Page 35 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

Alex

Sophia keeps surprising me.

One minute, I think she needs protecting, and in the next, she is terrorizing an entire group of Alphas because they show her disrespect.

My mate has a soft heart but she’s also got guts. I think it will take a lifetime to figure this woman out—a very interesting lifetime that I'm looking forward to.

But throughout the hours leading up to the banquet, and during the banquet itself, I noticed the strain in Sophia's eyes. Her hands were constantly clenching and unclenching, and she wasn’t very interested in the food or the conversation.

Impatience.

That is what I sensed from her. She seemed very impatient and tense.

However, I didn’t realize how much the burden of her situation was weighing on her, and how much she was concealing within herself, till I stood outside the door to our shared suite and heard Elsa comfort her.

I could’ve gone in. I could’ve taken over. But I think she needed Elsa more than she needed me in that moment.

I did go in eventually, once silence had to place the sobs.

They were sitting on the couch, Sophia’s head in Elsa’s lap. My mate had cried herself to sleep, and a wave of despair and agony washed over me.

Although Elsa assured me that this had nothing to do with me, how was I supposed to feel calm when Sophia was struggling so much?

The hours are ticking away, and she’s now resting beside me. I can’t sleep, worry for her plaguing me. I overheard most of the conversation between her and Elsa. Everybody can get overwhelmed at times, and Sophia is no exception to the rule. But I wish she had come to me. I wish she had let me take care of her.

We're supposed to be out by the entrance of the mansion when the sun rises. Cars will take us to the airfields. Planes have been arranged for us, and we'll fly out. The weather in the South Alliance is different from the weather in the North. The cold has faded away. Although it is the winter months, it’s warmer here. That’s the beauty of living in the southern hemisphere. Sophia kicks off the blanket in her sleep, her forehead scrunching in irritation. I get up to turn on the air conditioner for her, and when I return, she seems more relaxed.

There are still a couple of hours for her to sleep I simply stroke her hair, wishing she would confide in me. Life hasn’t been easy for Sophia. She's struggled to adapt and adjust to our bond. She’s done better than I have. She’s always the one trying tocompromise. She’s always the one bending. I know she loves me. I can feel it within her, within our bond.

Has too much pressure been placed upon her?

Are we expecting too much from her?

If I could, I would take her away from everything, but now, too many eyes are on her, and her status has elevated to a point where our desires can no longer come first.

“Alex?”

The scratchy voice filled with sleep has me blinking, and I look down at my mate.

Her eyes are half open. “Why are you awake?”

She looks so young and so vulnerable right now that I can’t help myself. Leaning down, I kiss her on theforehead. "I was just watching you.”

“Why?”

"Just because." I smile down at her. “I’m thinking how lucky I am to have found you.”

In the vulnerability of her drowsy state, she’s unable to hide her emotions, and I see the love sparkling in her eyes. “I'm also lucky. I sometimes wonder if it's a dream. I sometimes think that all of this has been a nice dream."

I run my fingers through her hair and grin. “And then I do something to mess things up, and you know you're not dreaming, huh?"

She chuckles lightly. She’s just watching me sleepily, clearly enjoying the head scratches.

“Why don’t you go back to sleep?” I suggest.

“I want to watch you too. My mate is so handsome.”

My lips cursed slightly. “Are you flirting with me? Because it’s working.”

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