I got selected in Grand Imperial!

Sofia looked at the paper in her hand. She pressed it lightly with her small palms to flatten it out and a tear fell on her cheek when she read the content.

It brought back thousands of painful memories.

********Flashback********

Sofia returned home happily jumping with a piece of paper in her hand.

"I did it! I got selected! I got selected in Grand Imperial!" She said cheerfully while entering the pack house.

It was her dream to study in Grand Imperial.

"What? Really? WOW! I am so proud of you baby!" Liam replied with a proud smile and stormed towards her.

She directly jumped in Liam's arms and he took her in his warm embrace without second thoughts. He tightened the grip around her waist and raised her above the ground.

"I just cleared the interview round and they directly handed me the admission form" Sofia informed him while flashing her infectious smile.

A happy puppy followed her inside with a bright smile on her cute face.

"Yes, they were really glad to have a genius like her in their college" Blair added like a proud mother.

"She wasn't bad herself. She also got selected as well" Sofia parted from him to shoot him with another happy news.

Liam felt the world around her became empty suddenly as she parted from him. He already started missing her touch.

Meanwhile, Blair came to his view when she spoke in the plainest tone possible,

"They selected me saying that I have some talent and they just need to flourish it!"

"Oh, please. They were really happy to have another genius! Oh God, keeping you awake for a whole month finally paid off! Look, you are also selected" Sofia began to hop happily, ignoring the death glares Blair was directing towards her.

Liam chuckled lightly at Blair's response while still holding the hands of the excited snow rabbit.

"That's great. Let's go and tell the happy news to our parents" He suggested with a genuine smile.

"You should have given the test too, Liam!" Her lips puckered in a pout when she realized Liam wouldn't be there with them during college.

Before they could even move towards the meeting room to let elders knew the great news of the day, they saw Sofia's mother coming towards their direction taking small elegant steps.

"What is happening here? Why are you guys so loud?" Mrs. Dawson asked, she didn't forget to smile at Liam before turning towards the girls with suspicious look.

"Mum, I got selected!" exclaimed Sofia happily.

Confusion took over Mrs. Dawson's beautiful face, even though the woman was in her late forties, her delicate features and electric blue eyes could easily let her stand out in the crowd. She looked unbelievably young and beautiful for her age. No wonder Sofia is so ethereal. She really took after her mother.

"Selected? What selected?" asked Mrs. Dawson baffled.

Sofia couldn't keep the happy news to herself so she took her mother's hand and announced joyfully.

"I got selected in Grand Imperial!"

"What? Grand Imperial? That college for Royals?" asked her mother but judging by her tone, she didn't sound quite happy.

"Yes, mum. They are…" Sofia was dying to enlighten her with every single detail of their visit but Mrs. Dawson cut her off while raising her hand.

"Okay, okay, not here. We can talk inside the meeting room. Let's see what Alpha Cole have to say in this!" Her mother replied with a tone devoid of any emotions.

Without wasting another second of her precious life, she marched towards the meeting room.

The chaotic trio followed her quietly and entered the meeting room with expressions of criminals that have been caught red-handed.

Sofia's and Liam's parents were already present there. Alpha sent his secretory to call for Blair's patents as she was also involved in the matter at hand.

"May I come in, Dad?" Liam knocked the door and asked politely.

"Please, come in the three of you" came Alpha Cole's strong intimidating voice.

They entered the room quietly. Their eyes were staring at the ground like it was the most fascinating piece of land they have ever seen. Clearly, they were avoiding the eye contact with any of their parents especially the Alpha.

Talking was not even an option, they just got a moment to take a breath when someone knocked on the door again.

"Can we get in, Alpha?" asked Mike Wilkins, Blair's father in an obedient tone.

Blair's eyes widened as her father's voice came into her ears. She knew that was not a good sign. She cursed herself for taking this step even after knowing the consequences.

"Please" Alpha replied but he was still staring at the three musketeers whose eyes were glued to the ground.

Blair's parents were surprised to see their daughter inside the meeting room along with the future Alpha and Luna of the pack. The real troublemakers!

Except for Liam and his parents, the rest of them were looking down showing their utter respect to the Alpha of their pack.

"You may speak now" came Alpha Cole's strong and powerful voice filled with authority.

"Um.. I… we.. We got selected in Grand Imperial" Sofia spoke in a polite and elegant manner.

She marched forward and presented the admission form in front of Alpha.

"We?" asked Alpha in his chilly tone while raising one eyebrow in question.

"Blair and I" replied Sofia, coming back to her place next to Liam.

"So, when you were saying, you were going to movie and mall, you were actually going to apply for this university?" Alpha Cole asked in a calm tone but each word coming out of his mouth was laced with authority.

"Yes, sir" replied Sofia with a slight nod.

"Dad. She.." Liam tried to speak but Alpha held his hand up to shut him down and Liam sighed in frustration.

"That means you lied to your parents, your pack and your Alpha. Is that true?" asked Alpha Cole calmly but his tone felt like a calm before a stormy night.

"Um…" Sofia was puzzled, she couldn't reply to such a tricky question.

"Dad, enough! She just went to apply for a university. She wasn't hanging out with some dude in a club!" Liam exclaimed, he was fuming with anger as the girl he likes was being questioned like she did a hideous deed when she simply wanted to study.

"You knew of this?" asked Alpha Cole turning towards his cunning son with a sharp tone.

"Yes, she told me everything" replied Liam nonchalantly.

"You approve of this?" He asked with a frown.

"Why does she need my approval? It's her life!" Liam replied in rage.

"DO YOU APPROVE OF THIS?" Alpha Cole said in a slightly louder tone and everyone jumped in terror when he let lose his cold dominating aura.

Liam looked at his father stunned for a moment but eventually replied,

"Yes, I do"

"See Phebe, that's what I was talking about the other day. He is still not mature. Girls are always emotional and immature so I won't blame Sofia or Blair but Liam should act maturely, shouldn't he?" Alpha Cole turned towards his beloved wife and his voice became gentle and sweet like he had marshmallow in his mouth.

"Since when letting your girl study became immature?" Liam's cold voice echoed in the room.

"So, you must be having a plan of letting her work too?" Alpha looked at him like he was a piece of sh*t

"That.." Liam couldn't reply as he felt his father's intense gazes on him

"Please reply, my dear son" Alpha Cole's honey coated voice made the atmosphere chillier than it already was.

"You must want her to work and earn for you also, right? So that you can sit and eat like an impotent guy!" Alpha Cole was spitting fire from his mouth.

Sofia couldn't believe her ears, her mere dream of studying into a noble college was turned into a disaster by this man's words. She was dragged out of her thoughts by Liam's voice.

"No! I was just letting her study there as it was her dream" Liam replied in an emotionless tone.

"So, your mission was to let her study but not let her work. Am I correct?" asked Alpha Cole staring at his son directly in the eye.

As all eyes were on him, his hesitant reply came sooner than expected,

"Y..yes"

Sofia turned towards him in astonishment. This is the same guy who promised her that no matter what happens he will support her dreams.

"I can't believe this. You are allowing your girl to take admission in Grand Imperial when you are going to study in Mystic High. Are you kidding me?" Alpha Cole scoffed at his son's stupidity.

Liam was puzzled, he couldn't understand the purpose of this discussion anymore.

"What is so bad about it?" He asked in a muddled tone.

"Do you want people to think that she is wiser, smarter and better than you. That she is doing a favor on you by marrying you? That you don't deserve her?" Alpha Cole's frosty voice dropped the temperature of the room and his choice of strong words, shocked Liam to the core.

"Where did this thinking come from, Dad?" Liam was beyond taken aback.

"Are you insane? I am letting you marry this girl not just because you like her. She is the daughter of my Beta and very capable and extremely beautiful indeed. But you know what people say behind your back?" He asked in an investigative tone and Liam shook his head.

It's called talking behind for a reason!

He took a few steps towards Liam and Sofia, and pointed towards her before saying in a proud tone.

"That she is a very lucky girl to be able to marry future Alpha of her pack. They envy her for being able to call 'You' her fiancé"

The proud smirk on Alpha Cole's face completely disappeared and flame of angers took over before he continued,

"But the moment she will enter that university, people's opinion will change. They will call 'you', my only son, 'lucky' for being able to marry a girl who was capable of taking admission in Grand Imperial all by herself" His tone was freezing cold but his eyes were pouring fire like a fuming dragon when he kept his hand on his own chest when he said 'my son' and continued,

"Already people call you lucky as she is having beauty and charm of a goddess. Do you want them to judge you for having a girl smarter than you on your side? Do you want her to have a better job? Do you want guys, Betas and even Alphas to bug around her? Do you want to be called incapable of having such a woman without having an Alpha attached to your name?"

Even though his tone was chilly and frosty from the start but since he started talking about his son being called with names, the hatred in his voice increased by ten folds and his aura became dark.

The Alpha clearly succeeded in manipulating his son as Liam looked down as he was going through an internal battle.

"Answer me son, do you want that kind of future?"