Back and Stronger: Alpha's Daughter
Chapter 80

Sophia felt sick to her stomach and her heart just thinking that Neil, Scott and Leo had most likely thought that she’d made a coward’s escape from the chaotic courtroom, instead of making a stand with them.

What must her brother have been thinking of his sister then? Sophia was supposed to have been the one that stayed behind to protect him.

But everything had happened so fast when it all went batshit crazy in court earlier, that she thought Benson could just help her get out of the way from all the bullets flying everywhere first, then she had wanted to see what she could do to help everyone else, but obviously, Benson had had other plans with her.

Sophia ran faster and faster, searching everywhere. It seemed as though the fighting had spread through the entire building, but still there was no sign of the men she was looking for. As fast as her four legs could carry her, she blazed like a missile down the halls. Despite her injuries from the fight with Cain, she didn’t allow any of them to slow her down.

That talon gripping around her heart was squeezing harder and harder the longer it took to search every hallway and listen into every room for any sign of them. Even though the sounds of fighting, shooting and the tearing of flesh seemed to have subsided, it still worried her that she hadn’t found the others yet.

Please let them all be okay. Please let them all be okay. Please let them all be okay…

Strangely, Sophia felt that the chunk Cain had taken out of her side, the bite to her hind leg and neck were not as painful and slowing her down as much anymore. Maybe adrenaline had finally decided to chip in, she surmised, and found that she could run even easier and faster than before.

She exited through a back door, or what she assumed was one, and ended up outside the courthouse again. Everything was eerily quiet now at this point, Sophia couldn’t help but notice. In fact, the silence was so deafening, that she could hear her own ears ringing inside her head, which was almost more foreboding than the chaos earlier.

Deciding to do another sweep of the building, to ascertain she hadn’t missed her friends somewhere, she turned the corner in order to make her way back to the front of the courtroom again.

But Sophia’s heart sank like an anchor to the horror-filled pit of her belly when she saw bodies strewn all over the place there. A lot more than there had been just a while ago when she first got back. There were even those still in their wolf forms, lying in between the lifeless soldiers, prison guards, and even some of the council and citizens as well. She heard herself whine at the petrifying sight.

Other than the few noises of voices and other sounds that almost sounded like furniture was being moved inside the building, it was eerily quiet outside. She hadn’t heard any gunshots in a while, but this scene was horribly fresh.

If she had to imagine what a real battlefield looked like, this would be it. Sophia felt like she was going to be sick, not wanting to look at the bodies staring at her with empty eyes, but she needed to see if anyone she knew was lying there, trying not to think about the ones she hoped she wouldn’t replace.

When she did replace familiar eyes looking back at her, Sophia felt her chest clench painfully at the sight of Ailis Carrick. It looked like she had been shot three times, and had cuts on her arms and face. It looked like she’d put up a hell of a fight.

Goddess, please take her bravery and her righteous heart into account, she was Your biggest fan after all – and let her know I say thank you – for everything…

May your soul be worthy to Ascend, Sophia prayed the customary words of farewell to a fellow shifter.

Although it was something that was usually just said when one lost a friend, same as the humans traditionally just said, ‘may you rest in peace,’ Sophia truly meant it and felt the conviction of her wish as she bowed her head over Ailis’s body in respect.

When she turned to continue her reluctant search of the faces there, all barren of life, she was slowly making her way to the entrance to the courtroom, from where she could still hear noises inside. Noises that were much different than before. Noises that might have meant that the fighting had stopped, and one side seemed to have won. At the same time, she was trying to gauge the body count, as well as identify the voices so that she could start putting together which side that was.

As much as she wanted to burst through those doors, she hardly thought it wise if the enemy were still inside. For all she knew, her father was in there, and if he had Neil, Scott or Leo tied up somewhere, she needed to be smart about how she was going to get them out. She needed to put her brash wolf tendencies aside and be calm and stealthy about it.

So instead, after having done her quick horrible scan of the remaining bodies outside, she approached quietly and listened through the small gap between the two doors.

“Please, Jack,” Sophia heard a very familiar voice saying placatingly. “We will come with you willingly, if you will let everyone else go. No one else needs to get hurt today.”

She felt herself letting out a breath of relief she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, but she also realized that something was very wrong by the way Neil had spoken to someone inside. It was as though he was being held at gunpoint and was trying to reason with the potential shooter.

This filled Sophia’s wolf body with fierce carnal instincts to protect and eliminate what was clearly a threat to Neil – and Scott, and Leo, and Connor. Even Rudolph Miller was there, and a bunch of other males and females, she saw as she quietly pushed the door open with her nose, thanking whoever had remembered to oil its hinges as she entered the courtroom like a phantom.

It went against every fiber of her being, as Sophia wanted to do nothing else than break those doors down to get to the shifter that was threatening her family. Which was what Neil and Scott had become – even Connor.

No one seemed to have noticed her entering, as she was partly blocked by a long bench, but she was able to take in the scene a bit clearer now. There was indeed a man in a military uniform with his back to Sophia, pointing an assault rifle directly at Neil’s head a few meters away from him, while he was busy bandaging up Connor’s leg that had most likely been injured in this bloody fight.

Only for a split second, she made her eyes flick over to all the many people in the courtroom. Most of them seemed to be in desperate need of medical help. Some were even lying down on tables, moaning in pain as they held onto their bleeding wounds.

This guy was busy holding up much-needed help from these people, but most of all–most of fucking all–he was pointing a gun at Neil’s head. Sophia had to hold back the most vicious growl reverberating through her body, as she crouched closer and closer to this asshole. She even felt her mouth starting to salivate in anticipation.

“You are not in the position to make demands anymore, Captain!” this Jack soon-to-be-dead guy spewed out at Neil. “My orders are to get you and Leo Tibald to Thorin. He has many supporters helping him reestablish order and his authority again, so this little stunt you pulled was all for nothing. He’s even got his daughter back already.”

“Are you sure?” Neil asked suspiciously with a hidden smile only she could feel.

Sophia knew then that Neil had seen her stalking toward the male, and clearly thought better than to look at her directly so as not to give her away. But she did feel Leo’s astonished gaze and heard his muffled gasp, as he held his hand in front of his mouth. Almost realizing too late not to give his sister’s presence away either.

She didn’t risk a look at the rest in the room again, who had all noticed her there too, as she could feel the tension in the room had markedly heightened suddenly, which Jack probably interpreted as everyone being afraid of him. But little did he know that something much, much scarier than his threats and his little gun was behind him at that moment.

Sophia’s hungry eyes and deadly intent was solely fixed on him as she stealthily crouched closer. Her world only had him and her overwhelming need to rip his throat out in it.

“I just received the call that she was back in our hands a while ago, of course I’m sure,” Jack said, clearly not aware of his impending and violent end approaching him from behind. “What were you thinking, Neil? Harboring a fucking Lycan? You know how dangerous they can be, and what kind of a threat they pose to the whole werewolf race!”

Neil chuckled, despite the accusation. “First of all, Jack, that threat we were told they pose, were all just lies made up by Thorin because he can’t stand being a species out there more powerful than him. And secondly,” he said now with markedly more anticipation, which spoke to the contraction of her muscles, igniting their preparation to lunge. “We didn’t just harbor her – we trained her as well…”

That was her cue. Sophia attacked. It all happened in one frighteningly quick moment. Right before she had lunged, Jack’s spine stiffened as though his instincts told him he was about to be jumped by a monster – or it might have been the dreadful growl she’d given just then. Either way, it was too late for him, because even before he could fully turn the end of his rifle toward her in defense, she was on top of him already, knocking him off balance. As he was still falling to the floor, she already had his thick muscled neck fully inside her mouth.

She bit down without thinking twice about it, and he was dead even before they finally hit the ground together with a crash. With blood dripping down her canines, and staining her whole mouth, Sophia looked up at Neil who looked both relieved and terrified to see her.

That’s when she realized what she had just done. What it must have looked like. Looking over at Leo she saw the same expression of wide-eyed fear as he stared at her in disbelief.

Sophia’s adrenaline and bloodlust quickly gave way to shame and absolute mortification as she now looked down at Jack’s blood still pouring from his neck like a fountain, his expression of horror speaking volumes of what he’d seen before he died. A monster.

“Sophia?” Neil was in front of her now, looking her straight in the eyes, on his knees, and holding her face in his hands with earnestness. “Don’t ever feel ashamed for protecting those you love. You did what was necessary to save us all.”

He must have felt the emotions wracking her at that moment, threatening to knock her to the ground, as even his own face seemed to be contorted with those same emotions. The walls were down again. He stroked her face gently there, his fingers coming up to massage her ears. He knew that would relax her.

“Come on, let’s get you to the good ol’ judge’s chambers where you can have some privacy to shift, and maybe there’s something for you to wear in there too,” Neil said with his best lighthearted smile after a few moments, after he could feel that she’d gathered her thoughts a bit better. He stood and indicated for her to follow him. “There is bound to be a court robe hanging somewhere at the very least that you can wear until we can get new clothes for you.”

As he walked to take her to the judge’s private room, and she followed, Neil said to the others still looking at her with a mixture of astonishment and admiration, as though they were looking at some exotic and rare creature. Well, Sophia supposed that she was an exotic and rare creature now – but she also saw how they were looking at Neil for direction.

As though he felt them waiting for that guidance, he said in a strong and clear voice, “Scott, you take point, get everyone treated and organized. Rudolph, get the Moon Walkers rounded up, I want to speak with them in a minute.”

Despite her still feeling despondent, and not wanting to look at Leo, to see if he still had that fear in his eyes, she felt a tinge of heat in response to the unmistakable authority in Neil’s voice.

Was she seriously just turned on by the way he commanded the room of shifters? When she gazed at Neil’s proud back in wonderment as he walked, she realized that he was back into his role of authority. All these shifters here saw him as their captain again. She could tell by the unquestioning respect coming from each of them.

And yeah, that was hot as hell, and turned her on bigtime…

Sophia, not exactly the right time, she reprimanded herself, but it was too late. She’d seen how Neil’s back shot up even straighter when he must have picked up on it, but thankfully he kept walking like he hadn’t noticed at all.

She could blame it on these damned overpowering wolf instincts, but if truth be told, that was all Sophia as well. But still, she pushed them down and hoped they would never jump out at inappropriate times again.