4

Arsel

The moon was high in the sky when I reached the border.

It lit up everything in its path, which meant it was going to be a good night.

I patrolled as usual, running along the edge of the forest, letting Leo, my beast, take control of my body and release as much energy as he could.

I could hear the guardian apprentices right behind me.

We have to make these kids sweat, Leo said with amusement.

My beast was too competitive, and that was good, but I had to take it easy because tonight wasn't a regular patrol; I had to teach the rookies.

We'll do it another day; we have to slow down to give instructions.

Leo grumbled, but we stopped at the far edge.

There I changed into my human form, and the rookies did the same.

I looked at the eighteen young people who were there because they wanted to join the ranks of the Crescent Guardians. They all seemed eager and reminded me of myself as a hormonal teenager training in this very forest.

“One of the most important tasks of a guardian is perimeter patrol; it is vital work for the pack,” I said firmly. “A perimeter patrol ensures that the guardians focus on four main objectives. Can anyone tell me what they are?”

The young people looked at each other.

One of them, Ilya, one of the most promising trackers, raised his hand cautiously, and I nodded, giving him permission to speak.

“Prevent unauthorized incursions, whether from other packs or species; ensure that the territory has sufficient prey and water; integrate young members and reaffirm the hierarchy; maintain calm within the pack,” Ilya said without hesitation.

“That's true, and that's what the book says,” I said calmly. “But the book doesn't elaborate on what that means in real time, so today's lesson is to put those four objectives into practice and review what you can and cannot do based on your knowledge.”

The young people frowned, and then Kiel, my Beta and best friend, appeared.

He approached with colored bandanas.

“Choose a color,” Kiel said.

The young people quickly grabbed bandanas.

“Each color represents a goal: red is defense, blue is logistics, yellow is social, and green is prevention,” I said calmly. “Each of you will group together by color and have a respective task. Your instructor will guide you, but he cannot intervene in the exercise. You have to solve it on your own as a team.”

They looked at each other in surprise.

This is interesting, Leo said humorously.

Everyone split up, and those wearing red were assigned to me.

“Are you our instructor?” Ilya asked in surprise.

“Yes, I'm the defense instructor,” I said, and they frowned. "I'll take you to the border, and you'll have to agree on how to study irregularities, hard-to-reach spots, and possibilities for incursions. Their mission is to gather all this information in a limited amount of time."

They nodded, but I held back a smile.

The exercise was not easy. They would be faced with a false incursion, so they had to react accordingly, and that way I would know their response capacity as a group and as individuals.

It was a trial by fire to become part of the guardians.

We ran to the farthest edge, right where the roads led to the highways that took us to human territory and the sorceresses' territory.

“You have to go around the entire edge and bring me a detailed report in less than an hour,” I said, and they began to complain. “In difficult times, time is money, so get moving.”

The young men ran off, and I remained in my human form to make sure they didn't cross the edges.

I watched what they did with great caution.

I'm waiting for the order to raid. The guards are ready on the hill, Kiel said.

Wait a few more minutes; let them spread out a bit, and then we'll start the exercise. I want to see how quickly they organize themselves, I replied calmly, and all I heard was Kiel's laughter.

At that moment, one of my twin brothers approached me from behind.

“I thought you'd be back at Eclipse,” I said as I watched Ilya try to lead the group.

“No. Dayma called and said she was coming to visit today, so we all decided to stay,” Isaac said simply, and I smiled. I liked having my whole family together. “Mom, Bea, Tris, and Daena are making a big meal with Beth’s and Mara’s help. They want to do something special for Dayma.”

I smiled because that didn't surprise me.

My mother and sisters were overly affectionate, something I loved and at the same time found exasperating about them.

“And what are you doing here?” I asked calmly.

“I came to watch the training,” Isaac said without hesitation. “Dad and Isaiah went with the fairies, so I feel like this is more fun.”

I looked at my younger brother with a frown.

He and Isaiah were the spitting image of our father, but that was the only similarity they shared.

While Isaiah was calm and gentle, Isaac was like a volcano about to erupt, and that's exactly why I knew there was something else going on.

“I'm not stupid,” I said, and he raised his eyebrows. “Why don't you go visit the fairies? I know you love to tease them and flirt with them.”

He frowned.

“It's not fun anymore,” Isaac said fearlessly, but his neck and cheeks flushed.

“What did you do to the fairies to make you afraid to go?” I asked firmly.

“I didn't do anything,” Isaac said, offended. “I just don't want to go anymore.”

I was about to say something when Ilya started howling.

That put me on alert.

So I went to the edge and got a better view of the situation.

I realized that the problem wasn't on this side of the hill but on the other side, so I took my wolf form and ran. Isaac joined me, so we ran quickly, and I could see why Ilya had howled.

An unauthorized car had used the old border road.

And this was a real incursion, not something for a reaction exercise, and it was a matter that, if not handled properly, could cause big problems.

Serious problems.

The group of students surrounded the area and began howling for backup.

What's going on?

Kiel's question didn't surprise me.

There's a real incursion right now, so abort the exercise and deploy the guardians. We have to bypass the damn protocol, I said with annoyance.

People lost on the road were nothing new, but often those incursions turned out to be people fleeing their territories and trying to hide in my pack to avoid some situation, whether legal or personal. I didn't allow that because it violated legal cooperation protocols.

That's why we had to do things right and follow the rules.

The wolves began to howl as a warning; they did so loudly, but the driver didn't seem to react. I looked out onto the road and didn't realize the car was coming straight at me until it was too late.

The driver maneuvered to avoid hitting me but went straight into the ravine.

I howled, and when I jumped out to help, a pack of wolves was already near the accident, so I approached in my human form.

“Kiel, check the car; I want to see if the driver is alive,” I said immediately, and my brother went to him.

The students immediately cordoned off the area, and one of them called for an ambulance, so I stepped in to help.

“Damn, this is bad,” Isaac said as he checked the engine. “It's leaking fuel. They need to get the driver out immediately.”

I gave the order to break the car door open, and one of the young men identified the driver as a woman.

My wolf was anxious, too anxious, and I tensed as I approached.

My skin bristled when the moonlight illuminated the car and revealed something shocking.

I stifled a gasp of surprise when an intoxicating scent flooded my nostrils.

Mate! Mate! Mate!

The realization shook me to my core, and I looked at my mate in horror.

Leo whimpered in despair, and that's when I realized she was the driver and had been beaten all over, with bruises on her face, a swollen nose, and swollen cheekbones. She had caramel-colored hair with a shine I didn't normally notice in anyone.

I carried her carefully, and intense fear enveloped me after she vomited and lost consciousness.

Help her!

Leo's scream made me scream too.

“The ambulance, now!” I snapped, fearfully.

Isaac approached me cautiously, and when he saw me, he raised his eyebrows.

“A car is already ready!” Ilya shouted immediately.

I moved quickly; my brother followed me and got in the car with me, as did Kiel.

“They're already waiting at the hospital; they'll give your mate top priority,” Kiel said, and I trembled.

I hugged my mate in terror.

“She's human,” Isaac said incredulously. “Her scent is very pure; she has no hybridization whatsoever.”

I looked at my brother in confusion and then realized that he wasn't supernatural.

Something is wrong with her, Leo said desperately.

When we arrived, the doctors rushed to her aid, and my mother appeared with my sisters.

“What happened?” My mother asked, and I looked at her in confusion.

“My mate,” I said quietly. “I found my mate at the border, right on the closed road, and I think I accidentally killed her.”

My mother gasped, and my wolf whimpered again.

At that moment, my father and my other brother arrived. My mother explained what was happening, and he opened his eyes in surprise.

“This feels like déjà vu,” my father said and looked at me. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head.

At that moment, Ilya arrived and approached us. Seeing the tension in his body, I looked him in the eyes.

“What's going on?” I asked him seriously.

“We couldn't save the woman's car,” Ilya said, and I groaned. “Everything exploded, so we don't know who she is, and there are no missing person reports on the roads. We have to wait.”

I nodded, and he left. Then my mother approached me carefully and took my hand.

“You have to calm down; she needs you to be calm,” my mother said, and I looked into her eyes with fear. “Your mate is not going to die; coincidences don't exist, Arsel. She came to you because it was meant to be.”

My father looked at her lovingly, and I swallowed hard.

Gods, help me save her, I said with faith.

And a chill ran through my skin.