Chapter 711: What They Choose to See
Chapter 710: What They Choose to See
Annabeth knew this was coming.
She had known it the moment Sophia stepped onto the platform in the square. She had known it when the crowd erupted, when the accusations flew, when the woman she had come to respect stood alone under the weight of a thousand angry stares. She had known it when Orion spoke, when Sophia bowed, when the pack began to shift and the apologies started.
Her people would not be so quick to shift.
The Silver Creek pack had suffered at Victoria’s hands in ways that left scars too deep to see. They had lost their Alpha, their priest, their lands, their sense of safety. They had been starved, hunted, driven from their homes. Most had watched their families die.
And now they were being asked to accept Victoria’s daughter as their Luna.
Annabeth understood their hesitation. She felt it herself sometimes, late at night, when the memories crept in and the anger stirred in her chest. But she also knew Sophia wasn’t the reason all this was happening. She wasn’t the cause.
She was not going to burden Orion or Sophia with this. This was her pack. For now, they still saw her as their Alpha. So for now, she would deal with this on her own.
She locked eyes with Josiah.
"Yes," she said. "Sophia is Victoria’s daughter. She just told everyone in the square not too long ago."
Josiah’s jaw tightened. "Then why are we still here? We should leave."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group.
Josiah stepped forward, his voice rising. "The pack has ties to Victoria. It is Victoria who killed our people. It is Victoria who destroyed our lands. It is Victoria who destroyed our Alpha, our priest. Victoria who made us almost beggars."
Annabeth did not interrupt him. She did not argue. She waited until he was done and the silence stretched between them before she spoke.
"All of that is true," she said. "But you should know something. All that was done by Victoria. Not Sophia."
Josiah’s eyes narrowed.
"Victoria destroyed our pack," Annabeth continued. "But it is Sophia who accepted us. It is Sophia who gave us shelter when we had nowhere else to go. It is Sophia who has been fighting to keep us safe since the moment we arrived."
A woman near the back shook her head. "That is a lie. It was Alpha Orion who accepted us. Not Sophia."
Annabeth turned to her.
"Do you really think," she said quietly, "that if Sophia told Orion to send us away, we would still be here?"
The woman opened her mouth to argue, then stopped.
"Orion may be the Alpha," Annabeth continued, "but he is not blind. He sees what she sees. He listens to her. And if she wanted us gone, we would be gone. But Sophia is not without compassion. You all are forgetting she worked with Madam Tyler even when it was obvious she was tired, to ensure we had rooms to stay in, even going as far as to offer her home. If not for the fact that Madam Tyler refused, some of us would be in her home right now."
She let the words settle.
"And that’s not just it. Many of us are alive because of Sophia. She may think she only saved the Nightshade Pack, but she saved some of us indirectly too. You also forget that many of us here are able to reunite with members who left years ago because of her, because she is doing everything in her power to ensure the safety of everyone, even at her own risk."
She looked around at the gathered faces, at the frowns and the crossed arms and the suspicion that had not yet faded.
"And why are you all speaking like you do not know that any child of Victoria must have gone through abuse? Things in the west are the way they are now because no one could fight back. But Sophia fought. She pushed back. Just like we did."
Her voice hardened.
"And rather than shaming and neglecting her because of who her mother is, we should be standing by her, especially after what we’ve suffered at the hands of the woman that calls herself her mother, to keep the peace we all fought so hard to get."
She stepped closer to Josiah, holding his gaze.
"Sophia is Sophia. She is not Victoria. She was not the one who tormented us. She was not the one who used black magic on the west. And if you cannot see past that—if you cannot separate her from her mother—then perhaps you should find your way out of the pack then."
The silence that followed was heavy.
No one spoke for a while, then Felicia, the healer, stepped forward.
"Annabeth is right," she said quietly.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"I quite like the Nightshade Pack," Felicia continued. "My only issue is how cold it is here. The west is considerably warmer."
A few people shifted uncomfortably.
"I have not spoken to Sophia personally," Felicia admitted. "But from what I have seen, she is a bright child. And besides, I doubt the goddess would make just anyone the Luna."
She folded her arms.
"Anyone who wants to leave can leave. But I stay. I have to meet with Lysander anyway. I want to assist at the medical facility. Perhaps learn something rather than sit idle. There have been rumors, even back in the west, that the medical facility here is quite extensive."
Josiah let out a long breath. His shoulders sagged slightly.
"I do not trust the Nightshade Pack fully yet," he said. "But... Sophia has not done anything to us, like you said."
He looked at Annabeth. "So I will stay. For now."
Annabeth nodded, and then she heard a scoff.
She turned and locked eyes with Reyner.
He was older, his dark skin weathered by years of sun and struggle. His arms were thick, his shoulders broad, and he stood at the edge with his arms crossed and his face unreadable. A scar ran from his temple to his jaw, pale against his brown skin.
"Reyner," Annabeth said. "Would you like to speak?"
He stared at her for a long moment.
Then he shook his head slowly.
"I have nothing to say," he said.
He paused, his gaze hardening.
"But you had better hope this is the right decision, because if it is not, you will be reminded."
Annabeth did not look away.
"When this turns out to be the best decision," she said, "you will come to me yourself."
Reyner said nothing, and then Annabeth turned to the rest of the group.
"Is there anyone else who is still against staying in this pack with Sophia as the Luna?"
She was met with silence, and then one by one, people shook their heads.
"Alright then. Now that that is settled, I have something else to say," she said.
