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Lily is a Guardian. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. When I take her in my arms, she breaks down. I’m not sure what happened while I was away, but I intend to find out. I hold her for a moment while she cries before picking her up and carrying her to a chair. Sitting down, I settle her in my lap and let her cry until she cries herself out. I can tell the moment she realizes that I’m wearing nothing but a towel, and I’m holding her in my lap. Her body tenses and I relax my arms, letting her pull back. I rub my thumbs over her cheeks and wipe her tears away. “Better?” She nods. “I’ve been waiting for you to get home all day. I didn’t….” “Shhh, I’m here now. We can figure this out together.” I was so worried about her. It encompassed all my thoughts for the last day and a half. Now, I can’t help but touch her. I tuck her hair behind her ear, sliding my fingers down her cheek. She leans into my hand. “Why don’t you start from the beginning.” I say. It’s everything I
While I’m mortified that Alpha Anders saw me sitting in Clint’s lap, even though nothing was happening, I’m more concerned about what is going to happen next. Now, not just one but two Alphas will know I’m a Guardian. If I had any idea where to go, I’d run. As if sensing my discomfort, Clint comes up behind me, his hands rubbing up and down my arms. “You said you trusted me, right?” He asks, turning me around to face him. “Yes.” I say quietly. “Then trust me that I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t let Anders or Patrick force you into any kind of mate bond. Not that I think either of them will, but if it helps you feel safe, then know that I would never let that happen.” He leans in, kissing my forehead. He’s entirely too close. I can feel the heat from his chest through my clothes. I don’t know if it’s because he just had a shower, but he smells like warm apple pie, fresh from the oven. He smells like home, like my own personal happy place, and it’s making my mouth water.
Donovan is thrashing around in my head so loudly that I can barely hear the conversation going on around me. The only reason he hasn’t forced the shift was Alpha Patrick’s warning that he’d send us out of the room. I’m not leaving Lily, not now that I’ve heard the entire story and know that Alpha Mahli touched what is mine. I’m disappointed that she didn’t trust me enough to tell me what was happening. I only feel slightly better knowing she waited for me to get home and came to me immediately, knowing I would help her. I turn to Patrick. “So, what do we do now? Lily is in danger, not only from this Alpha Mahli, but also from every other Alpha that finds out she is a Guardian.” He turns to Lily. “Lily, do you feel that your father will keep you safe and trust that he will take your feelings into consideration around taking a mate?” I can see Lily struggle. I’m sure she wants to say that she believes that he would keep her safe, but he’s given her trust in him quite a blow over the
I follow Beta Calvin to a room on his floor. It’s nice, but I feel like a stranger in this room. I go sit on the bed with nothing else to do. Nothing in this room is mine. I have no clothes, no toiletries, nothing. The reality of my situation comes crashing down on me. My father was going to sell me to an Alpha to pay his gambling debts. I’ve never felt so lost or scared. I’m nervous for how my father will react when Alpha Patrick speaks to him. Will he yell at me? Most likely. Based on how he responded earlier, he will be furious and try to make this about me being ungrateful. I don’t know how my mother will feel. I can’t believe she knew anything about this. But she does what my father tells her to do. She has always been a good mother, but she never goes against my father. Now that her being a good mother and a good mate are at odds, I’m pretty sure that the mate bond will win. Will she be angry with me as well? Will she blame me for whatever punishment my father receives from Alph
As Lily closes the door, I immediately hear her sniffles and soft sobs. I clench my fists and go in search of Patrick. I’m furious that they didn’t throw her father in the cells or at least make sure he returned home. I find him in his office. I walk in without knocking. He looks up and when he sees it’s me, he sits back in his chair, folding his hands together on his desk. “Clint? Something on your mind?” I should sit down, but my temper won’t let me settle. “I took Lily for a run tonight to get her out after everything that happened.” I look up to see if he’s going to make some smart comment, but he remains quiet, watching me. “Her father was laying in wait for us when we returned.” That got his attention. He sits up, leaning forward. “Where?” “Outside the packhouse. Called her slut, ungrateful and basically blamed her for everything. Then he said something about it all being a misunderstanding and Lily will be moving back home when it’s figured out.” I turn to look at him, my
I’m warm and comfortable when some rude person starts shaking me awake. “Lily, wake up, we have to get back to your room.” That jolts me awake and I shoot up. I’m outside, on the roof with Clint. I fell asleep. I’d been tossing and turning all night and on impulse, I texted him. When he brought me up here, I was ready to stomp right back to my room until he told me I was the only one he’d every brought up here. And then…..I fell asleep, almost immediately. Between Clint’s fingers in my hair and Donovan’s purring in my ear, I didn’t stand a chance. Clint is standing up, holding out his hand to me. “We have to get you back to your room before anyone notices.” “What time is it?” I ask, moving off the blanket and letting him fold it up and put it back where he stores it. “Early, but not early enough. We both fell asleep.” He gets to the slanted roof and carefully slides down before turning, reaching out for me with one hand and putting a finger to his lips. The universal sign to be qu
While I expected Calista to support Lily, it was nice to have it confirmed. As much as I want to be the one Lily goes to when she’s worried or upset, our relationship isn’t at that point yet. She needs the support of her lifelong friend. As we’re pulling up into the parking lot, Calista asks one more question. “So, Alpha Patrick knows what happened, but who is looking out for you? You’re not 18 yet.” “Alpha Patrick has taken over as my parental guardian. My mother could have come to stay with me, but I expected her to stay with my father, and she did.” “Well,” Calista says as we exit the car, “I guess I’ll just have to come to the packhouse to so we can do our homework together.” I watch as she wraps her arm around Lily’s shoulders, and they begin walking to the school entrance. Anders and I walk behind them, almost in a protective stance. I’m not sure what look we have on our faces, but no one approaches us as we walk inside. We split off to go to our lockers. I can see that Lily
Dinner was strange. First, I don’t usually eat in the packhouse. Since my parents have their own house, we usually eat there unless there is a pack event. But Clint insisted that I eat with him and Anders, which meant that I am sitting with all the ranked wolves. If people hadn’t noticed that I had moved to the packhouse before, they certainly notice that I am getting special treatment by eating with our ranked members. When I sit, Luna Olivia and Beta Naomi turn their attention to me. “Lily, dear, how have you settled into your room? Do you have everything you need?” Luna Olivia turned to me. “Oh, Alpha Patrick had my things brought over today. I haven’t checked but I should have everything I need. Thank you.” “If not, please let me know, or Naomi can help you. You are closer to her room if it’s something urgent.” “Thank you both, I really appreciate it. I don’t want to be a burden.” “I was thinking it was nice to have another she-wolf at this table.” Beta Naomi whispers so only