Zack had heard the expression "cut the atmosphere with a knife" plenty of times, but this was the first time he truly understood what it meant.

As he looked from his coldly enraged mate to Alpha Thomas, he could almost touch the air between them, it was so thickly filled with emotion. Anger and disgust from Sophie. Regret, anger and something else he could not quite identify, from the highly ranked council member.

"I don't understand Sophie, how could he have been your Alpha?" Zack asked still looking from one to the other.

Sophie snorted indelicately. "What's to understand Zack, He was the Alpha of my old pack before my parents died. When they died I went to stay with him and his mate for a few days until he sent me to live here with him." She said insolently.

The other council member, who had been watching silently, growled low in his throat. "Watch your tone girl and show respect to Alpha Thomas!" He demanded.

Sophie slowly turned her head and looked at the other male standing close to his council colleague. He was a brute of a wolf standing at least six and a half feet tall, with shoulders and chest so big it looked almost unnatural. He had an air of menace around him that made the hairs on the back of Sophie's neck stand up, and she knew that this wolf was the real danger in the room.

But if she had learned one thing in the years with her torturer, it was how to read a person. Although she could tell he was angry and her lack of respect towards the other Alpha, she could also tell he would not escalate the confrontation. Not yet anyway. He was holding his wolf at bay for some reason. Normally such a display of insolence towards a high ranking wolf would be punished swiftly and harshly. And by the tension she could feel emanating from Zack at her side, he was expecting just that to happen any moment.

She put her hand on Zack's arm, trying to calm his wolf and said to the unknown council member. "My apologies to you Alpha, I mean no disrespect to you." She smiled grimly. "But I can not and will not show your fellow council member any respect. For he does not deserve my respect!"

The unknown Alpha stepped forward angrily. Alpha Thomas grabbed his arm, stopping him with a firm hand.

"It's ok Jacob." Alpha Thomas said firmly. "It's just a misunderstanding. Sophie believes I knowingly sent her to an abusive situation and is justifiably angry." He turned to Sophie. "I can assure you, I did not know what your Uncle was. If I had known....."

"LIES!" Sophie screamed. "I heard you and your mate that day. After I left your office, I stood outside the door and I heard her tell you he was a monster. And what was it you said? Oh yes! You said "it's pack law, there was never any proof of wrong doing, just rumours and accusations. You then said you had to hope he had changed. So don't you dare stand there, in front of me, and tell me you did not know what kind of a monster he was. Your mate said to you she hoped I wasn't the one who would pay for your mistake. Well let me tell you I did! Every day for seven long pain filled years, I paid! And you Alpha Thomas are partly responsible for every day of it!"

Sophie turned and ran out the door she had only moments before entered through. As she ran down the steps, she fell to her knees, unable to breath past the band of steel crushing her chest. Distantly, she could hear raised voices, but could not concentrate enough to work out what they were saying.

Zack watched his mate run from the house and turned to look at the two imposing wolves. "What the hell?" He shouted angrily.

"Watch yourself Zack," growled Jacob menacingly. "I will not tolerate anymore disrespect to either myself or Alpha Thomas. I will deal with the female for her attitude, but don't think for one moment your alpha title will stop me from punishing you also."

"You will do nothing Jacob!" Said Thomas firmly. "As I said, it was merely a misunderstanding on the young females part. I will not allow you to issue any punishment for her actions here."

Jacob grunted, annoyance clearly written all over his face. "That kind of disrespect can not go unchallenged Thomas. If you are not prepared or willing to deal with her I....."

"NO!" Said Thomas. "You will not. I have made myself clear. She will face no punishment for today and let that be an end of it."

Zack turned away from the arguing council members and made his way outside to check on his mate. He could still hear the two Alphas, but ignored them as he went through the door and down the steps.

As he approached Sophie he could see her crying and shaking on the ground and he crouched down beside her and put his arms around her trembling form.

She started violently as she felt the strong arms coming round her from behind, and began struggling frantically.

"Sophie it's me!" Zack said urgently. "Calm down! I need you to breathe with me OK. Just take slow deep breaths. That's it you can do it, nice and slow." He murmured against her ear.

Sophie tried to calm her breathing, but the feeling of panic constricting her chest just would not let her. She closed her eyes and, using the relaxation techniques she had taught herself, she slowly began to bring her her breathing under control.

Although only a few seconds had passed it felt like hours till she was able to lift her head and look into the concerned eyes of her mate, who was still kneeling beside her with his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"I'm fine now." she said brokenly "let me up." As Zack released his hold she slowly stood, her legs still trembling. "I won't go back in there as long as he is, I won't stay in the same place as that male." She said, her voice firming.

Zack looked from Sophie to the door of the pack house, and the two council members now standing in the doorway. "I can't ask them to leave Sophie, they are council! It is their right to stay in the pack house when they are here on official business."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He continued quietly. "I had no idea Alpha Thomas was your old alpha, if I had known I would have at least warned you. But Sophie you have to stay with me in the house, it's the only way to convince them of our mating. I know it will be difficult but I would never ask you to do it if I wasn't desperate."

"Would you really have told me Zack? Really? I don't think you would have, because if you had known who he was to me you would have known I would never willingly put myself anywhere near him. And you couldn't have that. You need me here to save your precious pack!" She snarled bitterly.

"That's not true Sophie! Yes I need your help, but I care about you. I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you. You are my mate!"

"Never do anything to hurt me?" Sophie scoffed derisively. "Are you kidding me?" She shook her head disgustedly. "Do you know what Zack? I don't care anymore. I will do what I have to do to help save the pack then I'm done. I can't do this again. I have only been back on pack lands for less than an hour and already I'm paying the price."

She stepped closer to Zack and lowered her voice making sure not to be overheard buy the two wolves still watching them closely from the pack house. "But remember this Zack, everything I have been through has made me the person that stands before you today. I am not the weak snivelling female you found in that hell hole anymore. I bow down to no one." She jerked her chin towards the council members. "Not to you and certainly not him."

Sophie stepped back and turned toward the pack house once more and climbed the steps. As she approached the door she stopped before the council representatives, lifted her chin and said firmly. "Alpha Jacob, I will answer any of your questions, and do what ever I must, to resolve this situation. But I will only talk to you. If that is not acceptable to you, then I would respectfully ask that you request other council representatives to be assigned to this matter."

Sophie stood tall waiting for the inevitable explosion from Alpha Jacob and just when he was about to do just that Sophie was amazed when Alpha Thomas put a restraining hand on his arm and said quietly. "That will be fine Sophie. I can take care of the parts of the investigation that do not require your input. Is that acceptable to you Jacob?"

Although noticeably still angry and wanting to say something, the other alpha grudgingly nodded his head and moved to the side allowing Sophie to enter.

As she walked into the place she swore never to step foot in again, she steeled her nerves and held her head high.

She would do what was needed of her, then leave.

She just hoped there was enough of her sanity left to rebuild her life once again.

😬