Back and Stronger: Alpha's Daughter
Chapter 37

Neil nipped at her side to slow her down. He had kept pace with her all night long as they ran through the woods and howled at the moon, singing their song of praise. When she stopped, he jerked his head to the moon. It had started to go down and would soon be out of sight, passing the sun as he rose to light the world. Sophia skidded to a stop and turned to head back to their campsite. She should be worried if they would make it in time, but she knew Neil would have made sure that they would. That they were safe. She ran free. Twigs cracked beneath her massive paws, star light twinkled off of her sleek fur and her eyes sparkled. Free, she thought. She was free. The wind from her speed flowed through her fur, ruffling it along her back. This...this was what true freedom felt like. He had only interfered one other time during the night, when she scented full humans. She had started to track their scent and Neil had jumped in her path then pounced on her and they rolled playfully in the dirt. That fully distracted her from scenting the humans, though she had no idea what her instincts would have told her to do had she found them. She wasn’t all that certain she wanted to know, either.

They had raced through the woods, and down through the fields. With a clear path ahead she stretched her limits, pushed herself to go as fast as she could. What a wonderful thing it was to not feel tired, not feel exhausted. They had run for hours and she still felt the same as she did when they had started. They crossed to the other side of the path and back up the hill side to the highest point where a cliff ledge sat out over the formation. Thousands of feet of air lay below that tiny ledge where they looked out at the dark abyss. It felt like they were the only two beings in the world. It felt...magical. They sat there for a few minutes, and she leaned into his side. While the stars twinkled their sparking light and the moon beam danced over the earth, they howled. His voice was deep, loud. He was strong. Hers was more melodious. It was elegantly beautiful. Together, it was a love song, even to her own ears. That moment would stay with her forever. She’d make sure of it. But his nip was the sign that it was coming to an end. She led them back to the campsite, never wavering on where she was going. She could smell it. Smell the hot dogs they had eaten, the s’mores. When they got there, the moon was barely visible. They had cut it close. Really close. But as usual, Neil had made sure everything was alright. With no time to waste, he pulled a blanket and with his teeth and paw lay it over her and she curled into a ball on the dirt. He lay next to her, with a large paw resting on her back. He had covered her so that her naked body wouldn’t be exposed. But what of him? She thought.

That was her last thought before it began. The shift back to human wasn’t as bad as the shift to Were. When it reformed, muscle memory took over and the change went fast. The bones changing and reconnecting is what hurts. They broke inside her skin and shifted back. She could feel every bone shift, even her toes. It sounded in her ears like ’pop, pop, pop”, each one snapping into place. She wasn’t sure if he could hear them, but she could. She let out a little cry and he nuzzled his nose against her. The hair retracting was a very similar feeling to getting goosebumps, but a bit more intense. Then her claws pulled in. That was the only feeling that was a relief. She shivered and broke out into a sweat as the transformation neared completion. Her stomach rolled and she whimpered again. She opened her mouth and howled, before it was complete, it had turned into a cry. She looked at her hands. It was complete. She jumped up with the towel wrapped around her. Damn that hurt. But she would offer him the same privacy he offered her. His shift was just starting. He held it back when there wasn’t enough time to shift before she started hers. She lay the other blanket over him and looked at the sky. It’s too late. The sun was rising, and the moon was gone. This would drain life energy out of him, and she panicked. She didn’t know much, but she knew that they had to shift before the moon was gone and the sun was fully risen. She’d heard stories that younger shifters who made the mistake hadn’t survived the drain on their energy. Goddess, please. She prayed while he transformed under the blanket. He was much quicker and within minutes he lay under the blanket, panting.

“Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer and she dropped to her knees next to him, the blanket still wrapped around her.

“Please, answer me. Please fucking answer me.” She yelled, panic clear in her voice.

His lips quirked into a smile at her use of the world fucking and she slapped at him. Relieved that he was okay. He sat up with the blanket hunched around his waist. They shared a lot that night. They have shared a lot since they met, actually, but he didn’t need to share his morning arousal with her.

“Go get dressed. You’ll be cold as soon as your blood runs normal.”

“You get dressed too.” He sat up and she caught a glimpse of that incredible chest and hard muscles before she grabbed the clothes he had packed for her and went behind a tree. After she was dressed, she felt so alive, so happy, she couldn’t help but hug the tree. Just a quick hug, but still. She laughed at herself. She didn’t know if she ever felt this...alive. Alive would be the best word, she thought. When she came out from behind the tree he was already dressed and leaning over a low fire in the pit.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“What?”

“Why aren’t you sick, weak, from not shifting before sunrise.”

He shrugged a shoulder and placed sticks with breakfast sausage links on it and then into the fire. “I can shift whenever I want. It doesn’t really matter if it’s daylight or not, a full moon or not.”

Her jaw dropped open. She knew he was to be feared, that his power was immense, for him to be ...one of those. Holy fuck, she thought.

“Come, sit. I almost have breakfast ready. After we eat, we can break camp and head back to the apartment.”

She sat next to him, waiting for breakfast, lost in thought. In truth, she was lost in desire. A desire so intense that she struggled to control her breathing. The real life Neil was better than anything she had ever dreamt, even if he was kinda distant sometimes. He cared. And she knew he cared and that made all the difference in the world.

He pulled the sticks from the fire and handed her the sausage. He had heated some croissants with cheese beneath it so they could have breakfast sandwiches, sans egg. When they finished he tossed her a bag with fruit in it, and she plucked out a banana. She peeled it while he put the fire out and disassembled the pit.

She put the tip of the banana and thought about whether he had known her thoughts. She raised her eyes and locked on his. His movement stilled as he gazed at her mouth. They flew up to her eyes and he smirked at her. Unable to hold it back, he busted out laughing. She took the peel and whipped it at his head but fell short when it smacked into his shoulder. He turned away to continue breaking camp, but she could tell by the up and down motion of his back and shoulders that he was still laughing. When she finished eating, she packed up all the garbage they had made since the night before. He came over with their backpacks and slung it onto her back then he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back into his chest, so she rested against him. Her heart stopped beating and she tilted her head back onto his.

“So, was it as awful as you feared?”

“No, not at all.”

“I told you I’d take care of you. I mean what I say, Sophia. Come on. Scott must have texted ten times already, worried about you.”

“Okay.”

She followed him out of the clearing, through the bush and back to the car. He unlocked the door then started the ignition so it could warm up while he loaded up the trunk and went behind a tree to take care of business. She handled that while she was getting changed, but she guessed the opportunity hadn’t arisen for him since he wouldn’t want to leave her.

On the drive back it was much more subdued than the ride there, as it was no longer filled with preparation for the night’s events, but still her mind wandered.

“Shit.”

“What?” He looked alarmed.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Her mind reviewed everything he had said about how they would be connected and mental blocks. She grew increasingly uncomfortable as she filtered through her memories of the night and all the things she thought about him, in both Were and human. Oh, goddess. She felt sick. Did he know? He had to. And she needed to know what he knew.

She scrounged up the courage she needed to ask, as they left the edges and headed back into the center of the territory.

“Did you know my thoughts, last night and this morning? Was the connection there?” Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNʘᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He didn’t answer right away, and she could tell he was thinking and choosing his words carefully.

“We were connected. Don’t worry about it, Sophia. My only concern was what pertained to your journey. Nothing more.”

“Son of a bitch,” she mumbled.

He laughed. “Your language is getting rather colorful, Sophia,” still laughing. “Don’t let Scott hear it that much. He doesn’t care for it and thinks I’ve been a bad influence on your vocabulary.”

She covered her face with her hands, part embarrassed and confused, the other part laughing at what Scott thought. He’s clearly never heard when he and Neil talk from the outside. Some of her more colorful words were from watching them play video games.

They rode the rest of the way in silence. The radio was on and Neil’s fingers beat on the steering wheel to the beat of the song. Sophia wished she could drill a hole in the bottom of the car and slide out from her seat. She knew he knew everything she thought. She knew he knew how bad she wanted him, how much she dreamed of him.

They pulled into the lot for the apartments and Scott stood in the open door waiting. Unlike yesterday, she was so thankful for his presence.

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