"If I only knew what, Matt Donner?" Vivian asked curious what Matt had
hidden in that thick skull of his.
"If you only knew the truth about my daughter." Matt said finished with his conversation with Vivian. He wasn't going to deal with someone as stubborn and ignorant as Vivian so Sophia would just have to wait to tell Vivian about her true identity.
"What identity?" Vivian asked Matt unaware that he had been broadcasting his thoughts out loud, enough for Vivian to hear.
"Sophia as her true self." Matt finished as he began to walk towards the door, but Vivian wasn't finished, following him into the living room and then the hallway towards the door.
"And just what makes up the true Sophia?" Vivian asked Matt pressing him for the information, now intrigued about the girl.
"Put best by Sherman, her destiny in the Pack, and what her color represents." Matt said before he could take it back. He didn't mean to tell Vivian and he hoped she wouldn't catch on, but by the look on her face, she knew all too well what he meant.
"You mean...?" Vivian asked unable to complete the sentence, astonished by the new found information.
"Yes, Sophia is a white wolf." Matt said bowing his head. Sophia was going to kill him for telling Vivian. She wanted to be the one to tell her, but maybe it was actually better that Matt tell her instead. She trusted Matt and his opinion when it came to the Pack, and regardless of what she thought, Matt was involved. She would need his trust and vice versa.
Sophia's disappearance, Matt's flipping, her appearance, everything made sense now. If only she had known beforehand then she never would have jumped to conclusions with Matt of Lu-
"Oh my God." Vivian said clamping her hand over her mouth. "That's why Luke was so-"
"No, Luke doesn't know yet." Matt cut in letting her know the truth.
"He doesn't?" Vivian asked surprised that Luke actually loved Sophia even without looking at her pelt color.
"No. Sophia wanted you to know first. She's going to need to be protected. She still has to gain you son's trust before letting him know and understand her." Matt said which surprised Vivian. Sophia had wanted her to know before Luke? What was that all about?
"She doesn't want trouble Vivian. She only wants to find the danger and stop the visions she has from coming true and protect the victims in those visions. She has witnessed the murders through her visions. Although no help so far, she concluded that a gray wolf is responsible." Matt answered her unasked question in her mind. "Ruby has special healing powers, too."
"She's changed hasn't she?" Vivian asked almost grinning.
"She's definitely changed Vivian, but so has your son. He cares for Sophia in a way that I have never seen before. I noticed it after she left, but it has grown more since she has returned. She's more arrogant and protective now. The wolf inside her is strong." Matt explained letting Vivian in on a detail or two.
"Like father like daughter." Vivian answered making Matt smile for the first time they had talked.
**********************
Sophia couldn't stand to think about anymore. She couldn't stand to think about what Luke was doing now. If he was with someone, if he was looking for Presley for a little late night get together, or if he was in the same amount of pain she was experiencing at this very moment. She couldn't stand lying around and waiting for something or someone to make her mistake even worse. She had to find Luke and tell him the real story, the real reason she pushed him away. The reason being that she was afraid to love someone and allowing them to take up so much space in her heart, holding them for eternity. He had seen her soul and he had accepted her into his, it was time that he saw the new Sophia. The Sophia would let no holds barred. A new Sophia who was willing to fight for what she believed in.
Climbing out of bed, Sophia tried to walk on her injured leg. Big mistake. The piercing pain almost made her double over and fall on the floor. Seeing no other option than changing into the beautiful white wolf she was known for, Sophia quickly discarded her clothes and walked out of her room heading towards the front door. She blocked everything out and only concentrated on the task at hand. Finding her mate. Mate? Since when was Luke her mate. Evidently since now, her mind answered back, the wolf in full mode and powering to take over. She quickly let her guard down and let it roam freely wondering if it would now always be in control.
"Sophia, where are you going?" A voice asked her but she pushed it aside, not knowing until later that it was Sherman who asked her that question she wouldn't respond to.
"Let her go." Another voice replied seeing what Sophia was doing. Ruby had entered her mind without interfering with Sophia's thoughts and saw what she was thinking and what she was about to do. Ruby secretly wished her good luck and left her mind to deal with Sherman and John, both who were wondering what she was doing and where she was going in such a hurry.
*********************
Stepping off the porch and looking around at her familiar yet new surroundings Sophia immediately felt one with nature. Taking one last look at the moon, she changed into her white pelt matching the bright display of the moon before dashing into the forest full of secrets, darkness, and wonder, eager to find Luke and fix the mistake she had made. She quickly found Luke not too far from Sherman's house. She remembered the place she began to stumble upon and it soon clicked to why Luke was there. She didn't know it then, but it was the place that he had spent most past week wallowing with her death. Now it seemed like such a shame for her to betray him like that.
As soon as Sophia saw Luke within her sights, she changed back into her pale human flesh, not yet ready to reveal her entire self to Luke. She first had to see how he would deal with her being alive and then she could think about showing him her true color. The place where they were almost made Sophia cry, knowing that he had to see this place multiple times in the past week. She wondered just how hurt he had been and to what extreme he had cared for her if he still did.
Crouched down in front of a tombstone, Luke sat there perched on the ball of his feet, perfectly still, thinking about all that had happened. Sophia almost turned around, but some unknown force inside her drove her to walk closer towards Luke, careful not to make a sound. With his back turned to her, she couldn't tell what his emotions were and she couldn't go in his mind, knowing then that he would discover her just behind him. No, she had to talk to him and then worry about how he felt later.
"Luke?" Sophia asked, a quiver evident in her voice. Now noticing her behind him, Luke quickly stood and turned to face Sophia. Sophia hoped that his expression would say something, but she was drawing a blank right now. She couldn't flee now or she would just confuse Luke even more. No, she had to go through it. She had to lay everything on the line. Only one sentence could fix the mess she had made. Pushing aside all of her fear, she let all her emotions out, leaving nothing left and everything out in the open. "I love you." She trembled out in a whisper, barely audible, but yet Luke could hear better than ever. Tears were close to coming, and she tried to stop them, but nothing could stop her emotions from coming out now that she had no hold on them again. Although scared that she had let Luke see the true side of her, another side of her truly felt relieved that she had finally let it all out. It just seemed to fit with Luke. She no longer felt shame and embarrassment, yet comfort.
Luke began to scare Sophia, standing there expressionless and not saying or doing anything. She began to think that she hadn't said it loud enough but she knew he had because of his wolven abilities, so why was he not responding? Seeing his decision with his silence, Sophia began to turn realizing the mistake in her attempt in professing her true feelings for Luke.
"Wait." Luke said rushing up to meet her. She turned too fast and ended up closer than she expected. She could feel her bare skin flush up against his, loving the tingling sensation she received from that exposure. Her breath was already stuck somewhere she didn't know existed, and when Luke snaked his arms protectively around her waist, Sophia almost let out a cry, one a on whole new level and a whole different meaning. A small grin began to creep across Luke's mouth as Sophia wondered if what she did was a good thing or not.
"You don't know how long I have waited for you to say that." Luke responded after deafening moments of silence. After finishing his bold statement, he sealed it with a passionate kiss. The second that Luke's lips fell upon Sophia's, she immediately felt him not only in her mouth yet in her mind challenging the inner wolf to completely take over. Sophia wanted to accept it, but she would have to wait until she fully trusted Luke and until he knew everything. Until then, she would have to find some way to control the wolf from raging out. Just then Sophia's mind flashed back the vision she had not an hour ago, realizing that it too had come true. She was kissing Luke as predicted in her dream.
The tightly bound arms around Sophia's slim waist gently and encouragingly pulled her closer towards a now familiar body. Luke wanted to bask in the moment forever, loving the feel of the two of them together. He was about to profess his love to Sophia by marking her, but he began to notice a change in her behavior.
Her forehead was crunched, her body rigid, and defensive side evident. Breaking the kiss abruptly, Luke quickly withdrew, trying to find the reason for her sudden panicked state that he sensed. Looking directly at her face, he knew she was trying to fight something and he sensed her pain, helplessness, but most evident was her fear for what was happening to her.
"Sophia," he whispered softly, cupping her head in his hands as he stooped to her eye level. "What's wrong?" Luke's mind was working a million miles a minute trying to comprehend what was happening to her. He had never seen her this scared before, even when she was flipping she didn't look that scared, but now something else was making her panic.
"I don't know." Sophia spouted out, not sure if Luke heard her, but she wasn't about to repeat herself, for the pain racking on her mind and the rest of her body following was getting too extreme for her to handle.
Sophia grasped Luke's shoulders for support as he arms tightened threateningly around her waist, unsure what to do let alone what was the source of all of her pain.
"Sophia." Luke whispered again wanting to know how he could help, but before he could say anything more, an unearthly scream exited out of Sophia's mouth and straight into Luke's ears and heart.
Not willing to take anymore chances, Luke quickly and effortlessly picked Sophia in his arms, cradling her like the fragile object she was at that moment and began to run to the only place he could think of. The only place where she could be safe, and the only place with the only people who knew what was happening to her.
Luke picked up the pace sensing more than actually looking at her to see just how worse her situation was getting. Her skin began to become pale and clammy, her entire body breaking out in a cold sweat, and her cries became more frequent along with flashes of unknown images in her mind, causing the headache that began to form turn into an all out migraine from hell. Luke noticed her amount of fear begin to rise and saw that she was quickly losing hope. She wasn't going to give up. She was strong regardless of what her pelt color and where she stood in the Pack. She was going to make it through this. She had to or otherwise, Luke was going to go insane this time.
************************
Luke's kick towards Sherman's front door not only threw the door off its hinges, but left a mess in Sherman's entrance hallway. The door flew to the floor, hitting different objects, making them collide with the floor as well. Luke's shocking entrance into the cabin also alerted everyone in the house whether they were asleep or not to the noise coming from the front door, or what was left of it. Sherman was the first to arrive onto the scene followed by Ruby and then John. Ruby eyes were concentrated on her brother's, stunned by the glowing intensity and power she saw surging through them. Right then she understood why he was the Alpha of his generation, and also just how much he was willing to let the wolf overcome him when it came to the protection of Sophia.
Luke's eyes continued to glow a bright amber until he heard another cry come from Sophia's mouth. Taking him out of the trance, he looked down at her, seeing the resemblance of a week ago when she flipped. The pain, fear, and amount of lost hope was enough for him to strive for her survival. Luke looked back up at the three people standing in front of him holding Sophia, now helplessness in his eyes. Sophia was dwindling fast and her defenses were backing down. He needed to find out what was wrong with her and now.
"Please. Help her." Luke whispered as he almost choked on his words. Seeing the importance in acting fast, Sherman quickly took control over the situation and led Luke into the room where Sophia had been staying.
Lightly depositing her fragile body onto the bed, Luke pulled back to look at just how the pain was wearing on her body. It was causing her to convulse off the bed, shake uncontrollably, and scream in sheer horror. It was nothing compared to the flip. It was worse.
"Ruby, does this look a little familiar?" Sherman asked trying to lighten the mood, but his tone was serious.
At that moment, everyone in the room except for Luke and Sophia knew exactly what was coming over Sophia. The same power surge that Ruby had suffered was now attacking Sophia. Yes, Sherman had been right about her being strong, but wrong about her facing the power surge on her own. Sophia had been the one that forced the power into Ruby, but who was forcing it into Sophia now? That wasn't important now; they needed to help Sophia and that meant her unleashing her power onto someone else. But who would willingly accept power that only a clearly dominant white wolf could handle.
"John, take Luke outside." Ruby said knowing the pain of the surge, not wanting Sophia to shift her pelt with the agony she was facing.
As John went towards Luke to escort him outside, Ruby inched closer to Sophia as she sat down next to the trembling girl's body. Bracing herself for the power surfacing in Sophia, Ruby put her hands out in front of her and slowly allowed her hands to move towards Sophia's head. Ready to take the chance of trying to save Sophia's life, Ruby put all her fear behind her and focused on the task of helping and freeing Sophia of the torture she was going through. Finally, Ruby grabbed hold of Sophia's head, willingly becoming subject to the power inside her. As soon as her fingers touched Sophia, Ruby felt too much power. More power than she could ever have imagined in herself. The girl truly was the definition of a white wolf.
The electricity building in Ruby from trying to take Sophia's power began to grow. Enough so that the force literally pushed Ruby completely off of Sophia and onto the floor. John, completely forgetting about Luke, quickly ran over towards Ruby witnessing the whole thing. As he dropped down next to her, John saw how she was clutching her stomach. Pushing the hair back away from her face, John noticed the pain and worry evident in her eyes. That worry was for the fact that she wasn't sure if she would be able to help Sophia.
"What happened?" John asked not yet clear what had actually happened as Sherman came over to check on Ruby.
"There's too much power in her, she- she shocked me." Ruby said coming to the realization of just how capable Sophia was at hurting her, unintentually of course.
"Are you okay?" John asked still cautious about the circumstance even as he noticed the pain decreasing in Ruby's body thanks to her wolven abilities and special healing powers of a white wolf.
"Yeah. I'm fine." She responded as she tried to stand with the help of John and Sherman on both sides, there for support. Checking to make sure she was stable enough, John and Sherman were too involved in the safety of Ruby to realize what was going on with Sophia.
"LUKE! NO!" Ruby screamed, trying to reach her brother in time, but it was already too late. As soon as Ruby stood up, she looked over at Sophia to see Luke now trying to take a chance at helping Sophia. He had no idea what kind of danger he was putting himself directly in the path of. His body was on top of Sophia's, holding onto her arms to stop her from moving, but her body still arched off of the bed from the amount of pain racing throughout her entire body.
Taking matters into his own hands, an idea came to Luke. Sophia and him obviously had a better and more private connection than her and Ruby. Therefore, she would let him in her mind. Right? It was worth the risk. Just like his sister, Luke prepared himself for whatever was going to happen to him. All he knew was that Sophia needed to survive. She needed to be in his life. Sacrifices and choices were always made, now was one of the biggest of his life.
"Luke, don't." Sophia softly cried out trying to forewarn him of the inevitable, but he entered her mind, nonetheless, and accepted his fate, knowing that if any accomplishments were made, one would be that he would risk anything for her. Even his own death.
Ruby tried to stop her brother as she began to run towards him, but the instant that Luke entered Sophia's mind and explosive force pushed her back yet again. The white light consuming Sophia's body unleashed itself onto the contents of the room, breaking glass, pushing objects away from her, and the flying of her friends' bodies across the room. Ruby was pushed right into John's arms who softened her fall onto the floor. He then turned her away from the light enveloping Luke and Sophia, protecting her from its harm as he spooned around her smaller frame.
Sherman hid in the corner behind a desk, watching the phenomenon going on in his house. Luke always seemed to make an explosive entrance, what would change tonight from any other day. First the door, now his house, what else would Luke want to destroy? Sherman hoped it would be furniture before Luke chose himself.
Luke entered her mind, fighting with her resistance. She didn't want to hurt anyone else tonight already knowing and even feeling what she had done to Ruby. She didn't need another victim of her freak show on her hands. However, her power to control what was going on around her and inside of her was failing, allowing Luke easy access into her mind, free for him to explore every part of her.
"Please don't do this. Get out while you can." Sophia warned non-vocally to him. She sensed his ignorance and it was confirmed when his voice replied back to her in her mind.
"I won't let you go through this alone. We're in this together now." Luke said as Sophia realized his seriousness and honesty to the words he spoke.
The pain in Sophia began to unleash its power more intensely causing her body to arch off the bed, pushing both herself and Luke into a sitting position on the bed. She tried to stifle it, but it only crushed her attempts of bottling it making it explode within her even more.
Luke sensed her defenses failing miserably. He saw that she didn't have much time left until the power took over her body completely. He had to get her to use her power on him. It was the only way it would decrease her power. She would have to get rid of it somehow.
"Sophia." Luke called out to her sensing her vulnerability and the fact that she seemed to be disappearing. He could faintly hear her breathing as she cried. Luke felt the emotional stress she was going through hurting others around her. People she cared about, all in different ways.
"SOPHIA!" Luke screamed again finally finding her and pulling her back to him.
"Go in my mind. Use your power on me."
"NO!" Sophia declined not wanting any more harm to come to her as she winced in pain yet again.
"Do it Sophia or I will." Luke said sternly as she felt him trying to force her into his mind. She couldn't fight him, but her reluctance stood strong. She was defying him until an unknown force, the same force that pushed her to Ruby was now pushing her to enter Luke's mind. She tried to stop it, but like so many other things tonight, she couldn't stop them for long. She eventually entered Luke's mind with an explosive force almost pushing him away from her, but he held on for dear life.
Luke forced her to use her power as she skimmed over his memories of the past few months. Everything from the time that he had killed that truck driver on the road and raced to Sophia's house in the middle of the night to the emotions he felt when he first saw her that night, coming to him.
She saw his worry for her, knowing that her change was close and he had no control over whether she was going to make it or not. She felt his determination for making her survive and for her protection against the Pack. She saw all the times he had defended her honor behind her back. How many times he had warned other males to stay away, knowing that they were only thinking about one thing.
She saw the dumb mistakes that he had made by trying to be two different people. Loving her and trying to keep control of the Pack was a job in itself let alone controlling Presley. She was a handful sometimes, and Sophia saw how hard he fought to stay away from her, and the guilt he had to live with every day knowing the mess he had created by being with Presley instead of the one his heart truly desired. Her.
She saw how angry and protective he got when she talked to other males. When humans, ungulates, were around. She saw the envy in his heart for every time someone else made her smile while he tried to all the time only to get a frown. He would try to explain and it would end up in another heated debate about how different they were. She saw the guilt rise even higher when she had 'died'. She didn't know just how much he had cared for her and how much he had regretted some of the choices he had made and others he felt too scared to even consider.
She saw him fighting with Presley after she had died. She felt the honesty in his words when he finally told Presley just what he thought about her and how he didn't even care about her. She saw how Presley had reacted and how he had kept his distance from the 'Hill' kids the past week. He had changed, and was willing to for her and because of her. She had left an impression on him, an everlasting one.
She saw him sitting in the diner all by himself wearing a black suit and tie. The rain outside fitted his mood perfectly. She discovered his hopes in trying to find a way to recover when he knew of none. He fought against himself to give up when a part of him fought to find her, wanting her to be alive. She felt his determination to find her although he was chained to the confines of Wolf Lake. He tried to escape to search for her, but she was so far away that he had no idea where to start.
His dreams haunted him at night. He dreamt that he had killed Sophia and not her father. He dreamt that she came back and then left again, breaking his heart once again. He was terrified to go to sleep, knowing that other haunting images would be there to welcome him. She now understood why he had been so drunk the last week. She could feel the alcohol taking over her senses, the smell evident on his breath as well in his mind. She knew he was upset, but she didn't think he would resort to alcoholism as an answer.
She saw him at her grave, staring at the tombstone, hoping it wasn't true. He prayed for a second chance and the opportunity to fix the problems he had created and the stress he had put on her shoulders. She witnessed what others had no idea of. She felt his tears fall down his cheeks and she saw the heartache her 'death' had caused him. He was a mess and it only cleared up when she came back into his life, thankful for that second chance he had prayed for.
Finally, Sophia felt the emotional crisis that he had been suffering from come to an end. Although he regretted how he came across finding her, he didn't regret the fact he found her. It was the best day of his life. He remembered how thrilled he had been about the chase that when he had discovered who his prey was, he was mixed with all kinds of emotions. He was happy, shocked, embarrassed, and scared, all at the same time. There were also a lot of questions going on through his mind as well. Like what actually happened? Did she flip? What were her emotions like for him? What was her pelt color?
Sophia almost choked when that question came in his mind. She still hadn't totally revealed herself to him. In fact, the only thing she had revealed were her emotions for him. It was going to still take time and courage to answer all his other questions.
Luke stopped with that thought as Sophia realized how incredibly weak he was getting. He had used up all of his power and was still hanging on letting her force weaken him more. When Sophia had stumbled upon that realization, she began to panic for his well being.
"Luke, let go." She cried out almost shrieking, not really knowing why he was still holding on.
"There's still too much power inside of you." he called out, knowing that he was getting weaker, you could tell by his voice, but he still held on tighter than ever.
"There's not going to be any power in you if you don't let go." Sophia tried to warn him, but she felt his connection latch on harder than ever. He was determined to save her life. "Sorry Luke, but I'm not bringing you down with me." She said before she physically, now back in control of her body, pushed him away from her, resulting in him breaking the hold.
The white light in the room now vanished with a flash, blinding Ruby, John, and especially Sherman whose eyes were fixed on the bright display. Clutching their eyes closed tightly, they kept them that way for several moments before opening them once again. Once their eyes opened, they immediately looked over towards the bed to see the end of the power surge and its hold on Sophia.
Her eyes opened slowly, knowing that they were glowing an intense gold. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and looked at the person sitting only inches from her face. Luke also had his eyes open, staring intently at her. Their weakness and exhaustion hung heavily in the air until Sophia couldn't stand it anymore. She slowly fell back against the bed no longer able to hold herself upright, not caring how long she slept, only that when she woke up she would be well rested. After her body hit the mattress it only took seconds until another unconscious form fell down beside her. She knew it was Luke's but made no movement nor motion to recognize it. Sleep now clouded her mind along with Luke's as they both curled up, their bodies begging for sleep to overcome their bodies.
Meanwhile Ruby, John, and Sherman where still recovering from the weird outcome of tonight's events. Standing up and making sure that each of them were okay, they all slowly began to inch their way towards the bed. John stood protectively in front of Ruby in case of another light show from Sophia tonight.
"It's all right. They're asleep." Ruby concluded knowing that Sophia's power was at a bare minimal right now. Just about the same as Luke's. They were powerless and vulnerable. They were all safe for now.
Taking a deep breath, they all saw that the adventure was over for now and that it was time to turn in to accept tomorrow's challenges. Everyday there's something different in Wolf Lake. Gotta love the twists and turns around every corner.
"It's funny how we always find our kids in bed every time we come over here." A voice said from the door attracting everyone's attention to who said that comment.
"If you only knew the truth about my daughter." Matt said finished with his conversation with Vivian. He wasn't going to deal with someone as stubborn and ignorant as Vivian so Sophia would just have to wait to tell Vivian about her true identity.
"What identity?" Vivian asked Matt unaware that he had been broadcasting his thoughts out loud, enough for Vivian to hear.
"Sophia as her true self." Matt finished as he began to walk towards the door, but Vivian wasn't finished, following him into the living room and then the hallway towards the door.
"And just what makes up the true Sophia?" Vivian asked Matt pressing him for the information, now intrigued about the girl.
"Put best by Sherman, her destiny in the Pack, and what her color represents." Matt said before he could take it back. He didn't mean to tell Vivian and he hoped she wouldn't catch on, but by the look on her face, she knew all too well what he meant.
"You mean...?" Vivian asked unable to complete the sentence, astonished by the new found information.
"Yes, Sophia is a white wolf." Matt said bowing his head. Sophia was going to kill him for telling Vivian. She wanted to be the one to tell her, but maybe it was actually better that Matt tell her instead. She trusted Matt and his opinion when it came to the Pack, and regardless of what she thought, Matt was involved. She would need his trust and vice versa.
Sophia's disappearance, Matt's flipping, her appearance, everything made sense now. If only she had known beforehand then she never would have jumped to conclusions with Matt of Lu-
"Oh my God." Vivian said clamping her hand over her mouth. "That's why Luke was so-"
"No, Luke doesn't know yet." Matt cut in letting her know the truth.
"He doesn't?" Vivian asked surprised that Luke actually loved Sophia even without looking at her pelt color.
"No. Sophia wanted you to know first. She's going to need to be protected. She still has to gain you son's trust before letting him know and understand her." Matt said which surprised Vivian. Sophia had wanted her to know before Luke? What was that all about?
"She doesn't want trouble Vivian. She only wants to find the danger and stop the visions she has from coming true and protect the victims in those visions. She has witnessed the murders through her visions. Although no help so far, she concluded that a gray wolf is responsible." Matt answered her unasked question in her mind. "Ruby has special healing powers, too."
"She's changed hasn't she?" Vivian asked almost grinning.
"She's definitely changed Vivian, but so has your son. He cares for Sophia in a way that I have never seen before. I noticed it after she left, but it has grown more since she has returned. She's more arrogant and protective now. The wolf inside her is strong." Matt explained letting Vivian in on a detail or two.
"Like father like daughter." Vivian answered making Matt smile for the first time they had talked.
**********************
Sophia couldn't stand to think about anymore. She couldn't stand to think about what Luke was doing now. If he was with someone, if he was looking for Presley for a little late night get together, or if he was in the same amount of pain she was experiencing at this very moment. She couldn't stand lying around and waiting for something or someone to make her mistake even worse. She had to find Luke and tell him the real story, the real reason she pushed him away. The reason being that she was afraid to love someone and allowing them to take up so much space in her heart, holding them for eternity. He had seen her soul and he had accepted her into his, it was time that he saw the new Sophia. The Sophia would let no holds barred. A new Sophia who was willing to fight for what she believed in.
Climbing out of bed, Sophia tried to walk on her injured leg. Big mistake. The piercing pain almost made her double over and fall on the floor. Seeing no other option than changing into the beautiful white wolf she was known for, Sophia quickly discarded her clothes and walked out of her room heading towards the front door. She blocked everything out and only concentrated on the task at hand. Finding her mate. Mate? Since when was Luke her mate. Evidently since now, her mind answered back, the wolf in full mode and powering to take over. She quickly let her guard down and let it roam freely wondering if it would now always be in control.
"Sophia, where are you going?" A voice asked her but she pushed it aside, not knowing until later that it was Sherman who asked her that question she wouldn't respond to.
"Let her go." Another voice replied seeing what Sophia was doing. Ruby had entered her mind without interfering with Sophia's thoughts and saw what she was thinking and what she was about to do. Ruby secretly wished her good luck and left her mind to deal with Sherman and John, both who were wondering what she was doing and where she was going in such a hurry.
*********************
Stepping off the porch and looking around at her familiar yet new surroundings Sophia immediately felt one with nature. Taking one last look at the moon, she changed into her white pelt matching the bright display of the moon before dashing into the forest full of secrets, darkness, and wonder, eager to find Luke and fix the mistake she had made. She quickly found Luke not too far from Sherman's house. She remembered the place she began to stumble upon and it soon clicked to why Luke was there. She didn't know it then, but it was the place that he had spent most past week wallowing with her death. Now it seemed like such a shame for her to betray him like that.
As soon as Sophia saw Luke within her sights, she changed back into her pale human flesh, not yet ready to reveal her entire self to Luke. She first had to see how he would deal with her being alive and then she could think about showing him her true color. The place where they were almost made Sophia cry, knowing that he had to see this place multiple times in the past week. She wondered just how hurt he had been and to what extreme he had cared for her if he still did.
Crouched down in front of a tombstone, Luke sat there perched on the ball of his feet, perfectly still, thinking about all that had happened. Sophia almost turned around, but some unknown force inside her drove her to walk closer towards Luke, careful not to make a sound. With his back turned to her, she couldn't tell what his emotions were and she couldn't go in his mind, knowing then that he would discover her just behind him. No, she had to talk to him and then worry about how he felt later.
"Luke?" Sophia asked, a quiver evident in her voice. Now noticing her behind him, Luke quickly stood and turned to face Sophia. Sophia hoped that his expression would say something, but she was drawing a blank right now. She couldn't flee now or she would just confuse Luke even more. No, she had to go through it. She had to lay everything on the line. Only one sentence could fix the mess she had made. Pushing aside all of her fear, she let all her emotions out, leaving nothing left and everything out in the open. "I love you." She trembled out in a whisper, barely audible, but yet Luke could hear better than ever. Tears were close to coming, and she tried to stop them, but nothing could stop her emotions from coming out now that she had no hold on them again. Although scared that she had let Luke see the true side of her, another side of her truly felt relieved that she had finally let it all out. It just seemed to fit with Luke. She no longer felt shame and embarrassment, yet comfort.
Luke began to scare Sophia, standing there expressionless and not saying or doing anything. She began to think that she hadn't said it loud enough but she knew he had because of his wolven abilities, so why was he not responding? Seeing his decision with his silence, Sophia began to turn realizing the mistake in her attempt in professing her true feelings for Luke.
"Wait." Luke said rushing up to meet her. She turned too fast and ended up closer than she expected. She could feel her bare skin flush up against his, loving the tingling sensation she received from that exposure. Her breath was already stuck somewhere she didn't know existed, and when Luke snaked his arms protectively around her waist, Sophia almost let out a cry, one a on whole new level and a whole different meaning. A small grin began to creep across Luke's mouth as Sophia wondered if what she did was a good thing or not.
"You don't know how long I have waited for you to say that." Luke responded after deafening moments of silence. After finishing his bold statement, he sealed it with a passionate kiss. The second that Luke's lips fell upon Sophia's, she immediately felt him not only in her mouth yet in her mind challenging the inner wolf to completely take over. Sophia wanted to accept it, but she would have to wait until she fully trusted Luke and until he knew everything. Until then, she would have to find some way to control the wolf from raging out. Just then Sophia's mind flashed back the vision she had not an hour ago, realizing that it too had come true. She was kissing Luke as predicted in her dream.
The tightly bound arms around Sophia's slim waist gently and encouragingly pulled her closer towards a now familiar body. Luke wanted to bask in the moment forever, loving the feel of the two of them together. He was about to profess his love to Sophia by marking her, but he began to notice a change in her behavior.
Her forehead was crunched, her body rigid, and defensive side evident. Breaking the kiss abruptly, Luke quickly withdrew, trying to find the reason for her sudden panicked state that he sensed. Looking directly at her face, he knew she was trying to fight something and he sensed her pain, helplessness, but most evident was her fear for what was happening to her.
"Sophia," he whispered softly, cupping her head in his hands as he stooped to her eye level. "What's wrong?" Luke's mind was working a million miles a minute trying to comprehend what was happening to her. He had never seen her this scared before, even when she was flipping she didn't look that scared, but now something else was making her panic.
"I don't know." Sophia spouted out, not sure if Luke heard her, but she wasn't about to repeat herself, for the pain racking on her mind and the rest of her body following was getting too extreme for her to handle.
Sophia grasped Luke's shoulders for support as he arms tightened threateningly around her waist, unsure what to do let alone what was the source of all of her pain.
"Sophia." Luke whispered again wanting to know how he could help, but before he could say anything more, an unearthly scream exited out of Sophia's mouth and straight into Luke's ears and heart.
Not willing to take anymore chances, Luke quickly and effortlessly picked Sophia in his arms, cradling her like the fragile object she was at that moment and began to run to the only place he could think of. The only place where she could be safe, and the only place with the only people who knew what was happening to her.
Luke picked up the pace sensing more than actually looking at her to see just how worse her situation was getting. Her skin began to become pale and clammy, her entire body breaking out in a cold sweat, and her cries became more frequent along with flashes of unknown images in her mind, causing the headache that began to form turn into an all out migraine from hell. Luke noticed her amount of fear begin to rise and saw that she was quickly losing hope. She wasn't going to give up. She was strong regardless of what her pelt color and where she stood in the Pack. She was going to make it through this. She had to or otherwise, Luke was going to go insane this time.
************************
Luke's kick towards Sherman's front door not only threw the door off its hinges, but left a mess in Sherman's entrance hallway. The door flew to the floor, hitting different objects, making them collide with the floor as well. Luke's shocking entrance into the cabin also alerted everyone in the house whether they were asleep or not to the noise coming from the front door, or what was left of it. Sherman was the first to arrive onto the scene followed by Ruby and then John. Ruby eyes were concentrated on her brother's, stunned by the glowing intensity and power she saw surging through them. Right then she understood why he was the Alpha of his generation, and also just how much he was willing to let the wolf overcome him when it came to the protection of Sophia.
Luke's eyes continued to glow a bright amber until he heard another cry come from Sophia's mouth. Taking him out of the trance, he looked down at her, seeing the resemblance of a week ago when she flipped. The pain, fear, and amount of lost hope was enough for him to strive for her survival. Luke looked back up at the three people standing in front of him holding Sophia, now helplessness in his eyes. Sophia was dwindling fast and her defenses were backing down. He needed to find out what was wrong with her and now.
"Please. Help her." Luke whispered as he almost choked on his words. Seeing the importance in acting fast, Sherman quickly took control over the situation and led Luke into the room where Sophia had been staying.
Lightly depositing her fragile body onto the bed, Luke pulled back to look at just how the pain was wearing on her body. It was causing her to convulse off the bed, shake uncontrollably, and scream in sheer horror. It was nothing compared to the flip. It was worse.
"Ruby, does this look a little familiar?" Sherman asked trying to lighten the mood, but his tone was serious.
At that moment, everyone in the room except for Luke and Sophia knew exactly what was coming over Sophia. The same power surge that Ruby had suffered was now attacking Sophia. Yes, Sherman had been right about her being strong, but wrong about her facing the power surge on her own. Sophia had been the one that forced the power into Ruby, but who was forcing it into Sophia now? That wasn't important now; they needed to help Sophia and that meant her unleashing her power onto someone else. But who would willingly accept power that only a clearly dominant white wolf could handle.
"John, take Luke outside." Ruby said knowing the pain of the surge, not wanting Sophia to shift her pelt with the agony she was facing.
As John went towards Luke to escort him outside, Ruby inched closer to Sophia as she sat down next to the trembling girl's body. Bracing herself for the power surfacing in Sophia, Ruby put her hands out in front of her and slowly allowed her hands to move towards Sophia's head. Ready to take the chance of trying to save Sophia's life, Ruby put all her fear behind her and focused on the task of helping and freeing Sophia of the torture she was going through. Finally, Ruby grabbed hold of Sophia's head, willingly becoming subject to the power inside her. As soon as her fingers touched Sophia, Ruby felt too much power. More power than she could ever have imagined in herself. The girl truly was the definition of a white wolf.
The electricity building in Ruby from trying to take Sophia's power began to grow. Enough so that the force literally pushed Ruby completely off of Sophia and onto the floor. John, completely forgetting about Luke, quickly ran over towards Ruby witnessing the whole thing. As he dropped down next to her, John saw how she was clutching her stomach. Pushing the hair back away from her face, John noticed the pain and worry evident in her eyes. That worry was for the fact that she wasn't sure if she would be able to help Sophia.
"What happened?" John asked not yet clear what had actually happened as Sherman came over to check on Ruby.
"There's too much power in her, she- she shocked me." Ruby said coming to the realization of just how capable Sophia was at hurting her, unintentually of course.
"Are you okay?" John asked still cautious about the circumstance even as he noticed the pain decreasing in Ruby's body thanks to her wolven abilities and special healing powers of a white wolf.
"Yeah. I'm fine." She responded as she tried to stand with the help of John and Sherman on both sides, there for support. Checking to make sure she was stable enough, John and Sherman were too involved in the safety of Ruby to realize what was going on with Sophia.
"LUKE! NO!" Ruby screamed, trying to reach her brother in time, but it was already too late. As soon as Ruby stood up, she looked over at Sophia to see Luke now trying to take a chance at helping Sophia. He had no idea what kind of danger he was putting himself directly in the path of. His body was on top of Sophia's, holding onto her arms to stop her from moving, but her body still arched off of the bed from the amount of pain racing throughout her entire body.
Taking matters into his own hands, an idea came to Luke. Sophia and him obviously had a better and more private connection than her and Ruby. Therefore, she would let him in her mind. Right? It was worth the risk. Just like his sister, Luke prepared himself for whatever was going to happen to him. All he knew was that Sophia needed to survive. She needed to be in his life. Sacrifices and choices were always made, now was one of the biggest of his life.
"Luke, don't." Sophia softly cried out trying to forewarn him of the inevitable, but he entered her mind, nonetheless, and accepted his fate, knowing that if any accomplishments were made, one would be that he would risk anything for her. Even his own death.
Ruby tried to stop her brother as she began to run towards him, but the instant that Luke entered Sophia's mind and explosive force pushed her back yet again. The white light consuming Sophia's body unleashed itself onto the contents of the room, breaking glass, pushing objects away from her, and the flying of her friends' bodies across the room. Ruby was pushed right into John's arms who softened her fall onto the floor. He then turned her away from the light enveloping Luke and Sophia, protecting her from its harm as he spooned around her smaller frame.
Sherman hid in the corner behind a desk, watching the phenomenon going on in his house. Luke always seemed to make an explosive entrance, what would change tonight from any other day. First the door, now his house, what else would Luke want to destroy? Sherman hoped it would be furniture before Luke chose himself.
Luke entered her mind, fighting with her resistance. She didn't want to hurt anyone else tonight already knowing and even feeling what she had done to Ruby. She didn't need another victim of her freak show on her hands. However, her power to control what was going on around her and inside of her was failing, allowing Luke easy access into her mind, free for him to explore every part of her.
"Please don't do this. Get out while you can." Sophia warned non-vocally to him. She sensed his ignorance and it was confirmed when his voice replied back to her in her mind.
"I won't let you go through this alone. We're in this together now." Luke said as Sophia realized his seriousness and honesty to the words he spoke.
The pain in Sophia began to unleash its power more intensely causing her body to arch off the bed, pushing both herself and Luke into a sitting position on the bed. She tried to stifle it, but it only crushed her attempts of bottling it making it explode within her even more.
Luke sensed her defenses failing miserably. He saw that she didn't have much time left until the power took over her body completely. He had to get her to use her power on him. It was the only way it would decrease her power. She would have to get rid of it somehow.
"Sophia." Luke called out to her sensing her vulnerability and the fact that she seemed to be disappearing. He could faintly hear her breathing as she cried. Luke felt the emotional stress she was going through hurting others around her. People she cared about, all in different ways.
"SOPHIA!" Luke screamed again finally finding her and pulling her back to him.
"Go in my mind. Use your power on me."
"NO!" Sophia declined not wanting any more harm to come to her as she winced in pain yet again.
"Do it Sophia or I will." Luke said sternly as she felt him trying to force her into his mind. She couldn't fight him, but her reluctance stood strong. She was defying him until an unknown force, the same force that pushed her to Ruby was now pushing her to enter Luke's mind. She tried to stop it, but like so many other things tonight, she couldn't stop them for long. She eventually entered Luke's mind with an explosive force almost pushing him away from her, but he held on for dear life.
Luke forced her to use her power as she skimmed over his memories of the past few months. Everything from the time that he had killed that truck driver on the road and raced to Sophia's house in the middle of the night to the emotions he felt when he first saw her that night, coming to him.
She saw his worry for her, knowing that her change was close and he had no control over whether she was going to make it or not. She felt his determination for making her survive and for her protection against the Pack. She saw all the times he had defended her honor behind her back. How many times he had warned other males to stay away, knowing that they were only thinking about one thing.
She saw the dumb mistakes that he had made by trying to be two different people. Loving her and trying to keep control of the Pack was a job in itself let alone controlling Presley. She was a handful sometimes, and Sophia saw how hard he fought to stay away from her, and the guilt he had to live with every day knowing the mess he had created by being with Presley instead of the one his heart truly desired. Her.
She saw how angry and protective he got when she talked to other males. When humans, ungulates, were around. She saw the envy in his heart for every time someone else made her smile while he tried to all the time only to get a frown. He would try to explain and it would end up in another heated debate about how different they were. She saw the guilt rise even higher when she had 'died'. She didn't know just how much he had cared for her and how much he had regretted some of the choices he had made and others he felt too scared to even consider.
She saw him fighting with Presley after she had died. She felt the honesty in his words when he finally told Presley just what he thought about her and how he didn't even care about her. She saw how Presley had reacted and how he had kept his distance from the 'Hill' kids the past week. He had changed, and was willing to for her and because of her. She had left an impression on him, an everlasting one.
She saw him sitting in the diner all by himself wearing a black suit and tie. The rain outside fitted his mood perfectly. She discovered his hopes in trying to find a way to recover when he knew of none. He fought against himself to give up when a part of him fought to find her, wanting her to be alive. She felt his determination to find her although he was chained to the confines of Wolf Lake. He tried to escape to search for her, but she was so far away that he had no idea where to start.
His dreams haunted him at night. He dreamt that he had killed Sophia and not her father. He dreamt that she came back and then left again, breaking his heart once again. He was terrified to go to sleep, knowing that other haunting images would be there to welcome him. She now understood why he had been so drunk the last week. She could feel the alcohol taking over her senses, the smell evident on his breath as well in his mind. She knew he was upset, but she didn't think he would resort to alcoholism as an answer.
She saw him at her grave, staring at the tombstone, hoping it wasn't true. He prayed for a second chance and the opportunity to fix the problems he had created and the stress he had put on her shoulders. She witnessed what others had no idea of. She felt his tears fall down his cheeks and she saw the heartache her 'death' had caused him. He was a mess and it only cleared up when she came back into his life, thankful for that second chance he had prayed for.
Finally, Sophia felt the emotional crisis that he had been suffering from come to an end. Although he regretted how he came across finding her, he didn't regret the fact he found her. It was the best day of his life. He remembered how thrilled he had been about the chase that when he had discovered who his prey was, he was mixed with all kinds of emotions. He was happy, shocked, embarrassed, and scared, all at the same time. There were also a lot of questions going on through his mind as well. Like what actually happened? Did she flip? What were her emotions like for him? What was her pelt color?
Sophia almost choked when that question came in his mind. She still hadn't totally revealed herself to him. In fact, the only thing she had revealed were her emotions for him. It was going to still take time and courage to answer all his other questions.
Luke stopped with that thought as Sophia realized how incredibly weak he was getting. He had used up all of his power and was still hanging on letting her force weaken him more. When Sophia had stumbled upon that realization, she began to panic for his well being.
"Luke, let go." She cried out almost shrieking, not really knowing why he was still holding on.
"There's still too much power inside of you." he called out, knowing that he was getting weaker, you could tell by his voice, but he still held on tighter than ever.
"There's not going to be any power in you if you don't let go." Sophia tried to warn him, but she felt his connection latch on harder than ever. He was determined to save her life. "Sorry Luke, but I'm not bringing you down with me." She said before she physically, now back in control of her body, pushed him away from her, resulting in him breaking the hold.
The white light in the room now vanished with a flash, blinding Ruby, John, and especially Sherman whose eyes were fixed on the bright display. Clutching their eyes closed tightly, they kept them that way for several moments before opening them once again. Once their eyes opened, they immediately looked over towards the bed to see the end of the power surge and its hold on Sophia.
Her eyes opened slowly, knowing that they were glowing an intense gold. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and looked at the person sitting only inches from her face. Luke also had his eyes open, staring intently at her. Their weakness and exhaustion hung heavily in the air until Sophia couldn't stand it anymore. She slowly fell back against the bed no longer able to hold herself upright, not caring how long she slept, only that when she woke up she would be well rested. After her body hit the mattress it only took seconds until another unconscious form fell down beside her. She knew it was Luke's but made no movement nor motion to recognize it. Sleep now clouded her mind along with Luke's as they both curled up, their bodies begging for sleep to overcome their bodies.
Meanwhile Ruby, John, and Sherman where still recovering from the weird outcome of tonight's events. Standing up and making sure that each of them were okay, they all slowly began to inch their way towards the bed. John stood protectively in front of Ruby in case of another light show from Sophia tonight.
"It's all right. They're asleep." Ruby concluded knowing that Sophia's power was at a bare minimal right now. Just about the same as Luke's. They were powerless and vulnerable. They were all safe for now.
Taking a deep breath, they all saw that the adventure was over for now and that it was time to turn in to accept tomorrow's challenges. Everyday there's something different in Wolf Lake. Gotta love the twists and turns around every corner.
"It's funny how we always find our kids in bed every time we come over here." A voice said from the door attracting everyone's attention to who said that comment.
