Page 59 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

“But I don’t need her to protect me. I’m the one who does the protecting.“

“Also sounds reasonable,” Patrick says lazily. “Go tell her that. And if you need me to set up my couch for you, let me know.”

I glare at him. “Stop trying to be funny.”

Patrick shrugs. “I’ve got no one to impress. Anyway, seems Sophia has really gotten through to Nathan. He’s reluctantly agreeing to not getting her involved in the whole shebang.”

“Only now, she wants to get involved!” I wonder if this is what humans call rising blood pressure. My head is seconds away from exploding.

“Anyway…” Patrick stretches his arms out. “Things suck for you, so I came to tell you some good news. Sophia’s speed has picked up.”

“Speed?” I give him a confused look. “What are you—?” I cut myself off, realization dawning on me, followed by swift anger. I slowly get to my feet. “How did she get access to another child?”

“Three children,” Patrick says smugly. “Newborns who needed to be fed. We snuck Sophia into the homes of the parents. Told them to trust me, took the kids into another room that was sound-proofed. It took her half an hour with each child. She’s not even getting tired out now. It’s almost as if her stamina for magic is increasing.”

I don’t know whether to be proud of or frustrated with the woman. Why is she constantly putting herself in danger? If any of the soldiers see her with the children, they’re going to attack her, no questions asked. They’re already looking for a reason to go after her.

“She wasn’t alone,” Patrick assures me. “I had the guards distracted. She’s resting at home now. My point is, we’re left with at least twenty pups at this point. How do you want to go about this?”

His eyes fall on the invitation in my hand, and his brows knit together in an apprehensive expression. “Don’t tell me.” Reaching out, he plucks the invitation card out of my hand and looks sick to his stomach when he confirms what it is. “I guess it’s pointless to ask if you’re going?”

There’s no point in beating around the bush with Patrick. “I don’t have a good feeling this year. I don’t want to leave Sophia by herself. I think we might have to sit this one out.”

“And risk Karina’s wrath?” Patrick looks circumspect.

I decide to share with him the plan that Sophia laid out for me, one that is both ingenious and extremely risky.

“If Sophia is able to unlink the children by the time we get rid of Karina’s people, we can gather all the pups and get out of here. The next course of action will be to contact the other packs in the Alliance that Karina is controlling using the same tactic. We offer our help—the Silver Wolf’s help—and if they accept it, we unlink their kids and gather more allies. The more allies we accumulate, the better chance we have of standing against Karina, in terms of numbers at least.”

“You think Sophia will be on board with this idea?” Patrick looks shocked. “She’ll have to reveal what she is to the other packs.”

I lean back in my chair, deflated yet a little bit proud. “This was her idea. She doesn’t want to go after Karina with just our soldiers. She thinks it’s best to get everyone in the North Alliance behind us. Even if we don’t succeed in killing Karina, she will lose power.”

Patrick lets out a sharp whistle. “That’s what I call a solid plan. She’s not worried about revealing herself, then?”

“She calls it a calculated risk.”

My friend stares at me. “And clearly, you don’t agree with her.”

“Would you if you were in my shoes?” I sigh. “The risk is enormous. But she’s right. This might be our only chance. We just have to make sure word doesn’t reach Karina about us having found the Silver Wolf. The element of surprise is all we have going for us.”

Patrick has a thoughtful expression on his face. “When do you plan this attack?”

“Most likely after the banquet. Anything on Julia?”

He shakes his head. “Jared and Saul have been scouring the woods around the village for any sign of her. I’m trying to get a few more men to relieve them, but that’s all we can do. Nathan is still waiting for the towers to get fixed so that he can send out signals to the two units.”

I steeple my fingers together. Julia has become a threat of massive proportions. “Give the order to kill her on sight. Wecan’t waste any more time. If anyone sees her, they should simply execute her on the spot.”

My friend gives me a grim smile. “Consider it done. We’ll be patrolling the village borders on the day of the festival. I’ve arranged duties for everyone.”

“Good.”

Once Patrick leaves, I study the invitation for the Winter Banquet, my thoughts churning in my head. As much as I dislike the idea of Sophia getting involved with Karina, she’s right. The Queen has to be dealt with. I had also considered the possibility of Karina tracking us down if we attempted to disappear. She has it out for me, her hatred having grown over the years as I’ve meticulously broken the puppet strings she attached to me, one by one.

Skipping out on the Winter Banquet will force my pack to face a terrible backlash. But if I listen to Sophia and reach out to the other Alphas in the rest of the North, we may be able to unlink the children during the event, when Karina is sufficiently distracted. Sophia simply mentioned rallying the rest of the packs behind us by saving their young ones, but the best time to do so would be during the Winter Banquet. However, I cannot ignore the risk, which is huge. If even one shifter from one pack betrays us, Sophia will be in instant danger.

My eyes fall on the package sitting on the shelf in the corner of my office. Stretching my legs, I make my way over to it and unwrap the carved bird and its cage. The detail is not exquisite, but it’s obvious that the piece was made with love and attention. And right now, it symbolizes Sophia completely. She really has begun to spread her wings, and with that, her confidence isgrowing. I always knew she was brave and courageous, albeit with bouts of recklessness and selflessness. It was one of the things that drew me to her when I was struggling with our fated mate bond. My mate is a complicated woman who is still growing into her new identity, and I plan to help her.

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