Page 28 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

“I’ll be glued to their sides,” I tell him, well aware of the techniques of Karina’s soldiers to prevent anything thatremotely looks like progress within our pack. “For now, we have to figure out a way to get access to the children without anybody getting suspicious. I want to see Beth tomorrow, as well, so that Lily can check the progress of Sophia’s work.”

“She was actually successful?” Patrick looks surprised.

“Nathan didn’t tell you?”

“He wasn’t really sure.” Patrick glances at the others, delight in his eyes. “So, how long do we need—”

I cut him off. “It takes a toll on her. Her body temperature dropped very low, very quickly during the whole thing.”

“So, what does that mean?” Patrick asks, concerned.

I explain the discussion I had with Sophia, and he looks relieved. “It’s not impossible, then, right?”

I nod. “We’re hoping it works.”

Silence falls over the room. The others look at each other and then at me. I can sense that they want to say something but are feeling cautious right now.

“What is it? Spit it out.”

“We were wondering about the mating ceremony,” Jared begins. “When do you plan to give Sophia the mating mark?”

The question is an unexpected one. It’s something that’s been weighing on my mind, but truth be told, there are certain things holding me back. As I told Sophia, the minute I give her my mating mark, she’s going to become vulnerable to Karina.

And as we stand, I don’t think her wolf will be willing to accept my mark. Even though our bond has been growing stronger, it’s not quite there yet. Giving a mating mark to a female is not as simple as biting into her neck. There is always a possibility that the female’s wolf will reject the mark. Seeing how Sophia still hesitates when around me tells me we still need more time.

As a result, my own wolf is hesitant.

My silence speaks volumes to my companions, and Jared sits down heavily in a chair. “It’s not going to be anytime soon, is it?”

“I don’t think her wolf is going to accept me. Not yet.”

Patrick is the only one who doesn’t look surprised. But then, my friend has known me the longest, and he’s been watching Sophia and me quite intently ever since I met her.

“You have a point,” he says, his voice thoughtful. “You haven’t courted her yet. And although the wolf may like you, I don’t think it’s willing to accept you.”

“How can you say that?” Jared demands, annoyed. “Alex has been protecting her ever since we left Oakrest.”

“If you were to pay attention, Jared,” Patrick says, meeting my gaze, “you’d see that Sophia’s wolf is not entirely receptive toward Alex. Just because they are fated mates doesn’t mean it doesn’t expect to be properly courted. He hasn’t invested enough time in them for the wolf to be completely satisfied. And on top of that, the trust factor is still a problem. I don’t know much about Sophia’s past, but she certainly has a hard time trusting people completely.”

Jared glares at him. “What are you, their love therapist?”

Saul seems to be in agreement. “I haven’t seen her have a problem with us. She trusts us just fine.”

Patrick chuckles. “Like I said, you need to pay attention. Alex has a long way to go before the two of them will be able to connect properly. I don’t see a problem with that, though. The longer they wait, the better.

Saul looks at me. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

I can only shrug. “Patrick’s right. Sophia and I have a lot of ground to cover yet.”

“Then, how are you planning to court her? In front of Karina’s people? How is that going to work? I thought the whole point was to keep Sophia on the down low.”

“There’s nothing strange about an Alpha falling for a visiting seamstress. Even if word gets back to Karina, she’ll think it’s nothing but a flirtation. She fully intends to have me mated off to Julia.”

Even Patrick doesn’t seem to be on board with my plan. “You really think Karina won’t interfere in this? What if she suspects that Sophia is the Silver Wolf?”

“It’s a risk,” I admit. “But we’re going to go through all the motions of showing Sophia and Lily the area and discussing business and all that. Karina won’t have cause to be suspicious, especially when she finds out that Sophia works at the main shop in the city and that somebody else might replace her here. Like I said, I have it planned out. And as far as the Silver Wolf part is concerned, I’m going to ask Lily to prepare a potion to dye Sophia’s fur temporarily.”

My companions give me a doubtful look, but ultimately, they don’t have a better plan than this one.

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