🐺 Connor 🐺

Sophie is up and moving around, thankfully. She's obviously paranoid about being taken again, but there's no chance in hell I'm letting that happen.

"Soph?" I call to her from her bed and she sticks her head out of her bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth.

"Yeah?" She says with suds in her mouth. As funny as it looks, I have more important things to focus on.

I clear my throat and sit up. "I have something to show you." She nods and ducks back in only to come out seconds later.

"What is it?" She asks as she swipes a piece of hair behind her ear.

"This is from Hunter." I reveal the book and look down at it. "His grandmother was a tigress, like you. This is everything she learned and he wants you to have it." I hold the large, leather bound book in between us. She takes it into her hands and flips open to a random page.

"Immediate healing." She reads aloud from the book as I watch her. "From my experiences in life, you get hurt. The problem with being a tigress is that I get hurt a lot and I hate pain. After I get hurt, I feel a wave of warmth cover me until the pain is gone. At first I thought it was a fluke. Pain doesn't just disappear like that, but it does for a tigress." She looks up to me, looking slightly miffed. "I'll have to thank Hunter for letting me have it." I nod at her and sigh while laying back down on the bed. "What's wrong?" Sophie crawls on the bed towards me with a worried expression on her face.

I look at her before answering, and she waits patiently. "I think we need to get away for a while. Just disappear until you are better equipped and know how to use your powers." Her eyes widen in shock and she stays silent. "We learned that things can weaken you. That's something you, I, nor your parents knew." I sit up and wrap my hands around hers. "Something about almost losing you has made me see that we aren't prepared, and we won't always know our enemy. We won't be any safer at my pack than at yours." Sophie looks down at the book and back up at me.

"I... I think you're right." I inwardly sigh. Now to convince her dad, which hasn't seemed so hard to do for me. "But you're an alpha. You can't just abandon your pack for a Luna they haven't even met." For a second my head stops. My dad would kill me if I ran off with Sophie, but it isn't running off if it's for the protection of my mate.

"I'll have my beta run things until I get back. Besides, my pack practically runs itself." I assure her and she nods silently, probably thinking of something that could keep us from going. "It's better that you leave now before this whole tigress affair blows out of the water. Every tigress up until now has been practically nonexistent, but your dad is Alpha Desperte. Everyone is going to know that you're the mythical tigress, and they're going to go nuts. I can't protect you in that kind of situation, so I'm going to get you as far away from it as possible."

Sophie takes a deep breath, then wraps her arms around my waist. "You can't leave your pack. They need their alpha." Instinctively, I nuzzle my head in the crook of her neck and lightly kiss my mark.

"They will understand that I have a duty to protect my mate." She doesn't argue back at the moment, but I doubt she's done arguing all together. "We'll go off to a human city, blend in. I'll get a couple from my pack to act as our foster parents so we don't look suspicious."

"You seem to have this all figured out. How would we keep those that already know my identity from recognizing me?" She sits up in front of me and crosses her arms over her chest.

"We'll go to a different state. On the other side of the country. Heck, we could go to a different country." Sophie looks at me for a second, contemplating my idea, I think.

She's silent, and the tension is killing me. It's so awkward to be under your mates scrutinizing gaze. Sophie lets out a deep sigh before getting up off of the bed. "Fine, I say yes." I smile brightly and she chuckles. "Now you get to convince my dad, and no alpha tricks." She points a finger at me and I laugh while raising my hands up in defense.

"I won't, I promise." Sophie nods her head, happy with my answer. I get up from the bed and walk over to her. Just as she places her arms on my shoulders, I pick her up and lay her on her bed, tickling the life out of her.

"CONNOR! Stop!" She giggles loudly, begging me to stop my onslaught of tickles.

Eventually I get off of her and plop down on the bed beside her. She turns to me and props herself up on her elbow. "What?" She's watching me, but not saying a thing.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering how you're going to convince my dad to let you and I move away from him and also to let me disappear." She has a point. If her dad is as protective as he's made himself out to be, then he won't be easy to convince.

"He wants you safe. This plan keeps you safe." She raises a brow at me. "I'm going to be there for your protection Sophie. Nothing is wrong with this idea."

She nods her head. "Alright. If you can convince him to let us go, I will go."

⚔️ Unknown ⚔️

An intimidating looking man leans back in his chair staring at a computer screen. Another man, far less intimidating, scurries in while keeping his head down. "What is it Hugo?" The man behind the desk asks, not even glancing away from the screen.

"Master, they failed to capture her. She is back in her home, and her mate has rogues guarding her and he hasn't left her side." The man keeps his head down, expecting the wrath of his master.

Instead, he chuckles deeply. "That's no matter. Her mate can't keep her from her own choices." He abruptly stands, causing Hugo to cringe. "I am going to the cells. Bring me something to eat in an hour." He leaves the confines of his desk, but not without one last glance at his computer. "Sophelia, enjoy your freedom while you can."

**A/N**

So I'm really close to the end of this book. I'm going to finish it before I leave for Basic Training, so it's really close to being done. I am happy that this story has gotten as much attention as it has. I don't have plans to write for a profession because, I mean, the military pays good money, but I'm glad that what I do write at least makes some people happy.

I love all of you fantastic readers, you're all amazing (even those that don't vote or comment) you all keep me writing even when my life gets hectic and I can barely even find time to eat lol.