"I thought I might find you in here." The sofa next to me sunk in, but I kept my gaze locked on the sea outside the window. "I remember when I first came here, I got lost and found a little girl with wild hair staring at me from behind one of her large books."

I glanced at Alpha Daniel as he made himself comfortable, his posture open and relaxed. I didn't feel like talking, but I wasn't going to be rude.

"I heard you and your uncle fighting. I was waiting for you outside the room. I'm sorry for eavesdropping."

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything. You were rather loud."

"And what are you going to do about it?" I felt a flush of warmth and forced a stray hair out of my face.

"I think, for the time being, you might like to keep your secret safe, but I would implore you to be open about it when you take the head seat. Honestly would prove your dedication to the other seat holders."

"You don't think they would deny my place as Morill head?"

"If anything, I think they'd be happy to have an equal in the seat. Your mother was a good Morill head after her brother died, but she was powerful. I think it is better to have someone who understands what it's like to not have power. You know how it is to be human, and you know what it's like to be supernatural."

"What traits are those?" Weakness was never a good trait for a leader. The moment my weakness was discovered, any respect I earned from my mother and my name would evaporate, leaving me the young daughter of a rich family who played pretend.

"Do you know why I was elected to my seat? Why I was chosen out of all the Alpha's?"

I had never really thought about it. I had assumed it was because of his pack's large stretch of territory near the manor.

"The Alpha before me valued tradition, much like your uncle, but he lacked something. While he led his pack with force and strength, he always failed when it came to diplomacy. His allies respected his power and accomplishments, not him," Alpha Daniel laughed a warm low chuckle. "When I became Alpha, I worked internally to make my pack stronger before reaching out to help other packs. It took time, but I garnered respect through my genuine nature and by showing I cared. That's what your uncle fails to grasp. He is too much like the old Alpha, while you are too much like me. Your strength is not your legacy's power but the fact you have none and still choose to help people you have no allegiance to."

He rose, staring out the window. "You don't have to say anything, you probably think I'm a fool, but just think about what I said."

He vanished as quickly as he had come and managed to leave me with a gaping hole in my heart. I didn't know if it was because I believed him or because I hoped he was right.

I curled my knees to my chest and watched the light outside slowly dim until there was nothing but darkness.

Eventually, my phone chimed, and Kiri reminded me that we had to leave. I had promises to keep, and staying here wasn't an option.

I paced myself as I walked through the house this time; I wanted to capture every detail. The first time I left, I had not realized what I would be missing. Now I knew that it could be weeks before I would see, feel and smell it again.

My bag was already packed, waiting beside the car with Kiri and Alpha Daniel. My aunt waited too, with open arms and a long hug, the smell of her garden lingering in her clothes.

As we drove away, I noticed my uncle in one of the upper windows, his face dark.

"Where were you?" Kiri finally asked, breaking the long stretch of silence that plagued the car. "I couldn't find you, is everything alright?"

"I was wandering around. I didn't really feel like talking."

Through the rearview mirror, Alpha Daniel's silvery irises bore into mine, and I looked away. I hated those eyes. They looked like he was watching me. Not the physical girl in the backseat, but the one stewing below the surface. He saw my soul.

"What are we going to do now that your uncle is okay with us poking around the town?"

I didn't know if 'okay' was the right word to use, but with no one actively stopping us, we could work under Alpha Daniel's control, not the Morill's.

"With Alpha Daniel's permission, I would like to follow Nick's wishes and tell his mom of his species. I promised to help him with that tomorrow. But I want to make sure he will have a home to fall back on."

"Nick will always be welcome in the pack, whether his mother accepts him or not."

"Then we have your permission to break the pack's secrecy? I promise to only reveal her son's identity." I sighed. "I don't trust her."

"You can, in this instance. I trust you to know what should be shared and what should be kept from her."

"Do you want me there?" Kiri's hand found mine on the leather seat.

"I think it would be better if you didn't come. Nick doesn't know you, and his mom might not like the idea of multiple advisories in the room."

She didn't say anything, but I saw the ghostly look of disappointment in the widow's reflection. Kiri wore her heart on her sleeve, her emotions written on her face. It was one of the few differences between us. Kiri always followed her heart, while I didn't have that luxury. I needed facts, cold hard logic, it could one day be the difference between life and death. It already had been.

I had let my guard down, drawn in by the red-eyed little girl speaking in broken Latin. Promises, gilded and glowing, had lured me in, and I paid in pain, almost with my life.

"Maybe you could help him move in if his mother behaves as I expect she will." Alpha Daniel interrupted my train of thought, thankfully drawing me away from the demon that still lurked in my mind. "I wouldn't mind showing my pack that we are open and welcoming of other species."

"If you'll take my help, I'll be happy to give it."

"I'll expect you to be there then if Nick isn't so lucky."

The next hour passed in silence, but as Kiri fell asleep, her head resting on my shoulder, I noticed the increased rate of looks from Alpha Daniel.

"Did you think about what I said?"

My heart jumped as a feeling of nausea overtook me. "I did."

"Have my words resonated with you?"

"I don't think you're wrong, but I also think you're too hopeful. I've been in situations where strength and power were needed. They're kind, your words, but I don't think they apply to me."

I closed my eyes, the red tinge of light through my eyelids a painful reminder of the wounds that were long healed but still fresh. Red eyes and a deep voice locked forever in my mind, the one place they would never die. The demon left its mark.

"I think that one day you'll prove to everyone else that I'm right. After all, you have at least two who believe." I knew he was talking about himself and Kiri, and knowing they believed in me did warm my heart, but that warmth only went so far.

As I let myself go limp, faking sleep to avoid Alpha Daniel's eyes, I couldn't help but fantasize about a different reality. What if I was able to earn a place, powers or not? I could stand as head of the Morill clan, respected by all despite my lack of witchcraft. Or if I was born with magic, powerful like my mother? And what if she had lived? Would I still be in the same situation? There were too many alternatives, each more far-fetched than the other, but indulging my fantasies calmed me, if only for a moment.