Butterfly in the Sky (BOOK 1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Elijah sighs and nods his head. He wouldn't have been able to stop me even if he wanted to. My alpha command would have been too strong. "Okay." He rubs his jaw. "I believe in you, Goddess."

We file out of the car, leaving Rory and Ingrid behind after making sure the vampire's restraints are tight. Standing in a circle, we watch each other silently, memorizing faces and remembering what we have.

"We'll travel in wolf form," Elijah states, breaking the silence. "We'll surround the front of the packhouse and wait for the word of our goddess."

Those words take a moment to register before I feel confusion. Why would he place that responsibility on me? Elijah is the seasoned warrior, a good man who has fought many battles in his lifetime. Alexei was a leader before this also. Both are much better suited to call the shots than I am. They should be the ones leading us to victory. I have no idea what I'm doing.

Shaking my head, I pull myself from Alexei's hold. "I don't think that's–"

"You can do it," Alexei cuts me off, pulling me back into her side. "This is your battle, Sophia-Grace, you're the leader. You need to lead us."

I want to tell her that I'm afraid, that I don't actually know what to do. But I don't. We don't have any time for that. With a nod, I allow Elijah to continue this abrupt plan which he seems to have just thought of.

Taking a deep breath, I nod my head. "Okay," I mumble. "Let's do this."

My warriors remove their clothes, not caring if eyes are on them. Quickly, they shift into their wolves, shaking their fur out with the freedom. With nods to me, they turn and run off, one after the other. I jump on Alexei's back when they become too small to make out. She hoists me up, her hands gripping my thighs tightly.

Liam remains by us and I turn to look at him. Somehow, I can tell he's deterred. There was no longer a wolf for Liam to call part of him. I don't know what happened and I won't ask, but the loss is a great one. Seeing his old buddy must be causing him a great deal of sadness.

He turns, catching my eyes. "I think I'll just stay back, keep an eye on the female vampire and your mate."

"Liam," I whisper, frowning. "It'll all be okay. There's more to it than you know."

Aware my words are ominous, I tap Alexei's shoulder. At my command, she takes off in her vampire speed. My hair whips and slaps my face as we pass by in a blur. Colors of green and brown fade together to create flashes of black and white. I don't feel when we stop because my body still needs to catch up. When will I learn to close my eyes?

The front door of the pack house sits open with wolves crowding the doorway. They stare wide eyed and confused at the warriors before them. They recognize them and are putting faces to the wolves they see and feel. When Alexei sets me down on my feet, eyes shift to me and widen even more. Just as I can feel them, they can feel me. Since I'm their alpha, they can sense the power that comes with the title. I'm sure it also has to do with the vampire standing next to me.

"Timothy Johnston." My voice booms through the air, sounding more deep and confident than I thought it would. "I don't want a fight."

Pack members are cast aside as the man in question pushes through them. He remains somewhat shifted, his face still the beastly picture it was in my dream. Only now, his eyes are more red and his breathing is more intense.

"Sophia-Grace," he huffs, taking long strides towards me.

The warriors with me all growl in unison, stepping forward. Their stand is defensive, ready for a fight at any given moment. Timothy glances around him, tensing. His scarlet eyes reflect anger and malice as he returns his gaze to me.