Episode 16: Survival Of The Fittest

Previously on Wolf Lake:

"Sophia" her name escaped his mouth in barely a whisper. "You're here" he whispered, completely lost

"Yes Luke" she replied gesturing to herself. "I'm here, & obviously I'm alive. I guess I'll see you tomorrow" and just as quickly as she entered she turned away. He could barely make out a muffled "Hi daddy" from her when he realized that Ruby was standing there.

"Hey little brother, guess you know my little secret. I'm sorry I had to keep it from you" she told him. Her shot her a questioning look, "I'm sorry I can't elaborate." She said seriously "So, what's on your mind" he was still in shock, his mind was barely able to process it all.

Seconds later, "Uhh" was his intellectual reply.

"I see you're as eloquent as ever" she laughed "I guess I'll catch up with you later, when you've regained your ability to speak, that is."

He was once again left alone to his own thoughts. Her scent now clinging to everything in the house. She was everywhere, he inhaled. She was haunting him to the point of insanity. He wasn't even sure if he'd just imagined her or if she really was there. He was suddenly very tired. All he could do was wait it out and hope that tomorrow he would see her and put his some of questions to rest, but until then, he had a rave to go to.

On with the story…

Why wouldn't they stop staring? Okay, so it's not every day she walked down the hall surrounded by skin walkers let alone Presley, Sean and Randy. Okay so maybe that's not exactly why they were staring at her, maybe it had to do with Sophia. People were still curious and nobody had given them any answers. Still, hadn't anyone taught these ingrates any manners?

Time was ticking slowly, way too slowly and their glares weren't helping her nerves. 7:05 am, Sophia would be arriving any minute, then her companions could leave and she could talk to her best friend alone. Today just wasn't a 'people' day for her. Everyone was munching on her last nerve.

XXX

Seriously was it necessary to stare like that. Yes, she'd be the first to admit, that for once the attention was pissing her off, it was very unsettling. It was true, she knew more about the current situation with Sophia than most of the shifter community but that didn't mean she was ok with the looks. Why was she walking with the zoo-baits bestie again? Well it was better than walking around with Brianna or the rest of her oh so loving Brat Pack. With her luck she would suddenly morph into a klutzy, clingy, whiny clueless blonde like Brianna. Speaking of the bitch "Could she be any more desperate for attention" she mumbled to herself earning a chuckle from Sarah accompanied with an uneasy smile and a pat on the back from Sean. Everyone was bearing witness to such a testament, the tall leggy blonde was all but dry humping the teen Alpha, attaching herself to Luke's hip, snarling at the quartet as they passed. She couldn't believe Luke had the audacity to look as if he enjoyed it, his head leaning back against the locker as the blonde made short work of his neck, his eyes glazed with lust.

Too bad she no longer had a claim on him and was renounced as a potential mate. It fucking hurt to think of everything she'd lost, but she wasn't going to let them see that. Sadly enough Sarah had been there when the act was carried out. She had witnessed Presley breaking down first hand once Luke had walked away. But truthfully, she had never meant to get attached to him.

With the current situation, she couldn't help but think the zoo bait had the right idea tossing him into a car and across a room. Luke was horrible with others emotions and he had unceremoniously trampled all over hers. Sophia could have him and that stupid rollercoaster ride he likes to call a relationship. Even though he never officially called her his girlfriend they had been pretty exclusive. Soon enough things had changed; Luke had gotten bored of monogamy. Then Brianna had decided she wanted what was hers and Sophia started the change. 'I never stood a chance' Presley bitterly thought to herself.

XXX

Sarah looked around her, glancing at her watch and tapping her foot impatiently. Presley looked bored with the group, nervously inspecting her nails. Only Sarah knew what was really going through the blondes head and never imagined there'd be a day she'd feel remorse or pity towards the other girl …

Randy & Sean were talking sports, pranks and tonight's up and coming rave. The rave would basically be Sophia's introduction to the pack if she chose to attend. It wasn't long before a familiar scent hit them all.

All shifter eyes snapped towards the double doors where Sophia stood in a pair of form fitting black skinny jeans and a green tank top, a pair of sunglasses holding back her wavy brown hair, jacket slung over her arm, a set of keys in one hand, and a text book and binder in the other. Sara couldn't help but chuckle, she officially looked the part of modern badass Little Red Riding Hood confronting the big bad wolf aka Luke.

XXX

What was it she felt, when she woke up that morning? What emotions and words could describe the turbulent wave of feelings washing over her? Maybe breaking it down into counter parts would help her situation. 'Nervous: Easily upset, fearful. Fear: anticipation of danger, pain etc.; to be afraid; anxiousness. Anxious: worried, eagerly awaiting, excitement. Excited: aroused, to stir the feelings of.' She thought nervously to herself, fiddling with the car keys in her hand.

So generally speaking all her emotions were connected and the one word to sum it all up was so simple.'Stupid brain' she thought again glancing around and taking a deep breath and repeating the words to herself 'Scared: Frightened, Fearful, nerves on end…'

Maybe driving hadn't been her best idea, she probably should have walked if only to clear her thoughts and keep herself level headed. But be that as it may, her father was the epitome of an over protective father. So, here she was in the parking lot of Wolf Lake Senior High, contemplating the situation at hand. She had finally flipped, half-breed or not, she was stronger and ultimately out ranked any and all female and most male shifters, except the current Alpha and Ruby. She was a White wolf and while Ruby was a white wolf as well, she was the white of the older pack, leaving Sophia as the strongest wolf in the younger pack. Ruby's stature demanded respect, but Sophia knew what the others saw when they looked at her, she knew she'd have to demand respect.

Anyway, it's not as if she'd ever willingly resort to that type of violence or display of power. She'd never even dream of challenging anyone, she would only defend herself and what was hers. If The Hill Kids and their 'Alphas' wanted a fight, she'd give them just that. If they wanted a weakling to torment, she'd set them right, she was no longer be that person. She would no longer give them the satisfaction of her tears. She would put up a good fight alright, if and when the time arose. Taking a deep breath, she straightened herself out looking down at the clock on her phone.

'Now, what should I do about Luke?' she thought to herself, pocketing her phone and making her way towards the double doors across the parking lot, making extra sure to walk slowly. 'Should I finally forgive him for the Scott incident? No, Maybe… Yes' she decided after sometime. She would forgive him, but he would have a lot of work cut out for him. But more importantly, would she for the Presley thing, the party, and every other little fuck up?

'Yes… No, maybe' with a frustrated growl she decided to leave those questions for another time but she couldn't guarantee that any of those would go unmentioned. She knew they were both stubborn so the possibility was so slim; a paper could barely pass through.

There was also the Presley/Brianna situation to consider, they both wanted the Alpha Bitch spot, and yet Sophia knew that Brianna would pose as the biggest obstacle of all. She would do anything to make Luke hers and now that little Sophia Donner was encroaching in her territory, there was bound to be some problem. It was obvious to all that the shifters in the know that Brianna would never, could never be Alpha female, with or without Luke's help.

Sophia was no idiot, she knew Brianna was vicious and strong, but she was no match for the females above her. As the white wolf of the younger pack Sophia would be an Alpha Bitch of the pack, just as Ruby and Vivian before her. The title, Ruby had explained, was hers whether she mated or not.

Her train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt as she entered the school and silence befell the halls. For a split second even the pack link stopped buzzing, it was eerily quiet. With a tentative step forward the halls and the link boomed with questions and fabricated answers.

'I thought she died' one female thought, starting the barrage of questions

'Who flipped her?' a male asked

'When did she get so hot?' another male questioned

'Wonder if I should risk Luke's wrath and ask her out' another male

"Shut up Randy" Presley announced out loud with a laugh, shoving the blonde male.

Sophia took another surer step into the halls

'She's kinda scaring me. She's looking right at us' a lower ranked female thought, eyes bulging when Sophia's eyes stopped on her

'Did you hear? Luke has claimed her' a male announced through the link as he gazed at his girlfriend

'They're mated? No way' she replied, turning towards her friends, heads huddling together as they gossiped

'Of course not he's an Alpha, and she's just a mutt. He just greedy and doesn't want to share her' a voice that sounded suspiciously like Brianna said

'Randy made the zoo bait flip, all it took was one kiss' that was definitely Cleo.

'Are you sure… maybe he copped a feel or something' another male asked looking at the brunette suspiciously

'Nope Luke popped her cherry, he so helped that bitch flip' his friend replied nudging him to look toward the Alpha whose eyes were flashing as he looked at Sophia walk down the hallway

'I thought she was with that ungulate. Damn what's his name?' A girl asked walking into a class

'Oh please, do shut up with the crap. Her flip was coming and we all knew it.' Presley thought slamming her locker shut and walking towards Sarah.

'We just didn't want to believe it, well guess what there she is alive and growling. And his name was Scott' she responded in turn waving Sophia over toward herself and the blonde to her left.

'Yeah that's him' the girl from before said

'You do know she can hear you right' Sean thought looking at Randy, who was still contemplating the wrath of Luke versus a night out with Sophia

'So' he responded earning a growl from Luke who was crossing the hall in a frightening fast speed

'She still scares me; it kinda looks like we are her prey' another shifter responded ducking into a class when Sophia's eerie brown eyes narrowed on his.

'Maybe you are' she growled through the pack link hoping to stop the chatter in her mind.

XXX

She'd narrowly avoided Luke before her 1st period class, right after she growled out her warning on the mental link, causing another uproar. She shot Sarah and Presley, who were waving her over, an apologetic look subtly motioning at Luke now closing in on them before dashing into class following after Kit and Scott hollering for them to wait up. She could faintly hear another growl and a person being shoved into lockers just as her teacher entered the class shutting the door and the late bell ringing. 'Tuesday, 2 more days of class and then I get my very well planned skip day with Sarah.' She dropped her books on her table, sitting down and resting her head on her outstretched hands.

Of course, as fate would have it today was not her lucky day. About 20 minutes into the class there was a light knock on the door. Randy confidently walked into her class and winked in her direction handing her teacher some papers. She was so focused on what was being said at the front of the class that she missed Kit's question. After a nudge, Kit had her undivided attention.

"Soph, are you and Randy a couple now? I thought you and Luke were sorta together just you know having a little lover's quarrel. What gives?"

She barely had enough time to answer Kit with a brief "no, no and no" before the teacher resumed talking only this time it was to call her over.

"Sophia" he said handing her a small stack of papers. "You have a new schedule, just fill out the papers attached and turn your books in later, I've already filled out the teacher code for my class, and your other teachers have as well. Now scoot I've got a class to teach"

With a huff she walked over to her desk to grab her stuff, shrugging her shoulders and shooting an uneasy look at Kit she turned and walked out the door, following behind Randy who was whistling happily.

When she reached her locker she roughly threw the books inside. She looked at the papers noticed there were 2 schedules; her original schedule was stapled to her new one, a book return paper and a book request form.

"Typical schedule?" Randy asked earning a glare and growl

"All my classes changed" she groaned, staring at the paper "Lucky me" she continued sarcastically shoving the papers into his chest watching him stumble from the force and finally land smack dab on his ass.

"Might wanna watch how much strength you put behind your basic daily stuff, you're a lot stronger now" Randy stated as he stood up watching her walk towards her new first period muttering a sarcastic "Great"

Randy chuckled lightly, running to catch up with Sophia. Handing her schedule back as they reached their class, Pack History, or as the ungulates would call it AP Government History she shot him an irritated look.

Her next period would be Math, which she could only assume would be like the other classes on her schedule, meaning a pack only class. After that she'd head over to her 3rd period class Pack English (AP Literature). Luckily she still had the same Lunch schedule, then your average elective, hers being Dance. It was the last 2 classes that bothered her most, Pack Science (AP Biology)and Lastly Pack P.E. since of course they were stronger and faster than the humans. She absolutely no way of escaping Luke, or any of the other shifters that seemed to be pushing at her mental walls.

XXX

Walking into the class and handing her new schedule to the teacher turned out to be the worst 30 seconds of her life; she hated how they all just stared at her in silence. Presley and Sarah started the clap this time, Randy and Sean hooting and hollering as she blushed, all the while Luke watched her with his irritating smirk in place. She reached her new seat next to the blonde in record time, looking around she noticed Sarah was sitting right in front of her next to Randy leaving Sean and Luke a good 3 tables away.

She felt pretty content with her luck by the end 4th period, all her classes thus far were pretty normal. She had almost all her classes with Presley or Sarah, usually sitting next to 1 or both of them.

It was unfortunately during her 5th period Science class that her luck ran out and was forced to sit next to a hyper active Randy and Brianna. But if that wasn't enough, she was stationed right in front of Luke. Wasn't her life just perfect?

It was then, she realized, that she had gained a new found respect for the previous Alpha female Presley. Had it not been for the once vile blonde, she would have been forced into one of the most awkward hours of her young teenage life. With a simple comment to Sherman Blackstone, their Biology teacher, they were both out of their seats and walking to the administration office turning in her book request papers, and picking them up the school librarian.

Within minutes she had learned of Sarah's attempt to warn her of the schedule change that morning. Unfortunately for them the task took barely 20 minutes with 2 of them there, so she decided to take her time putting the books in her locker.

She couldn't wait to get out of school, sure it was a busy afternoon for her, but anything was better than this confinement. "I'm going stir crazy" she griped to the blonde next to her. "I need to get out of this place and run"

Unfortunately, she remembered it would be some hours until she could take her promised run with Ruby, her first since the flip. Grumbling some more she remembered her promise to Sarah earlier during their English class about attending the rave for a couple of hours.

As she turned to ask why the blonde was suddenly being nice to her on the way to their following class that she heard through the mental link about Presley and Luke, and their public break up. With a slight wince from the blonde at the comments, she knew that those particular rumors were true. When they reached the girls' locker-room, due to the over active pack link that Luke had seemed exceedingly bothered by her abrupt departure from last period and that he was busy, having been spotted by a lower ranked shifter, fucking Brianna. The result of him slacking in his daily Alpha duties was, to put it lightly, catastrophic.

XXX

It happened all at once. In a blur of skin, hair and fur; there were 2 furious female wolves attacking one another. Had Luke, not been distracted, the situation might not have been so drastic. He could have handled it easily with a simple order, but he was and it seemed that unfortunately Sean wasn't strong enough to handle his Alpha's shortcomings.

Two newly flipped females were fighting over a boy, the irony of the situation not lost on the 2 brunettes and blonde watching for a safe distance. The little Sophia knew about pack law was 1. You never risk exposure and 2. To disobey the Alpha was to be shunned by your pack. Two enraged female wolves was definitely a risk of exposure. Female wolves, while small in size, compared to the bulkier males, made up for their slight disadvantage by being faster and more vicious. Only someone extremely strong or stupid could interfere in the fight, or risk forfeiting their life.

Luke's Beta Sean was trying valiantly to stop the fight as his fellow beta Randy, was shedding his clothes in order to run interference. One of the females sent Sean flying into a nearby tree, causing something in Sophia snapped. No one hurt her friends, not matter how stupid they were at time.

With a feral growl she lunged into the fight, grabbing both bitches by the scruff and holding them apart. With a snarl the first girl on her left, flipped back into her human form and fell limply at Sophia's feet. When the second female refused to submit, Sophia launched her into a tree, her eyes flashing, her body instinctively preparing for an attack. From the corner of her eye she saw someone move towards the growling wolf by the tree, in a feeble attempt to help. It was at that moment the Presley and Sarah moved forward into the crowd and asserted their strength and dominance. With a warning from Presley, the pack teens moved back to watch the scene unfold.

When she spoke to the growling wolf, her muscles bunching, Sophia and those around her noticed the voice was not her own. The voice sounded raspy, animalistic even. "You dare to mate with one who is taken in the eyes of the pack?"

In answer, the brown wolf lunged at Sophia causing Sarah to flinch, the crunch sound echoing in the air making those standing sway. Sophia had punched the wolf's snout.

"Submit" the word itself instilled fear in all those watching, instinctively tilting their heads and baring their necks and the still human shifter facing the enraged female wolf. Once again the brown wolf lunged this time ripping part of Sophia's shirt. Sophia's eyes flashed gold, instinctively crouching down and snarling at the femme wolf. Within the blink of an eye, she had moved across the clearing and had the wolf's throat under her foot, face down and whining.

"Submit" she growled again place more pressure on the girls neck. To those watching it seemed like decades before the wolf shifted back into her human form, rolling onto her back and baring her neck when Sophia removed her foot. She turned to the others her eyes downcast, picking up her clothes as a voice bellowed across the field.

"What the fuck just happened here?" all eyes turned toward Luke, who locked eyes with Sophia. Her stance never wavered

"Nothing" her voice still sounded cold and emotionless to those around her. Nodding at Presley and Sarah she walked past Luke towards Sean who had landed some feet away. He took her outstretched hand, standing and dusting himself off.

"Obviously something happened" Luke stepped away from Brianna and towards Sophia and Sean. "There are to bleeding girls on this field, not to mention I witnessed the whole ordeal" his eyes pleading with Sophia, begging for her to speak to him, begging for the same Sophia with fire in her eyes when she called him an ass, the same Sophia with the jasmine scent he loved, not this emotionless woman with a feral growl to her voice and a dangerous gleam to her eye.

"If you witnessed it then why must I recount the events" her voice was still cold but her eyes where slowly changing back to the brown he loved, he knew he needed to be careful, her wolf was still very close to the surface and could be triggered at any moment.

"Because I am your future alpha and I need to know all sides to this fight." He sighed "Damn it Sophia just tell me what happened." He scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair in frustration.

"Alpha" she sneered with a cynical laugh, saying the title as if it disgusted her. "This female is mated corrected" she motioned toward the girl still by her feet cradling her left arm to her chest as she held the visible bite on her neck, where her mate mark used to be. He didn't fail to notice Sophia's eyes flashing between the gold of their kind and her normal brown.

"Yes, we all witnessed the union between herself and Ryan Hooks last spring" Luke answered, his eyebrows furrowing in question.

"That one" the disgust now evident on her face as she pointed to the girl glaring directly at her, conveniently standing by Brianna "she has been with another's mate and claims to bare his child, I can smell her dishonor" Sophia's eyes flashed completely gold then, her wolf clawing to come out.

"Cassandra?" Luke asked walking hesitantly toward the girl hiding slightly behind Sophia sobbing,

Sophia turned around and embraced the girl allowing her to cry into her shoulder, making soothing sounds. "Shh, she will be punished" she whispered rubbing her back. He knew then, her wolf was almost in complete control. There was no way she would know the severity of the situation had Sophia the girl been in control.

"Will he?" Cassandra asked through weepy eyes and hiccups.

"Only if it is what you seek" Sophia answered, causing chills to break out over his skin, his wolf pacing nervously under the surface.

"Is it true, did Ryan stray?" Luke asked tentatively, bending down to stroke the girl's hair.

"Yes" Cassandra answered burying her head further into Sophia shoulder and crying

"Luke?" Sophia called in her voice normal, her eyes fading into the soothing brown he had been longing to see, her eyes locking with his pleading and sad. "She's pregnant too." The simple statement succeeding in causing the pack surrounding them to gasp in shock, and Luke to take a deep breath; it was no wonder the fight had led to such violence. They were all completely shocked, how could the half breed fight off to enraged pregnant females and detect what they could not.

"What do we do?" Something inside his chest gave a hopeful jump and shout the moment she uttered the word 'we', containing his smile of triumph, his eyes flashed at her sending goose bumps across her skin.

"We hold a pack meeting" he turned to the rest of the pack, making them all scatter towards the school to change in the lockers. 'Tonight there will be no rave' he announced publicly turning back towards Sophia and Cassandra, the unimaginable had just occurred, The Bond of Mates had been broken and a girl was left with the shattered pieces of her heart.

Sophia continued to rock the crying girl shushing her and rubbing her back until the girls sobs had ceased and she fell asleep against her chest, "You defended yourself well." his husky voice breaking the silence surrounding them.

"I wasn't defending myself, instincts just kicked in" she replied tersely, back stiffening as if she just remembered who he was and that he was there.

"Next time be more careful, those instinct could have gotten you killed" he told her with a worried gleam in his eyes

"Not in this lifetime" she answered rolling her eyes at him, shifting the sleeping girls form against her shoulder

"Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked seriously, her response only serving to make his all the more anxious.

"There's a lot about me you don't know, you will never know. Alpha" she sneered, the final word stifling the atmosphere.

His back stiffened, his hand stilled against Cassandra's hair. "Exactly, Alpha, I will find out Sophia" he warned, gesturing to the sleeping girl he turned to Sean.

"Not until I say so" she answered standing up once Cassandra was safely in Sean's arms.

"That was Alpha business and you could have gotten hurt. You need to be more careful Sophia, you're new to all of this" He said again, concern in his eyes.

She turned on him then with a vicious snarl. "I'm aware of that!" she pause taking a deep steading breath "But our Alpha was otherwise preoccupied, someone had to step in"

He staggered back from the force of her words. "Sean could have handled it" he tried to reason but she unceremoniously cut him

"Sean was getting his ass kicked!" her voice more vicious than before "Now if you'll excuse me I have to call Rusty and tell him I can't make it today" she finished walking away stiffly causing him to growl. Taking another steading breath, he pulled out his cell phone and called his mother, on the 4th ring his sister picked up.

"What's up Luke" his sister asked

"I need you to tell my mom to call an emergency pack meeting" he said motioning for Sean to place the sleeping Cassandra in his car

"Why? What happened?" she questioned "Is Sophia alright? Who's on trial?"

"Ruby chill, Sophia's fine, and I never said anything about a trial." He said closing the door and walking over to driver's side "Ryan Hooks and Michelle Bennett, The Bond of Mates was broken." He started the car

"I'll tell Vivian. Are you sure Sophia is alright?" she asked again

"She's more than alright trust me. I'll see you soon Ruby, I'm on my way home now"

"Alright baby brother, I'll see you later"

XXX

"Vivian, can I speak to you privately?" Ruby asked knocking on her office door.

"Yes Ruby" she answered stepping out of the office leaving a very befuddled Mathew Donner inside "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Luke called; he said you needed to call an emergency pack meeting." Ruby said looking Vivian in the eyes "The Bond of Mates has been broken"

"What do you mean? What happened?" Vivian asked worriedly "Who's being called to trial?"

"Michelle Bennett and Ryan Hooks" she answered

"Are there children involved?" Vivian questioned, quickly stepping into Alpha mode, when Matt stepped out of the room with news of his own.

"One of my deputies just called, said something about bringing 2 teens to the pack clearing for trial. What's going on Vivian" he growled out

"I don't exactly know" she responded waving him off "But this is of grave importance and with an offense like this we usually arrive in our pelt and with Sophia" she let the statement go unanswered

"Then I think it's time we break that tradition, make it optional" Ruby responded "but I should warn you both, from what Luke has shared, she was involved somehow."

"I'm not sure that's the best option Ruby, what if Sophia is involved. The others will want to know what makes her special enough to speak at such an important event." Vivian couldn't hide the nervous tilt in her voice. "What do we tell them then? What do we show them?"

"Let her choose" Matt said with a sigh "Sophia and I talked about this possibility last night, she made me see reason. If she chooses to take on her wolf form then so will I. My daughter will need the protection of all of us, and we are all at our strongest in wolf form"

The shock on Vivian's face, and even if it hadn't been, she couldn't hide it from her voice, "You're going to flip?" she asked, doubt marring her feature. He merely nodded

"You have my word" he stated with a nod

As Matt walked out, Vivian turned toward Ruby and asked "Will you walk alongside Sophia tonight?" When Ruby nodded she continued "Then tonight, we will ask the pack to recognize your separation from Tyler."

Twenty minutes later, when Luke walked in, she had sent the command over the pack's mental link and called Sherman who had agreed to distract Kanin long enough to ensure pack's safety, then leave to attend the trial.

XXX

She had the option to reveal her coat or remain in human form, and she was no closer to deciding then she had been 15 minutes prior when her father had called to warn her. In all honestly she wasn't worried about show her pelt to anyone in the pack except Luke. For some reason beyond comprehension, she loved the fool and couldn't help forgiving him of all his misgivings. After their conversation the night prior, her dad had agreed to flip again, something he hadn't done in nearly 16 years, and all for her. Regardless, she knew they would be introducing her to the pack before the trial. Pacing back and forth across her room she contemplated the pros and cons. Somehow, Luke seemed to find his way into every pro and con on her list. She heard the door open, and her father's sure steps as he walked up the stairs and into his room. She had to make a decision soon. 'What do I do?' she thought as she let herself fall onto her bed. Her father knocked on her door minutes later, peeking his head into her room.

"Sophie?" he called.

"Yeah?" she mumbled, her face hiding under her arm

"I brought you something" he said stepping into her room fully "It was your grandmother's" He handed her a silk burgundy robe, held together by a matching thread. "I thought you might like to wear it tonight, just in case you decide to flip. It's easier to use, all you do is untie it and flip. It'll slide right off of your wolven form." He told her.

"I don't know what to say" she choked out, holding the buddle close to her heart "Thank you" she wiped her face "I'm proud of you and all the sacrifices you've made, mom would be too you know" she told him with a smile, hugging him tightly, before walking towards the bathroom.

XXX

When Matt opened the door, the sight awaiting him caused a small bark of laughter to erupt from his chest. In front of him was an extremely Alpha female, a grumbling Luke, a smug Ruby, and 2 teenaged girls, glaring at a grumbling Luke.

"She's not arriving in wolf form Luke. Get over it" Presley snapped at Luke.

'Oh so that was the reason he looked so put out' Matt thought smugly.

"Shut up, I'm tired of your crap" Luke snapped back much to the irritation of his mother

Sarah spoke next shooting him a very venomous look "You are just mad you can't see the color of her pelt" "Or maybe your just mad you can't catch a glimpse of her naked." She spat out

"Oh, I'm sorry did we hit a never Alpha Boy? I didn't know you had any feelings." Presley snarled sarcastically making Luke's eyes flash, and a growl to build deep in his chest

"As if you two know her color" he grumbled incredulously.

"Stop with the whining and bickering. You all sound like a bunch of wounded puppies.' Vivian snapped at the teens causing Ruby to laugh again.

If this was any indication of her drive over here, he understood the irritation.

"As a matter of fact Luke, they do." Sophia said making her way down the stairs, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Everyone in this room knows my color except for you." She stopped to give Vivian and Ruby a hug. "So I would personally suggest you stop harassing my friends, Alpha Male" Sophia sneered at him making her way over to the girls.

But it seemed that Luke didn't know how to leave well enough alone, which of course caused more laughing from Ruby and Vivian to rub her temples.

"I don't know what I saw in you" he said looking at Presley

"A good fuck" the blonde said cutting him off, eyes flashing, challenging him to continue his sentence.

"Insult my guest or offend my friend again and we will definitely have more problems Cates" Sophia told him, tugging Presley back towards Sarah and herself.

"Since when are the 3 of you friends? You guys are like fire and ice, you don't mix" he grumbled, obviously put out.

"Since your infatuation with Brianna started" making Luke flush red, glancing around the room nervously "plus she ain't that bad" Presley stated, "It's kinda fun watching you trip all over your words" she winked making him growl and the 3 teens to grin at each other.

"Stop making a fool of yourself." His mother finished before anyone else jumped in. "We are running late as it is" she said once they reached the edge of the woods. Handing a bag of spare clothes to Sophia, everyone flipped into their wolves, instinctively forming a protective barrier around the girl.

To any on looker it would seem as if the one in the center was a prized possession, but they would never know how true they were. The symbolism was not lost on Sophia.

XXX

She was getting really frustrated. The gorgeous gray wolf to her left would not stop nudging her thigh and licking her hand. "Quit it Luke" she snapped flicking the wolf on the nose, then feeling guilty and rubbing him behind his ears.

She came to a sudden conclusion "I think I like you better as a wolf" she said with a laugh, lightly tugging on his ear "You should just stay like this forever" He gave an audible snort of disagreement, making her laugh harder.

"Aww did I hurt little Lukie's feelings?" she said in a baby voice "It's too bad, your cuter as a wolf" she said turning to look at Ruby, who was on her right. Ruby wore what some might say was a wolfish grin. Ruby snorted and shook her head at who continually nudged Sophia's hand.

She inhaled sharply when they reached the clearing and stopped. It was beautiful. It wasn't long before the pack began to trickle in, slowly shedding their wolf skin; others, choosing to arrive in their human form. She tried not to notice that they were completely nude, honestly, but try as she might she could. She unconsciously rubbed his ears again earning a low rumble from deep within in his chest, catching her by surprise. Instinctively she made to bring her hand to her chest to calm her beating heart, but she had forgotten that his ear was still in her hand so she pulled. He yelped in surprise, snorting his unease and tugging the rope holding her robe closed lightly, revealing an inch more of her skin.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her creamy white flesh; images and memories flashing through his mind. He tapped his nose on her exposed tummy and rubbed his side against the outside of her thigh, rumbling deep within his chest and in the back of his throat. She sighed and gently pushed him away. The others around her had shifted, throwing what few articles of clothing they could find onto their bodies. She watched silently as his muscles bunched together, the way they moved as he pulled the shirt on, over his head. He was fully dressed in a pair of basketball short and a formfitting white crew neck t-shirt and he still looked incredible. He caught her looking, his eyes connecting with her, heat building behind the mossy green depths.

"Today we call to trial Michelle Bennett and Ryan Hooks on the offense of breaking the Bond of Mates and conceiving a child during such acts." Vivian's voice boomed breaking through her muddled thoughts. She turned to face the pack Alpha noticing that she too had donned a robe.

"But first we introduce Mathew Donner, our town sheriff, back into the pack and congratulate him and his daughter for her successful flip. Her protector and mentor would like to introduce them, Ruby" Vivian exclaimed ignoring the gasps of surprise as Ruby made her way to the front.

"Tonight we also have 1 more pressing matter." Vivian continued, as Ruby held onto Sophia's hand. "Since they have not mated and only bare wedding rings our white wolf Ruby Cates asks to have her marriage annulled and the process accepted in the eyes of the pack. All in favor" howls of recognition boomed through the air, acknowledging her separation from Tyler.

"So it shall be." Vivian proclaimed, turning toward Ruby &Sophia. Meeting Ruby's eyes she "You are free" shooting her step daughter a small smile. "Sophia, do you wish to flip for your pack?" Vivian asked the girl beside her, the response earning a few chuckles, particularly from the teens in the clearing.

"Not really, but guess I've gotta do it sometime" With a light nudge from Sarah and a nod from Presley, she turned to look at dad. Ruby held her hand and presented her to the pack. "Sophia Donner" releasing Ruby's hand, she unfastened her robe and shifted. The pack gasped

"The new white wolf" Ruby shifted, standing proudly beside Sophia, allowing them all to see the resemblance. The only differences were their eyes; one set of golden brown, the other, an icy blue.

"We have been blessed" Sherman said stepping out from behind the trees, stopping between the 2 white wolves, nodding at Vivian. He gently placed his hands on the two of them and announced "Sisters in all but blood", allowing the pack to repeat it, he stepped aside for the 2 to go running in the woods.

"Sophia's first run" he murmured turning around only to come face to face with an awed Lucas Cates.

"White?" he mumbled unsure. Sherman nodded; he turned to his mother who smiled, her father who watched her frolic with his sister and then lastly, he turned towards the 2 teens that protected her most. Sarah smirked in his direction and Presley winked gesturing for him to close his mouth.

"She's white." He repeated in awe, attempting to come to terms with the revelation