The Guardian Alpha (9 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Tension fizzled through the air, vibrating savagely as the sun inched closer to the horizon. The forest became eerily silent as the day progressed, as if the animals had fled with knowledge of what was to come. The Sentinels prepared their plans and positions. Around the perimeter of Goldbridge, medical tents were erected, though Jay wasn't sure how long they'd stay up. The pack would tear them down, sending the nurses and doctors running for cover.

As the sun slid closer and closer to the edge of the earth, Jay found it harder to remove Kristi from his thoughts. Their time together, last night, squatted at the back of his head like a visitor who had overstayed their welcome. Though, frankly, Jay didn't want to see the visitor leave. Battle plans, last-minute training sessions, and tactical discussions with the mayor left him little time to dwell on Kristi. Yet, thoughts of her still peppered his consciousness.

For what seemed like the eight-hundredth time that day, Jay shook the thoughts loose. As much as he loved thinking about Kristi, the Nameless Sentinels needed his full attention. And memories of her would simply distract him.

“
Sunset in t-minus one minute, fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight seconds…
”
The countdown blared across Goldbridge. Citizens – those who had stayed – headed for the safety of their bunkers. Jay watched from the top of Thorn Hill as people ran to and fro. Doctors and nurses made last minute checks of their inventory. The Nameless Sentinels took their positions and readied their weapons.

“What are your feelings about this skirmish, Mr. Ward?” Mayor Stone stepped forward from behind Jay.

He listed his head to the side, peering at the woman from the corner of his gaze. The formal attire was gone. In its place, denim and long sleeves and boots. She didn't look like the same woman who could hold her own among the politicians of the world. Her gaze remained on the horizon, glaring into the distance.

Jay sighed and shook his head, waves of minor anxiety emanating from Mayor Stone. “I'd hardly call it a skirmish, Mayor Stone.”

“
Forty seconds, thirty-nine seconds, thirty-eight…
”

“A battle, a turf war, a blood feud, a mindless loss of life,” he shrugged, letting his dissent solidify in his voice. “Take your pick, Mayor.”

Still, Mayor Stone refused to look at Jay. “Do I detect bitterness in your voice?”

“Do you?” Jay raised an eyebrow, his lips thinning into a scowl. Mayor Stone didn't want to hear what he found. She continually refused, even after weeks of his pestering. Finally, he gave up. The mayor didn't think Crystal Ridge would alter their course, why should she even try? Marie and Thad reminded him why, as did his night with Kristi. Mayor Stone's inaction was almost as bad as Crystal Ridge's reaction. So, perhaps there
was
a little bit of bitterness on Jay's part.

“You could have run away, like any number of others,” Mayor Stone replied, airily.

Jay pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. What was the mayor getting at? “I could have.”

“
Nineteen seconds, eighteen seconds…
” The recording echoed over the town as the sky bled from orange to purple. A chill sifted through the air. People below Thorn Hill drew quieter, as if less noise would delay the inevitable.

The mayor seemed to worry her bottom lip for a breath. Her eyes trained on the forest, but he had the feeling Mayor Stone wasn't really seeing the trees. Jay was beginning to wonder if she would reply when, finally, she asked, “Why didn't you?”

“I have a job here, Mayor Stone.” The answer lay on Jay's lips, ready and willing. Conviction stood behind his words, even as rue dotted his brow. The bitterness roused in his voice, deepening his tone to a dissatisfied baritone, “People are going to die, thanks to your sense of futility and the Crystal Ridge pack's rage. I need to subside that as much as I can.”

Mayor Stone turned her head, eyebrows cocked. “Why you?”

“Because I'm expendable.” Even as Jay said it, he realized how much of a lie it was. Kristi's face wavered before his gaze, pain and regret shot through his heart. This time, it was Jay who refused to meet the mayor's gaze. “Who else is going to, anyway?”

The mayor fell silent. Her fingers clenched and relaxed at her sides and her eyes returned to the horizon. Her lips twisted into a scowl as her eyebrows dipped into a 'v.' An inner battle played out along her cranium. Jay could only guess what was going on in the mayor's head. A quick glance to the descending sun sent warning bells off in his head. “You better leave, mayor, before the pack gets here.”

“I'm not leaving,” Mayor Stone replied with biting cool.

Jay's eyes widened a little bit, his gaze snapping to the mayor's face. “What?”

“There are two alphas in Crystal Ridge. You are one leader,” breathed Mayor Stone. Finally, their gazes met. Jay swallowed as the mayor's expression of solid determination dropped into his stomach. “It only makes sense that I should stay.”

This was wrong. The town relied on the mayor. She couldn't run willy-nilly into a bloodbath. He opened his mouth to vocalize his protest, even as he knew it was far too late. “Mayor Stone–”

“I have a job, Mr. Ward.” The words slammed into Jay's head as Mayor Stone crossed her arms. Her lips twisted into a frown and she glared off into the distance. “I failed Goldbridge once already.”

“
Three, two, one…
”
A siren whooped through the air, a last call for people to take their positions. The sun's last rays dissipated as the celestial body sunk under the horizon, like a child hiding from monsters under a blanket. The bluish tint of twilight consumed their part of the world. Jay turned to stare out over the forest. The mayor had made her choice and he couldn't convince her otherwise. It was too late, anyway.

A gale whipped up around Thorn Hill, shifting Jay's hair. Everything fell deathly silent. He strained to hear something, anything – a twig snapping, the shifting of underbrush, the ghost of a whisper. Nothing graced his sense of sound.

He narrowed his gaze against the stretched shadows of the forest. Together, they waited. Five minutes, ten, an hour. Jay wasn't sure. Time seemed distorted as the anxious adrenaline in his body warped his senses.

Then, he heard it. It started low and far away. A howl. Three howls. Fifteen. They interlaced into one long, loud warble. An ancient battle cry sent goosebumps racing along Jay's arms and down to his feet. He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. His eyes remained peeled, his senses alert, for the first sign of the enemy.

Then, from the forest, like shadows, they poured into the fields around Goldbridge. Jay sent up a Silent Howl among his Sentinels, reminding them to remain calm and take their positions. Waves and waves of uncertainty rose through the ranks. Jay's stomach flipped, unhappily.

From the midst of the sea of ferals, Jay picked out Kristi's yellow gaze and her scent.

The alphas stepped out of the forest together, hard expressions on their faces. The pack gave them a wide berth, though they hovered in a circle around their leaders – both afraid and determined to protect Kristi and Selene.

“For far too long, Goldbridge has committed transgressions against the Crystal Ridge pack,” started Kristi, her voice carrying along the night air. Excitement and dread raced through her veins. She surveyed the crowd, rage and pride wobbling back and forth in her head; her eyes softening as they fell on Jay. For a brief second, Kristi subjected herself to his muck of emotions. Anger, frustration, fear….love. She turned away from him, shoving her thumping heart to the bottom of her stomach. Jay's mouth went dry and his palms became clammy. This was it.

Beside Kristi, Selene stepped forward. Her tone strong and rock solid smashed through the air, “It ends tonight!”

A howl erupted from the pack and made a chill run down Jay's spine. It was the same howl from the Hunt. He felt countless eyes turn to him, looking for reassurance and direction. When the howl died down and the lycans jerked to attack, Jay stepped forward. All eyes drew to him, all action ceased. His gaze turned, slowly, to everyone on the field. He could recall the names to many of the faces, on both sides, and his heart ached. They stared back at him in a mixture of hope, uncertainty, anger, and disgust.

“This
should
end tonight,” Jay's voice boomed over everyone's heads, filled the empty air, “But not like this. Crystal Ridge and Goldbridge should be working together, not mindlessly participating in a violent showdown.” Jay swallowed, watching the changing emotions ripple through the crowd. Beside him, he could feel Mayor Stone's curious glare snap to his body. “I will protect Goldbridge with my dying breath, if I must. But it doesn't need to be that way.”

His gaze fell on Kristi's wide eyes. There was a glassiness there that hinted to tears. Jay swallowed and sent one last plea along their connection. Again, Kristi jerked and tore her gaze away from him. She stared off in the distance, where the moon hesitantly peered over the edge of the world. The Wolf coursed through her veins, wanting the Hunt and wanting blood.

Of course, it didn't have to be this way. Jay could have stayed with the pack. He could have dedicated himself to Kristi, not to this vile town. Yet, her Mate had chosen his path.

“It must be this way, Sentinel.” The words came out as more of a growl than a statement on Kristi's lips. When she whipped her gaze back to Jay, her pupils became slits. Her teeth lengthened and filled her mouth, a snarl on her lips. Jay raised his head, his own eyes starting to bleed out his Wolf. Even crestfallen, Jay wouldn't show his uncertainty.

Kristi charged at him. She sprinted with preternatural speed up the hill. By the time she reached the top, neither Mayor Stone nor Jay had the chance to run. Kristi's claws slashed across his chest and Jay danced back, his shirt bearing the brunt of her attack. With the slight distance between he and Kristi, he realized the battle had erupted.

Howls and screams, tearing flesh and blood, a chaotic cacophony filled the air. Disappointment puddled in Jay's guts as Kristi swiped at him once more. He continued to dodge, wondering if her attacks were halfhearted or if his training had paid off. His sense of responsibility coaxed him to glance toward the mayor.

Mayor Stone edged at the perimeter of Kristi and Jay's fight. When she seemed about ready to jump in, Selene intercepted her. The alpha's claws raked down the mayor's arm, leaving gashes and long streaks of blood.

“Shit,” hissed Mayor Stone, dodging away from another slash.

Jay didn't have time to worry. The mayor had chosen to stay; hopefully she knew how to fight. He had a fight of his own to take care of.

“Stop running and fight!” Kristi growled, lunging forward to land her knuckles against Jay's chest. He grunted, the impact bringing solid pain, but his hands shot to her wrist. He gripped Kristi's arm tightly, their gaze locking across the short distance. Kristi swallowed, hot tingles racing down her arm. The sensations were almost enough to give her sense of revenge pause – almost.

The thought died in Kristi's synapses. Jay spun on his heel, hefting her into the air. She flew over the lip of the hill, rolling down the grassy slope. Her claws scrabbled into the dirt and grass, trying to stop her descent.

Jay came barreling down the hill, his teeth bared and claws prepared to shred his Mate. Fur bristled down his jaw and his muscles bulged against his flesh. Kristi hissed to herself as she finally found a hold against the side of the hill.

It was too late, though. Jay barreled into her and the two tumbled down the side of the hill. They rained blows down on each other – punches, kicks, scratches, slashes, and bites. Blood and spit flew from their tussle as they skidded to the bottom of the hill. They managed to separate from each other with a snarl before darting away from the other. The rest of the battle waged on around them, though an unconscious distance was given.

Kristi and Jay circled each other, posturing with tense shoulders and snapping jaws. Blood coursed down the side of Jay's face, his shirt little more than shreds. A bruise formed on Kristi's jaw, an ugly purple against her yellow eyes. Though her shirt was less torn up, Jay's strikes had drawn more blood than hers. Deep, deep down, the desire to stop throbbed through both of them. But, they couldn't.