Page 20 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

Alex pauses. "No. I needed time with you. It was selfish, but I wanted to clear the air between us. And my soldiers are there."

A ball of tension is forming in my stomach. "Either way. Let's get back to them quickly."

I remove the barrier, but when we return to the campsite, it's quiet. Brian is awake but nods at us.

I settle down in Alex's arms after checking on my mother.

As my eyes flutter shut, I feel relaxed.

Just a few more days and we'll be in the South, no longer looking over our shoulders.

Chapter 5

Sophia

The next few days are long and tiresome.

We travel in the daytime and rest once the sun sets. For some reason, Elsa is able to provide my mother with some stability. I don’t know what it is that she’s doing, but she's able to keep her vitals stable. However, it's draining a lot of power from her and my mother is already so thin and weak. How long will Elsa be able to keep this up?

I use my magic to cast barriers around us once we set up camp. It lets everyone take a rest without worrying about being attacked. As we near the South border, the cold also lessens. Since nobody stops for a break in the daytime, we’re all exhausted by the time we stop to rest. We eat and then pass out till the morning. Even Alex's soldiers have a hard time staying awake.

I tried sharing my life force with my mother again, but Elsa caught me and I was severely scolded. Alex was not too happy about it either, but he kept his opinion to himself, something I appreciate. But aside from that, we've been able to move steadily without any issues.

The whole journey is supposed to take two weeks and as the days pass by, I begin to feel a sense of relief. If Karina were going to attack us, she would have done so already.

However, when we are just a few days away from the border, something changes.

I feel a ripple in the barrier late at night.

I sit up, instantly alert.

Alex, who had his arms wrapped around me, is forced awake at my jerky movement.

“What is it?” he asks, startled.

Supporting myself by the palms of my hands behind me, I look around the clearing.

Everybody’s asleep.

My heart is trembling. Wetting my lips, I wonder if I just imagined that strange sensation.

“Sophia?”

Alex’s voice is now concerned.

Brian, who is a few feet from us, also wakes up at the sound of our conversation. "What’s going on?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. I must’ve imagined it.”

I make to lay back down, but Alex studies me. He’s insistent. “Still. Why did you wake up like that?”

I can’t visibly see my barrier but…“It felt…it felt like something was scratching against my barrier. I don’t know. Maybe I was just dreaming.”

I’ve placed a wide barrier, encompassing the small stream nearby so that the soldiers and the Alphas are free to go and drink from it.

Brian looks at Alex, his expression grim. "Maybe we should check it out."

"No!" I feel a sense of foreboding as I clutch Alex's wrist. My heart is pounding.

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