Sophia couldn't control her sobs as she stared at the ruins of what was once her home. Dust and rubble were all that remained. How could anyone do this? Had that animal knocked it down with his bare hands? He must have destroyed it right after she ran out. Nothing made sense anymore.
"I'm so sorry, Sophia," Matthew said, gently stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her. "As I said, Ronan has a bad temper, so he—"
"Stop it! Just stop making excuses for him. Your brother doesn't have an ounce of humanity in him. He's an animal who knows nothing but destruction. I hate him so much!" Sophia cried out, her voice thick with anger and pain. Her home was gone because of him. The entire neighborhood looked like a ghost town. Everyone must have run off somewhere when he attacked.
"There's a man over there. Let's ask him where everyone went," Matthew suggested, and Sophia noticed a man she recognized from their pack. He was one of her father's Betas, Erikson. Sophia had only seen him from a distance, as her father had asked her to stay inside the house most of the time. "It's not safe for you out there," he used to tell her. Now, she realized he had been right all along.
But thank the goddess, not everyone was dead.
Erikson was clearing away some of the dead bodies with the help of other men. Sophia wasted no time and strode toward him. "Have you seen my sister Liz?"
Erikson looked at her and frowned. "You are the Alpha's daughter, Sophia," he said flatly.
She nodded. "Yes, I am. Where is my father?" she asked.
He shook his head. "We don't know where he is. He has been missing ever since the attack. It's a shame because we counted on him to protect us from that animal." His face suddenly contorted as he looked behind Sophia. "H…him! It was him who did all this!" the Beta snarled.
Sophia gasped, realizing he was looking at Matthew. Erikson must have thought Matthew was responsible, given his resemblance to Ronan.
"You monster! I want to kill you!" Erikson spat, and the other men around him tensed, readying themselves for a fight. But fear reflected in their eyes. None of them dared to make a move.
Sophia could tell they were terrified after seeing what Ronan was capable of. "No, no, don't be afraid. It's not him," she reassured them.
"What do you mean it's not him? We saw what he looks like," Erikson screamed.
"I am his twin brother, Matthew. I am Sophia's mate," Matthew explained calmly.
"Mate? Is that why you ran off with him? Did you cause all of this? You betrayed us, didn't you?" Beta Erikson accused.
"No," Sophia protested. "Ronan kidnapped me, but his father—the Alpha of the Lightbridge Shadows pack—is letting me come back home."
Erikson laughed bitterly. "Home? What home? This neighborhood is destroyed, and we are moving somewhere else. I'm afraid there's no room for you in our pack anymore."
Sophia gasped. "What are you saying?"
"Your father abandoned us, so we feel betrayed by him. We appointed a new Alpha, and he wants nothing to do with your father or his family. We only came back to collect some of our things that weren't destroyed and to take care of the dead bodies. After we're done, we'll be gone. I'm afraid you'll be on your own from now on," Erikson said coldly.
"You don't know if my father betrayed you! Maybe he's hurt somewhere," Sophia argued.
"If he was injured, he would have come back by now, or we would've found his body. He ran off like a coward, plain and simple. And now we are banishing you from the pack. You're lucky we're not trying to behead you," Erikson said through gritted teeth.
"Touch her and see what happens," Matthew hissed, his voice laced with danger.
"Keep her with you. We don't want her anyway," Erikson spat before turning to the other men. "Let's get out of here before we get attacked again." With that, they all ran off, leaving Sophia alone with Matthew.
Sophia stood there for a moment, unable to believe what had happened. Her pack had abandoned her!
"But I have nowhere else to live!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with despair. Matthew wrapped his arms around her.
"That's not true. You're staying with me. You're my mate, remember?" he whispered into her hair.
But that meant living in the same place as that violent beast, Ronan. Sophia would rather die.
"You have my permission to stay here as my son's mate," Alpha Jasper said after Matthew brought Sophia back to his pack.
Sophia had no choice but to return with him when she couldn't locate her sister. Liz's scent had disappeared without a trace, but Sophia knew she was alive somewhere. "She will come back, and you'll be reunited again," Matthew had assured her.
But his words offered her little comfort.
Sophia pushed him away as he tried to kiss her. He looked at her as if she had hurt his feelings, but she didn't care. She wanted nothing to do with any of the brothers, even if they were her mates. The attraction she felt toward Matthew was unbearable, and she found herself responding to his touches, but she wanted to bury those feelings deep inside her.
"Don't push me away, Sophia. I want to make things better for you," Matthew pleaded.
Just then, a girl walked in. "Leave her alone, Matthew. She needs time to mourn her family."
Matthew sighed. "Okay. I'll come back later." He picked up Sophia's hand and kissed it. "I am sorry for everything. I promise I will never force you to be with me, but I hope you'll give me a chance," he said before leaving.
Sophia looked at the girl. She was the most beautiful creature Sophia had ever seen, with the same green eyes as Ronan and Matthew. "I'm Valentina, Ronan and Matthew's sister," she introduced herself.
So this was the sister Liz had raved about—the Ashbourne triplets. Valentina picked up a lock of Sophia's hair and ran her fingers through it. "I'm sorry about my brother Ronan. He made you suffer a lot, didn't he?"
Sophia burst into tears again, and Valentina pulled her into a comforting hug. "Shh… don't cry. Ronan is not all evil. He'll come around and make things right."
But Sophia didn't believe that for a second.
"You're all dirty. Why don't I help you bathe?" Valentina offered.
"N…no…I don't need help. I can do it on my own," Sophia said, needing to be alone. She couldn't stand to be near these siblings, no matter how kind they were.
"Are you sure? You're not going to try to run away, are you? I suggest you don't because Ronan will be furious if you do." Valentina frowned.
Sophia shivered. Even his own sister was scared of him. "I won't try to run away. I just want to be alone," she said quietly.
Valentina nodded. "I understand. I'll get you something to wear. We look about the same size, so you should fit into my dress just fine. Come on, I'll show you to the bathroom."
"Wh…where do I sleep?" Sophia asked, though she didn't think she could sleep all night knowing her sister could be out there, injured or dead.
"We have an extra room you can stay in. Unless you prefer to stay with your mate—"
"NO! I would never sleep in the same room as Ronan!" Sophia cried out, her voice filled with panic.
Valentina was startled by the outburst but quickly recovered. "I was talking about Matthew, but I understand why you wouldn't want to stay with him either. They do look a lot alike, don't they?"
Sophia was grateful that Valentina understood. Maybe she could trust her. Valentina's energy felt pure; she seemed sweet and kind.
Sophia let Valentina lead her to the bathroom. Once inside, she swiftly locked the door and hopped in the shower. She had dirt and grime all over her from being locked up in that cell all day. Maybe after getting cleaned up, the fog in her head would clear, and she'd be able to think of a plan to get out of there.
After finishing her shower, Sophia wrapped a towel around her body and stepped out, hoping to find Valentina. But she wasn't back yet. Sophia had no choice but to wait.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt warm breath on her skin. She sensed a presence behind her and knew immediately who it was.
"I knew you couldn't get away from me, little runt."
Her heart leaped in terror, and she wanted to scream and cry.