On the day we are to leave for the tournament, we pack up our four SUVs. Eli and I had pooled our money but could only afford one for the pack. The other three we rented in the city. Our destination would take us about twelve hours to arrive, without taking stops into consideration. We were going to a place in northern Kansas. The council had gotten the state to close a state park for our arrival. This way, we wouldn’t risk running into humans. With the large numbers of werewolves coming into the territory, the state was paid well to shut down their tourist spot. The location was chosen, I was told, because it’s in the middle of the country. Our day is long and boring. Eli and I practice using our gifts of mind linking our pack but the further away we get, the harder it is. We link farther than expected, equally annoying different members of the pack as we test our reach. Eventually, we are no longer able to reach them. When we finally arrive, it is early evening. We check in, and I

Maia pushes forward, answering the question of the Alphas in the room. I hear a collective gasp and realize that Artemis has come forward as well. “All happily marked and mated.” Rik says, his voice a challenge as he stands. I realize he has passed Lily back to Cara. He’s ready for a fight. Eli’s arm goes around me possessively. When I look, I see Louis shining in his eyes. Rik’s and Liam’s eyes have their wolves shining in them as well. It’s a clear threat. Do not touch what is mine. One of the elders who is managing the tournament stands. “Alphas. No one will attempt to take your mates from you. This is a competition, but it is friendly. Your mates are marked, and everyone here can smell your scents on them. Anyone who is paying attention will have seen the three females that will battle on the Alpha Day. Perhaps they believed they were Alpha females, but now we all know, it’s the Guardians that are here to battle. Let us finish our lunch and get back to the competition.” With th

The audacity of this man. This man that I once respected, that I looked up to like he was the answer to every question I ever had. Now, I see him for what he really is. A washed up, pathetic excuse for an Alpha. The arrogance of him thinking that I was staring at him because I want him, it’s unfathomable, not to mention disgusting. I watch his face shut down after I call him father. “Of course, I was what, twelve, when you banished me? Do you remember me now?” “That’s not possible.” “Why, dad?” I say the term sarcastically. “Because you couldn’t be patient enough to wait and see if I got my wolf? You couldn’t be a good enough father to love me, even if I had never gotten a wolf? Well, surprise, here I am. It’s me, Grace. You banished your daughter, a future Guardian, from your pack. Is this starting to ring any bells for you?” “How dare you?” He snarls, his hand coming up to strike me. I grab it in mid-air, refusing to let it go, even after he tries to pull it out of my grip. “

I follow Amber to her fight. Our pack looks like they have divided themselves between Carlos and Amber, but not surprisingly, most are watching Carlos. They want to see him take down his brother’s Beta. Cara comes over to stand beside me. “Dustin took his guy down in two hits.” “Nice!” She nods her head at Amber. “She ready?” “I think so. She needs to stop second guessing herself.” I watch as the Beta coming in to fight her smirks at her. He’s easily twice her size. “You got this Amber.” I call out to her. “Yeah, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Cara chimes in as we start clapping for her. She’s fighting tough. She’s taking hits but she’s giving plenty as well. Eli and Carlos come over to join us. “How’s she doing Luna?” “She’s good.” I raise my voice for Amber to hear. “She needs to stop playing with this idiot and show him what Safe Haven Pack is all about.” “Take him down, baby. Just like we practiced.” Carlos yells at her. And there’s something about hearing C

Fear. I have never felt such fear in my life. I’ve been afraid many times. I was afraid when my mother started having her ‘episodes’. I was afraid when my mother died, and I was alone in the world. And I was afraid when I was being hunted across the country by Alphas wanting to force me into a mate bond. But this? This isn’t fear for me. This is fear for my mate. Fear for my sisters standing beside me. Fear for my pack, and fear for the innocent pups huddled behind me. How dare they? How dare these hunters come to take what is mine? How dare they threaten the happiness that Eli and I have worked so hard to create? And as Cara blasts them with our power and they turn their attention toward us, my fear turns to anger. A fiery inferno of anger. They do not get to take what is mine. They do not get to take the happiness of my people who have worked so hard to find a better life, to make a better life for themselves. They, who have come to take everything from me, will have everything ta