Sori really hated being the center of attention. When she was little, she hadn’t minded too much. Having people pay attention to her was always better than being ignored by her mother and father. As time went on, however, she started to hate the attention given to her. It was like everyone was waiting for her to mess up and prove that she wasn’t so special.

Walking into the cafeteria with Lee Jiwook gave her the attention she hated.

The council rep didn’t seem to mind, though. He was enjoying the attention, smiling and waving to the shifter parents that they passed. A part of her suspected that this was why he’d been late; to make sure everyone else was here to see him. 

Was this just Jiwook being his normal self? Or was this part of the council’s plan? Sori knew that all those shifter parents were going to go home and tell their friends about what they’d seen. The witch, fallen, fae, werewolf, vampire, dragon, and nymph parents probably would, too. Soon this little meeting would be the talk of the supernatural world.

Everyone would be creating theories about why the shifter council had send someone to talk to Shin Sori. Was she in trouble? Did the council want to make her a member? Or was it something else she’d been too scared to mention to anyone; were they planning to assign her a mate?

Yuri was the only one who knew about that fear thanks to her mind reading. Her other friends didn’t know about that suspicion. She knew Kris suspected, as did Chen and Kai thanks to their own dealing with councils, but everyone else was none the wiser.

“Now,” Jiwook said, taking a seat and waving for Sori to do the same, “on to business. Agent Jihu, please give us some room. This is a private conversation.”

“Yes,” Jihu nodded, frowning slightly, “we’ll be on the other side of the room. If you need us, please call.”

“I must admit,” Sori said once they were alone, “that I do not understand why the council wishes to speak with me.”

“Of course you don’t,” he laughed darkly, “no one knows. That’s the beauty of it.”

“Sir?” she blinked in confusion, “I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

“No one knows, so everyone is talking,” Jiwook replied, “everyone in our world will be coming up with theories about why I’ve come here today.”

“But why do you and the council want that?” she questioned, “What is the point of getting everyone talking?”

“Making you look important,” he explained, “I’m sure you know how the game is played, Shin Sori. The council needs powerful shifters to help maintain their control over all other shifters. You are a powerful shifter.”

“So you wish for me to join,” she nodded in understanding, “I had suspected that was it.”

“Oh, that isn’t all,” Jiwook gave another dark laughed, “We have a bigger plan for you, Shin Sori.”

“You wish to assign me a mate?” Sori frowned, knowing that her fears had just been confirmed, “You hope to have my strong genes carried over to the next generation, giving you more powerful shifters.”

“Smart girl,” Jiwook nodded, “we should have kept you instead of giving you to the ISBIP. When I think of all the time spent on the shifters that can’t hold a candle to you. I knew you’d be valuable someday, it’s just a shame no one listened.”

“I will have to think about this,” Sori told him, “you know that I can decide to abandon your offer, correct?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “but I don’t think you will.”

“And why not?” what exactly did he have on her that made him so confident.

“The council might not be able to control you,” Jiwook smirked bitterly, “but we do have power over others. Shifters you care about. Like your cousins, Jessica and Krystal, and Zhang Yixing. Not to mention Yixing’s family. We also have control over the rest of your family, but I don’t think you care much about what we can do to your uncle and aunt.”

“So I turn you down and you hurt them,” Sori’s frown turned into a snarl, “that’s dirty pool, even for the council.”

“I never said we would hurt them,” the old shifter laughed, “things would just get a lot harder for them. Yixing’s father might lose his job. Jessica might be ordered to become an ISBIP agent. Things like that.”

“It’s still a dirty way to play things,” Sori snapped.

“Oh, I don’t disagree,” he nodded, the humor leaving his eyes, “but that’s how the majority of the council wish to play.”

“And you aren’t the majority?”

“Not in this game,” he shook his head, “I much prefer the old ways. If a shifter defected and went against the council, they were cut out completely and left alone. No other shifters would have anything to do with them. All this manipulation isn’t my game. It’s not council man Youngjae’s game either, that’s why he’s retiring.”

“So everyone’s hands are tied on the matter,” Sori sighed, “your hands, my hands. Council man Youngjae was probably forced to leave so that a spot would be open for me.”

“You truly are a smart girl,” Jiwook nodded, “much smarter than you are credited.”

“I have friends who have helped me learn,” she explained, “friends that the council will force me to abandon.”

“You mean the dragon boy, right?” Jiwook nodded in Kris’ direction, “yes, you’ll be forced to leave him. And your fae friends, Yuri and Hyuna. The fae boy, Luhan. The Kim brothers. The only ones you’ll be able to talk to will be your cousins, Yixing, and that Wonsik boy if he decides to become part of our shifters only society. You might be allowed some phone calls to the Hyoyeon girl, but her past involvement with illegal gangs taints her too much.”

“How long can you give me to think this over?” she asked. How much time do I have before I become the council’s puppet?

“You have until the end of the year to take your position,” Jiwook told her, “but you have to give us your answer by the end of the month. The sooner the better.”

“That’s a lot of time,” she frowned, “considering that they probably know what I’m going to do already.”

“They know that,” he nodded, “but they have to make it look like this was hard for you. Everyone knows that the council abandoned you. If you jumped at the chance to join, it would look strange. People would wonder what changed, if we had something to hold over you.”

“I’ll give you my answer at the end of the month then,” Sori nodded.

“I look forewords to seeing you again, Shin Sori,” Jiwook then called out, waving his hand to get Jihu’s attention, “Mr. Jihu, we’re done talking. Show me the way out.”

“Yes,” Jihu nodded, making his way over with Kris, “right this way.”

“What did you talk about?” Kris asked after the werewolf and shifter had gone, “you look troubled.”

“I’m coming to realize just now how much control the council has over my life,” she frowned, “and I don’t like it.”

“What did he say to you, Sori?” Kris frowned, dropping down into the empty seat beside her.

“He confirmed my worst fears,” she replied, dropping her head into her hands as she fought the urge to scream, “everything I didn’t want to happen is going to happen.”

“They want you on the council,” Kris frowned, “and they want to assign you a mate, right?”

“Yes,” her frown grew as the discussion with Jiwook started to really sink in.

Her life was over. Her dream of teaching at Dark Lake was gone. Her friends – most of them anyway – were going to be taken away from her. She wouldn’t even be able to see most of them, much less talk to them. She wasn’t even going to be able to pick her own mate.

Truthfully, Sori had never given much thought to having a mate. With her history, she didn’t think anyone would want someone like her as their mate – as the one they would spend the rest of their life with. But just because she hadn’t given it much thought didn’t meant that she didn’t want a mate.

A mate meant someone who would always stand by her side, no matter what. It meant someone who would forever love her. now that chance was being taken away. there was no way the council was going to take her feelings into account when looking for a mate. They were just going to pair her up with the strongest male they could find, hoping that she and the guy would provide them with equally strong offspring.

“Kris,” Sori whispered, turning to face her friend, “I’m scared.”

“I know,” he pulled her into a hug, “I know.”

Soon, Sori felt two more pairs of arms wrapping around her. Without even looking, she knew it was Hyuna and Yuri. Without even looking, she knew they were just as worried as she was.

A/N: oh dear, poor Sori. She doesn’t have a choice in things now does she? Not unless she wants the people she cares about to get hurt. And you readers know as much as I do that she isn’t going to let that happen.