“Why do you say that? He knows he’ll have to leave it to work in the garden and to do his other chores.”
“On one level, Cain is aware of that, but if I’m not mistaken, he has retreated to the one coping mechanism that got him through his childhood.”
“Which is?”
“Becoming invisible to everyone around him by staying in the background as much as possible, and in his case that means staying in his room. He learned it was the best way of being forgotten in a house full of kids.”
Chuckling, Jackson said, “Zane did that. He spent hours in his room working on his computer, so much so, most of us forgot he was even there.”
“Fortunately for Zane, Hope did not.”
“No, our mother always made sure of that.”
“Unfortunately, Cain did not have a mother like yours.”
“No, he didn’t…but it’s different here…I want him here, so why do you think he’s retreated, especially after experiencing what he did in the foster homes?” asked Jackson.
“He feels safe in his room. If no one pays him any attention, then, by his thinking, no one will kick him out. And that is his biggest fear…that you will kick him out and he’ll be back living on the streets without his protector, Sarge.”
Shaking his head, Jackson asked, “Did you tell him I will not do that?”
Shrugging, Sofia nodded, “And I’m sure he’s heard that from other people, but…”
“Right…he’s learned to not believe anyone when they say it,” Jackson muttered.
“Cain needs to learn how to trust again…something that was stolen from him when his parents left him in that park.”
“I see,” nodded Jackson, “so what do you propose I do?”
“Instead of rules, I thought it would be better for me to be both his friend and teacher. By that, I mean I would stay with him all day, showing him how to do his chores, answering his questions, and if he panics, I would be there to offer him support immediately. This is something similar to what I did for David when he was a prisoner of the High Priestess. Then, as he grows more confident, that’s the time to give him the rules that will hopefully provide him with the stability prison gave him.
“I can also teach him about the paranormal world and it would be helpful for him to see me, a human, interact with you andsee how I’m treated. That would also help change his impression about your world.”
Leaning back in his chair, Jackson thought about Sofia’s suggestions and decided they made sense. Only time would tell if her appraisal of Cain was correct, but he was willing to give her the time to see if she could help the young man. And that would help him fulfill the mission the Fates and gods had given him and his pack. Cain was critical to their success, but after meeting him and listening to Sofia’s appraisal of him, Jackson had doubts. Not that he would ever tell Oracle he thought the Fates had made a mistake when they chose Cain, but in the deepest recesses of his mind, he questioned what the real purpose was behind their decision.
Sitting upright, Jackson smiled at Sofia. “Everything you’ve recommended is fine…but I think you should start with a tour of the pack house…get him out of his room.”
“I planned on doing that tonight…after everyone had gone to bed. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about meeting anyone. Also, I spoke to Dakota, and it’s all right with him if I continue to take Cain his meals for the time being.”
“Okay…but eventually he’ll have to eat with the pack,” Jackson said.
“Of course…that is the goal…to have him become a full member of the pack,” Sofia replied. “Anything else?”
“No…yeah,” Jackson said, grabbing the schedule again. “What does it mean ‘spend fifteen minutes every other day with the Alpha’? You mean me, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why? And what will he…and I…be doing during that time?” asked Jackson.
“Whatever you want,” Sofia replied, smiling. “You can’t expect Cain to trust you if he doesn’t know you. Right now, he sees you as the person with the power to toss him back into prison or out on his ear, and that has to change. I can tell him until I’m blue in the face that you won’t do it, but unless he believes it, Cain will never feel completely safe here. And you also have to learn to trust him if you are going to use the information he gives you to send pack members out into dangerous situations. Right now, neither of you trust each other. So, my thought was that spending some time together will allow both of you to learn about the other.”
Nodding, Jackson said, “That makes sense…I guess…but…I’ll have to figure out what to do during my time with Cain.”
“Tell him about your childhood…the trouble you and your brothers got in…and maybe about growing up as a wolf shifter. What I want for him to realize is that there isn’t that much difference between your world and the human one. It will help bridge the gap between the worlds and I’m hoping he’ll come to the conclusion that it’s the humans who want to hunt and capture paranormals that are the true enemies of all of us.”
Chuckling, Jackson said, “Sofia, you amaze me…I have met no one with as much knowledge of the human mind as you have. I hadn’t realized your grasp of psychology…Zane never mentioned it to me, but I wish he had.”
Shaking her head, Sofia said, “I didn’t formally study it, I’m more self-taught. After David’s kidnapping, it took me two years to find him, and during that time, the High Priestess had filled his head with lies and nothing I said could change his mindabout any of them…well, except the one that I was dead. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew I couldn’t abandon him and vowed to find a way to break through the wall my David had built in his mind to survive the terrible things done to him.