Page 38 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

"No, it doesn't." I shake my head. "It doesn't make you weak. But what you did out there…"

She hurls into the garbage again, and I rub her back. I've never met a shifter who abhors violence to this degree. But funnily enough, it's only when the violence is from her hand that she blanches at it. And it's not like Sophia hasn't killed before. There have been situations when her wolf has taken charge like when she killed Robert and his witch. It had been like something had snapped inside her.

She's capable of the violence every shifter is, but it's mostly when she's pushed to her limits.

I help her to her feet. “You did what you had to. The position you are in, Sophia, it’s kill or be killed. Nobody’s going to take you seriously until you show them how dangerous you can be.”

“Everybody keeps saying that.” She looks toward her reflection in the bathroom mirror, her voice hoarse. “And all I can think of is how many families I destroy when I take a life."

I close my eyes briefly. Empathy can be a very dangerous emotion.

“You can’t afford to think like this,” I tell her. “Not when you have so many lives depending on you. Do you understand me?”

She nods jerkily.

"Atta girl.” I kiss her, fiercely. “You’ve got this. Now come on. Wash up, and then we’ll go out and deal with the rest of the pack.”

Sophia stops me as I'm about to open the door. "Alex."

"What is it?" I turn to face her.

She presses her lips together as if struggling to say something.

"I'm glad you're here with me. All of this, I'm only able to do all of this because you're standing by my side."

I smile at her and then give her a peck on the lips. "I adore you. Every bit of you. And I have more faith in you than I have in myself. Just remember that."

***

As I had expected, the rest of the pack is not so keen on having Sophia as a leader, but in front of them, she shows no weakness. Her gaze is ruthless, her words, harsh and unforgiving. And the battalion of my men standing behind her puts enough fear in the hearts of the Red Rock Wolf Pack that they swear fealty to heras the new Alpha. Of course, the threat of facing punishment for the crimes of their Alphas also has something to do with their willingness to swear their loyalty to Sophia.

I'm not entirely convinced we can trust them, though.

"When Noah Black appears, we don't know how the pack will react," I murmur.

Brian agrees with me. "We'll have to keep this pack in control."

"Let's start by replacing the entire pack security team." Sophia looks between the two of us, her arms crossed over her chest. "I’ll show you to Robert's office. I was sent there a few times as a kid. We'll need somebody to run an audit, figure out who has how much influence in the pack, and nip threats in the bud."

I whistle. "Look at you go."

Sophia’s cheeks are stained with bright red spots. "I'm just talking common sense."

I settle my arm over her shoulders, feeling proud. "Yes, you are. And you're absolutely right. Brian, how long will you stay for?"

"Until you come back," Brian replies. "My pack knows what's going on. I have people to manage the affairs there."

"I'll leave my men with you." I gesture toward Nathan and the others. "They'll help you. I would like to leave Patrick as the acting Alpha, if that's okay with you, Sophia? He's taken up the mantle plenty of times in my absence, and he knows what to do."

"Sounds good to me."

"You and Sophia should go. We'll deal with everything here."

Sophia glances at me. "Elsa used to live in this town. She'll be able to help Brian and Patrick navigate everything. You can coordinate with her. I want to check something out."

She walks away without another word, and I follow after her. "Where are you going?"

"I wanted to go look at the orphanage where I grew up. Just a quick look."

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