Chapter 4
2839 Words
The morning air in the compound was freezing, but the tension inside the room felt suffocating.
Sofia stood near the crackling fireplace, staring at the flames. Her fingers kept touching the necklace hidden beneath her shirt.
She barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the cracked glass from the night before.
She heard the whispers again.
Find the truth.
Blood remembers.
And then there had been that strange feeling, as if something had been watching her from the other side of the glass.
She rubbed her arms and tried to push the memories away.
Maybe she was losing her mind.
That would be easier to accept than the alternative.
The necklace suddenly felt warm against her skin.
Sofia frowned and slipped her fingers beneath her shirt, touching the silver pendant.
It was warm again.
Not burning like it had been last night, but warm enough to make her uneasy.
She quickly pulled her hand away.
The sun slowly rise over the pine forest outside. Pale golden light slipped through the tall windows, barely reaching the darker corners of the room.
Sofia had spent most of the night thinking about Damon.
More specifically, she had spent the night trying to understand him.
He had brought her here.
He had locked her inside this strange room.
He claimed he was protecting her.
Yet every answer he gave seemed to create three more questions.
And now there was a Council coming.
A Council that apparently wanted her dead.
A sharp knock suddenly broke the silence.
Sofia's head snapped toward the door.
Before she could answer, the heavy doors swung open with a slow, deliberate creak.
A woman walked into the room.
She was elegant in a way that immediately made Sofia suspicious.
She had a flawless dark hair pulled into a neat style, and cold eyes that seemed to notice everything. She wore a long dark wool coat that looked expensive enough to cost more than everything Sofia had packed when she was brought here.
Two armed guards followed behind her.
They weren't ordinary guards.
Sofia could tell immediately.
Their posture was rigid, their movements controlled, and their eyes were cold and unblinking. They looked like the kind of men who could break someone's neck without thinking twice.
Elite guards.
The woman didn't bother introducing herself.
She simply looked at Sofia.
Not with fear.
Not with curiosity.
Not even with basic respect.
She looked at Sofia the way a predator inspected an unwanted stray that had wandered into its territory.
A slow smile appeared on her lips.
"So, this is the infamous human bride."
Her voice was smooth and almost pleasant.
That somehow made it worse.
Sofia straightened.
"Who are you?"
The woman ignored the question and walked closer.
Damon had called Sofia his bride.
She still didn't know exactly what that meant.
And she hated how everyone else seemed to know something she didn't.
The woman stopped close enough for Sofia to catch the scent of pine mixed with expensive perfume.
"Serena," she finally said. "Lady Serena."
Sofia raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be impressed?"
One of the guards shifted slightly.
Serena's smile disappeared for a moment.
Then she laughed softly.
"Damon has certainly found himself an interesting little problem."
Sofia's jaw tightened.
"I'm standing right here. You can call me a problem to my face."
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Brave."
"Annoyed."
That earned Sofia a longer look.
Serena stepped around her slowly, studying her from head to toe.
"Damon thinks he can keep you away in this fancy house and pretend everything is good, Serena said. "But a secret like yours doesn't stay buried forever."
Sofia turned to face her.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I'm sure you don't."
Serena's voice carried a quiet cruelty.
"That's what makes you dangerous."
Sofia felt a chill crawl down her spine.
"What exactly is dangerous about me?"
Serena stopped.
"You."
Sofia stared at her.
Serena continued, "Your existence."
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Sofia could hear the fire crackling behind her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are a human living among wolves."
"I'm aware."
"No." Serena's smile returned. "You aren't."
She stepped closer.
"You think this is some romantic story. Damon finds a human woman. He brings her into his home. He protects her from the world. Perhaps you even imagine yourself becoming important."
Sofia gave a humorless laugh.
"Trust me, that isn't what I'm imagining."
Serena's eyes flashed.
"Then you should start imagining your funeral."
Sofia's heart skipped.
She refused to step back.
"I don't know who you are," Sofia said, keeping her voice steady despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins, "and I definitely didn't ask to be tucked away anywhere. If you have something to say, say it to my face instead of hissing in doorways."
Serena's perfectly arched eyebrows rose.
For the first time, genuine surprise crossed her face.
Then it twisted into a sharp, mocking smile.
"Feisty."
She began circling Sofia again.
"How charmingly naive."
Sofia followed her with her eyes.
"You think because Damon brought you here, you're safe?"
Serena stopped behind her.
"You think your little human tantrums mean something in a pack governed by blood and law?"
Sofia turned.
"I think I'm entitled to know why everyone keeps threatening me."
Serena's expression hardened.
"You are not entitled to anything."
She stepped closer until there was barely any space between them.
"You don't belong here, Miss Vance."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"You are a human anomaly. A walking mistake that threatens centuries of tradition."
Sofia's stomach twisted.
"What tradition?"
"The separation between our kind and yours."
Serena's eyes dropped briefly to Sofia's necklace.
Sofia noticed.
Her hand immediately covered the pendant beneath her shirt.
Serena's eyes narrowed.
"What are you hiding?"
"Nothing."
"Interesting."
Before Serena could say anything else, heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Slow.
Purposeful.
Powerful.
Every muscle in Sofia's body tensed.
The two guards immediately straightened.
Serena turned toward the doorway.
Damon appeared.
His appearance filled the entrance, his shoulders blocking part of the morning light.
His silver eyes swept across the room.
The moment they landed on Serena, something changed in his expression.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Serena."
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
The guards took an involuntary step back.
Serena, however, remained composed.
She turned toward him with a calm smile.
"Damon."
"What are you doing in her quarters?"
"I was merely welcoming our guest."
Damon's jaw tightened.
"At this hour?"
Serena gave a small shrug.
"Someone has to teach the human pack manners before she stands before the Council."
Damon's eyes hardened.
"Get out."
Serena's smile faltered.
"Damon—"
"Now."
The single word carried enough authority to make the guards lower their eyes.
Serena stared at him.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then she gave a small, mocking bow.
"Of course, Alpha."
She smoothed the front of her coat and walked toward the door.
As she passed Sofia, she stopped.
Her voice was barely audible.
"Enjoy your last few hours."
Sofia's blood ran cold.
Damon heard it.
His head snapped toward Serena.
But she was already walking away.
Her heels clicked sharply against the stone floor until the heavy doors closed behind her.
Silence filled the room.
Damon remained still for a moment.
Then he slowly turned toward Sofia.
The dangerous edge in his posture softened slightly.
"Are you alright?"
Sofia almost laughed.
"Am I alright?"
Damon frowned.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
"I have been locked inside a strange room surrounded by people who clearly hate me. I saw something last night that I can't explain. My necklace keeps doing things it shouldn't do, and now a woman just walked in here and told me I should start imagining my funeral."
Damon's expression tightened.
Sofia lifted her chin.
"So, no. I'm not alright."
He took one step toward her.
She immediately stepped back.
"I don't need your protection from her."
His eyes flickered.
"I know."
"Then stop treating me like I'm helpless."
"I don't."
"You do."
Damon exhaled slowly.
"You don't understand what you're facing."
"Then explain it."
He stared at her.
Sofia's frustration grew.
"Every time I ask you a question, you give me half an answer. You brought me here without explaining why. You call me your bride without explaining what that means. You know something about my necklace, but you won't tell me what it is."
Damon's gaze dropped to the place where the pendant rested beneath her shirt.
Sofia noticed.
"What do you know about it?"
His expression became unreadable.
"More than I want to."
"That's not an answer."
"No."
He moved toward the fireplace and rested one hand against the stone mantel.
For the first time since Sofia had met him, he looked tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
"They're going to try to execute you."
The words landed like a physical blow.
Sofia stared at him.
"What?"
"The Council."
Her mouth went dry.
"They're going to try to execute you," Damon repeated bluntly. "And it's my job to make sure they fail."
Sofia struggled to process the words.
"Why would they execute me?"
"Because you're human."
"That's it?"
Damon looked at her.
"Not entirely."
Sofia's stomach tightened.
"Then what aren't you telling me?"
He was silent.
The necklace suddenly grew warm beneath her shirt.
Sofia froze.
Damon noticed immediately.
His eyes dropped to her chest.
"Take it off."
"What?"
"The necklace."
Sofia instinctively covered it.
"Why?"
"Because if the Council sees it, they may stop asking questions."
His voice was grim.
"They may kill you immediately."
Sofia stared at him.
The necklace seemed to pulse against her skin.
Once.
Twice.
Then the warmth spread through her chest.
She swallowed.
"What is this necklace?"
Damon's eyes met hers.
"A warning."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"And possibly the only thing standing between you and death."
A distant howl rose from somewhere beyond the compound.
Then another answered.
Sofia looked toward the windows.
Damon's expression hardened.
"They're here."
"The Council?"
He nodded.
Sofia's heart began pounding.
Damon moved toward the door.
"Stay behind me."
This time, Sofia didn't argue.
Because for the first time, she understood something terrifying.
The Council wasn't coming to question her.
They were coming to decide whether she deserved to live.
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