Chapter 4

Sophia

Alex always goes the extra mile in his attempts to protect me. Both he and Elsa don't seem to understand that as the situation around me keeps evolving, I'm also growing with it. If they keep trying to shield me from each and every thing, I'm never going to learn and grow. And right now, I've been forced into a position where being sheltered is only going to have negative repercussions.

Alex doesn't seem to understand that. He also doesn't seem to grasp that all my life I have been controlled by the man who tortured my mother. I have lacked control and autonomy since I was a child. I was manipulated, controlled, and lied to. I wish my mate would understand why I can't bear to let anyone else make decisions for me. I want to feel in control for once in my life. I thought he could read me like a book, but clearly, I was wrong.

Alex saw how stressed out I was trying to come up with a way to save my mother. He should've told me the minute the representative of the Central Alliance approached him. I could've talk to him, negotiated with him. I could have done something. Instead, he and Elsa made the decision for me, taking away the only chance I might have had to save my mother's life.

I'm angry with him. How could I not be?

He hasn't yet apologized, but then again, that's probably because I'm not giving him the opportunity to. However, even in my anger, I did not mean to hurt him with my words.

He's never rejected me before, at least not like this. When he does, my wolf curls up in a ball inside of me, upset.

It's always been the other way around, with me being upset and Alex trying to win me over. This is the first time I've seen him upset with me, and I don't know what to do. The fact that he's rejecting my touch means that I've hurt him more than I can imagine.

"Alex…"

I can feel my eyes welling up and I furiously brush away my tears. I know that if I cry, he'll immediately forgive me, but I don't want to use my tears as a way to manipulate him. I messed up.

"I shouldn't have said that." I pinch my arm tostop myself from crying. "It was a stupid thing to say. Especially when I didn't mean it."

"A part of you must have."

"Don't even finish that sentence," I say, tightly. "I've never regretted meeting you, never regretted being your mate. I've never been happier than when I'm around you."

I grab his hand, my grip tight so that he can't shake me off. "I'm sorry. Meeting you has changed my entire life. Don't ever believe for a second that I don't love you or that I'm not grateful that our paths crossed. I was just annoyed, and I said the first thing that came to mind. Doesn't make it true."

His expression is stony, and my heart is pounding in my chest as Isearch his eyes. Did one-word wreck our entire relationship? How am I supposed tosalvage this?

After a prolonged silence, Alex sighs. "I'm also sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have kept what the man from Central Alliance said to myself. I should've told you."

"I know you were trying to protect me."

"I'm your mate, Sophia. I will always be trying to protect you from one thing or the other," he says abruptly. "You can't get angry with me each time. Being in a relationship like this is new to me as well. We're both going to make mistakes. But you also need to understand that your words do matter. Our bond is still something new. Just because we're bound to each other doesn't mean our bond can't weaken."

My blood goes cold at his words.

"I didn't mean…"

"I'm sure you didn't," he says, quietly. "But it felt like that to me. We've not had that much time together for us to really work on our relationship. Even though we are fated mates, our relationship has been far from normal. And that means we have to work even harder on it. I did make a mistake. Yes, I did think you might make a reckless decision. Reckless isn't really the right word to use, though. You care too much. Not just for your mother. I've seen you, Sophia. When you get drawn into trying to save somebody, you don't put your safety above the situation. I simply want to protect you. I can't lose you. You're all I have."

"I don't want to lose you either," I admit. "You're right. I do get carried away sometimes. But I don't want to be sheltered anymore."

Alex puts his hands on my shoulders, gripping them. "Fine. But I will always stand between you and a decision that might put you in danger."

I open my mouth to dispute that, but maybe he's right. I have put myself in dangerous situations a lot of times. Just because I'm alive now, doesn't mean I will survive the next time.

"Fine. But you cannot stop me from saving my mother."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he says, seriously. "And if you want to go to the Central Alliance to meet with their leader, I'll go with you."

I wet my lips, looking in the direction of the campsite. "Now?"

He shakes his head. "No. We'll go to the South first and make sure your mother is safe. Then you and I will go to the Central Alliance. I don't think we'll be able to take your mother with us. Traveling isn't good for her."

"What if something happens to her while we're…"

"Elsa is able to stabilize her, right?" Alex asks.

I nod. "Barely. But it might buy us some time."

"We can do it, Sophia. We'll try to make the journey quick, but if we leave from here, the Central Alliance is quite far. From the South, we'll be closer to the border, which is near the main pack of the Central Alliance. I'll have my underground network search for the exact location of the pack, but I know it's near the South Border. By the time you get the information, we will be ready to make the journey."

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" I ask him. "Your people will need time to settle in the South…"

"Our people," Alex corrects me. "My pack is also yours."

"Our people," I begin with a small smile, "will need time to settle in. But I don't know where to take you all. I don't have any home there…"

"The Red Rock Wolf Pack is yours," Alex tells me, seriously. "Brian was right. You cannot leave that pack in Noah's control. The more power you leave in his hands, the more of a danger he is to you. Also, from what you have told me, you still have a lot of enemies in the Red Rock Wolf Pack."

"I wouldn't call them enemies." I blow out a breath. "They were following Robert's orders."

Alex raises a brow. "If they enjoyed making your life miserable, and you've now come into power, they are your enemies, trust me. It's time to get rid of them."

"What about your pack?"

Alex smiles at me. "Don't worry about me. The truth is, Sophia, my people will always look at me as their Alpha. Not out of stubbornness, but because of how we've struggled together. Even if we combine the packs and give them a new name, ultimately, both of us will still be ruling the pack together. The title doesn't matter."

"Do you truly feel that way?" I ask, hesitantly, my hand on his chest. "Don't lie to me."

"It was strange at first," Alex admits. "But the more I thought about it, this is the best possible outcome I could ever have imagined. If you can combine the packs, you still need me. Like I said, I will be there to keep protecting you. You just need some guidance. Brian will be there to help you with the politics while I can help you by teaching you how to run the pack."

"I don't want to run the pack," I finally reveal my own feelings. "I just want to be happy for once, and with you."

"You are the Queen of the South Alliance, Sophia," my mate tells me, gently. "You can't run from this. This is what you were meant to do."

"Alex," I try to hide my anxiety before giving up. "I don't know anything about any of this. My world was restricted to the orphanage, and then that small town. Asking me to lead the South Alliance would be unfair to the packs within it. Brian or you are better suited. All I can do is magic. I can't even fight properly."

"So?" My mate stares at me. "You think every great leader was a general on the battlefield or a scholar? Education and fighting prowess alone don't make you a good leader. Thinking about the people under you can do is what does. A good leader surrounds themself with those who can be their arms and legs. A good leader, a capable leader, will look out for the people they're supposed to protect. Karina isn't a good leader. And Brian recognized that you had the capability of being a great leader, which is why he stepped down."

"He doesn't know anything about me."

Alex scoffs. "Don't underestimate him. He was the King of the South. He must have been keeping an eye on you. Even if he didn't know what you were, he knew you were an orphan being shuffled around by Robert. And I would bet anything that he must have been aware of your little cage fighting stint."

My face pales. "You think so?"

"Brian was a good king. One of the things he's known for is his ability to extract knowledge from his sources. He's got spies everywhere."

"Then why didn't he have me captured? I broke pack law by fighting against humans," I murmur, shocked.

When I was still under Robert's control, I was recruited by the owner of the boxing gym in Oakrest town, where I lived, to be a cage fighter. Shifters are not allowed to fight against humans, but at the time, I was desperate to make some money to buy my freedom from the South Alliance, and I had thrown caution to thewind. Later, I discovered that Robert had not only known about this, he also had a hand in it. He had planned to push me into a corner where my only salvation would have been to become his mate.

"He was most likely waiting to see the outcome." Alex shrugs. "But Brian WolfFang is not known for being a hasty man. He must have managed to put all the information he had on you together in that banquet hall."

"You expect me to fill his shoes?" I feel like my heart is going to crawl out of my throat and then spontaneously combust.

"No. I expect you to be yourself." Alex squeezes my hand. "If I thought for even a moment that you weren't up to the task, I would have told you. I do believe you are the right person for this. The fracture in the three alliances is growing. Karina is on the verge of starting a war between the shifters, the humans, and the witches. We have to prevent that. And we have to bridge the growing divide between the alliances. I don't know what we're going to do but you are a beacon of hope, Sophia. And we start with that."

I gape at him.

It's the blind leading the blind.

However, I'm not in the mood to argue with him. These are my own insecurities. I just need to figure a way around them.

"Forget it." I wrap my hand around his. "Where were you taking me?"

He smiles at me, his cheeks creasing and the corner of his eyes crinkling in the way that I adore. "I think you'll like it."

We move through the dense trees and vegetation, silent but comfortable in the forest. My heart feels lighter. Alex's hand around mine makes me feel secure. In a world that I still struggle to make sense of, he is my constant.

Alex pushes aside some large leaves that are in our path and when he does, I find myself looking at a strange rock formation. I can hear the bubbling water and see steam rising from what look to be natural hot springs. Stepping forward, I realize that it's a series of pools that have heat rising from them. Coincidentally, the air is colder here.

Although it's nighttime, this area is illuminated. The rocks in the pools are light gray, and the water inside them is a clear blue. It's the water that is providing the light. It's almost as if it is glowing.

Alex senses my curiosity and explains, "It's the rock. It's a rare mineral found only in the North. When it comes into contact with water, it turns blue and glows."

"Like a firefly," I mumble, dazzled by how pretty it is.

"Kind of," he agrees, chuckling. "In the daytime, it looks a little dull, but at night, this entire area is stunning."

"Is this a hot spring?"

Alex nods, settling his arm across my shoulders. "I thought you might like this. Nobody really comes here since this area is in the free zone. I stumbled upon this place a couple of years ago. We've been running all day, so I thought some hot water might help you relax."

I walk over to the stone pools, rubbing my hand across the surface of the rock. When I touch the water, it's quite hot. It's not scalding, but I know when I sink into it, it's going to loosen every knot in my body. I'm also deeply fascinated by how beautiful and mystical this place looks.

"I find it hard to believe that no one has ever discovered this place," I breathe, running my fingertips across the hot water.

"If they did, it's never been mentioned," Alex tells me. "Karina has made it a point to seize such locations. The North has beautiful places like this in most of the pack territories. Karina has taken control of them."

I grind my jaw, a surge of anger rising in me. "What does she want? To stifle all the packs under her so that they lose the will to live?"

Alex comes to stand beside me. "Control. She wants to control everything. I've never seen somebody so obsessed with power as she is. If I were to compare her and Robert Black, I would still say Robert falls a little bit short of her."

I give him a grim smile. "I want to disagree, but then I'm not the one who's suffered under her rule."

"She can't be allowed to live," Alex looks my way. "You know that, don't you? Now that she knows about you, she's never going to stop trying to get to you. Not after the way she was humiliated. You are her ticket to ruling all three alliances."

"I'm well aware," I reply, fire burning in my veins.

"But for now," Alex whirls me around to face him, his eyes light. "Let's go have some fun."

"Wait." My face flushes as he pulls off my shirt. "Alex, the others…"

"Your magical abilities would come in handy right about now."

"My…" It's hard to think when his mouth is on my neck, biting into my skin, his hot tongue lapping at the salty sweat.

I have to focus. It takes me a few tries to create a barrier. It's not an incredibly strong one, but it'll do.

Alex, in the meantime, has stripped me off my pants and I'm just standing before him in my undergarments. His hand slides across my stomach, leaving a blazing trail of heat. My wolf settles within me. We both need this. The tension between us has been eating at me nonstop, and to have Alex so near me lessens the fear that has been building in my heart since last night.

I thought this hunger between us would lessen after we slept together a couple of times. At least, I assumed that.

It was a very incorrect assumption.

It's almost as if we can't get enough of each other. This is even more true since I gave him my mark.

My claws dig into his shirt, ready to rip it off, and he laughs, a throaty sound. "That's the only shirt I have."

"Then get it off!" I grumble, desperate to get to skin.

"What's the hurry?"

I don't appreciate the teasing in his voice, especially when he has me all worked up. My panties are soaked from my juices. All he has to do was put his mouth on me and run his hands over my skin, which is highly sensitive when it comes to him, and I melt into his arms. My fingers dig under his shirt, my nails pressing against the hard planes of his abdomen.

"Take it off, or I'll rip it," I warn. "Your choice."

My threat has Alex's wolf coming into his eyes. There is an excitement and hunger in them. Every time I show a hint of dominance, his wolf comes out to play.

Without a second thought, he rips off his shirt before picking me up by the waist. My hips lock against the base of his spine. He slams me into the tree behind him, knocking the air out of me.

"Alex…"

But he's in no mood to talk. With one claw, he unsnaps my bra from the front, causing my breasts to bounce out. The outraged cry doesn't even leave my mouth, because his own is wrapped around my painfully hard nipple. A quiet gasp escapes me, my hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

Alex bites down on my nipple, and when I writhe against him, my most sensitive spot rubbing against the roughness of his jeans, I feel the vibration against my breast as he chuckles. But I don't care. I let out a wanton sound, rubbing myself against him, seeking my own pleasure. In response, his hand comes down to smack me on my ass—a sharp, painful sensation.

I grind against him even harder in retaliation, and when I feel him hardening, a smug look forms on my face. He's not the only one who can drive the other insane. But Alex is in a mood, because he lowers his hand and slides it into my panties, his fingers finding my clit and pinching gently.

The scream that leaves my mouth is orgasmic and would have had the others rushing over if not for the barrier surrounding this place. He doesn't stop there, his mouth gliding to my neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses that are like streaks of electricity racing across my skin. His hand is sliding back and forth on my folds, and when he slips in a finger, I press my lips together to hold in a moan.

"Aren't…aren't we in a hurry?" I gasp out.

"I don't think so," Alex murmurs in a leisurely way against my ear, before biting down on my earlobe. "We've got all the time in the world."

I groan as he inserts another finger inside me. When he gets in this mood to tease me to death, I both love him and hate him.

The angle I'm at makes his fingers go even deeper inside of me, and I can't stop myself from moving against his hand. Every time I try to gain some semblance of control, Alex just won't let me. He drives his fingers deeper inside me as hislips press against mine. I open my mouth at his silent command and he explores my mouth with his tongue while his fingers wreak havoc on my pussy.

My body feels wanton and desire is building up within me. He always has the control in these situations, and it drives my wolf wild with joy. As Alex pushes me to my first climax, my fingers lower to his shoulders to dig into them, and just as I reach the edge, he pulls out.

My eyes widen in shock and he kisses me sweetly.

"You ass…"

I don't know when he undid his pants, but when his cock slides into me, I clamp around it like a vice. He moves within me, inch by inch, and I let out a drawn-out moan. Alex groans.

"You test my control," he says through gritted teeth. "One day I'll put a gag in your mouth and then fuck you at my own pace."

I just tighten my lower muscles around his cock and smirk when I see his expression change. "You were saying?"

His teeth sink into my shoulder as he begins to move within me at a punishingly slow pace.

Damn it!

I can feel him glide in and out of me. Even though he's desperate for his own release, he's too intent to make me eat my words, and I can feel myself losing my mind as he makes me take his cock at the pace he wants. Which is slow.

I want fast and hard.

I want it rough.

But no. Alex is going to draw this out till I beg him.

Which I won't do.

However, Alex knows how to play my body like an instrument. He knows exactly how to move and which parts of me are my weak points. When he's set on getting his own back, he spares no punches. His hand tightens around my neck as he gently bites the place where his mating mark would have been.

Helpless against the tender assault, I feel myself unwinding, the pleasure and burning need consuming me. My willpower shatters and I fall apart as he pushes me into an orgasm so fierce that I scream out his name. But Alex isn't done. Dropping me to my unsteady feet, he turns me around to face the tree before inserting himself inside of me again. His pace is hard now, rough, long strokes as he fucks me. He's being so rough that I'm forced onto my toes. Unsteady, I grab onto the trunk of the tree to steady myself. I've barely come down from one orgasm when he pushes me into the next one with a howl.

Dazed and delirious, all I can see is white heat in front of me. All I can smell is my mate, all I can think about is him.

I need more.

I feel him release inside me. My knees feel weak, and Alex's arms come around my waist to support me.

His lips are against my nape as he moves slowly inside me before pulling out. When he does, he picks me up in his arms and carries me over to one of the pools, gently lowering me into it.

The hot water is a drastic change from the cold air and my eyes widen, "Wait…"

But I'm already in now.

The water reaches my neck. The pool is wide, and Alex climbs in, pulling me into his arms. "Feeling better?"

"If I can't walk tomorrow…" I begin to threaten him, and he laughs, kissing me on my shoulder.

"I wasn't that rough."

I sink against him, enjoying the feeling of his hard body. "Maybe, but you never let me do what I want."

"Sorry," Alex says insincerely.

I pinch him, and he says lazily, "Ouch. That hurts."

I glare at him over my shoulder and he just gives me a mocking smile.

I settle against him, determined to enjoy this hot spring.

The silence is comfortable and when I feel Alex's hand creep upwards, I close my eyes. "I'll kill you and bury you if you try anything funny."

"Define funny," he suggests.

"Your broken family jewels."

His hand instantly settles on my stomach, right where it had been moments before.

"You're a cruel, cruel woman, Sophia Hope."

I tilt my head back, looking up at him, "What if that's not even my name? What if my mother wanted to name me something different? What if my surname was given to me by Robert? I don't even know my father's name."

Alex presses a kiss against the side of my neck. "Do you want to change your name?"

"No, that would be weird." I decide. "But I want to carry my father's surname."

Something gives me pause and I glance at Alex. "Although technically, I should be using your surname, right? Sophia Stone."

"I like the sound of that." My mate has a smug look on his face.

"You would," I scoff before splashing water on his face. "Stop smiling like that."

He deftly moves his head before wrapping his arms around me. "Sophia Stone. Sounds pretty. And like you're mine."

My face feels hot. It could be the steam rising from the water. Or maybe it's hearing my name attached to Alex's that has me feeling a little flustered and shy.

We stay like this for a while, the sounds of nightlife playing in the background, the blue glow from the small pools illuminating the area.

"Do you think it's strange that Karina hasn't attacked us yet?" I ask Alex as we're getting out of the water. He grabs me by the waist as I stand on top of the stone, swinging me to the ground.

"It's just been one day, but I'm sure she has plans to."

"Are you sure? What if she doesn't think it's worth risking the ire of the South?"

"If she kills all the Alphas of the South, who will oppose her?" my mate responds grimly.

He has a point. "But they're Alphas. Surely it won't be easy to defeat them?"

Alex hands me my blouse before tucking my torn bra into his jeans pocket. "No, it won't. But if she threatens the other Alphas under her, it will be a bloodbath."

I go still, staring at him. "You think she's actually planning this?"

He begins buttoning my shirt. "She could. There isn't anything I wouldn't put past her."

I rest my hands on his, making him look at me. "Then shouldn't we have stayed with the rest of the pack?"

Alex pauses. "No. I needed time with you. It was selfish, but I wanted to clear the air between us. And my soldiers are there."

A ball of tension is forming in my stomach. "Either way. Let's get back to them quickly."

I remove the barrier, but when we return to the campsite, it's quiet. Brian is awake but nods at us.

I settle down in Alex's arms after checking on my mother.

As my eyes flutter shut, I feel relaxed.

Just a few more days and we'll be in the South, no longer looking over our shoulders.