That’s when he figured the only way he’d survive in a paranormal prison was to forget the lessons Sarge had taught him about being kind to his fellow man and, instead, adopted the mindset of a shifter. With that as his new goal, he spent hours locked in his cell, building up his muscles and honing a new attitude—one filled with anger and distrust. But then the rug had been pulled out from under him when Oracle offered him an alternative to spending the rest of his life—however long it might be—in a paranormal prison.
Accepting her offer was easy once she told him what his future would be like if he refused it, but never in his wildest dreams had he pictured ending up in a place like this bedroom. It was huge, and when he added in the adjoining sitting room and bathroom, Cain had to pinch himself just to make sure it was real. Jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on his door, he rose and walked over to it. “Sofia?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Cain pulled open the door and smiled at his friend. “Come in…I didn’t think you’d be up this early.”
“When my David was a prisoner of the High Priestess, that was the only time I could see him before I had to go to work,” Sofia said, pushing a cart on which sat several covered dishes. “And I guess the habit stuck.” Rolling the food into the sitting room, she said, “I hope you’re hungry.”
Sniffing the air, Cain grinned. “Smells good. Will you eat with me?”
“That’s the plan,” Sofia replied, uncovering the plates of food. “I wasn’t sure what you like for breakfast, so Dakota made us eggs and bacon. If you want something else, he said to let him know.”
Staring at the heaping plates of food, Cain slowly shook his head. “Sarge always said I should be thankful for whatever the Good Lord saw fit to give me.”
Smiling, Sofia said, “My sentiments exactly.” Then, sitting down at a small table in front of the window, she gestured at the chair opposite hers. “Sit down, Cain.”
Cain was only too happy to follow Sofia’s order. After he was seated, he offered a quick thanks to whoever was watching over him before digging into the fluffy, scrambled eggs. The only sounds in the room were the clinking of silverware against the plates, but it didn’t matter to him. He was used to eating in silence since prison rules prohibited speaking during meals. When the last bite of bacon was gone, along with the eggs, Cain sat back in his chair, rubbing his full belly. “That was the best breakfast I can ever remember eating.”
Setting her fork down, Sofia pushed her plate back a bit before saying, “Dakota is a fabulous chef…wait until you have one of his steaks. The way he makes them…they are simply amazing.”
Cain had never eaten a steak, but from the dreamy look on his friend’s face, he figured it was a good thing. “If it’s as good as his eggs…”
“Oh my,” Sofia said, “it’s really good. My David never had one before he met Zane but after eating one of Dakota’s, he loves them.” She paused for a moment, before asking, “Why don’t we move over to the sofa to talk…is that okay?”
Nervously, Cain walked over to the lone chair near the sofa and sat down, facing Sofia. He had learned early on that nothing good ever happened when someone said, ‘let’s talk.’ He was sure Jackson had decided to send him back to prison and that had him tucking his trembling hands under his legs in an attempt to hide them from Sofia. Aside from losing his freedom, there’d be the pain of losing the first friend he’d made since Sarge died—only the second he’d ever had. But that was the story of his life.
Cain guessed the Alpha felt he wasn’t good enough to keep him—something he’d learned about himself early in life. And just because he wanted it to be different, Sarge had disavowed him from that notion. Even now, he could hear Sarge’s gruff voice saying, “A person got to accept the cards life deals them, son…and wishing for things to be different is just foolish thinking.”
He'd given up wishful thinking a long time ago, but unfortunately, he’d forgotten that hard lesson when Oracle appeared before him. Cain mentally kicked himself for hoping this time would be different. But he should have known when he walked into his bedroom at the Blackwood Pack house that it was a trick. Someone like him didn’t deserve to be here.
“Cain? Are you okay?” Sofia asked, after seeing how rigid he’d become.
Shifting his gaze from the floor to her, he murmured, “Yeah…the clothes you gave me are in the closet. I only wore the jeans and t-shirt, but if you tell me how much they cost, I’ll try to pay you back.”
Perplexed, Sofia said, “You don’t owe me anything…I gave them to you…remember?”
“I won’t need them in prison, so maybe your son can use them.”
“Why are you going to be in prison?” asked Sofia, frowning.
Shrugging, Cain lowered his eyes. He didn’t want her to see how much it was hurting him. “Because Jackson changed his mind about me. That’s what you want to tell me, right?”
Sofia shook her head vigorously. “No! Not at all! Jackson told me you can stay as long as you want to!”
Stunned, Cain was speechless as her words sank in. When he regained his ability to talk, he asked, “Really? I can stay?”
Smiling, Sofia nodded. “I asked him yesterday, and that’s what he said.”
Cain shivered at the foreign feeling in his chest, and it took him a minute to recognize it as hope—the same way he felt when he first met Sarge. It was almost unbelievable, but after searching Sofia’s face, he realized she was telling him the truth. Exhaling the pent-up air in his lungs, he murmured softly, “Thank you.”
Smiling at Cain, Sofia replied, “You’re welcome, but you should know I had nothing to do with Jackson’s decision. It was all his, so you should thank him.”
“I will…I promise,” Cain said, meaning it sincerely.
“Good…now that’s settled, let’s move on,” Sofia said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I also asked Jackson to have Zane teach you about computers.” Holding up her hand to stop any protest Cain might make, she continued, “The most important thing I learned when my son was a captive was how much schooling he’d missed. Luckily, the Fates gave him Zane, who’s a genius when it comes to anything to do with computers. It opened up a whole new world for my David and I saw how much more confident he became.
“Both humans and paranormals use computers for almost everything these days, and if someone doesn’t have that knowledge, they are at a tremendous disadvantage in many ways. This is also about giving you a choice, something that was taken from my son when he was a child,and that only changed when Zane rescued him.