The Guardian Alpha (5 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hours after his discovery, Jay found himself jogging to the meeting. He huffed and puffed, the three pups trailing behind him. His mind reeled from the information he had upended. He clutched the copied papers firmly in his hand, the paper wrinkling under his fingers. The sun was already halfway tucked into the horizon. Selene and Mayor Stone would already be at the hill. Silently, Jay prayed neither had gone for the jugular of the other.

As they neared the foot of the hill, Jay's hearing piqued. Selene and Mayor Stone's voices pinched with caution and frustration. Neither had waited for him. When Jay realized their topic of discussion, he really wished they would have delayed, even momentarily.

“Last night, two of your pups attacked Mr. Ward and–”

“Attacked Jay? Your head of security?” Selene laughed, bitterly. Jay winced, the sound harsh and grating on his adrenaline-shaken nerves. “You're not going to tell me he was hurt.”

Mayor Stone's voice took on a steely edge as she attempted to remain calm, “No, of course not, but–”

“And we have three pups missing, not two,” Selene interrupted, as if pointing out a flaw in the mayor's statement.

Before Mayor stone could reply, Jay and his troupe of pups crested the hill. At the top, Selene and Mayor Stone stood front and center, facing one another. Their features mimicked each other; subtly pinched with lips sourly puckered. Brandon, Marie, and Thad stood at the top of the hill as well. Jay stopped as his audience flicked their gaze over the girls. He could feel everyone's stares slow as they traipsed over Hazel's sling.

The girls didn't notice the tense air or the gazes. They giggled to themselves, completely distracted by their discussions of Goldbridge. Jay hoped they won the pack over with their stories of sleepovers, books, and ice cream.

“She was hit by a slow moving vehicle,” offered Jay, before anyone could as the obvious question on everyone's mind. He shuffled forward, across the grassy hill.

“
What?
” Selene nearly shrieked out the word. Her eyes widened and redness clawed up her face. Jay wasn't sure if that was a mortified blush over Mayor Stone's truth or the reddening of rage. Jay scuffed at the edge of Selene's attack zone. He didn't want to invoke her anger, especially with the pups and witnesses present.

The girls behind Jay fell silent, an air of uncertainty wafted over them. Jay wondered just how far the pups really thought out their plan. At the base of the hill, the witnesses were enveloped in an intense consternation. If any of the leaders – or even Jay – were to initiate or bear the brunt of an attack, there would be plenty of eyewitness accounts.

“She received the best medical attention right away,” Mayor Stone interjected, motioning toward Hazel. The pup nodded her head vigorously, as if to display her health. Mayor Stone's held a tinge of artificial smoothness as if she were forcing herself remain calm, “She is fine.”

“The grievous injury of my people will not be tolerated, Mayor Stone!” Selene's words echoed. People shifted at the foot of the hill. Discomfort lit at the heels of the alpha's snarled statement. The world suddenly felt extremely cold. People attributed it to the fast falling night.

“It was an accident.” Mayor Stone's voice was barely a snarl, but Jay could hear the frustration mounting. Selene didn't stop bristling, but the mayor went on, “She darted out just as the car began moving at a stop sign and–”

“Do not blame Hazel for your inadequacy!” Selene nearly roared. Far into the forest, frightened birds screamed and dispersed into the sky. “You didn't bother to alert the Crystal Ridge pack!”

“This all transpired within the last twenty-four hours, Alpha Selene, and you were due back tonight. Hazel needed to heal and the other two were perfectly fine.”

“You kept three Crystal Ridge members in your town against our knowledge,” snarled Selene.

As Jay watched her, he faintly wondered if Kristi had something to do with this change in attitude. Faintly, he recalled a blast of foreign frustration and bitterness earlier last evening. At the time, Jay had chalked it up to Vera and Lily's sudden appearance.

Vera scuttled forward, simultaneously brave and timid “Alpha Selene, they didn't do us any harm.”

Selene turned her fiery gaze on Vera. The pup whimpered under the vicious look, but Selene didn't seem to notice. Her gaze slid from Vera to Hazel, her expression pinched in anger. “Then how do you explain Hazel's injuries?”

“I ran out into the…” Hazel trailed off, her brow furrowing. Her eyes darted to Jay, as she recalled the word, “the road.”

“And who was driving this
vehicle
?” Selene spat the words. Her nose wrinkled as she swung her gaze to Mayor Stone. The mayor shifted under the alpha's gaze, but met it head on with a stern, immovable leer.

“I-I don't know. Some person.” Hazel's gaze fell to her feet and her good arm curled behind her back.

Selene never removed her eyes from the mayor as she prompted, “A citizen of Goldbridge?”

Jay's heart fell, finally realizing Selene's game. The mayor, grudgingly, answered Selene's question, “Yes, he is a citizen of Goldbridge.”

“Y
ou admit it
.” Selene seethed, pointing a savage finger at Mayor Stone. “A Crystal Ridge member has suffered direct harm from a Goldbridge citizen.”

Jay winced under the weight of Selene's accusation. In the loosest terms, she was correct and she would cling to that mere fact. Mayor Stone took a step forward, unaware of Selene's unyielding resolution, “Yes, but–”

“No. These negotiations are off. The pack and I will go back home. ” Selene sliced her hand through the air, as if severing a piece of ribbon, before herding the three pups to her side. Jay stifled his groan of dismay as his gaze swung from the alpha to his mayor. Mayor Stone's jaw flexed and relaxed under Selene's words. Her fists clenched tightly by her side and, faintly, Jay could smell the wolf on her skin. Selene either ignored it or completely disregarded the mayor. “I cannot guarantee Goldbridge's existence much longer.”

With that threat, Selene turned and fled into the night. The rest of the pack slowly followed her, dispersing into the shadows of the forest. The pups were last to go, throwing forlorn and apologetic looks in Jay's direction. He offered them a weak smile and nodded toward the forest. They took off, shoulders hunched to their ears and metaphorical tails sagging.

A few members of the town jolted toward the forest, but were halted by the Sentinels. There were standing orders that forbade following the Crystal Ridge pack. It had been one of the tenets of the arrangements. Silence hung in the air, like a thick fog. Even as the pack darted into the forest, neither footfalls nor breaking branches could be heard. Only deathly quiet consumed the air.

Jay clenched his fists; the rattle of paper sent an instant shock up his arm. The history he had uncovered! His eyes widened, a mental barrage of self-depreciation hitting his thoughts. Jay turned sharply to the mayor, who stared dismally at the forest. His sudden movement caught her eye, causing her eyebrow to twitch upward.

“Mayor Stone, I have found information that may be of interest to you.” Jay thrust out the wrinkled and crumpled copies that had accumulated sweat in his palm.

The mayor eyed the papers with a wrinkled nose. Her hand didn't reach out to pluck the papers from his grasp. “Does this information concern Crystal Ridge, Mr. Ward?”

“Yes,” he answered, suddenly unsure of his find. The mayor's voice sounded cold and disconnected, but didn't target Jay, specifically.

“You watched that last event Mr. Ward. It doesn't matter what you found,” Mayor Stone sighed and shook her head. Her gaze flickered back to the forest. Though she tried to mask her despair, the moroseness still bubbled into her voice, “Any hope for an alliance between Goldbridge and the feral pack is long gone.”

“But–” Jay started, papers still raised in his hands.

“
Mr. Ward,
it has been a long day.” Her gaze snapped back to him. It was equal parts icy and hot. Jay felt frozen solid and scorched, all at once. He lowered the papers along with this gaze. Jay realized others were filing back to the city, eerily quiet despite the new developments. Mayor Stone sighed, again, and muttered, “I am going home and resting for the night. There's a lot to plan tomorrow morning.”

Jay stared at the papers in his hands. Hundreds of years ago, a fight started after fifty years of cooperation and peace. Crystal Ridge and Goldbridge both seemed ignorant of this fact. The two could exist, side by side, and could help one another. Jay's determination steeled and he raised his voice as the mayor turned, “Mayor Sto–”

“Good night, Jay,” she didn't bother to turn around. Her voice became more ice than heat.

Jay backed down. The immense disappointment coupled with the thought of battle preparations was a dangerous mix. He'd have to revive his argument at a later date. But, could he get anyone to listen before Crystal Ridge descended on them? How much blood would be spilled before he could get anyone to listen?

Jay stared after the mayor as she climbed carefully down the hill. A depressing sense of futility dribbled into his thoughts. Nothing he did mattered. He gave up Kristi for Goldbridge, in hopes it'd save lives. He trudged through the archives, seeking a solution. None of it mattered. Kristi and Selene – one bitter with Jay, both invested in their pack – were going to attack Goldbridge. And the town, if he knew Mayor Stone, would retaliate. Hard.

CHAPTER NINE

Training had tightened Kristi's muscles into sore knots. She sunk low into the spring. The alphas were given a personal pool of water to relax in away from the pack. During times of conflict, it gave the alphas a safe place to bathe.

Thickets of forest walled around the spring, leaving a small opening for the sky to peer into. Overhead, stars twinkled in the dark blue thickness of space and the waxing moon observed Kristi in silence. Wisps of cloud blotted out portions of the sky. The overall coolness of the evening soothed her hot, aching muscles. The water lapping at her body further relaxed her.

Weeks had passed since Selene returned with news of Goldbridge. Pride swelled and righteous fury burned inside her thoughts, but an inkling of insecurity remained. She duly ignored her uncertainty. She and Selene were on the same page now.

The pack enforced a strict training regimen. Nearly all hours of the day, a squadron or two were exercising and sparring with the silver weapons. More and more pack mates – young and old – walked around the Cave, mottled with silver burns. It was a price to pay, if it meant everyone was battle ready. A few members skipped out on training every so often, though.

A nearby tannery, run by forest elves, procured leather gloves for the pack. The remaining silver – what hadn't gone to the elven tanners – had been smelted into even more weapons.

Medical supplies dwindled when training increased, but after tomorrow, it wouldn't matter. After Goldbridge fell, and everyone was run off, slaughtered, or absorbed into the pack, Crystal Ridge could gather the supplies they needed. They could get even more medicines and bandages. The pack could rest, regain their strength, and recuperate from injuries. Then came tearing down that dreadful city and those eyesores called roads. The former Goldbridge citizens would have most of that honor. The thought brought a tingle of satisfaction to Kristi's thoughts.

At the back of her mind, a monstrous dubiousness growled. Goldbridge had pups. Was the pack truly going to chase them away, kill them, or put them into slave labor? The town wanted an agreement. Many of the current residents had been there since birth. They had grown to love the town and the land. Was all of this fair to them?

Her perpetual hatred of Goldbridge roused, reiterating many arguments she had heard from packmates in the past. Had anyone in Goldbridge cared when the pack was run off? Had anyone challenged those who mistreated the pack or worried for the pack's pups? Kristi growled under her breath before splashing water across her face. She was at the spring to relax, not dwell. She leaned back and concentrated on how the water felt. The coolness lapped at her body, encased her in eventual warmth, and droplets caressed her skin as they slid down her face, her neck, and her shoulders.

The streak of droplets brought a shiver to her mind. They coaxed residual memories from her head. Of a warm tongue, hot against her flesh. Moans that brushed over her skin, teasing her with the vibrations. Jay came into Kristi's mind, his face flushed with excitement while his eyes darkened with passion.

Kristi's eyes snapped open. No. She was not going to think of him. He started this whole ordeal and he didn't deserve her consideration. Jay had been banging around her head ever since he left for Goldbridge. She refused to let him in. She did her best to slam down barriers, though tiny strings of emotion made their way through.

Wrapping her arms around herself, loneliness and isolation became a sharp-edged knife in Kristi's thoughts. Her gaze darted around the area, her body cooling to a frigid unhappiness.

Tomorrow would be the last of it, she realized. During battle, Jay would die. Kristi's nails dug into her arms, holding herself tighter. It would be a relief, to not have his persistence nagging at her thoughts. At the same time, she didn't look forward to the pain. She bit her bottom lip, imagining how his death would affect her. He had already broken her heart, betrayed her trust, and ignored her strongest beliefs. Could Jay's death be any worse than living like this?

She savagely shook her head and rose out of the water. The freezing cold shattered her thoughts as she rushed to her clothes. She forced herself to switch to autopilot and dressed herself. The thoughts of Goldbridge and Jay were shoved to the back of her mind. She needed her rest tonight.

Despite her best efforts, the thoughts bubbled and boiled just beneath her synapses.