Chapter 1 I, Sophia Carpenter

• "I beg you, Mom, don't abandon me".
• My mother closed her eyes as the memories of that morning came flooding back to me. We fought for some stupid reason and after all the weird things that happened in high school that day, the feelings inside me, and my encounter with this man who rescued me at the last minute, I came home to find an overwhelming spectacle.
• My mom was in a form I didn't recognize and in critical condition.
• When I think about it today, I tell myself that I had been a little too zealous and restrained in the face of what I had found to be a macabre spectacle that day. My mother lying in her blood and dying had however spoken to me of her past, of my father whom I knew nothing but especially of this nature which slept in me.
• I, who had always lived in a carefree way, like a human, discovered that I am not one, and this was in the worst way.
• After that tragic loss, I had to leave the city that saw me grow and flourish, my boyfriend, my best friend, and everything that made my world.
• I had only one goal in mind, to get revenge on the person responsible for my misfortunes.
• My mother told me about him, he's the one behind the attack that cost her life, but that's not all. It was still his fault that my father had been killed years earlier. I have to get to where he is, but before I get my revenge, I have to find my grandfather and his pack to do the rite of passage to adulthood. Otherwise, I will die, my mother's last words.
• "I reject you".
• I can't believe it, my grandfather, my only remaining family just rejected me because of the grudge he has against my mother.
• "You can't do this to me, I'm your grandchild, you're my only family".
• "Because of your mother, we are recluses of life, I won't kill you because you have my blood and seem not to understand your mother's sin, but know that the next time I see you, I will kill you".
• I left my grieving grandfather and his pack, not knowing what future I will have. But life has surprises and I met a kind soul. Time passed and I met new people.
• "You Sophia Carpenter, you are my mate, I don't allow you to approach another man".
• He looked at me with his cold, cruel eyes when I couldn't believe it. So my Alpha is him from the beginning? Why is all this happening to me? How should I take it? And to think that a few months ago, my life was perfectly surrounded by my mother and my friends, I had dreams and ambitions and now I live in an unspeakable tumult.
• A few months earlier.
• My name is Sophia Carpenter and I'm 17, soon I'll be 18.
• I live with my mother, a single mother and I never knew my father. Everything I know about him is summarized on my mother's bedside table, a photo. And apparently, I wasn't even born yet since there are only two of them in the picture and they look very young.
• It's just this only picture of him and I never dared to ask for more information about him other than what she told me. He died when I was born, that's all. I don't want to complain since I have no reason to question my mother about her life choices, even if sometimes, I wonder why I have never seen a single member of her family.
• Not even a brother or a friend. She lives in absolute isolation and has no friends even within our community. She often stays in front of the window, scrutinizing behind the curtains as if she fears being spied on; to be honest, I always thought she just acts like anthropophagy.
• So we have always lived like this, she isolated from everyone, living only for me and my whims. It was almost the end of my senior year and I was waiting for a response from a university to which I had applied.
• I was very worried especially since the answer was slow to arrive.
• That morning, I woke up as usual to the sound of my mother's voice and I pulled my heavy body out of bed. Picking up my phone, I checked my emails, and nothing, no college admissions note.
• "Am I silly, they said they would send this note in the mailbox if admitted"?
• In the case of admission, that was the keyword.
• I sighed going to get ready for high school, it's not the end of school yet so I have to go. I found my mother tidying up the table. Her sweet smile made me quickly forget my worries as I took my place at the table under the good graces of her service. She had put my plate of waffles in front of me and always with a tender smile, she wished me bon appétit.
• " Sweetie, you seem like you didn't sleep well"
• I sighed deeply before plunging my fork into my dish and eating a bite. It was so frustrating this long wait, but I don't have to despair until I get the rejection note, I don't have to be sorry for myself.
• I want to go to this school but if it's not possible... I shook my head not imagining myself going there at all. I better not worry like this anymore.
• " Hmmm hmmm"
• She smiled before shaking her head.
• " Don't talk with your mouth full... To see your face, you must have been worried about your admission... But I'm afraid I have bad news."
• I stopped my face from falling in spite. So I was not taken.
• " It's a shame... What bad luck...."
• My mother looked at me before shaking her head.
• "No sweetie it's not that..."
• She looks nervous and even guilty as she takes a seat next to me and holds my hands.
• " I wanted to tell you for a long time but I was always afraid of your reaction..."
• I raised an eyebrow, what is she going to tell me that she's not my mother or some bullshit like that?
• " My darling, you won't be able to go to university. I received the note from the university for which you applied, the response is favorable but I am afraid that you cannot go."
• I frowned, what does my mother talking about again?
• " If it's for the money don't worry I have huge savings, I can pay for my studies myself and..."
• " It's not because of the money... Sophia, you just can't go because I can't afford it. The reason is...."
• I got up annoyed not wanting to listen to a single word before leaving the table.
• "Sophia wait, where are you going?"
• " At school, you can't see it? Listen, Mom, I don't want to hear anything else, I've decided to go to college and no matter what you say I'll stick with it."
• " No wait Sophia I have to talk to you wait you can't go to high school... Sophia..."
• I slammed the door and headed for the school without looking back.
• I would never have thought that I would regret this gesture all my life.