luna Azura pinched his ears.

"I'm sure you know Jakey. We will be talking all day long!" Former Luna Azura added as she flashed an evil grin, and I felt Granny Daria pick me up in her wolf form to carry me at her back.

"You won't also be bored, dear; the other elders are already inside." Oh Goddess, this will be a long day. As we walked, they really gave us everything they wanted to say; they scolded us, and it felt like years of listening. Carter was scolded for rejecting me; well, he had it coming. Her grandparents nagged that how dare he reject the daughter of the great Addison. I blushed because of that. They really overhype our pack, but I love it; our pack is not someone anyone can mess around with.

However, I had it coming too. Granny scolded me for failing to stop my parents and Jayden from killing the rogues, as we could have extracted more useful information from them, and she never missed a chance to insert everything that happened in the past. Wherein my parents brutally killed a criminal wolf as that wolf raped two she-wolves. Jayden and Aidan also killed and viciously tortured a she-wolf who murdered her own family just because they wouldn't let her do what she wanted. Yep, this is my family; they don't discriminate and will really kill if they have to, especially if it is about bringing justice or revenge. An eye for an eye. They would not even hesitate, as hesitation only brings harm and danger, according to them.

Although Granny Daria sympathized with me and understood I was unconscious, she still kept on nagging up until we finally arrived. Me and Carter exhaled a sigh of relief. The distance wasn't even that far, but their ramblings felt like it was miles away. The three of them went inside and up to their seats, and they continued the meeting. I went to my family's side, and Carter went with his. The meeting was just about the accident, and they interrogated all of us. We were encouraged to tell them every minor detail, and we did. After three hours, the meeting ended and we parted ways. The only thing is, I feel sorry for both me and Carter. I am currently alone with the other elders as we wolfed out to go home, since they fear we would be attacked again while we're in the car. The elders are strong and experienced, which is why my parents wholeheartedly trust my safety with them, but I know some of the reason was because they are tired of arguing with the elders. Granny Daria was with my family, taking the ride home, as she said she was too lazy to wolf out. The thing that bums me the most is that Granny Daria is the only elder who really tries to understand me and the situation, while these others are your typical older wolf beings. Even now that we are going home, they are still badgering me, but when I think that Carter is also wolfing out with his grandparents, it makes me giggle.