Tyler walked through the long hallway of one of the tall apartments in the middle of the Davidson estate. His head was still wrapped in white bandages, his clothes clean but stiff white long sleeves and trousers. Something kept pounding in his head, and it wasn't just from the fight.
Sophia.
Sophia was the daughter of Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Anna. Which meant she was Mr. Davidson's granddaughter. All this time and she never told them. The leader of the pack's own blood living and fighting with them and she kept it hidden.
But what burned him the most was what came next.
She was betrothed. To Redwill, Redwill of all people.
The thought made his hands curl like they wanted to slam into the wall. Suddenly all those looks Redwill used to give him made sense like Tyler had been stepping on ground he didn't own, being overprotective.
But why did it even matter? Sophia meant nothing to him. That's what he told himself. Over and over. And yet, his chest felt tight. His stomach turned.
He pushed to his feet, stormed to the door, and shoved it open hard.
Inside, Bella, Jasper, James, and Henry were sprawled on their beds, all in plain white shirts and trousers. Jasper glanced up.
"Don't break the door, man," he said lazily. "Old man Davidson will have our heads chopped off."
"What's wrong?" Bella asked, watching him cross the room and sit on his bed.
Tyler dragged the blanket over his legs. "I'm fine," he muttered.
"You don't look fine to me," Henry said, rubbing his eyes. "Did Mr Davidson say something to piss you off?"
"No." Tyler kept his voice low.
"I know what's bothering him," Jasper said suddenly, pushing up from his bed. Everyone turned to look at him. He kept his face serious. "It bothers me too, Tyler. How come we haven't been offered food yet?"
"What?" Tyler blinked.
"Yeah, bro. I'm starving. After all those fights, they've kept us hungry. Makes me mad."
Bella giggled.
"Tyler," she said, leaning toward him, "you can tell me. Did Sophia say something to you?"
"What? No. No, she no. I mean, what would Sophia have to say to me? I'm just… upset."
They all stared at him.
"It's obvious you're lying," Henry said, scratching his face.
Tyler let out a slow breath. "Did you guys know Sophia is the alpha's daughter?"
The air in the room froze.
"What?" they all said at once.
James's magazine slid right out of his hands. "And she didn't tell us?"
"No," Tyler said flatly. "I just heard it from Redwill. And he's engaged to her."
"What?" Jasper's voice cracked.
"She didn't tell us?" Bella's voice was tight.
"I thought we were friends," Henry muttered.
"So she's Mr Davidson's granddaughter," James said slowly. "And Redwill's one of the strongest wolves here… explains the engagement."
"If he marries her, he becomes alpha. She becomes his Luna," Henry added.
"I'm so jealous," Jasper said, grinning.
Bella hurled a pillow at him. He caught it with a laugh.
"I need answers," Bella said sharply. "There has to be a reason she didn't tell us."
Sophia stepped into the room a few minutes later, dressed like the rest of them in a plain white shirt and trousers. The moment she crossed the doorway, she could feel it the air was heavy.
"Guys," she said softly.
No one answered.
"Bella?" she tried again. Bella turned her head away.
"Jasper?" Nothing.
"James?" He kept his eyes on his magazine, pretending to read.
"Henry?" He shut one eye, leaving the other half-opened, not meeting her gaze.
Her voice wavered. "Tyler?"
Tyler didn't answer.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking around at them.
James broke the silence. "I can't believe you, Sophia. You really did this to us."
"What did I do?"
"You didn't tell us you were the alpha's daughter," Henry said flatly.
Sophia froze. How did they find out?
"I can't believe you'd keep this from us," Bella said, hurt in her voice. "I thought we were close friends."
"I am I mean" Sophia stammered.
"So what then? Why hide it?" Bella pressed.
Sophia looked down. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want that weight of responsibility. Being the alpha's daughter and the granddaughter of Mr. Davidson… I thought you guys would treat me differently. I didn't want prestige, I wanted to just be like you guys. You've all known pain, but I didn't. I grew up with everything handed to me. Being here with you all, pretending I wasn't the alpha's daughter, made me feel like I belonged like I had real friends who understood me and I understood them. I'm sorry. I really am."
They stared at her for a moment.
"You still should've told us," Jasper said, his voice softer now.
"Yeah," Henry added with a grin. "Who cares if you're the alpha's daughter? You're our friend. That makes you one of us, alpha or no alpha."
Sophia smiled faintly.
"Just don't hide stuff like that again," James said with a smirk. "You belong here no matter what."
"I understand," Bella said. "It doesn't matter who you are on the outside. What matters is here." She tapped her chest.
Sophia's smile widened, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She looked at Tyler.
"What about you Tyler? Am I cool?"
"I guess so," Tyler said after a brief moment, not looking at her. "Except you have to explain the whole Redwill engagement thing."
"So it was Redwill who told you. That bastard." Her eyes darkened.
Tyler glanced at her. She's not happy about it? I have to talk to her about it wait, why do I care so much?
"Alright then, group hug!" Jasper said.
The others got up, moving toward her.
"Aww, my back," Jasper groaned as they squeezed together. Laughter broke the tension.
"Come on, Tyler," Bella urged.
He turned his head away.
"Fine, we'll come to you," James said, and the whole pack piled onto his bed.
"What the hell?!" Tyler shouted, laughing despite himself, and for a brief moment his thoughts flashed to Redwill.