Thunder (Alpha Love - a Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 3)

by Olivia Stephens

  Ashton nods, looking at her nervously. “It was different to anything she’s experienced before; but, she knew that you were in danger.” They stare at each other awkwardly in the silence that follows. “How are you feeling?”

  Sofie snorts. “Like I’ve just had the worst fucking day on record.” She shakes her head, wondering how to even begin to tell Ashton how she’s feeling.

  “Well, that sounds about right.” He nods in agreement and tentatively walks over to her, looking like he’s asking for permission.

  She knows that he’s probably as nervous as she is right now. He needs to know that she’s not afraid of him, and she needs to show him that. She nods towards the seat next to her on the couch, and he fills it immediately. He’s close to her, but not close enough to touch. He’s giving her space, and she is silently grateful for that.

  “I have a few questions to ask, and I really need you to be honest with me, Ash.” She claps her hands together, interlacing her fingers, forcing herself to say what she knows she needs to.

  He doesn’t say anything, and she chooses to take that as tacit agreement.

  “Is it all…done? At the motel.” She can’t bring herself to say anymore, but she doesn’t need to.

  “Gus is finishing up now. It won’t be long.” He doesn’t volunteer any more information, and Sofie is grateful for that.

  “You know who he is, don’t you?” She doesn’t look at Ashton, as she asks the question, still ashamed of the sins of her father.

  “I’ve got a pretty good idea.” He turns towards her, taking her clasped hands in his, warming her though. “Why didn’t you tell me that those guys had followed you here? Why didn’t you tell Lindsey that’s what the money was for?” He squeezes her hands, gently, trying to communicate how much he wishes that she had been more open with him.

  “Because it was my problem, and I had to deal with it. It wasn’t anything to do with you.” Sofie blinks her eyes against the tears that she can already feel coming. She has been holding them back for so long that now there’s no stopping them. “I was ashamed. I didn’t want you to know the kinds of people I was mixed up with, the kind of people that I’m never going to get away from.”

  Ashton reaches out and catches a tear as it spills over her cheek, wiping it away for her and hooking his finger underneath her chin, making her look into his eyes. “You have nothing, nothing to be ashamed of.” He makes sure that she’s hearing him and that she understands how serious he is. “This isn’t on you. Your parents’ mistakes aren’t yours. You’re just the one that’s had to clean up after them.” Sofie shakes her head like she wants to disagree with him, but Ashton won’t let her. “You’ve been dealing with this on your own for a long time. Let me help you.” He cradles her face in his hands so tenderly.

  “How? There’s nothing that you can do. There’s nothing that anyone can do.” Sofie wipes her tears away. “They’ll know that something has happened to the Collector—that’s what I called him. I never knew his name, never needed to.” Sofie shrugs, only now realizing how ridiculous that sounds. She wonders if there’s something disrespectful about not knowing the name of a man that you’ve seen killed. “They’ll come after me. You don’t hide from people like this; you can’t.”

  “Do you trust me?” He asks the question as if it were the most straightforward thing in the world. But both of them know how much he’s asking her.

  She doesn’t have to question it, she knows the answer. “Yes.” It’s barely a whisper, but it’s full of meaning—for both of them.

  Ashton’s shoulders relax visibly, as if he had been afraid of what her response might have been. “Then, trust me when I say that it will be okay. We can fix it, together.” He caresses her cheek, softly, like he doesn’t want to hurt her, and she leans into his touch. “Okay?” He looks her in the eye, needing an answer.

  “Okay,” she smiles at the man who has just offered to play the role of her white knight, the man that has offered to share a load that she has been carrying on her own for so long.

  He reaches behind her head, pulling her close. She winces, as he manages to hit on the spot where the Collector had split her head on the wall. “Sorry,” he whips his hand away like a flash. “That bastard.” He shakes his head, clenching and unclenching his fists, looking for all the world as if he would kill the man again if he were here. He breathes in and out a few times, settling himself.

  Sofie watches him regain control. There’s something else she wants to ask, that she needs to ask. She takes hold of the rock on her necklace, and the gesture is not lost on Ashton.

  “Before you got there, tonight. Before you…” She stops herself from saying the words, seeing the way that Ashton’s eyes start to cloud over. “Well, something happened. Something that I can’t explain. But I’m guessing that you can.” She looks down at the rock she’s holding in her hand. It looks exactly the same as it had when Ashton first gave it to her, but now she knows that it’s far more than just an unusual piece of jewelry. “What does it do?”

  Ashton narrows his eyes at her as if he’s trying to figure out what it is she’s asking. But Sofie hasn’t missed the flicker of surprise that passed across his features before he could re-arrange them into something more neutral. “Do? It doesn’t do anything. It’s a necklace.”

  Sofie’s not in the mood for games and says, “Don’t bullshit me, Ashton.” Her voice is even, but there’s no escaping the strength behind it. “When Lindsey saw me with it she acted like it was something more than just a trinket.” She pauses, wondering if she should say the rest. “She told me it belonged to your mom.” At the mention of his mother, Ashton has to work harder to keep the bland look on his face. “When the Collector was getting closer, when it looked like he was going to…” she gulps air as she remembers, “going to cut me. Something happened. The necklace did something.”

  Ashton takes one look at the earnestness in her face and makes a decision. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t explain it.” Sofie chews on her lips, knowing that what she’s about to say is going to sound crazy. That’s before she reminds herself that she’s sitting across the couch from a werewolf. “The rock…it got really hot, and then there was this burst of light that came out of it, and the next thing I know the guy is flying across the room.”

  Ashton’s expression of shock tells her that this isn’t what he had expected. “It worked.” His words are barely audible, like he’s saying them to himself, but Sofie has no intention of letting them go.

  “What worked? What is it?” She looks down at the black stone in her hand, wondering if she had been wise or stupid not to take it off.

  Ashton sighs deeply, raking his fingers through his hair. “It’s special.”

  He doesn’t say anything else, and Sofie has to resist the urge to hit him over the head with the nearest available object. “Really? I’d kind of figured that out already! What is it? What does it do? And don’t duck and dive with me anymore, Ash. You asked me if I trusted you, and I told you I did. Now, it’s your turn.” She looks at him, her eyes pleading for an answer.

  He exhales deeply, looking up at the ceiling. “Running girl, I’m not sure if I’m ever going to get used to all your questions, or the way that your brain keeps firing at light speed—even though you can barely stand.” He takes hold of her hand, stroking it almost unconsciously. “I told you that the rocks, the trees, the earth in the canyon, that it’s all special; it all has properties. Well, the rocks are about the most powerful thing in the whole place. What do they do? They do a lot.”

  He holds up his hand, as he sees that Sofie is about to interrupt. “One of the things that it does is protect the wearer. When you told me you were going to see that douchebag boss of yours, I wanted to try to keep you safe from him.” Sofie thinks back to how the rock had felt like it was heating up when Luke was getting closer to her, more violent. But Ashton’s words lead her back to the conversation at hand. “I wasn’t even sure that
it would work on you; it’s only supposed to work on weres or on other supernaturals.”

  “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up.” Sofie raises her hand, indicating for him to stop mid-flow. “What do you mean—other supernaturals?”

  Ashton winces, like he’s said too much, and he was really hoping that she was just going to skip over that part. “Alright, but this really is a conversation that’s too long to have in the middle of the night so you get the summarized version.” He looks at her with a warning, and she nods eagerly, hanging on his every word. “Okay, here goes. There really are things that go bump in the night. The bedtime stories that people tell their kids…they come from somewhere…they’re not just made-up.” Sofie’s eyes widen as she takes this in, her mind already spinning with questions. But Ashton hasn’t finished yet. “Werewolves aren’t the only creatures from fairy tales that roam the Earth.” Sofie feels her mouth drop open, and she can’t do anything to stop it. Gently, Ashton lifts her jaw to close it, looking at her with amusement. “That’s all you’re getting for tonight on that subject, running girl.”

  She’s about to protest when she decides to let him off, there’s another question that she’s more eager to ask. “Does it do anything else? Apart from protect the wearer?” She remembers the way that Darwin had gotten so angry with her that morning in the office and how it was as if he couldn’t stop himself from looking at the stone.

  Ashton looks at her oddly. “Like I said, there are a lot of things that are special about it.”

  “Right, but you said that it was a supernatural thing. So, what is it supposed to do to humans?” Sofie’s already started to come up with her own theories. It wasn’t unheard of for minerals to tap into the biology of one’s own body. People bought copper bracelets to ease their arthritis, iron vitamins help with anemia. There was no reason to think that whatever the mineral in this rock was, that it did something similar, just on an amplified scale.

  “It doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. But I remember by mother telling me that it sometimes exaggerates people’s emotions. If they’re a little sad, they get depressed; if they’re a little annoyed, they get really angry. That kind of thing. Why do you ask?” He looks at her curiously, knowing that there’s something she’s not telling him.

  “I’m a scientist. I ask questions!” She waves away his curiosity, wanting to concentrate on the question that’s bothering her. “You said that the necklace is only supposed to work on werewolves or other…supernaturals.” Her expression tells Ashton that she still can’t quite get her head around that particular concept. “So how is it possible for it to have worked on me?”

  Ashton shakes his head. “Honestly? I don’t know.” Sofie narrows her eyes as if she doesn’t believe him. “I really don’t! The necklace was passed down between Alpha mates, since the First. Perhaps it was just a myth that it’s only non-humans that are susceptible to it, something that my mother told me to stop me from giving it away to the first human girl that I met.” He smiles cheekily, but avoids her gaze.

  Sofie isn’t willing to let him get away with that particular evasion, no matter how cute it was. “You may not know for sure what the deal is with the necklace, but you have your suspicions. Why is it so hard for you to tell me what you know? What are you afraid of?” She reaches over to him, running her palm along his prickly, dark blond stubble.

  “It would be easier to show you.” This isn’t what Sofie expects. She was waiting to him to stonewall her, like he usually did; but that’s not what happens, not this time. Ashton looks at her as if he’s asking for permission. She nods quickly, not knowing what she’s agreeing to, but too curious to care.

  Ashton takes hold of her shoulders, pulling her round to face him. “It’s important that you don’t pull away, no matter what happens. We have to maintain contact at all times during the trip.” He cups his hand around her neck, keeping hold of her as he rests his forehead against hers.

  “The trip?” Sofie squeaks out the words, suddenly nervous of what’s about to happen. “This isn’t the part where you tell me that you’ve secretly given me LSD, is it?”

  Ashton’s deep laugh is a great sound to hear after the day she’s had. It’s an island of comfort in a sea of confusion. “No, this is a 100% natural trip. I promise.” He closes his eyes, concentrating on something, seconds pass and nothing happens.

  Sofie starts fidgeting, like a little kid that’s been told to sit still. “What are we doing here?”

  Ashton eyes fly open, and he gives her a look that tells her she’s not helping. “What we’re doing requires a lot of concentration and a little bit of quiet.” Sofie gives him an innocent look that forces a grin onto his face. “Fine, fine. But you scientists take the mystery out of everything!” He leans back, releasing her, succumbing to her need for knowledge, she doesn’t even have to push. “Lycans, have a number of…talents. You know about a few already – the transformation, heightened senses—”

  “Devastating sexiness,” Sofie supplies helpfully, winking at him.

  “Who could forget that?” Ashton sifts his hand through her hair, as if he can’t be close to her without touching. They both crave that connection; they both have that unquenchable need for each other. “Well, there’s one that I don’t think you’ve seen yet.” He looks at her mysteriously, the way a magician looks at his audience just before he’s about to perform a masterful trick. “Memory transference.” Ashton continues as Sofie looks at him blankly. “Werewolves can transfer—or more like share—memories. It’s a delicate operation and means that we can communicate our experiences to each other. Alphas from different packs use it before meetings. It’s way of saying that we have nothing to hide, that we want to be transparent with each other.”

  Sofie is dumbstruck; she doesn’t have any clue what to say. Instead, she just looks at him.

  “Well, that’s a first,” Ashton jokes.

  “Give me a sec,” she quips back. “So is this something that only Alphas can do?”

  Ashton shakes his head. “All werewolves have the ability to transfer, but Alphas don’t have to morph into wolf form to be able to do it. It’s one of the perks, I guess. So, you ready?” He holds his hands out to her, waiting for her to move closer to him.

  “Ready to see inside that head of yours? I would say I’m more than ready!” Sofie leans her head forward, replicating the posture that he had put her in before she’d interrupted him.

  “Good, but, just to clarify, I’m driving!” Ashton takes hold of her neck, supporting her as their foreheads meet.

  “You’re the boss!” Sofie does a mock-salute.

  “Right, well then the boss says to keep quiet so he can do this without frying your brain.” He looks at her sternly, and Sofie can’t help but be a little bit turned on by it. “And definitely don’t give me that look that makes me want to take you right here!”

  Sofie squirms a little, excited at the thought of it. But she mimes locking up her lips and throwing away the key, telling him she’ll be quiet. Ashton closes his eyes, but Sofie keeps hers open. She loves to watch him. When she’s this close to him, she can see how long his eyelashes are, how his face is unlined, meaning that he’ll always look ten years younger than he is. She relishes the feel of his breath against her skin, the warmth radiating off of him. Then, suddenly his eyes fly open and, as if they’re working in perfect tandem, her eyes shut tight.

  ***

  She feels like she’s falling, down a hole—a dark, black hole that’s swallowing her up and spitting her out the other end. She gets up and dusts herself off. I guess I know why they call it a trip, she thinks.

  The sound of a kid laughing makes her turn around. She’s in the clearing of Ashton’s house. She sees a little boy, he can’t be more than four or five, and he’s running through the grass, his parents watching him indulgently as he goes. The blonde hair, the cornflower blue eyes, it’s not hard to tell that the little boy is Ashton almost 25 years ago. He’s running towards her, as if he can
see her, but his parents look straight through her, as if she isn’t there.

  His mother shouts out something to him, and he turns around laughing, missing his footing and falling face first down onto the ground. Sofie has to remind herself that she’s in a memory, what she’s seeing isn’t happening in real time. But it all feels so real. She can feel the sun on her back, the wind against her face, the smell of the grass.

  She watches, an outside observer, as the beautiful blonde woman, Ashton’s mother, starts running after her little boy. She picks him up, clearly worried that he’s hurt himself. But instead of tears, little Ashton smiles at her, holding up a flower that he’s just discovered, clearly having forgotten about falling over. Even as a kid, he was tough, Sofie thinks.

  “You baby him too much.” Ashton’s father is tall and handsome. He’s lankier than his son but the way he carries himself lets you know how strong he is, how powerful. He was the Alpha of his generation, and Sofie can see why—his presence alone is formidable. “He’s supposed to be the next pack master. He needs to toughen up.” His voice is gruff, as he looks at his little son who promptly stops smiling as his father’s words reach him.

  “Our boy is tough, John. But he’s also not yet 5. Don’t force him to grow up too fast.” Ashton’s mother nuzzles her son’s cheek, her face lighting up with joy as he giggles. He starts playing with his mother’s necklace, the black rock on a chain. It sparkles in the sunshine, like a black diamond. Sofie’s hands fly to her neck, feeling the presence of the same necklace. She takes a step towards them, wanting to talk to them, to ask Ashton’s mother a question. But she can feel herself being pulled away already. She wants to stay, to see more of Ashton’s childhood, of his parents. She plants her feet, straining against an invisible force, but it’s too late, she’s already falling in the darkness again.

  This time, as she falls she sees snapshots, moments from Ashton’s past. She sees him being reprimanded by his father for neglecting his studies on Lupo in favor of playing football with friends—while his mother looks on. She sees Ashton in intense conversation with his mother, asking why his father won’t let him date human girls from high school. She tells him that it’s because his father is strict, and he only wants the best for his son. However, fourteen-year-old Ashton is clearly not satisfied with this explanation.