Back and Stronger: Alpha's Daughter

Sometime during the night, a white minivan was outside in the parking lot. Sophia wondered how, but only briefly, because she could safely assume one of the males arranged it. After rushing to get in and pulling the doors shut, Scott threw it in gear, backed out, then threw it in drive so quickly she nearly crashed into the seat in front of her. The armory of weapons rolled where it lay on the floor in the third row. The van shot out of the parking lot and onto the main road as the tension inside grew by momentous proportions. The morning air was crisp, and a chill seeped through the rubber between the window and the doorframe. The sun shined bright in the clear blue sky, pouring through the tinted windows of the van. The golden fingers of the morning sun slashed through the tempered glass as if it wasn’t there and burnt her eyes. She squinted against it. It should have been beautiful. It should have been a morning filled with aspirations to capture her father, and to protect the pack. Now it was different. Now, it was all about reactions. The branches of trees swayed in the wind, a menacing dance to foretell the horror of what was to come.

Everything had moved fast from the moment she told Neil about her dream. A frenzy of activity to prepare for a battle that no one had a plan for. What she had been training for, what they had been planning, was all for naught as now their mission had an urgency. They needed to protect the others. One of those others was her brother. Fear grasped her in its menacing clutches as she fought it back and tried to maintain the control she knew she would need. She would need it because she couldn’t and wouldn’t risk being a hindrance to the males. They were trusting her to hold her own, to aid them in their mission. She couldn’t, no, she wouldn’t let them down. But she wished she knew exactly what it was about her dream that had caused Neil’s eyes to grow wide and for him to jump out of the bed so fast that she had felt the breeze from his movement. After all, it was a pretty shitty dream. It also wasn’t the first time Sophia had night terrors, she was certain she didn’t even remember them all. So what made this one different?

Sophia cracked the window just a touch, in the hopes of blowing some of the tension in the van out the window. The tension didn’t go anywhere, but there was rain in the air. She could smell it on the tips of the breeze that seeped in from the tiny crack. She sniffed then placed her fingertips against the crack so she could feel it on her fingertips. From the smell of it, there was going to be a storm.

Scott failed to slow for a bend, and she slid into the door. Neil pulled her upright.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Concern was in his voice but you could tell his thoughts were a million miles away. Well, a few miles, anyway.

“I’m fine. Really.”

He nodded once. The van jarred against a pothole then bounced. The AK-47′s creaked at the jolt. They went around another bend and Sophia knew without looking that they were on the S-bends that led back into the territory. Few cars passed, as there was no reason for anyone to be heading out of the territory this early in the morning. Connor reached to turn the heat on from the passenger seat, and the phewwwww of hot air blowing from the vents broke the silence. The leather seats heated under the hot air blowing out and Sophia had realized that she was unaware of how cold it was that morning. How the sun was very deceiving, making her think that it would be warm on the skin.

“You don’t have to do this Sophia. We can find a place for you to wait. A place where you will be safe.” Neil said as he reached for her hand and gave it a brief squeeze. He spoke quietly so that Scott and Connor didn’t hear.

“No.”

Neil sighed and gripped between his eyes. Sophia knew she was being stubborn. She knew that Neil would worry less if she were safe. Scott and Connor would too. But she also knew she could help them. And she wouldn’t allow herself to go backwards.

Sophia was tired, so tired. The night had been restless and while she had woken to the unbruised and stronger body that she had developed over the months; it was like the damage had been imprinted in her skin. It wasn’t visible, but it hurt just the same.

The top of Connors head and his eyes popped up above the headrest in front of her.

“He’s right. You don’t need to do this. We haven’t had the time to finish your training. You’re not ready. Hell, we are trained, and we aren’t ready.” Connor said.

So much for Neil having been quiet so they didn’t hear. Now Sophia sighed before answering.

“No. I’m going. That’s my brother in there. My younger brother. And if nothing else, I will be part of what saves him. If it’s not too late.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and she prayed it wouldn’t be too late.

“She goes. She’s the only solid informant we have. And we will need it. She wants to go, and we need her to go.” Scott interrupted. He pulled the van up to the traffic light in the center of town.

Connor eyed Neil. Neil gave a little shrug then sat back in his seat. He reached for her hand again and this time, he clasped his fingers around hers, holding them tight.

“This isn’t going to be easy, Sophia. Can you handle it?” Connor asked.

Sophia knew that Connor liked her and that he wasn’t trying to be difficult. In his ass backwards kind of way, his insulting doubt was his attempt at being honest with her and then giving her a way out. But it was a way out that she didn’t want. She also knew that both he and Scott blamed themselves for what had happened to Victoria and they were afraid for Sophia. But she wouldn’t be a burden. She wouldn’t need their protections. Vicky hadn’t needed it either. She was a fierce soldier, and what had happened to her, as awful as it was, was something that was planned and executed by those more evil than any of them could be. Sophia only prayed it went fast for her. She squirmed as she recalled them telling what had happened to her. No way in hell, Sophia thought, no way, that she was going to be a hindrance to them. She would give every bit as much as they did.

“Yes. Yes, I can. I can do whatever needs to be done.” Sophia said with confidence she was far from feeling.

“Okay.” Connor turned back around in his seat.

Sophia knew that this was going to be awful. She knew because she is the only one that fully knows how truly abhorrent her father could be. And how nasty the rest of the pack could be. The military grade weapons slid as they rounded another bend. Could she use one, she thought. Could she really use one to take another life? Sophia knew that she was a good person. Regardless of what her father had said about her, regardless of what the pack believed. She was good in her heart, and taking another life, no matter how much it was deserved, would be difficult for her. She was not the murderer. She hadn’t murdered her mother, yet she faced over five years of continual torture. Being bullied daily and the near-to nightly beatings had been a lot for anyone to endure. She had never fought back with anger or hatred through any of it. If anything, she tried to defend herself. She had learned early that it was futile. She could never fight back and win. She thought a good person would accept their fate and their wrong doings and just try to find a way to survive it. Her mother raised her to be a good person. That was something she had desperately held onto. Like she held onto all the lessons her mother had taught her. She thought about it all for a second while she chewed on her bottom lip. Realizing what she was doing, she released it from it’s grasp between her teeth. Yes, she was a good person. And yes...she could do it. Not only could she, but she probably would. And if one of those horrible shifters lost their life at her hands, well, she will just have to live with it. But she absolutely could do it. They all think she’s a murdered to begin with, so she may as well show them that to defend herself, and to defend those she cares about, she won’t bat an eye at taking someone’s life.

“We need more details about your father’s house. They layout, both inside and out,” Scott said.

Sophia went through each part of the property their house is on. She explained the layout, what windows looked where and how it was in relation to where her father would likely be. She went through each part of the interior starting at the main door, then again from the kitchen door. They peppered her with questions and pulled details out of her that she wouldn’t have thought important. Apparently, everything was important. They took turns grilling her about what weapons her father had access to, and what those weapons were. She went over the locations in his study, and his bedroom. She struggled to remember the weapons she had seen, and if she didn’t know exactly what kind it was, she described them in as much detail as she could.

The males discussed the various threats and she listened in wide eyed fear. Talking had made it all drop at her feet as a very real fight that they couldn’t and wouldn’t walk away from.

They walked through offensive tactics, as well as defensive tactics, and Connor grilled Sophia relentlessly. If she was wrong, he told her and then taught her what was right. Then they reviewed defensive tactics, though she thought that was merely for her benefit. They took turns peppering her with questions, not leaving time for her to clear her mind between each one. Through it all, Neil held her hand in his. With disgust in their voices, they discussed plans to retreat. They when’s, the how’s and finally, the why’s.

“Don’t be foolish, Sophia. Don’t let the drive for retaliation, and vengeance cloud the skills you do know. Being smart isn’t enough. You must be smarter than them, you need to react with strength. And you have to know when to cut and run. When to hide. It will do nobody any good if you are lost in the process of this.” Do you understand?

“I won’t. I promise I won’t.”

They pulled up to the end of the territory, then slowly coasted so they could cover the area. Neil never took his eyes off of their surroundings, constantly scanning, until they came to the opposite end where Scott accelerated to a normal speed to the street behind the headquarters so they could see the building and surrounding area. When it appeared no one was there, he drove the outskirts that bordered the woods. After they circled the entire perimeter, they headed toward Sophia’s father’s house. Her throat tightened with each quarter mile.

Neil pulled her close and tucked her under his arm. He tilted his lips to ear.

“I believe in you. Believe in yourself. I know how strong you are. Now you need to.” He brushed his lips against her temple, then let her go, concentrating on the back of the houses that lined the street. Something was off. Very off. At the end of the street, Scott turned right and drove a couple blocks down to a parking lot. He pulled into a parking space and turned the van off. He looked at Connor, conveying a message that Sophia couldn’t see. He then looked at Neil. They locked gazes for quite a few minutes.

“Brother,” he said.

“Brother,” they both replied.

Then Scott looked at Sophia. Sympathy radiated from his eyes, but only for a moment.

“You sure?” He asked her.

She nodded, not saying a word. She didn’t know if she could. Not around the fisherman’s knot that had settled in her jugular.

“This isn’t the same as it was when we were here last. We need to find out why,” Scott said.