Sisters By Chance - The Dawn (Book Two)

Protection

Harry's POV

John and I climbed the stairs feeling sluggish from all the food. Raven told us to be at my place in an hour, and we still got five minutes to spare. I'm not sure what she's up to, but she seemed excited, and that's always interesting.

'You're ready for this?' I asked as we took the last step up the landing. John knows I'm not talking about whatever Raven is up to at the moment. We're hours away from getting this party started. Hours away from her.

'As ready as I'll ever be!' John tells me firmly without sparing me a single glance.

'Good!' I nod.

He's focused, and he needs to be. It's the mission of his life. I watch my friend from the corner of my eye. He's a good Alpha. Not the strict type. John is determined, strong, and kind to those who deserve it. He's a good leader that cares for those he leads. Bringing the Brown family to stay, helping Tobias, and renovating the campsite are all actions that prove it.

'It's gonna be great!' I murmur more to myself than him. I'd lie if I said I'm not nervous. Maybe we'll die. Who knows?

We've trained for this.

I've trained for this. And we will give it our all or die trying.

*

Stepping into my Livingroom, the first thing my eyes fall upon is Raven curled up in Tim's lap on my couch. Her head rests on his left shoulder, nuzzled into the crook of his neck. He's holding her gently as if she's the most precious part of his life. While resting his head against hers, eyes closed. Tim is barechested. There is a bloody handprint covering black lines directly over his heart. The blood has run down his stomach, leaving it stripy. The smell is strongly metallic.

'O-kay, this is different,' John concluded as he studied the sight before us. Tim opened his eyes and focused on us before lifting his hand and signing for us to keep quiet. Jack isn't too happy about being told off in our own home. But he isn't petty enough to come forward and say anything. Regardless of how annoyed we are with Tim, we do love Raven.

John closes the door behind us. We both take a seat, looking at Tim. He has turned his attention back to Raven, stroking her carefully not to wake her.

'This looks interesting.' John murmurs while waving his hand in the general direction of Tim's chest. 'Care to elaborate?' He then leaned back, making himself comfortable. Tim's eyes shine. It's as if he feels alive. An emotion that has been lost in his eyes and demeanor for weeks. It's as if looking back through time - to the man he was before Sofia showed up on our threshold.

'My witty enchantress is, as you know, amazing. However, I don't know what she did to me. She fell asleep before she could explain!' Tim smiles with a slight shrug.

'But why are you covered in blood?' I frown. He doesn't make sense. Tim shrugs again. He turns to kiss her forehead and murmurs against her skin, cooing at her to wake her up, but she frowns and nuzzles in further.

'Come on, love! Your favorite people are here as you requested!'

'I said an hour.' She groans.

'It's been an hour!' Tim chuckles lightly.

'Come on, Raven. Don't be a b***h!' I scoff, tired of her games. Tim growls ruthlessly as his eyes turn dark. He radiates self-confidence and power, making Jack perk up, ready to leap forward. Tim's aura is too strong for his blood. He's a warrior, sure, but he's not a ranked member, but he feels like one. Raven's hands cup his face. She kisses his chin and coos softly at him.

'Ease up, handsome! He's just being a jerk because he's impatient and jealous. But his chest will be as bloody as yours in a minute!'

'Sure!' Jack snorts in my head, making me nod in agreement. Tim frowns, not liking her statement. However, she stretches like a cat after a power nap.

'Doggie, Bossman!' Raven said as she straightened up and turned to face us. 'I love you two. You know that, right? I also love Big bear, Sofia, and my Tim.' She pecks his cheek before she continues. 'You're my family! And I want to ensure that all of you are protected if and when I can't be there!'

'Raven, we're more than pretty faces!' I assure her.

'Yes, but you're pretty face ain't fighting wolfs. Your opponents are witches. And they don't think or fight like you. You can't deny me to protect those I care for when we're doing all this for someone you care about.' Raven turned her attention towards John even though I questioned her.

'How would you protect us?' John asks. He's still leaning back, but his eyes are intensely looking at her as she begins to rant an explanation.

'I thought about it. How am I to protect you all? There is a potion, but I don't have the time to make it. There isn't a spell, a rune, or anything else that single handling will help, so I thought - what if I combined them? I have the perfect runes for you, the spell and the sacrifice. Hence the blood! I'm the sacrifice, or rather, my blood. It doesn't magically protect you. But it enhances your already strong senses. Your strengths will be even stronger. It's like bringing forward your sixth sense, making it more than simple instinct. Do you get me?'

No, I don't. Raven lost me somewhere in the middle - she is combining something and has made herself into a sacrifice?

'She has basically turned me into an alpha, and you two,' Tim nods toward John and me. 'Will be freaking Superman's or something!'

'Super-wolves!' Raven chirps happily.

'Yeah!' Tim smiles. 'Super-wolves!'

'For how long?' John wonders.

'I'm not sure how long it's gonna last!' Raven admitted. 'I aimed for three days, so hopefully, it will keep during the weekend!'

Jack is speechless, as am I.

'So she'll turn us into super-wolves to help us keep ourselves safe?'

'I guess?'

'I can't do it to everyone, but I can do it for you, Alpha, and you, Beta. I can give you an advantage! Please let me.'

John looks at me for the first time since we took a seat. He's tempted, I can see it. But something is holding him back.

'What's the cost?' Jack wonders in my head.

'She wouldn't want us to pay her, you i***t!' I scold him.

'You're dumber than a train!' Jack sighs. 'Not money. How will it affect her?'

John seems to have the same thought. Cause he turns to Raven and leans forward as he speaks to her softly.

'Will it weaken you?'

Raven pinches her lips together tightly, diverting her gaze to her lap.

Tim grasps her chin softly, forcing her head back to face John's intense stare, adamant about her holding her head high. He's treating her so softly but with a firm undertone.

'Tell the truth, love!'

'Some,' She murmurs, sounding defeated, like when she was curled up in my lap on the floor in the laundry room. She was devastated and then attempted to leave for good. Now she sounds small. It's so unlike herself, and it makes me nervous. Tim purrs in her ear, sending visuall shivers down her spine. She looks up at him with love and adoration. His gaze is dominant and possessive. But most of all, it's filled with bottomless devotion and love.

Jack and I both relax. I feel my shoulder fall and my breathing even out as we realize that Tim will do anything for her. She is safe. However, Jack and I intend to do the same. She needs protection from her own generosity. I won't allow her to weaken herself to make me stronger.

'Protect John. I'll be with you. You don't have to do me.' I tell her, intercepting the couple as they keep lovingly staring into each other's eyes.

'But,' Said Raven.

'No.' I tell her holding up my hand to stop her. 'He's the important one, and we all know it. He's goin' to be in a more exposed situation than me and has the greater need, and we won't afford to weaken you more than necessary!'

'Thank you, Beta!' Tim speaks up, pleased by my consideration of her well-being.

Raven huffs like a steam train, annoyed out of her mind. But she doesn't argue as expected. Instead, she nods and tells me. 'Fine.'

*

I watch in awe as Raven wordlessly nicked her wand up, making the scattered salt rise into the air and then enter a small pouch. She commanded John to undress before pulling out a golden blade and placing it on the floor between them. Raven sealed them inside a circle of salt on the floor. She then flicked her wrist and turned the salt into a forcefield hovering around them with the tiny grains swirling in a fascinating dance before my eyes. The bedroom is shrouded in a subdued light that causes shadows to grow in every corner, making the grains hard to spot. However, Tim stopped me when I tried to turn on the light. Telling me; I wouldn't need it.

Jack is so present that he's giving me a headache as events unfold before my eyes. I hear her chant, draw symbols, then merge them together in a blinding light, beaming and soaring toward John's chest. I finally have to cover my eyes to protect them. The smell of blood fills the air, making it thick and hard to breathe. Tim growls beside me even though she obviously cut herself with the blade. I feel him. The thought makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I can envision her pressing her hand against John's chest, covering the symbol. A threatening growl rumble in the room, then all becomes quiet, and the room goes pitch black. I pull my hand from my face and stare at my friends. John stands panting. His back arched backward with his arms hanging limply towards the floor as his chest rises and falls quickly - like he's been running fast and hard. John's eyes are black spheres staring blindly into nothing. Raven has fallen. Tim holds on to her limp body while kissing her fingers before licking her bloody palm. It's as if he was expecting her to go down, and I didn't even see or hear him move to catch her.

'Alpha?' Tim states, looking up at John from the floor. John growls darkly before straightening his back and snapping his eyes toward him. Tim lowers his head in submission. John nods approvingly. He then turns his head toward me. I stare into the dark orbs that used to be my best friend's green irises, staring me down. He growls as I keep staring. There is tremendous power radiating from him. It makes my skin crawl and the air hard to press down my lungs. I can't hold my head up - It's like a forcefield is bending it for me. Jack regresses inside me as I tremble and am physically forced to my knees by sheer power.

Raven's words echos in my head. She wasn't exaggerating - she has literally turned him into a "Super-Wolfe" like nothing I have ever seen.

I managed to murmur a low 'Alpha' in respect for the man before me, knowing that is what our hierarchy demands. I hear him draw a sharp intake of air before gasping as if coming up from underwater. John falls to his knees, and the force lets up on me. I can lift my head to look at him.

'Holy f**k!' Gasped John astounded. All while supporting his upper body with his palms against the grainy floor. He's crouched down as he looks up at me.

'Sorry, man! I didn't see that coming!'

'It's all good!' I assured him, making him nod before looking down at the floor again to level his breathing.

'It's a bit weird in the beginning,' Murmured Tim as he stood with Raven in his arms. He reluctantly places her on the bed and pulls a blanket over her before kissing her hair. 'Your aura is suffocating, Alpha! So try to suppress it if you can. Harry is from Beta blood, and you literally forced him to his knees from looking at him. The omegas will die on the spot!'

John nods while facing the floor. Raven hums in her sleep and turns to her side. Tim watches her from the corner of his eye, but he doesn't move.

I slumped down on my ass and leaned against the wall behind me, covering my face with my hands. Jack moves in my mind, letting me feel his presence. He's as stunned as me. Whatever we expected, it wasn't this. And we're still feeling the aftermaths of it. My body is heavy, my heart race, and my fingers tremble. I feel weak, and it's scary.

'Raven is amazing!'

'She is!' I confirm while mentally nodding at Jack's conclusion. As John gets a grip on himself, I feel the tension leave my body. His success in suppressing his aura is a relief, and I'm slowly becoming normal again.

'That was intense, Alpha! I almost thought you'd kill me.' I joke, making John frown as he slumps to his ass in front of me.

Here we sit, two men on a salt-covered floor. Scratch that!

Tim takes a seat with his legs crossed leaning against the bed.

So here we sit, three grown men on a salt-covered floor, two supercharged with bloodstained chests, and one ordinary me. A soft snore alerts me of Raven's presence. So three men and one exceptionally nifty witch!

'Don't call me Alpha when not in public. There is no need!' John groans as he rubs his temples.

'I think there is. You are not the only one who's been upgraded. It's your wolf as well. And he demands the respect he's entitled to. So I'm sorry, Alpha.' Tim said, lowering his head. 'But I think you have to roll with the punches here and accept the respect that is rightfully yours!'

'Okay, when did you become the witchcraft-supercharge-alpha-dictionary?' I snort.

'The moment the supercharging-witch supercharged me, so back off!' Tim scoffs without hesitation.

'I liked you better when your head was down!' I growl despite the searing need to submit. I'm not bowing to him just because his mate made him a temporary Alpha.

'Stop bitching about it! You addressed him on instinct before. You know I'm right!' Declared Tim while flashing me his dark eyes.

'Show off!' Jack growls in my head. I open my mouth to lash back at him, but John raises a hand, intervening before I can. His physical action pursed my lips sealed, and his words stopped me from attempting to share my disapproval further.

'Stop acting like children!'

I gave Tim a burning gaze, unable to speak my mind. He returned it with amusement before we both nodded in silent agreement.

'It's almost time for me to leave. Let Raven rest for as long as possible before you two get going. Take care of her!'

His last words are to both of us. An order we can agree on without bickering.

John and I left Tim with Raven. She's asleep, so there is no reason for us to linger on her bedroom floor. Jonh pulled his shirt on, covering his chest as I closed the door. He then turned to me. His eyes flickered dark as he spoke.

'Not a word about this! If anyone was to find out...' John doesn't even have to finish that sentence. It's so evident that it doesn't need to be worded aloud. Of course, no one can know.

She would be used to charge others for the rest of her life. And that's not happening on my watch.

'As one of her many dedicated witch-sitters, I couldn't agree more, Alpha!' I tell him with a tight nod, annoyed over the fact that I can't stop myself from addressing him as Alpha. I couldn't even make it sound like a joke when I intended to.

John nods and places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it as he looks into my eyes. His gaze is earnest but radiates definite power. It gives me an uneasy feeling. Not that he's solemn, we all know the gravity of this undertaking. But his aura is pushing forward to the extent of making me uncomfortable.

'You better suppress yourself before leaving, Alpha!' I tell him, lowering my eyes.

'I can't wait until this is over!' John groans as he lets me go to leave. Me neither! I think to myself, earning a mental nod from Jack.

As John leaves - the air becomes lighter, and I can finally breathe again. Is this how the other members feel when he's around? Omegas and warriors.

John is powerful under normal circumstances. However, I'm usually not that affected due to my own Beta-blood. I slump down on the couch as I hear Tim start the shower. I can't imagen the feeling of being smeared by my mates' blood. It surprises me that he hasn't washed it off sooner.

I sigh hard as I cover my face with my hands, rubbing it. All my energy is gone. I can't keep my arms up and let them fall to the sides of my body so I can stare at the empty screen ahead, contemplating the sharp twists and turns of the most recent parts of life. Yet we wouldn't change it.

'Everything gonna be fine!'

'Yeah,' I tell Jack as I nod absently. 'Sure it is!'