Back and Stronger: Alpha's Daughter
Chapter 49

While Scott’s call came at an awful time, as far as Sophia was concerned, she was also relieved that he was okay. They both lived. That was all she could hold onto in that moment. She had been so afraid, so damn afraid that she would have to face a future without them in it. It had kept her up the night before; worrying about both of them. And trying to imagine what that life would be like. Wondering if she would have the strength to face it. After she had felt certain that Neil was going to make it, she had said many prayers to the goddess for Scott.

With some urgency, though not much because Neil was moving slowly, they gathered what they needed to go pick up Scott. She could tell that he was healing. That the beast in him was slowly knitting together his muscles, tendons, and ligaments. That the bones that had been broken and splintered were being fused back together. His heart was pumping the blood through his body and oxygen was reaching his organs, making them strong enough to heal from internal damages. She knew what that felt like and though it was a relief to know it was happening, it also didn’t occur without some pain. Trying to make things easier for him, she helped him put on his shoes. She could tell that he was embarrassed so she didn’t try to have a conversation. She just did it as quickly and quietly as she could. A man of his caliber, he wouldn’t like to need help. When that was accomplished, she grabbed the keys and a jacket, ready to leave.

While she waited for Neil to come out of the bathroom, it wasn’t a surprise that she had gotten lost in her own thoughts. Sophia spent more time lost in thought than any one person should, but it was so ingrained in her from the past that it had become part of who she was. She had used it as a means to escape what was going on currently. Sophia had also used it as a way to process her emotions and thoughts, without putting them out for judgment and ridicule. These days, though, she just escaped into her own mind, lost in thoughts and fantasy worlds.

“Sophia,” Neil said.

“Hmm?” she asked absently.

Neil walked over to her and cupped the side of her face in his hand.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking. Are you okay?”

“I know. I know that look. Yeah, I’m okay, just sore, but I have to ask you something important.”

“And that is?” She asked, raising her right eyebrow. Her heart thudded a bit, unsure what kind of question he was going to ask.

“How do you feel about carrying a weapon?” He paused briefly and leaned against the wall, still weak from last night and the healing process.

“It’s just where we are going, and the condition I am in, I’d feel better if you had a way to protect yourself.”

His brow furrowed, upset that he had insinuated that he wouldn’t be able to protect her if she needed it. He would, he’d fight to his death if she was in danger, and Sophia mostly knew it. But, they both knew that this would be for the best.

Neil held out a Glock -22.

“Do you know how to use this?” he asked.

Sophia smiled at him and held her finger up signifying he should wait a second. She ran into the bedroom and lifted the mattress. She pulled the pistol out and dropped the mattress. When she turned for the doorway, Neil was standing there leaning against the frame. When he saw what was in her hand, he smiled.

“I see you’ve got that covered.”

He gave a little chuckle, then shook his head and went to the entryway.

“Are you comfortable using it?” he asked.

“I’ve never used one before, but I looked it up on the internet. And I practiced. I practiced everything except pulling the trigger on someone.”

“Okay then. If you have to use it, and hopefully you won’t, just aim for the chest. It’s the largest part of the body so you should hit something, enough to slow them down, then get your ass to safety. No matter what, get to safety, and I’ll replace you. Okay?”

“Got it.” She saluted, trying to be cute and was surprised when the dark look passed over his face.

“Did you get the silver bullets out of my trunk?”

She blushed, because she had gotten into his trunk and took them. Obviously it was locked down like Fort Knox for a reason, but she felt better knowing she could protect herself against shifters while she was in the apartment like a sitting duck.”

“I did. I’m sorry.”

“No, Sophia, I’m glad. I’m glad that you did what you thought was necessary to protect yourself. We gotta go.”

When they got outside, Sophia helped him in the car, but the entire time, his calling ‘baby’ had popped to the forefront of her mind. Almost kiss or not, she wasn’t expecting that. The way he smiled at her too, it had made the butterflies in her stomach flurry. She wasn’t expecting his gentle touch either. Things were shifting and she didn’t know what they were shifting to. She felt like hundreds of bees were swarming in her stomach along with the butterflies. This really isn’t the time for this, she thought. She tried to focus. Though Neil was okay, and for that she was extremely grateful, he wasn’t one hundred percent, and there was the possibility of sustaining additional injuries. She knew his physical limitations while his body healed would annoy him, so she tried to make it seem like she wasn’t helping nearly as much as she was. She leaned across his body to grab the seat belt. Her breast pressed against him, and he drew a sharp breath. The wheezing sound made her pause and look at him. His eyes were narrowed, dark and hungry. He reached his left hand up and caught her wrist in his grip.

“I got this.”

She slowly backed out of the passenger door, never taking her eyes off him. He held his breath while he snapped the seatbelt in place.

When he was settled, she closed the door then circled around to the drivers’ seat. She fastened the seat belt and started the ignition. She put the car in gear, still immensely proud of herself.

“Okay, where to?”

“This feels weird,” Neil said.

“What?”

“After keeping you hidden for so long, it feels weird that here we are in broad daylight, and you’re driving.”

She looked at him and gave him a saucy smile. For some reason, considering all his words earlier, she felt a confidence she only ever read about in classic novels. She was no longer the victim. She was a heroine. And that felt good. Damn good. She had no concerns at all that she would be recognized in passing. Leo probably wouldn’t even recognize her. Her face had rounded, and she was a healthy weight. The biggest difference though, besides the hair and clothes, was that she was no longer riddled with bruises. She no longer displayed a constant reminder of the tortures of the night before. That felt amazing.

“Yeah, it does.” She slipped the car into reverse and slowly backed out. She used the rear-view mirror rather than the rear cam display that showed the view behind her in the center console. Neil chuckled under his breath.

“What?”

“You’re cute, you know that?”

She blushed under his compliment and smiled shyly.

“Where we headed?”

“Head Northeast out of town.”

Silence filled the car, allowing her to concentrate on driving. She was doing very well. Until he reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. She jerked in surprise and the car moved left and bumped the curb. He winced but didn’t move his hand.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” Sophia said as she righted the vehicle.

“It’s okay, baby. You’re doing great, especially for someone who doesn’t have a license.”

There it was again. Baby. She couldn’t hold back a grin.

At the stop light right before leaving town, in the turning lane next to her, was her father’s best friend. Sophia sucked in a breath and her leg started shaking. She stared straight ahead at the road in front of her, afraid that if he made any kind of eye contact with her, he’d know who she was. She had been feeling so confident that the fear was unexpected and she struggled to process it.

Neil eyed the man outside the passenger window, then looked at Sophia. He wasn’t worried about the man, he figured he could take him if he had to, but he was worried about Sophia’s reaction. Without knowing what would happen picking up Scott, without knowing the level of danger, he needed her head in the game and not shaken with fear. Sophia knew all of this, without him telling her, yet she struggled to hold onto the confidence she felt only moments before.

“It’s okay. Just breathe and drive normally. He’s not even looking over here, but if you drive erratically, he will. Just breathe. You have nothing to be afraid of when I’m with you. Even if I am healing and weaker than normal, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Sophia nodded her head and sucked air into her lungs. She did know that, and she had every belief that the only way she would have to defend herself was not only if Neil were unable to protect her, but also Scott and Connor. When the light turned, she pressed the gas and pulled through the intersection as her father’s friend made his turn. Able to breathe again, her shoulders relaxed and her grip on the steering wheel loosened. Neil gave her leg a squeeze.

“I’m proud of you.”

“Huh?” she asked.

“I’m proud of you. You didn’t panic, you maintained control and you conquered the moment.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t know what else to say. This new Neil was throwing her for a loop and while she was extremely happy with the turn of events, she just couldn’t figure out what it was that did it. Whatever it was, she wanted to remember. Just in case he pulled back and withdrew into himself again.

They reached the outskirts of town and into the area where the shanties were. This was no man’s land. It was a hodgepodge of shifters who belonged to no pack. Some had been ousted, some have been disgraced into hiding, and others chose to live independently for whatever reason. None of them were wanted though, because if they were, they would have been given aid and lived within the limits of the territory proper. One thing was certain though, like Sophia had done, they lived without the basic comforts. Ratty tent upon ratty tent lined both sides and the cohabitants were dirty. Fires were in a rusted out garbage can and people and some of them were cooking. Through the car windows, she could smell that they were near human waste. She wrinkled her nose. Following Neil’s directions, they pulled off on a side trail and Sophia had been happy to get away from the odor. To get away from the sights. They pulled up to a huge tunnel. Neil cracked the window and howled. It wasn’t a regular howl, there was a cadence to the reverberation, and Sophia knew it was a sign or code.

Within seconds, Scott came out of the tunnel. His face was bloody, and he held his arm at an odd angle. Sophia could see that it was broken, maybe in more than one place. His clothes were torn, and blood spattered, but he was in much better condition than Neil had been in. Scott gestured behind him, and Connor came out. He looked worse than Scott. He had a tear on his throat that he had tied with a strip of cloth. It was blood stained and dirty. That only meant one thing, he had been attacked by someone in wolf form. His clothes were torn as if humongous claws had gripped the top then tore straight down so it hung in tattered strips. He limped, so he likely had damage to his leg. He turned around and looked at the tunnel and Sophia and Neil saw the angry slashes down his back. She sucked her breath in and her heart went out to him in sympathy. That had to hurt. He turned back toward the car and he and Scott helped each other to the door.

They got in, with many moans of pain. Sophia winced because she knew how hard it was to do the most basic things when every part of you felt pain. When they were settled, Neil turned sideways so he leaned against the door. His eyes looked over both Scott then Connor. Then back to the tunnel. He opened his mouth to speak but never got a word out.

“Go, Sophia. Just go, get us out of here.” Scott said.

Sophia put it in drive and pulled out. She glanced in her rear-view mirror every few seconds, just to make sure they were okay. The car bumped along the hole ridden dirt path and back out past the shanties. The silence was unnerving. When they reached the road, Sophia accelerated to a regular speed, careful to follow all traffic signals so she wouldn’t draw attention to them. She was getting antsy, and she could see that Neil was struggling with it as well. As she guided the car onto the road their apartment was on, Neil squeezed her leg one more time, then pulled it away. Finally, Neil cleared his throat and asked what they were both wondering.

“Vicky?”

Connor tipped his head back and bridged his nose with his fingers, pressing into his eyes as if to stem the flow of tears.

She saw in the mirror; Scott couldn’t stop him.

“She didn’t make it.

“What--” Neil began.

“Inside, okay brother. We can talk about it inside.” Scott’s voice hitched on the last word.

Sophia’s heart thudded in her chest, and she fought back a moment of panic. She would not be weak. She would not. Whatever happens, she will listen, and she will be there for them.