Lib Novel Page 180
I don’t know why I’m mentioning all this right now, but it’s eating at me. The itch in my brain is growing increasingly painful. This is neither the time nor place for this conversation, except that I need answers right now.
“What’s going on, Drew? I want the truth.”
“If Tim said something to you, he’s just a kid. He’s making things up,” Drew says, looking past me and into the forest.
“You’re lying,” I realize with a stab of agony. “Why would you prevent Tim from talking about his mother? You’re such a loving father toward him. Why would you hurt him like that?”
“This is hardly your business, Sophia,” he says in irritation.
“It’s not, but I have to know. It’s driving me crazy! This whole town is driving me crazy!” I grip my hair with both hands, feeling a painful pulsing sensation within me. “All these secrets, all these lies. Nobody is who they say they are! I’m so sick of it all!” It feels like my heart will burst. “I want somebody to be honest with me for once! I don’t want to keep looking at everyone and wondering what they’re really up to or if I can trust them! Including you, Drew! Tell me why you were out in the forest with Alpha Black today!”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel a strange sense of relief. But Drew has had enough. A determined look in his eyes, he strides over to me and grabs my wrist. “Stop wasting time. We have to go!”
He starts to drag me away, so I slam my knee into his abdomen. He stumbles back, not having expected that.
“What is wrong with you?” he snarls. “I’m trying to help you!”
“I don’t think you are!” I shout back, but I don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to believe that Drew is an enemy, but it seems like everybody I know has been wearing a mask around me. “Give me answers to my questions, and I’ll happily go with you.”
Frustration brews on Drew’s face. “You don’t understand…” He’s looking around anxiously. “We have to go, Sophia. I wish I could explain everything to you, but I don’t have that much time. I messed up, okay? But I’m trying to put things right. Please let me do that.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere without Alex.”
“Sophia, you and—”
Over the sound of the rain pounding the ground, I hear a sharp, whistling sound. Suddenly, Drew’s eyes turn wide as his body jerks forward. Letting out a groan, he drops to all fours, and to my utter horror, I see a black arrow protruding from his back.
“Well, well. So, you really were trying to betray me.”
A man emerges from the shadows, an umbrella over his head. When he tilts the shade up, I recognize him.
Alpha Black.
He looks older than how I remember him, but he’s just as terrifying. “It seems our little conversation from this afternoon did not set you straight, Drew.”
Robert Black is a large man with a domineering visage. When he looks at me, my blood runs cold. He’s a ruthless leader with a cruel streak that I was at the receiving end of for the first sixteen years of my life.
“You’ve grown up, Sophia.” His eyes run over my whole body, lingering in a way that makes me want to cover myself with my hands. It’s unsettling.
“Alpha Black,” I mutter. “Why are you here in Oakrest Town?”
He raises a brow. “Is that how you show your Alpha respect?”
“Do you want me to roll out the red carpet?” I sneer. I’m no longer a frightened sixteen-year-old.
His lips curve slightly. “It seems you haven’t been completely broken like I hoped.” He sounds disappointed. “But then, I always say that when you want something done right, you should do it yourself.”
I glower at him. This man makes my skin crawl. “Why are you here?”
“To bring you home, my dear girl. I raised you, fed you, and groomed you. Now it’s time for you to pay your dues.”
My dues?
His eyes settle on my hips. “You’ve grown into yourself. Not a beauty like that mother of yours, but you’ll do.” He chuckles. “At least you’ve got strong, child-rearing hips.”
I want to throw up. What the hell is he talking about?
Drew digs his fingers in the dirt, gasping in pain. “Run, Sophia. You have to run!”