Chapter 405

Chapter 0405

+15 BONDS

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 that, the tension dissipates. Liam guides Angel back to our table, but his eyes haven’t left the Alpha. When they sit, I hand Richie back to Angel. It’s almost like everyone in the room just realized that there are two babies at our table that belong to Guardians. It feels like it solidifies.

the fact that we are taken.

After lunch, the packs with warriors still in battle go back to the battlefield. Others choose to go watch while some take the afternoon to let their wolves run or relax. By 4pm, we have gotten to the final 100 warriors. All the warriors from our three packs are still in the running. By 6pm, that number has dropped to 50 and some of Rik’s and Liam’s warriors were eliminated by our warriors and a couple other warriors that are doing very well are still in the fight. By 8pm, we are down to the final 10. Eli and I have five warriors still fighting, Liam has three and Rik has two. All the other

packs have been eliminated.

By 10pm, the battles are over. Our warrior, Ezra, came in first, and Eli and I decide we will offer him the Lead Warrior position when we return home. Liam’s warrior took second and Rik’s took

third place, Liam’s warriors and ours both earned extra points for either taking out their opponent

with one hit or fighting through their injuries.

At the end of the day, the rankings flash up on the leader board:

1st Place: Shadow Falls Pack 230 points

2nd Place: Safe Haven Pack

225 points

3rd Place: Canyon Ridge Pack 140 points

Throughout the day, I have spotted my father. The toddler I saw him with yesterday is definitely his son. I’ve also seen his mate. She’s younger than he is. Not quite as young as I am, but I’d guess in her early 20’s, closer to Angel’s age, meaning my father is old enough to be her father. It makes me wonder if she agreed to this mating or if her family forced her into it.

As I’ve watched, I’ve picked up on certain things. When I was younger, I didn’t understand the dynamics of being a good Alpha. My father was strong, and he insisted on showing his strength and dominance to his pack. As a pup, I thought this was a good thing. Now, as a Luna and being mated to a strong Alpha, I’ve learned that when you are a powerful Alpha, and you are good to your pack, you don’t have to constantly prove yourself to them. When you earn their respect, they accept that you are their leader and trust that you will do what’s right for the pack. They don’t constantly challenge you, requiring you to continually prove your position. That is what I see when I watch my father. His pack doesn’t trust him, meaning, they don’t respect him.

I don’t know if that is new, since my mother and I were banished, or if this is always how our pack dynamics were. You see things differently as a child than you do as an adult.

As I’ve watched, I’ve also seen Jack, my father’s Gamma and the one that let my mother and I leave so long ago. I need to try to find a way to thank him. If he hadn’t let my mother go. I would most likely be dead.

When we get back to our cabins, our warriors are celebrating, happy with our showing today. Eli and I check in on all of them to make sure they haven’t been harassed by their previous pack members. Some of them had been approached earlier in the day, but since everyone realized that there were three Guardians here, they have been left alone.

Chapter 0406