A scream fills the air and I can't tell who's it is. The sword leaves my stomach, and I fall to the ground. Lily's face comes into my field of vision, and I see tears on her cheeks.

"Don't cry." She brushes my hair out of my eyes and cradles my head in her lap.

You'd think I'd be able to feel the gaping hole in my stomach, but no, I'm just numb.

I hear a deep and depressed howl in the night air, and the sound makes me cry. Connor. My eyes close and I let myself weep.

There's no way I'm surviving this.

I look around through teary eyes and realize that all of the men disappeared. They at least left me to die in peace.

The sound of paws hitting dirt overcomes my senses, and he's all I can feel, hear, smell, see. Strong hands pull me into a bare chest and I cry against Connor. "Baby." His voice is hoarse and he's crying too. He can feel everything I can't. The pain of losing your mate is said to be the most excruciating pain in the world. I look up to him, kissing his cheeks.

I didn't even notice that it had started to rain before now.

Accept me. I can hear my tigress, weak, but still alive. Accept me, Sophelia.

Connor is still crying, clutching me to his chest.

I close my eyes and I feel warmth spread through my body and out ward. I open them again and the rain is frozen, in mid air.

"Sophelia." A soft, gentle voice calls me and I stand. My hand goes to my stomach, but there's no blood. Not even a scratch. "Come here, my child." Again, the voice beckons me. My eyes search for the source, and they land on a woman, wrapped in golden light, as if it were clothing. A smile graces her delicate face and she beckons me with her hand. She holds it out to me, and I take it. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. I've watched over you for a very, very long time."

This is her, the Sun goddess. I can feel the warmth radiating off of her.

"You've grown into a beautiful young woman. Sixteen already, how the years go by." She smiles fondly at me.

"Thank you, Sun goddess." She smiles again.

"Call me Solis, Sophelia. No need for formalities between mother and daughter." She beams at me, no pun intended. "You're probably wondering why I'm here." I nod and she giggles. "My daughter has finally chosen her destiny, and her mate." She gives me a devious smile. "You two are the cutest pair I've ever seen. You chose a good one Sophelia."

I smile, then frown. "If I've chosen, but I'm going to die, what's the point?"

She shakes her finger, and points to my stomach. "Do you see any abnormalities on you? Such as, a huge gaping hole in your stomach?"

"Well no, but-"

"Courtesy of your other half." She smiles again. "As long as you accept her, she'll keep you safe."

"I have so many questions." She nods, but frowns.

"I can't answer all of them. We don't have much longer here." She squeezes my hand and I feel another pulse of warm energy go through me. "I can't stay down here long, sadly. I'm not as powerful as my sister." She places her hand beneath my chin. "But you are my greatest creation."

"How? Why am I so special?" I feel a tug on my hand, slightly pulling her from me.

"I chose you for a reason Sophelia. Whether you follow your destiny depends on your choices. No matter what, you will always be the perfect tigress." The pulling becomes more forceful and she looks up to the sky. "It's time for us both to go. Your family is worried about you." She gives me one last smile before releasing my hand. I try to grab it again, but she slips out of my reach.

A force pulls me back and I hear a strange beeping sound. Am I in a hospital?

I can hear voices, but I can't find it in myself to open my eyes or move. "She's in a self induced coma. We can't be sure when she'll come out of it, if she comes out of it at all."

"She'll come out of. She has to." Connor's here. I try to open my eyes, filled with a new sense of urgency. He needs to know I'm okay.

The beeping becomes quicker and I hear rushed movements. "What's going on?" A hand squeezes mine and I feel the touch of my mate, instantly calming down. The beeping slows and returns to a steady pace.

"She can hear us. This is a good sign. If she continues to advance like this, we may be able to get her back."

Connor squeezes my hand. "If you can hear me, I need you to wake up baby."

"I'll leave you two alone." There's shuffling steps, then the closing of a door. I guess the doctor left.

"I am going crazy without you. Please, push through. If not for me, then for Lily. She's guilt ridden that you got hurt because she couldn't protect herself." I try to squeeze his hand, but I'm tired. I slip back to sleep, not able to control it.

*****************

♛Alpha Desperte♛

I walk into my pack hospital, unsure as to how my little girl is doing. I push my trepidation to the back of my head and nod at various pack members as I walk to her room. I walk in and notice Connor sitting on the side of her bed. The boy hasn't left her side since we found him holding her in the middle of that clearing.

It still upsets me that we haven't found the man responsible for this. Lily told us he's a warlock, it's just hard to know which one.

I walk over to him and place a hand on his shoulder. "I'll watch her for a while. Go get something to eat and maybe take a nap and a shower. You look terrible."

He shakes his head. "Every time I leave her, something bad happens to her. No. I'm not going anywhere." I sigh, but know it's out of my hands. You can't tell me to leave my sick mate alone. I can't imagine the guilt he feels for letting her get hurt not once, but twice. Yes, I feel guilty, but mates tend to blame themselves wholly for any misfortune their mate is subjected to.

"Alright, well at least take a nap. I'll ask a nurse to bring you a cot." He almost protests, but I can see his exhaustion. Connor nods and I mind link for a cot. A few minutes later, a bed is brought in and placed beside Sophie.

Slowly, Connor stands and holds her hand. He let's it go and walks over to the hospital bed. He looks at her one last time before closing his eyes.

******************

🐯Sophie 🐯

I keep going in and out. I know Connor is still close by, but he hasn't talked in a while. A part of me doesn't want to wake up, but I keep fighting to open my eyes. I miss him, and I know this is torturing him. Maybe I'm more trouble than I'm worth.

If I wasn't around, he wouldn't have to worry about me being captured or killed.

Then again, he'd also be mate less, and possibly a rogue.

I really need to wake up. I can't stand being stuck like this. Goddess only knows how long I've been out.

Come on eyes, open. I need to see that Connor's alright.

A sliver of light breaks through and I fight the urge to close my eyes. My eyes quickly adjust and I look around, only slightly moving my head.

I see Connor laying away from me, and I want to get close to him, but when I try to move, my body feels slow and lethargic. "Connor."

"Sophelia." The voice isn't Connor's,  but still, it's a voice I'm happy to hear.

"Dad." He quickly walks towards me, looking at me as if I'm not real.

"Are you, actually, awake?" He says, not touching me, scared I'll disappear.

"I'm awake. Tired and a little weak, but awake nonetheless." I say, still barely able to move my body. There are no tubes attached to me, no needles in me. Thank the goddess for that. "How long have I been here? In the hospital, that is."

Dad's head drops slightly. "You've been here for six days. You were in a self induced coma. Your tigress healed you in a matter of hours, but the strain was just too much for you to handle. It took everything out of you." He looks to Connor. "You know, he blames himself. Every time someone tries to tell him otherwise, he says that he never should have fallen asleep. I had to have a bed brought in here, just so he'd take a nap. He won't even leave you with me."

I nod my head, trying not to climb out of this bed and into that one. Not in front of my dad at least. "Dad, do you think you could take a walk outside for a few minutes?" He looks at me, question in his eyes. "I need to make sure he's okay." I say, looking over at Connor who's still sleeping soundly.

He nods. "I think I'm a little thirsty anyways. I'll go get you some water. You're probably dehydrated." I nod and he leaves the room. Connor is lightly snoring with his face away from me. I slowly stand up and use the things around me to get to where he is. It's a slow journey, but it's worth it when his arm reaches out for me, knowing I'm near even in his sleep.

"Connor." He mumbles something and I place my hand on his arm. "Connor, wake up." His eyes open in a flash and he sits up, staring at me.

"Sophie." As quick as a flash, he pulls me to him. I wrap my arms around his neck and he buries his head in my neck, slightly grazing his mark, sending shivers down my spine. "Don't disappear." He whispers.

My heart breaks. He doesn't think I'm real, that I'm just a figment of his imagination. I pull back and set my hands on his face. "Never." I place a feather light kiss on his lips and go to pull back, but he doesn't let me. Instead he puts all of his need and frustration into another, more forceful, kiss.

We're interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and I pull away to see my dad. I blush, but Connor pulls me onto the bed with him, not really caring about my dad. "She's not going anywhere." Connor says, slightly growling.

"I know." My dad places a cup of water on the table. "I'm not going to try to take her away. I'm just bringing her something to drink. She did just wake up." Dad's not too keen on getting in Connor's way apparently. An Alpha who's afraid for his mate's safety is very dangerous, and extremely feral.

Connor doesn't let go, but he loosens his grip. I guess that water can wait.

Dad sits down in one of the chairs, letting out a deep sigh. "Well, everything's set. Whenever she's ready, you'll all be away from here." Connor nods, as if they're continuing a discussion. "The red head was slightly harder to get ahold of, but Greyson managed to contact her through classmates."

Red head, Trish? "What are you talking about?" I ask, looking between the two, very tired, men.

Connor moves my hair off of my neck, grazing my skin. "Lily shifted shortly after you-" He pauses, clenching his fists. "After you got hurt. Except instead of a wolf, she was a Cheetah."

"It was quite a shock for all of us, especially her dad." My dad speaks up, wanting to be a part of the conversation. He's still an alpha. He doesn't like being in the sidelines.

"Yeah, anyways, I realized that she's a part of this, clowder, thing you were talking about. I thought maybe Trish might be too, and I was right. So, since you can't leave behind your clowder, they're coming into hiding with us." Connor squeezes my hand and I feel a bit shocked.

"You planned all of this, while I was in a coma?" I ask, staring at him.

He nods, kissing my forehead. I'd like to say that I'm upset, but honestly, I'm not ready to go full tigress. Yes, I accept her fully, but I'm way too young to do anything useful enough to make a difference. I'm still a kid. Besides, there are gifts that come with being the tigress. I can't just expect to know how to do everything just because I accepted her. It's pure luck that I healed.

So, I nod my head. "Alright, whenever I'm cleared to go, I'll pack my things."

"Oh, no need." My dad says. "Your friends have already packed everything for you." He stands. "Speaking of your friends, they want to see you." He opens the door and there they are, Lily and Trish, standing right on the other side. They both have big smiles, and teary eyes. As soon as they see me, they run to hug me, not caring that Connor already has me in a death grip.

"I almost got you killed." Lily cries into my side, hugging me.

"I almost never got to see my best friend alive ever again." Her voice is muffled, but Trish still talks and cries with her face pressed into my stomach.

I try to wrap an arm around both of them, not completely succeeding, but not totally failing either. "I'm alright guys, I promise. Solis healed me."

"Solis?" Connor asks, unperturbed by my crying friends.

"The Sun goddess. She visited me. It's because of her I'm still alive."

And you can also call me Solis. I find comfort in hearing her voice, my beautiful tigress.

You mean to tell me you have a name? I ask her.

I've always had a name, I just didn't know it until you accepted me as a part of you. I smile inwardly. I think I'd miss her if I had let her go.

The girls pull away from me, looking me over and checking me to see if I'm still broken. "Do you need anything? Ice, water, a blanket?" Lily asks, mothering me to death.

"Water, please." I really am parched, but this overprotective alpha won't let me go.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She rushes out of the room, Trish soon following her saying that she might need help.

I turn to look at Connor. "I have to pee." He nods and, instead of letting me go, picks me up and carries me into the bathroom. Connor gives me my privacy to use the bathroom, but then he carries me back to the bed, unfazed by my glare.

"I'll leave you two to get some rest." My dad says with a small smile. Connor must've grown on him. I didn't think he'd ever smile at him. Dad walks out, and the girls bring me a glass of water before quickly disappearing.

"Get some rest." Connor says. "You're still recuperating." I nod and lay my head on his chest. A couple minutes later and we're both snoring.

***A/N***

Super tired, but I promised a reader a chapter, and I don't like to disappoint. I'm sorry if it has some errors, as I said, super tired.

I'm so close to the end of this book. There will be a sequel because, well, there's so much more to come for Sophie and Connor. Lily and Trish have some new things to explore also.

Comment what you'd like to see in the sequel. I can't make promises, but I'll try my best to make a sequel that you all want to read.

Much love,
              RD