This is the first time they realize that Andra is immune to wolfsbane, and it seems that everyone is beginning to identify Lily and Andra as Guardians.
I hate it when Lily walks out of my room. A part of me worries that she wouldn’t come back. I laid all my cards on the table. I have to hope that it’s enough for her to give me a chance to prove that she’s the only woman for me. Not long after she leaves, Alpha Patrick comes in. “Clint, I was happy to hear that you awakened earlier today.” “Good afternoon, Patrick. It was good to wake up and have Lily at my side.” “She didn’t leave you. She’s the one that carried you from the battlefield to the hospital.” That’s news to me. I know she’s strong but I’m nearly a foot taller than her. “How did she manage that?” “Have you looked at your feet?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. I pull the sheets off and see that, indeed, my feet look like they’ve been drug through the mud. I chuckle before pulling the sheets back over me and shrugging. I don’t care. I’d get shot with wolfsbane every day if that’s what it takes for Lily to stop pushing me away. “Have you spoken to her yet?” I ask Patrick.
Clint is making it impossible for me not to fall for him all over again. Everything about what he’s saying seems genuine. The fact that he has me listed as his mate in his phone and my birthday is his code is….well, a bit overwhelming. I can feel my heart giving in. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to collect myself before opening them and reading Alpha Patrick’s message. “He says to meet him in his office in a half hour. Beta Calvin is bringing Anna in for an interview.” I look back up at Clint. “How do you think she got past Alpha Patrick’s command?” He’s drying himself off and as he turns, I can see that he also has bruises on his butt and legs. His are not healing as fast as mine, since Donovan is still out because of the wolfsbane. Andra pushes forward and leans down, licking the wounds on his legs and over his muscular butt. “Lily? What are you doing?” Clint’s voice is choked, and his body has gone tense. He turns and looks at me, realizing it’s Andra that has pushed fo
I am so angry at Anna that I could literally tear her apart. I was on the verge of doing just that when Lily stood in front of me. Her calming touch helped me to settle down, but it was her telling Patrick that she would let me guard her again that finally had me settling. I know that other Alphas will have heard about her by now and they will be coming for her. But I also know, if I’m with her, they won’t get to her. No one will take my mate from me. I don’t know how Lily can be so forgiving of what Anna did, but I can’t. I won’t forget that she put my mate’s life in danger. When we leave Patrick’s office, I walk her to her room. “Clint, you’re dead on your feet. Come in and lay down.” I don’t have the energy or the will to argue with her. She leaves her door cracked open and takes me to her bed, tucking me in. “What are you going to do while I sleep?” I ask. “I need to catch up on homework and then I’ll order food for us to have when you wake up.” I pat the bed beside me. “I n
I have to admit, the thought of ten Alphas being on our pack lands at the same time, all of them knowing about me, has me on edge. I know I can fight, and I know I’m strong, but having Clint beside me makes my chances for making it through next weekend without being kidnapped exponentially better. So, I agree to sharing a room. I already know that if I’m not with him at night, I won’t sleep a wink and I need to on my game and extra careful next weekend, which I can't do if I'm exhausted. “First,” Alpha Patrick begins. “Lily, you will train with me or Anders every morning. No one else. I want to make sure you are ready to fight an Alpha if that’s what it comes to.” He looks at me and I nod. I’ve already sparred with Alpha Patrick a couple of times. I’m hoping now I’ll be strong enough to defeat him. “Second, you will train with Clint every afternoon in both human and wolf form.” Clint and I nod. “We already do that every day.” Clint tells him. “Okay, let’s take a look at who will b
While I’m thrilled that I get to move in with Lily, and don’t think I won’t push to keep it that way, I’d rather things stay as-is and know that she’s safe. Since that’s not an option, the next best thing I can do is help her get stronger while protecting her. When we leave Alpha Patrick’s office, I walk her to her room. “What would your preference be, Lily bud? Do you want to move to my room, or have me move in here with you?” She opens her door, looking around. “This isn’t really my room. It’s been a sort of stopping point since leaving my home. I have no connection to it, unlike you who has lived in your room years.” I shrug. Any place will feel like home if she’s there with me. “I want you to be comfortable. I will be comfortable because you are there.” I say, pulling her into a hug. I know tonight has been nerve-wracking for her. Her fear was palpable and all of us could smell it earlier. As angry as I am about having so many Alphas in our territory coming after my mate, I had
I spend a boring afternoon watching as the Alphas arrive and then move to the backyard to enjoy time by the pool. Finally, Clint comes back to the room, just as I get out of the shower. The official cocktail party starts at 6pm, with a sit-down dinner at 7pm. Calista and I wanted to go shopping this week, so Luna Olivia and Beta Naomi took us with Clint and Anders as our guards. Luna Olivia informed me that, as my surrogate mother, she was responsible for buying my dress for both nights. I wanted to argue, but she wouldn’t hear it. So, tonight, I’m wearing a royal blue midi wrap dress that has a v-neck, flutter sleeves, and a matching sash. The dress comes to my knees, and I have a pair of 3-inch silver heels to go with them. I decide to leave my hair down in its large curls and after I finish getting ready, I feel Clint come up behind me. He pulls my hair off one shoulder, kissing the spot on my neck where I know he hopes to mark me one day very soon, sending shivers down my spine
I wanted to rip that Alpha’s arm off, not only because he was touching Lily, but he was also holding her hand like he had a right to do so. What’s worse, Lily seemed enamored with him. I had been keeping an eye on her and I saw when Andra flashed in her eyes. Whatever Alpha Eric said, it impacted not only Lily but also Andra. I can’t wait for the day that I can sink my teeth into her neck, leaving my mark, so everyone knows she’s mine. ‘Maybe we should leave a different kind of mark on her neck tonight.” Donovan says. ‘If she’ll let me, I’m all in.’ I say to him as we move into the dining hall. I see Alpha Jerome making his way toward us and I steer Lily toward our seats. Alpha Patrick and I met with Luna Olivia before this event to make sure that Lily would always be surrounded by two of us, at a minimum during meals and that she would never be seated next to one of the other Alphas. I sit Lily beside Luna Estella and I sit on her other side. Alpha Leander is on the other side of
Not only was Alpha Jerome taking every opportunity to put his hands in inappropriate places while we sparred, but when he realized he couldn’t take me, or maybe because he realized he was running out of time, he injected me with wolfsbane. I’m thankful that I’m immune. If I wasn’t, I would have ended up in the pack hospital and of all the places in our pack, that would probably have been the easiest to kidnap me from. As I turn to walk inside, Alpha Eric falls into step beside me. “Are you alright?” He asks and there is no flirtation in his voice. He is genuinely concerned. “Yes, thank you. I’ll just have a bruise for a couple of hours.” “So, you really are immune to wolfbane?” I look at him. “I am.” He turns to look at Clint who is hovering on my other side. “What about you, Guardian Clint? Are you immune to wolfsbane?” “No. Just Lily.” Alpha Eric looks impressed as he looks back at me. “Why do you think you are immune?” “I have no idea. But I’m thankful that I am, and that
Hello everyone, Thank you for taking this journey with me. As many of you may have read, Lily was adamant that I tell her story. And while it took longer in the beginning than I expected, I hope you got to see what a great person she is. Many of you have asked for a continuation of the series and your wish is granted! My first book about the Guardian's children, Shattered Bonds, is out now. This is Richie and Emlyn's story but will touch on many of the Guardian children as they have all grown up together. You will also get glimpses of Lily's story, which is scheduled to be the second book in the series and Alexander's, or Xander as he's called by his friends and family. Xander's book is scheduled to be third and Leana's book is scheduled to be fourth. I'm trying not to get far ahead of myself, my brain starts writing books long before I'm ready to put them on paper. But, I do have a tentative story line for Xander and Leana and Lily's book has already start writing itself in my head.
We watch as Angel and Cara explain the best that they can what Grace did to save the packs. She probably could have done it on her own, but I was concerned for her child. Having whatever strength she pulled from everyone was great, but she wasn’t reserving any for herself. She would have given everything to save them. That is something I understand very well. I would have done the same in her position. But Clint and I had the ability to save her, to make sure that she had enough reserves to survive. “You were never meant to be this strong.” Selene says, coming up behind us as we watch everyone wakes up, or, come back to life, because that's really what they are doing. They were dead and now they are alive. “What do you mean?” I ask her. “I created the Guardians to strengthen the packs. You were always meant to find your fated mates and birth a new generation of stronger wolves. I guess I should have known that the Alphas would not want to part with the strength and power that the Gu
At first, when the vampire sank his teeth into my neck, I fought. I probably could have defeated him, even in my disadvantaged state. But then, I realized if I died, I’d be with my Lily bud. I feel my tether to everyone in my life break and I tell Lily I’m coming as everything goes dark. When I open my eyes, I’m back in the meadow that I found myself in right after Lily died. I sit up and look around. All I care about is finding my Lily bud. I’m going to hold her and kiss her and remind her of what being my mate means. I’m happy when I realize I can stand. It takes me a moment to readjust to being able to walk again. “Look at this Donovan!” I say, wanting to share my excitement with my wolf. I’m met with silence. “Donovan?” I say, looking around like I’m going to find him in the meadow. What I find instead is my heart, my soul, the love of my life. “Mate.” She says and it makes my heart sing again. It’s just like it was that day beside the lake and I have to let her know that I st
I’ve continued to watch the life of my family. I’ve watched my daughter grow into a beautiful woman. She is not only beautiful on the outside, but she’s also beautiful on the inside. Clint has done such a great job raising her, as I knew he would. And I love that he still talks to me at night, as if I’m right beside him, which, of course, I am. I’ve watched as Cara developed a sweet romantic interest in Liam, watched while Rik finally realized who my daughter is and began laying his claim to her and I never left her side when Eli kidnapped her. Andra had snarled and snapped at him every time he came in to try and mark our daughter. Not that it made a difference, but we were there, trying to protect her. So, I was there when they went to Araphyra. Donovan wasn’t the only one that seemed to remember King Ailduin’s name. Andra sat up when they mentioned him. “Do you remember him, Andra?” She looks at me and chuffs. Her memory seems to be stronger than Donovan’s. When they arrive, Andr
For the next few years, I get into a pattern of training Cara. We train early in the morning, then while she is at school, I work on my upper body strength by building and testing the training facilities I’m building for her. It’s a work in progress, but I feel closer to Lily while I build this for our daughter. In the afternoons, I train Cara again, sometimes joining her, and then it’s dinner, homework and bed before we turn around and do it again. Cara is the absolute best daughter a parent could ever want. I don’t know if it’s because we had those years after Lily’s death where I struggled to be present, but she never tests me. She is smart, and we talk about her schoolwork, her studies, and I give her extra Guardian studies during the weekends when she’s training her endurance in the pool. The older Cara gets, the more she looks like Lily. She’s gorgeous and I’m thankful that she has listened to everything I’ve told her about the mate bond and that she’s waiting for her mate. I t
My Lily bud is always here, watching over me and Cara. It changes things for me. It makes the days easier. I have no intention of letting my mate down, so I begin to plan what needs to happen to train my daughter and make her the strongest Guardian alive. That does give me a moment of pause. Guardians are reborn, so where is Andra's Guardian spirit? I would look after her too, make sure she is safe. I need to talk to Anders about that, see if she’s popped up somewhere and I’ve just been so lost in my grief that I didn’t pay attention. The next couple of days, I make a plan to build a training ground for Cara. I make a list of all the materials I'll need and what I can do in the interim while I’m building. When I go to the store for my dinner with Anders, I grab some steaks, potatoes and green beans. I pick Cara up from school and send her to the table to do her homework while I start dinner. It’s Thursday and I have a lot to prepare before Anders arrives. “Dad, what’s going on?” Car
Time moves differently in this place. At first, it moved slowly. I spent a lot of time with Cara and Clint as they were hurting so much. Most nights, I would sleep beside Clint. But if I heard Cara crying, I’d go lay down with her. Sometimes I would spend time with Calista who holds a lot of guilt for my death. No matter how many times Anders tells her it wasn’t her fault, she still blames herself. I listen to my daughter when she calls Liam, crying on the phone, or telling him something funny that happened at school. She’s afraid to tell her father, although he usually already knows. But she doesn’t want to upset him because she is finding small moments of happiness. Liam is always a good friend to her, supporting her and validating her feelings. I’m not sure I realized how important it was for him to have me, until I watch how valuable having him is to Cara. I watch as Clint slowly begins to live again. I like sitting with him at my memorial. It’s like he’s really talking to me. An
When I returned to the packhouse after being in the hospital, Anders had moved most of my things to a room on the first floor. It was just another reminder of how far I had fallen. The name stuck and I could hear people whispering about ‘the broken warrior’. I waited until after Lily’s funeral before approaching Anders. “I’m leaving Anders.” “Where are you headed, Clint.” He asks me as we navigate through the packhouse. It was never meant to house a wheelchair. Anders has made accommodations for me, but it’s not how the packhouse was built. “I’m taking Cara and we’re leaving. I can’t stay here.” He stops, turning to look at me. “No.” “You don’t have a say in it. I’m no good to you anymore. I’m not even capable of being your Guardian.” "You're still a warrior in this pack." "But a broken warrior, right? Isn't that what everyone is calling me, the broken warrior? I can’t live like this. I won’t live like this." Anders snarls and he immediately sends out an Alpha command telling
I wake up in a beautiful meadow. It feels like spring. The air is warm, but not hot. There’s a stream gurgling nearby and birds are singing all around me. I sit up, looking around. ‘Andra?’ My head is empty. Andra is gone. Is this death? I’m in a beautiful place, but I’m alone? “Andra!” I yell, looking around. And that’s when I see her. Selene. Beside her is a beautiful brown wolf. “Andra?” She comes bounding over to me, tackling me to the ground. “Andra. Oh Andra!” I say, hugging her and running my fingers through her fur. I look up and stand as Selene walks up. “Lily.” She says to me before looking around. “Is this your realm?” I ask her, following her gaze. “No, it isn’t. It seems you Guardians continue to surprise me. You’ve put yourself in a place where it appears you can choose.” “Choose?” “Choose to come with me to my realm or stay and watch over your family and friends.” She gestures in a direction, and I see what looks like a pack gathering in the distance. “Why ca