143 - Final Farewell and New Beginning

Sophia's POV

"Today we will be discussing the fate of the four traitors," Granny Daria announced. All important people are now here at the Council Hall. Currently sitting beside my mate as he grasped my hand, rubbing small circles on it. I turned to him and smiled. He flashed a quick one too, but ultimately, could feel that he was anxious because we're yet again facing them.

Nothing good always happens when we see Hatchett and her little boy scouts.

Whispers of suggestions could be heard, but Granny Daria shushed them by just raising her fist. Moved her head sideways to motion for the guards to let them in.

All eyes were on the door, as, step by step, the four of them entered. They glared at everyone, and once they found us, Hatchett's gaze never left mine. Everyone seemed to notice, as now all eyes were on me too as I raised my head proudly.

'Jacob.' I mind-linked. 'I'm fine. Calm down; she cannot hurt you or me anymore.' I soothed, and slowly but surely, his anxiety faded away.

Their mouths were covered with a ball of cloth. Could feel and sense their seething anger underneath it. We kept eye contact until Granny Daria declared their fates. "30 whips per week for a month, and then public execution."

Turned my head to see at least any hint of guilt in their eyes, but there was none.

'It ain't over yet.' Hatchett did all she could to mind-link me despite the poisons in her body.

Tilting my head as I smirked and mouthed back, "It is."

I stood up and walked down the stairs. Wolfed out and growled, "Let the biggest traitor of them all, enter!"

The audience was shocked. That itself may be an understatement, as they loudly gasped in utter disbelief. My parents even stood up as my father asked, "Grum!? Sophia, what's the meaning of this!?!"

I circled around Principal Grum, who kept shaking his head. It seemed he wanted to say something, but the cloth in his mouth hindered him. Was about to bite it away, but my mate beat me into it.

"My point exactly, Daniel! What in Goddess' name did you teach your daughter!?"

If this was the old me, I would flip out and attack him directly for saying something like that about my parents and in front of me. But if I did it, I would only prove his words right. And he wants that. The very reason why Principal Grum.. no, Grum provoked me in the first place.

Jacob growled at him in my defense, and I stopped him. He backed away and let me start explaining.

Shifting back to my human form, I said, "I always wonder how Hatchett always gets away. Even suspected some people from the council and some faculty staff."

Eyeing the people from both parties, I slightly bowed my head to apologize, and continued, "She easily got away even with her obvious bullying countless times. Even escaped from prison. It could be Oliver, yes, but only some important, high-ranking wolves could have the keys to the Council prison."

All of them gasped and agreed. Thus. I continued, "Besides, there were a lot of circumstances too. When you ordered us to tell our parents about the Dame's retrieval, you already told your rogue allies, specifically the former Alpha Patrick, to wait for me on my way to Crescent. But didn't expect Jacob to be there since both of us still weren't on good terms."

I looked at him full of anger, and he blankly stared at me. Still acting dumb, "You purposely let Gamma Rex listen to the information about my mother! You thought my twin brothers would be impulsive, but I stopped them. That was why you were trying your best to stop us too. But then you thought it would be better if I went since, all along, I was your target."

"What are you saying, Sophia? You don't even have evidence for all of your nonsense, and yet here you are accusing an innocent man!?"

"You want evidence?" I snarled at him, looked sideways, and nodded once. Nurse Rebecca and Headmistress Ranella each carried tons of documents and letters. They placed it in front of Granny Daria as she examined all of them one by one. Her eyes shot upwards, and sharply turned her head to Grum. "How could you!?"

The latter clicked his tongue, and his expressions changed almost instantly. "Sophia. Sophia. How did you even happen to find all of these?!?"

I smirked at him and answered, "To hide a tree, one must build a forest. You purposely hid them with the school's documents. Hoping no one would notice because how could someone barge inside the principal office, right?"

He snarled and was about to attack me, but Jacob pulled me behind him and clawed Grum's face. The latter shrieked in agony and kept screaming profanities at everyone. At me.

"If it weren't for you!" He yelled before someone placed a cloth in his mouth. I sarcastically smiled at him and said, "Well.. Jokes on you, I was the one you guys always needed. My blood. Naia's. All of you even succeeded but still couldn't stop or kill me, my mother, or Naia."

With that, the meeting ended, and the moment the traitors left the Council Hall, my legs grew weak. Jacob was quick to catch me as he slid his hands around my waist. He brushed some loose hairstrands and kissed my forehead. "You did great, my Luna."

"She really did!" Mom praised me as she slowly clapped her hands. "How did you even have the time to do that?"

"Sophia mind-linked me and Rebecca even while she's at the hospital. Told us about her suspicions, and they aligned with ours as well." Headmistress Ranella smiled at me. Proud of what the three of us had done. They talked amongst themselves after praising and complimenting me. I quickly went to mom and hugged her. This is the first time we saw each other again after my birthday. It had been months, actually. Both of us were busy, only the twins got to visit me at the hospital as well.

"Mom! Grandmother.." She smiled at me before I could even say anything.

"I know, sweetheart." She softly placed her hand on my cheek. "She went to me after saving you."

I chuckled. Naia said she'd leave it to fate, but she couldn't resist not visiting her daughter after all.

------

A month quickly came around. It was already time for the execution of the five of them. With their heads facing forward, they walked in the center aisle. Their flesh and backs are full of whip marks and bruises from the weekly torment they needed to undergo.

Wolves that surround them growled and snarled at them. But they didn't even flinch. Instead, it even looked like they didn't regret a single thing. If anything, they regret not accomplishing what they wanted to.

"Any last words?" Granny Daria asked. Grum, Yarrow, and even Ricky only cursed. With Hatchett saying, "I'll surely kill you in our next life, Addison."

Remembering the glimpses that I saw during the Soulbound curse, I smiled. "Even with that, you're still already a step late, Hatchett."

Jacob tried to cover my eyes when their heads were about to fly off, but I stopped him. "I need to see this until the end. It's the last bit of respect I could at least give them."

My heart oddly panged seeing their heads roll to the ground. At some point, at least once, I really wished that we could be friends, but I guess in this lifetime it would be impossible.

"Let's go home?" Jacob offered, scooping my hand and pulling it to his lips.

I nodded and gave him my heartfelt smile, "Let's go home."

--------

Graduation soon came, only a few months later. I was already prepared and wore a simple floral dress. Jacob came from behind me and placed his toga on my back.

"This is yours, Alpha." I giggled, and he growled at my ear. "You look so beautiful, Luna. I'm afraid someone would snatch you away from me with that dress of yours."

"Who even would dare?" I jokingly sighed as if disappointed that there wouldn't be someone. He quickly turned me around and frowned, "So you want someone to!?!"

Couldn't hold back any longer and laughed at him. I pinched both of his cheeks to pull him over, and kissed his pouty and sulking lips. "Even if there was, I would be the one to kick their ass away."

"Good girl." He growled and seductively bit my lower lip. "Because you're mine, Sophia Carter."

My stomach churned, and I felt something down there. Fuck. Sophia! How could you be turned on with just those two words! I gulped, and Jacob noticed it as he smirked and kissed his mark on me. Once he pulled away, he also took his toga off and wore them. This man! He only wanted to get my pheromones so that my scent would rub on him!

I looked at him dumbstruck as he sexily chuckled, "Baby, your Alpha's hot and famous, remember? I need your scent on me."

"You! You deliberately turned me on! I hate you!" I turned away from him. Annoyed that now I'm feeling sexually frustrated more than ever. Which was weird because I'm really not like this. Swear!

My mate tried to woo me with my toga that had his pheromones on it. He assisted me and even went as far as helping me insert my arms. He tied the ribbon and dominatingly pulled me to him. At the same time, he leaned over just a little bit because he was tall. With his hoarse voice, he said, "Don't worry, you're not the only one who's turned on right now, my Luna."

I opened my mouth only to close them back, as I did not know how to respond to that. Just why is this man so fucking sexy and hot? It makes me want to just stay here and lazily cuddle with him. I pursed my lips to suppress a smile, and he tilted his head to land one sweet kiss. He didn't move his lips and just placed them in my mouth. We both smiled underneath it until Sandra and Ben came forth, rushing us.

"Seriously Sophie!? We're running late!" Sandra scoffed.

"What the fuck, dude!? It's literally too early in the morning for that!" Henry groused.

"Why are you guys here?" I complained, sulking at the loss of my Alpha's lips on mine. Jacob snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. With an annoyed voice, he agreed with me: "She's right, you know. What are you doing here anyways?"

"We know you'd be doing something like this! Hurry up! Everyone of us is running late!" Henry came in and pushed us both. We looked at the time, and we only had at least thirty minutes left. But the thing is, wolfing out from Blood Moon to Woodhill University will take much longer than that. No matter how fast our sprint would be,.

Beta Trent sighed at the sight of us and mind-linked our parents, who're already at school, that we would be late.

Jacob and I chuckled, as we were a bit guilty. With a heavy sigh, we all started to wolf out. If only we could just teleport from Blood Moon's front gate to Woodhill's, that would seriously save us the trouble and sweat!

As if someone heard my silent prayers, the moment we stepped out of Blood Moon, we magically appeared at the venue. The Woodhill's front gate behind us, as if we came out from there.

"What the actual fuck?" Xander cursed and looked around. Then, I felt everyone's gaze on me.

"What?" I stupidly asked.

"I thought you lost your witch's power back then?" Sandra asked.

I nodded at her and replied. "I really lost it, though?"

"Then why?" Jacob asked and moved in front of me, rubbing his snout in my furry cheeks, "Are you.. okay?" He queried with a worried voice.

"I am," I hesitantly responded. Jacob was about to ask further until our parents lunged at all of us.

"Congratulations! You mutts actually made it!" Xander's father yelled while playing and growling with his son.

"Uncle! You surprised us all!" Sandra complained, her mom and dad nudging a lick on her face.

"You're the ones who surprised us, dear," Mom said. "Mia and Frank told us you would be running late."

"We should really be, but something happened," Jacob replied, and before they could ask, we were called as the ceremony was about to begin.

Nothing much happened during the event. It was peaceful and went smoothly. Our names were called one by one, and we walked to the center from our seats up to the stage.

"Sophia Carter." Granny Daria smiled as she mentioned my name. I tried to hold back a grin but failed.

Carter. Who would've thought that I would end up having that name. I only called him that because he hated to be called Jacob back then. And now, I'm officially a Carter. Like a place I finally and always belonged to.

I accepted the diploma from Granny Daria and walked down. The moment I did, I stopped. Dead in my tracks. I held onto the railings and barfed beside the stairs. What the fuck!?

Thank Goddess, the audience couldn't see me, or else that would be so embarrassing! As if by instinct, knowing something was wrong, my mate was quickly right beside me.

"Baby! Are you okay!?" He glanced at the vomit and rested his gaze on mine. He wiped the remaining residue from my mouth with his thumb and emitted his pheromones.

I blinked a couple of times before answering. "Baby."

"Hmm?" He sweetly cooed.

I shook my head repeatedly at him and dropped him a bomb none of us could ever have predicted, "I.. I think I'm pregnant, Jacob."