Back and Stronger: Alpha's Daughter
Chapter 84

“It’s beautiful,” Sophia breathed in awe as she lightly traced the delicate golden lines there, of his new tattoo of sorts, underneath Neil’s collarbone with the tip of her finger.

Occasionally, she even let her attention and tracing wander to that other older tattoo she hadn’t even asked him about yet. It was just underneath and a bit to the side of where she was tracing the golden lines, so it was easy to move over to it when her curiosity would switch back and forth, still looking like a spinning sun to her. But quickly the new and shinier golden sun would call her attention back to it again, and she would be too happy to oblige.

Neil was sporting her mate mark, and it truly was beautiful. It did strange things to her heart. Her stomach. Her loins. Especially now that it was on the skin of the man she’d always dreamed of seeing it on. She still couldn’t believe that it had actually happened.

Them being second-chance mates. It was a phenomenon only heard of in fairytales, yet it was happening to them. Sophia and Neil had gotten the sort of blessing from the Goddess that should not be questioned. That they were too afraid to question. So they just sat there in electric silence, seeing, not quite understanding, but marveling.

As she was studying and tracing his mark, Neil was doing the same with hers. He was still looking at hers as though he couldn’t bring himself to accept what he was seeing. He even kept rubbing his thumb over it enough to give the impression that he wanted to make sure it wasn’t a trick, while also not pressing against it too hard as though he was afraid he would wipe it off if he did.

Never did Sophia in her wildest dreams, and she’d had many of those, had she expected or could have foreseen this. Never did she think she and Neil would be sitting on an old brown leather comfortable-as-hell couch across from each other, in front of a crackling fireplace, inside an underground facility, inspecting one another’s marks. The marks that betokened them as mates.

The flickering firelight dancing in a soft warm hue across his olive skin made the mark appear even more magnificent, making it impossible for Sophia to tear her eyes away from it. But she also knew–she knew very well–that she was using the beauty of the symbol there as an excuse to not look into his bright bronze eyes too deeply then.

Mostly and firstly, because she was nervous as hell, and secondly, she knew what it would lead to the moment their gazes would meet, if the crackling heat underneath her fingertips were any indication of it. He seemed to be thinking the same, trying to prevent things from going too fast and too rough again.

So both ignored, or tried to, that what was fervently raging like ire in their blood, their thoughts, their urges, their instincts, their restraints. The longer they did, the more furious it became. Still, neither dared to give into it.

In fact, Neil was staring at his mate mark on her as though it was the only thing keeping him sane. And at the back of her mind, Sophia wished she could too see her silver crescent moon there, the counterpart to his golden sun, but she couldn’t. Same as he couldn’t see him. Just another irony ensured by the Goddess, but this counted for everyone so she wasn’t going to be pissy about it this time.

Neil’s thumb stroking her there while his calloused hand rested atop her shoulder had become the mechanism that both lulled and excited her at the same time. Which was why it had become harder and harder for her to not jump him. Jump him like she’d done in the car only a few nights ago.

Remembering how horribly wrong it had gone that night, was the only thing keeping her from doing it again. Sophia felt her stomach give an anxious roll at the memory as well.

Neil’s eyes shifted to the motion of her throat bobbing as she swallowed more loudly than she’d intended to. She could feel his eyes darkening there as though he wanted to start kissing and sucking there, yesterday already, and that just made her gulp again. He smiled slightly at her obvious nervousness, but she could feel that he didn’t want to meet her gaze either, also seeming to be thinking of the same night and what happened when they’d let go and had their towering lust unleashed on one another.

So instead, both stubbornly held back, ignoring the undeniable ardent fire coursing through their bodies, quickening their heartbeats, and heating the breath from Neil tickling her mark. It sent the most delicious sensations down her spine, but she held back from acting on that compelling flame drawing her to him, and vice versa.

“Question for a question?” Sophia suggested, surprising herself that she could still speak, much less thought she could even get a coherent word out by the way her throat felt dry, hot, and blocked all at the same time.

His eyes then flashed to hers but softened instantly in relief the moment he realized that she was offering them a distraction. A temporary one, but a merciful diversion from their darkening thoughts nonetheless.

“I’m game,” he said, his smile growing into a grin. “You go first.”

“Well, I was wondering,” Sophia began, replaceing that she was able to look into his eyes again, though only briefly before she let them fall thoughtfully at the licking flames in the fireplace. “If you were a soldier that defected and had to go into hiding, why did you risk working at the very school you were the most likely to get recognized or caught at? Especially since you and Scott so haughtily informed me that you had more than enough money to not worry about work. Why risk it all for lowly high school security guard jobs?”

His eyes glimmered with humor from when she said ‘haughtily’ and were still amusedly studying her. “Didn’t think you would have thought about that part,” Neil laughed breathily. “But I should have known your sharp mind would land on it somehow.”

He too then shifted his gaze to the fire there next to them, as though he was thoughtful and about to tell a story.

“We had to wait for things to settle after deserting before I could start planning your rescue, but ever since that day I arrived at Thorin’s house and heard you screaming the way you did,” anger flashed in his eyes and she could see his jaw clenched tensely at the memory, “I knew and vowed to myself that I would get you out of there, if it was the last thing I did. I’m just sorry it took so long, and will forever blame myself for not getting you out of there in time before–”

“You couldn’t have known,” Sophia said, biting down tears threatening to rise – not only for what she’d been through, but what he’d put himself through. “What matters is that you took that dangerous risk, to you and Scott, that you cared enough to, and that you showed up and saved me from a terrible life … If you hadn’t, I don’t know what would have happened.”

They were both thoughtfully staring at the fire now, while all Sophia wanted was to have his reassuring arms wrapped around her.

“It was hell seeing you not only suffering at the hands of the shifter students at the school, but seeing you with fresh scars and bruises each day was physically painful to see,” he growled at the fire. “You don’t know how close I was to going straight to your father and ripping his fucking throat out every day. Matthew on the other hand, I had more colorful plans for…”

“And that day after I had my first shift?” Sophia said quickly, trying to get that dark look out of his eyes, afraid he would spontaneously combust or something if she didn’t. “It was like you knew, but why did you look so disgusted?”

“It wasn’t disgust directed at you,” Neil said, tearing his gaze away from the fire, capturing hers while his hand came up to capture her chin. “That could just never happen. No, I realized then that our suspicions were confirmed – you were a Lycan with healing abilities, and was the reason why your father was taking his hatred out on you… We knew it would only get worse once he discovered that as well.”

Despite the seriousness of what he was saying, Sophia couldn’t entirely bring herself to care about it anymore. All of that was behind her now, and the only thing that mattered was Neil, sitting there in front of her, staring into her eyes and cupping her face in his strong hand.

Even his freaking hair was making her hands twitch. Sophia was dying to touch those sleek dark-brown locks with almost golden-bronze shades there in a few places, illuminated by the fire. They were hanging loose just a little over his shoulders, wavy and still a bit damp from his shower, and Sophia had to fight back the urge to run her fingers through them.

He decided then to end her suffering and pulled out a hair tie from his pocket and started collecting his hair up into that messy bun behind his head like he usually did. He gave her a knowing smile when she let out a soft sigh.

“I found out where your mother was from,” Neil said unexpectedly, spilling a bucket of ice over her, feeling the heat within her subside to shock. “I know where her pack is. We could go to them one day, if you’d like?”

Sophia felt her eyes well up, and as a warm tear spilled, he caught it on her cheek with his thumb.

“I take that as a yes,” he chuckled softly to himself. “That was my question. Your turn.”

Giving something between a laugh and a sob, she found her eye involuntarily going to his chest. His gloriously naked chest.

“This tattoo,” Sophia began, tracing the outlines of the spinning sun there. “What does it mean?”

She could feel his smile disappearing a little. “It’s the symbol of a hurricane. Of the highest scale. My nickname, or codename rather, that I had in the military to commemorate the destruction I’m capable of.”

The moment he’d said it, it being a symbol of a hurricane, a few things ticked into place and made more sense, but before he could brood darkly over it again, Sophia found her eyes pinning his with determination despite herself. Her hesitation to look too deeply there all but history.

“We’ve been through this already,” she said almost angrily, hoping he would finally get it through that thick skull of his this time. “You did what you thought was right at the time, then you found out it wasn’t, and then you made it right.”

Neil didn’t seem to believe her.

“And what if you are destructive and dangerous?” Sophia pressed, and found eyes shooting to hers in astonishment, not quite believing what she just said. “Isn’t that what the sun is too? And isn’t it exactly that kind of power that enables the sun to provide warmth, safety, and life?” He just stared at Sophia with an odd expression she couldn’t place, so she went on. “You are like my very own personal sun, Neil… And to countless others… And that’s the end of it.”

“You are my moon, and I am your sun,” he said after a while, more to himself than to her.

Though the way he’d said it made her spine tingle in delight, she begged, Please, Goddess, don’t take that literally... The last thing Sophia needed right now was for that legend to become their story too.

“My turn,” he said hoarsely, bringing his face closer to hers, and she felt her knees weaken in response. “Did you see me coming?”

When it took Sophia too long to figure out what he’d meant by that question, looking at him dumbfoundedly, he just smiled again and moved to explain, still leaning closer to her.

“A thing I discovered about the Lycans is that each one had special abilities. Telekinesis, manipulation of the elements, super healing, and only the most powerful were blessed with the capability to see the future. I soon realized that your nightmares weren’t just that, but premonitions…”

Again she couldn’t speak, and he just smiled. “Your mother was one of these particularly powerful Lycans, and you inherited that same power.” Lifting his hand to graze his fingers along her cheekbone, her jawline, and then trailing a blazing path down her neck and her collarbone. She shivered from the heat there. “I ask again – Did you see me coming?”

“I dreamed of being with you long before I met you,” Sophia admitted, mesmerized by the sensuous curve of his full lips, drawing nearer and nearer.

“Well then, baby,” he said, their hot breath mingling in between the ever-closing gap, making her toes curl in on themselves in anticipation. “Let’s see if we can make them come true, shall we?”