MARKED BY MY STEPBROTHER

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Sophie’s POV

Do you have bad dreams?

Well, the battlefield I was on was a nightmare of blood, and bodies, bodies bodies. I stood at the back of the fighting with Lucas secured tightly against my chest, golden energy surrounding us like some kind of a living shield. And everytime there was a clash of bodies and snarls, it made my heart beat faster. I could feel Damon through the mating bond. He was being very protective and he was fighting with everything he had.

He was magnificent in his big black wolf form, tearing through Shadow Pack warriors like they were nothing. But when Garrick, their Alpha, ran into him with a lot of force, I couldn’t stay behind the protected flank any longer.

It made me feel too useless, yet I was in the same battle that he was.

“Protect him,” so I whispered to Lucas, then unleashed a blast of golden energy toward Garrick. The force knocked the Shadow Alpha off balance, giving Damon the opening he needed. My mate pounced, pinning Garrick to the ground with powerful jaws around his throat.

“Yield!” Damon’s voice roared through the battlefield link.

Garrick struggled for a long moment before going limp. “We yield!” he bellowed.

The fighting slowly came to a halt. Wolves from both sides backed away, panting and bleeding. The ground was stained red.

Damon shifted back to human form, standing tall despite the deep gashes across his body. Blood ran down his belly, but his silver eyes burned with victory as he looked toward me.

I ran to him, Lucas still safe in the carrier. Damon pulled us both into his arms, kissing me right there in front of everyone. Well it was something that I had to get used to. Him kissing me like that in front of people and in public places.

“We did it,” he whispered against my lips. “They’re retreating.”

Marcus approached, wiping blood from his face. “The Shadow Pack is pulling back. Garrick has agreed to honor the border for now. But he warned us that the child’s power is going to attract more enemies.”

Damon nodded, still holding me close. “Let them come. When they do, we’ll be ready.”

Damon’s POV

The victory celebration back at the mansion wasn't that pronounced but it was real anyway. Wounded wolves were being treated, families reunited, and for the first time in months, there was genuine hope in the air.

I stood on the balcony of our suite later that night, freshly showered and bandaged, watching the forest. Sophie joined me, Lucas sleeping peacefully in her arms.

“You were incredible today,” I told her, pulling her against my side. “The way you fought, the way you protected our son. You’re going to make an amazing Luna.”

She smiled tiredly. “I had a good teacher.”

I kissed the top of her head, then took Lucas gently so she could rest against the railing. Holding my son felt surreal. This tiny being had changed everything.

“He’s going to be strong,” I murmured. “Stronger than both of us.”

Sophie nodded, but she looked worry too. “That’s what scares me. Garrick was right. Power like his will draw attention. Other packs. Maybe even worse things.”

I handed Lucas back to her and wrapped my arms around them both. “Then we teach him control. We teach him love. And we make this pack strong enough to protect him.”

Sophie’s POV

The next morning brought new challenges.

Marcus arrived with reports during breakfast. “Some of Victor’s old loyalists are still causing trouble in the outer territories. And we’ve received word that a small group of hybrids has been asking questions about Lucas.”

Damon said, “We’ll deal with them one problem at a time.”

Later that afternoon, while Lucas wa sleeping, Damon and I finally had a moment alone. He pulled me into the shower with him, the hot water washing away the last remnants of battle.

His hands were gentle at first, then grew more possessive as he pressed me against the tiled wall. “I need you,” he said, lifting me off my feet.

I wrapped my legs around his waist as he thrust deep inside me. The s*x was raw and passionate, it was as if we were celebrating the fact that we had actually survived the fight He knotted me under the spray, both of us moaning loudly as we came together.

Afterward, as we dried each other, Damon gave me a very serious look. "Sometimes, I feel that even though what I did, ending my father, was for the good of a lot of people, I still think that karma will soon catch up with me."

Hearing him say this broke my heart, like he was sure that he was going to be punished eventually for doing something good.

Damon’s POV

That evening, as the sun set, I stood on the balcony with Sophie and Lucas. The pack was slowly healing. Borders were being reinforced. Allies were reaching out.

But in the distance, a lone howl sounded, deeper and more haunting than anything I’d heard before.

Sophie looked at me and asked, “You heard that too?”

I nodded, and pulled them closer. “Something’s coming. But whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”

First it was Victor, then Seraphina, then the Shadow Pack. I didn't see any reason why we wouldn't survive whatever was going to come next.

Personally, thought that my father was going to be a hard kill. I thought he was going to torment me for the rest of my life. I mean even if it wasn't going to be for the rest of my life, but for a very long time.

There was a bit of sadness I felt in that at times, but it was quite latent. Never rising up to the surface. I still had Sophie and Lucas with me, and they were my happiness.

I never thought I’d find happiness like this, not with my stepsister. She was the best mistake of my life.

And there was no force on earth that was going to tear us apart.