Torrent (Alpha Love - a Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 4) (21 page)

As the sun sets the party at Ashton’s place shows no signs of letting up any time soon. There’s a celebratory mood that night. They all have a lot of steam to blow off after the events of the past weeks. The beer flows and the flames of the bonfire flick up to the sky like dragon tongues. The packs have come together, for the first time in centuries, it’s a seminal moment in time and Sofie wants to take it all in.

She stands with Lindsey and Hector as they talk and laugh, swapping war stories with some of the members of the other packs. She feels part of everything, more so than she had even imagined she could. She finds her gaze drifting over to Ashton again and again. She can’t help it, it’s like there’s a magnet that draws her to him. It’s impossible for him not to be the center of her attention.

The Alphas sit slightly separate from the rest of the weres. They’ve been in discussion for most of the evening, they have a lot to talk about. So much has changed in so little time and they’re racing behind, trying to catch up.

“So what happens next? Now that our existence is common knowledge, it’s going to get harder and harder to hide what we are.” Brady is an older Alpha, from a remote town high up in the mountains. He was used to the old way of life, these changes would be hardest on him.

They all look to Ashton. Despite them all being Pack Masters, they considered him as the natural leader of the group. It wasn’t a position he had sought out, nor one that he wanted, but he wouldn’t shirk off the responsibility they had given him just because he hadn’t asked for it.

He takes a breath before voicing his opinion, he knows that it’s going to cause controversy but that doesn’t stop him. “Perhaps it’s time that we all stop hiding, then. We may not have asked to be dragged out of the closet, but it’s happened and if we rush back in it’ll just make people more wary of us. We want to show them that there’s nothing to be afraid of, that we’ve been protecting them all these years.”

Falcon shakes his head. “But what about the people that feel the same way as the Humans First? I don’t plan on leading my pack out into the world just for them to be hunted down like animals.”

Ashton stands up, ready to call an end to the meeting. The issue is too large for them to solve in one sit-down, especially when there are so many personalities to deal with. “There will always be people that thrive on hate and that are afraid of what’s different. But we’ve never run away from a fight and I don’t plan on starting now. We’ll deal with shitheels like Humans First together. If any of you run into problems, you know where to find me. You came today to protect your brothers and sisters, without you I don’t know how many of my pack would still be standing. Whenever you have need of someone to stand with you, we’ll be there.” The other Alphas dip their heads in thanks, knowing how much his offer means. “Now, I think it’s time we joined the celebrations, don’t you?” He clinks his beer bottle with the men before striding off, being pulled towards what he could sense was on the other side of the bonfire without even seeing it.

Sofie hugs Finn tightly to her, still high from the events of the day and the beer that she’s been drinking like water. She ignores his discomfort at her show of emotion. “Don’t pretend that you don’t like it,” she jokes as he gives her his long-suffering look.

“Oh, thank God, you’ve come to save me!” Finn holds his hands out in pleading and Sofie turns around to see Ashton approaching them. Without saying anything Lindsey and Hector start to fade into the background letting Sofie and Ashton have their moment. When Finn remains, Lindsey reaches out to grab him by the neck of his ironic t-shirt. “What the -?” He doesn’t get any further before Lindsey drags him away, manhandling him as he grumbles about the pen being mightier than the sword.

Sofie takes a deep breath as she looks up into Ashton’s clear blue eyes that seem to see right through to her soul. “So is this the part where you tell me how mad you are with me for coming after you?” She bites her bottom lip, waiting for the onslaught.

“No, this is the part where I thank you for…how did you put it? Saving my ass.” Ashton smiles at her widely, reaching out to push a strand of her hair over her ear. “When I thought that I’d lost you, that it was me that had stopped you beautiful heart from beating …”

He doesn’t finish his sentence, but he doesn’t have to, the emotion in his eyes tells Sofie all she needs to know. “I’m here. You didn’t lose me.” She steps into his arms. “You found me. You saved me,” she reminds him.

They stand like that for a little while, marvelling at how perfectly they fit against each other like they really were made for one another.

“You really are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.” Ashton lifts her chin up to meet his gaze.

“I think everyone here is pretty incredible.” Sofie nods towards the Lycans gathered around the bonfire, high on life.

“Lindsey told me what you did, how you took charge and sent the messages out to the other pack leaders.” Ashton follows her gaze. “You’re the reason they’re all still alive. You’re the reason that we’re celebrating tonight.”

Sofie blushes, embarrassed that Ashton’s singling her out but undeniably happy that he’s so proud of her. “You have no idea how special you are, do you?” Ashton looks at her, amazed.

Sofie looks at him, confused. “You mean because of what happened out in the canyon? The way the pack reacted when I changed? I sort of thought that always might have happened the first time a were morphs?”

Ashton shakes his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Not exactly...This is going to be one of those times that you ask me a million questions, isn’t it?”

Sofie looks at him, smiling wryly. “Well, that depends on what it is you’re going to tell me.”

Ashton sighs in defeat. “I’m going for the short story because we have all the time in the world ahead of us for you to ask anything that you want. And, besides, Gus has asked me if he can personally take care of your training so a lot of the explanations are going to come down to him.”

Sofie pulls back to look at him, frowning. “Gus? Gus as in the big black wolf, Gus? He volunteered to help me?” She thinks back to the past few days and how the way he treated her has changed, but she could never have imagined that he would actually sign up to spend time with her.

Ashton nods, reading her mind. “He’s impressed with you, and he’s not the only one.” Ashton looks pointedly at the other Pack Masters who are doing a really poor job of pretending that they’re not looking at them.

“But why? I don’t get it.” Sofie shakes her head, not understanding what she’s done that’s garnered her so much attention. “Did you apologize for punching him?”

Ashton throws back his head and laughs and Sofie can’t help but think what a great sound it is. “Gus and I are good, you don’t need to worry about that. Right now, I want to talk about you and why you’re the most extraordinary thing to happen to this pack.” Ashton looks at her pointedly, telling her with his eyes that he doesn’t want her to interrupt. Sofie nods contritely, for once doing as she’s asked. “For starters, you, a new-born Lycan, led the pack into a battle, which we won. Secondly, you’re the first human to be turned in centuries, the first to have survived at least.” Ashton’s expression clouds over, not wanting to remember how she had looked lying on the cold ground without breath, without a pulse. “Thirdly, you’re a white wolf.”

Sofie looks at him searchingly, waiting for more information. “I’m going to need to more than that, I’m a little behind on my Lycan History classes, you know, only being a day old and all.”

Ashton chuckles, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips, like he couldn’t help himself. “You’re the only white wolf any of us have ever seen. You’re the only one there is any record of since the first, since the wolf that turned Lupo.” Ashton waits as Sofie tries to process what he’s just told her. There are so many questions she wants to ask, but she can’t seem to get them into any order. Ashton makes the most of her silence and delivers one final titbit. “You’re a descendant of that wolf, the one that is responsible for all Lycans that are walking or have ever walked the Earth. Lindsey was right when she said that you were important, but this is more than any of us could ever have imagined.”

Sofie’s brain is still reeling from everything that Ashton has told her, but the scientist in her needs answers. “But, what does that mean? How can I be the only one? How does that make me different from everyone else? I have so many questions.” She looks up at Ashton, waiting for answers.

“I know you do, running girl. And the answers will come in good time.” Ashton lays a finger against her lips as she tries to interrupt him.

Lindsey’s tap on Ashton’s shoulder saves him from Sofie’s tongue-lashing over how it wasn’t fair to tease her.

“Ash, I know you’re a little busy,” Lindsey winks conspiratorially at Sofie, “but it
is
customary for the Alpha to say a few words after a were first transforms. The packs are waiting.”

As Lindsey steps away from them, Sofie suddenly becomes aware of the silence that has settled over the three packs. From the way that they were all looking at her it was clear that the ones who hadn’t seen her in her wolf form had already heard about it. The expression on their faces was something close to wonder and Sofie shifts uncomfortably under the intensity of their gaze. She tries to take a step back into obscurity but Ashton’s hold on her hand is tight, refusing to let her go.

“Brothers and Sisters,” Ashton’s voice booms out over the clearing, “today has been a momentous day for us. We have banded together,” here Ashton nods towards the other Alphas, “and we have defeated the enemy that sought to destroy us.” Exclamations of victory go up among the Lycans and Ashton waits until they settle down again before continuing. “But that isn’t the only reason that today will go down in history. It’s also the day that Sofie Braun, became a Lycan.” Sofie cringes at being the center of attention as all eyes turn to her. “It is the day that the white wolf has returned to us. So, Brothers and Sister, raise your glasses to Sofie, to her strength, to her brains and to her courage in the face of the most dangerous enemy we have ever faced.” Ashton raises his bottle to the skies. “To Sofie, my mate and Pack Mother.”

“To Sofie!” The words are repeated around the bonfire by every were as they raise their drinks, toasting their new leader.

It was only a couple of months since the events in Beaumont had come to a head, culminating in Luke’s arrest and the disbanding of the Humans First Brigade. They were deemed to be unconstitutional and therefore illegal. Some had gone underground and started off their own Anti-Lycan groups, others had just faded away, never to be heard of again.

Werewolves were officially out of the closet and there was no crowbarring them back in. It was a new world, where Lycans and humans were going to have to learn to live together. It was a time of transition on both sides, each trying to figure out how they fit into this changed perception of what we always thought we knew. But, right now, Sofie and Ashton are less concerned about how they fit into the big bad world and more concerned about how they fit against each other. Sofie and Ashton are making love.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you, running girl.” Ashton nips at her earlobe as he whispers the words.

Sofie moans softly as he traps her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, twisting the erect bud gently. Her breath is coming in short pants now, her excitement building. Ashton trails kisses down her neck, looking at her like she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

She locks eyes with him, reaching up and pulling his mouth back down to hers. “I want you inside of me.” She reaches down between them, rubbing his hardness, feeling the weight of him,

They keep their eyes focused on each other as she guides him into her silky entrance. Ashton enters her, achingly slowly, stretching out the moment until he’s completely buried inside of her, up to the hilt. Sofie arches her back up to meet him, wanting to take everything he has to give her.

“God, Sofie, you drive me crazy.” Ashton lifts his head up, like he’s looking to the sky for strength, to gather some control.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Sofie squirms underneath him, wrapping her legs around his waist to allow him even deeper inside of her and she’s rewarded by a groan from Ashton that seems to come from the very core of him.

He starts to move, easing in and out of her, gaining momentum and strength as he sinks inside of her, letting her take all of him, needing her to. He traps her mouth in his, kissing her, his tongue mimicking his cock as he enters her again and again. Sofie digs her fingernails into Ashton’s hips, pulling him tighter against her as she strains against him, wanting to feel everything, all of him.

Ashton dips his head, kissing the tops of her breasts, sucking on her nipples, wanting to devour every inch of her. Sofie surrenders herself to the heat that’s building between her legs. Her breath catches as Ashton moves his hips faster, pounding into her, like he knows exactly how close she is. It had always been this way with them, as if they were connected by something neither of them could explain. Their bodies were so in tune with one another, they anticipated each other’s needs, wants, even things that they didn’t even know they needed.

“Baby, I’m close,” Sofie’s voice in his ear is a whisper as Ashton’s body took her to another level, another plain of existence where all that remained was pleasure.

Ashton watches her in awe as her excitement plays across her face. As she moans into him with each thrust, he gets the unquenchable urge to devour her. He wants to take everything she will give him and it will never be enough.

His arms crush her against his hard body, as his hips move in time with hers. He can feel how hot and wet she is and the tremors around him tell him that she’s close. “Come for me, baby.” He rubs the tight bud as he drives into her and it’s exactly what she needs to push her over the edge.

Sofie cries out his name as the ride the wave of ecstasy together. Ashton’s body shakes as he pours inside of her, the tremors of his orgasm, making him feel more alive than ever. He had lived for years without her, but he hadn’t known what it meant to be truly alive until he found her. It had made him wonder how he had tolerated a life without her.

Sofie stretches luxuriously as Ashton slips out of her, gathering her to him, one arm around her slim waist, the other absently stroking the soft skin of her back. He smiles as he feels himself drifting off to sleep. He feels happy and satisfied and fulfilled and those three words could all be exchanged for one: Sofie.

“I spoke to Darwin today.” Sofie snuggles in to Ashton’s embrace, wishing that she could bury herself even deeper into his arms. She knows that no matter how surrounded by him she was, it would never be enough.

“How’s he doing?” Ashton’s voice is half-muffled by sleep. It was something he always playfully complained about, that she would want to start a conversation with him as soon as he was about to fall asleep. He joked that whatever her brain ran on, they should bottle it and sell it, it’d last longer than Energizer batteries.

“He’s good, I think he feels like he’s found his feet again.” After all the business had come to an end in Beaumont Darwin had gone back to DC. With Luke out of the picture he was acting as a consultant for Mrs Calambor who was taking over the business. By all accounts the woman had a brain on her that made Sofie question why the hell she had stayed with a man like Luke for as long as she did. “They’re moving the drillers out of the canyon, next month and then that’ll be the last that we’ll see of Shale Corp around here for a very long time.” When Sofie had shown Darwin the damage the drilling was doing to the local environment he had been appalled and assumed responsibility for dismantling the site. Shale was paying for environmentalists to come down to do what they could to help the ecosystem get back on its feet.

“That’s better than nothing,” Ashton’s response is less than electrifying and she can almost hear him rolling his eyes.

“They can’t undo all the damage that Luke did with a magic wand. But they want to do what they can. Besides, it sounds like the new boss is taking things in a new direction. Darwin said she’s talking about changing Shale’s focus to renewable energy.” Sofie can’t help but feel a little proud as she says it. She knows that it would have been Darwin’s idea. After everything that had happened, he didn’t want to run the risk of anything like Beaumont ever happening again. He wanted to work for a company that believed in saving the world, not just profiting from it.

“Darwin’s a good man.” Ashton tightens his hold around her as if he can read her mind. He knows how much Darwin means to her. He’s the father she never really had.

“Finn keeps on asking me when I’m going to pick up my stuff from the apartment.” Sofie lets the sentence hang in the air, waiting for Ashton to say something. They had argued about her going back to DC. She had insisted that she still had debts to pay, that the men she owed money to would find her no matter where she was.

Ashton had pointed out that if the people that she owed money to had seen her change into a werewolf on live TV then it’s likely they wouldn’t be turning up to collect anything anytime soon. Besides, he had reminded her, she was pack now and if anyone tried to hurt her in any way then they’d have to deal with a bunch of angry werewolves. She was safe and it was a feeling that could never be overrated. She had never really had that security of a family unit before. Even when her parents had been alive they weren’t close. This was the first time she felt like she was part of a family, a real one. She wasn’t an only child anymore and she would never be alone.

When it became clear that Sofie wasn’t going to be heading back to DC anytime soon, Finn had moved into her place. It was bigger than his old apartment and with his new salary as tech wizard to the highest bidder, he could for once afford not to have a roommate. “He’s getting antsy about decorating.”

“By decorating I’m guessing you mean installing his X-box.” Ashton kisses a line down her spine as she giggles against him.

“I’m serious, Ash. All my stuff is there. I’d like to be get some of it back. At the moment I feel like I’m living in your house, it’d be nice to have some of my things around. And I can’t keep borrowing Lindsey’s clothes, she’s almost a foot shorter than me, I look like I raided my baby sister’s wardrobe!” Sofie wriggles against him as he tries to distract her with his kisses and caresses. Turning around so that she’s facing him and giving him her serious face.

“Alright, alright. We’ll go to DC and pick up your stuff.” Ashton sighs like he’s just volunteered for a root canal.

“Really? Really?” Sofie almost jumps up and down on the bed. “I know you hate the city, but I promise it’ll be a quick visit!” Sofie flings herself into his arms again. “Thank you, Ash, it really means a lot to me.”

“How much exactly?” Ashton looks at her with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Well, I could show you if you want?” Sofie looks at him innocently, batting her eyelids and biting her bottom lip in the way that she knows makes him crazy. She kisses a line down his chest, shimmying down his body until she comes face to face with the hardness between his legs. She licks the tip, suckling on it gently, and then sets about showing him just how much the trip to DC means to her.

Afterwards, as the moon starts to rise in the sky, they lie in each other’s arms. Sofie’s mind goes back to Darwin and Finn, how they’re rebuilding their lives and she wonders, not for the first time, what she’s going to do with hers.

“What’s going on in that brain of yours?” Ashton strokes her caramel hair away from her forehead, looking at her knowingly.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that!” Sofie frowns at him, poking him in the chest with her index finger. “You promised that you were going to keep your Alpha voodoo out of my head.”

Ashton lifts his hands up in surrender. “Baby, I don’t need to use my ‘Alpha voodoo’ to know that you’re worrying about something. It’s written all over your face.” He smiles at her as he strokes his thumb over her lips, marveling at how kissable they are.

Sofie gives Ashton a look that tells him she believes him about as far as she could throw him, which incidentally was pretty far. She is stronger than any of the other female weres and most of the males, including Gus. He still hasn’t gotten over the fact that she beat him in arm wrestle a few weeks ago. He keeps telling everyone that he let her win, although no one believes him.

“It’s nothing,” Sofie waves away his concern. “I’m just still trying to figure out what I’m going to
do
now. I’ve never not had a job, it’s kind of weird for me.” She shrugs not being able to describe it any other way.

Ashton looks at her like she might be a little cuckoo. “Are you telling me that between all that you’re doing as Pack Mother, learning about the ways of the were from Gus, helping rebuild Linds’s bar and the store that you’re bored?”

“I know, it sounds crazy!” She admits that it does, it wasn’t even as if she had time right now for a job. “But…I sort of miss the rocks.” She bites her bottom lip waiting for Ashton to laugh at her, but he doesn’t.

He gives her a grave look. “That is possibly the nerdiest thing that anyone has ever said to me.” He smiles at her and kisses her nose. “And that’s just one of the reasons that I love you.” He looks down at her as if he’s considering what he’s about to say. “I’ve been working on something, I was just waiting for the right time to show you. Maybe that’s now.” Ashton takes her hand and leads her off of the bed. “Will you come with me?”

“Anywhere.” Sofie doesn’t even have to think about it. She already knows that she would follow him to the ends of the earth. Wherever he is, that’s where she wants to be.

Night has fallen and as they slip out of the house, Sofie is struck again by the beauty of everything around her. She wonders if she’ll ever get used to the smell of the grass or the scent of the pine trees. She wonders if she ever wants to get used to it.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Sofie looks at Ashton curiously, she can feel the tension radiating off of him. He’s nervous about something, but also excited.

“I’ll show you. If you can keep up that is.” He flashes her his heart-stopping grin and, all of a sudden, it’s not her man that it’s in front of her anymore, it’s her wolf. He gives her a look as if to say ‘catch me if you can’ and lopes off in the direction of the town.

“No fair, that’s cheating!” But Sofie wastes no more time shouting after him. If she has any chance of catching up to him she has to morph now, before he gets any further ahead of her.

In a matter of seconds she had transformed, her white fur standing out against the blackness of the night. With the light of the moon it almost looks like she’s glowing. She runs after him, through the woods, chasing his golden form as they both do what they were born to do. She could never have predicted that becoming Lycan had been as natural to her as breathing. Not even Ashton could explain how it was possible that her first transformation hadn’t been painful or psychologically difficult. It was as if being were was what she was always supposed to be.

A few months ago no one would ever have believed that this would be her life now, not even her. But so much had changed in so little time, she’d changed more than she could fathom. But perhaps the strangest thing of all was that she and Gus had become friends, actual friends. He had taken it upon himself to teach her the ways of the were. She got the impression that Ashton wished he was the one to teach her about herself, but he couldn’t deny that things were easier now that Sofie and Gus actually got along.

There was still so much for her to learn, as Gus insisted on telling her, repeatedly. But she did know was enough to tell her that she was different from the rest of the pack. She was faster, than all of them except for Ashton and she was giving him a run for his money now. For the first time, she feels completely happy in her own skin, like this was the thing that had always been missing in her life.