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 blankets, 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 it caused me 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 thought. 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 movie in 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.