Page 22 of The Hidden Guardian

“Yes, when wolves are at their weakest. It’s a very vulnerable time. Zev would neither give him a search party nor allow him to leave. He knew Renall would not comply, so he made it an Alpha order.”

“Alpha order?”

“Yes, it’s said to be impossible to break. It’s a gift granted to pack Alphas and is similar to mind control. But somehow Renall found a way around it and snuck out in the middle of the night and left.”

I look up at Renall’s green eyes staring down at me, trying to decipher how I’m taking it. “He disobeyed an Alpha order to find me?” I whisper, holding his gaze in my own.

“Yes.”

“What does that mean?” Dragging our feet to get here and the sad, fearful look he had all make sense now.

Lupe takes a deep breath and turns to Zev. She growls something in his direction and he responds. His growl is deep and dark and it matches his muscles and stature. It demands attention and subservience. Lupe growls back at him once more, before turning to me.

“Usually it’s an offense punishable by death.”

I cringe, then my eyes grow wide, my mouth dries, while my eyes stay locked on Renall. Why would he do this for me? Why bring me back here? This doesn’t make sense.

Lupe continues, “But Zev has agreed to hold a Clan Trial to determine his fate.”

“A trial?” I swallow, shifting my eyes to Lupe. “I didn’t realize wolves had such self-control.”

“They do if it’s an Alpha order.”

“But some people can break them?”

“It’s only happened once in my lifetime.” Lupe looks at Renall. I follow her gaze to Renall, who’s still watching me.

“Oh,” Renall defied his Alpha, did something no one has ever done before, to save me from a fate like my brother. “What happens if we lose this trial? Will they vote to have him killed?”

From my peripheral vision, Lupe nods.

“So, my brother died because I couldn’t protect him, and now Renall may die as well because he tried to protect me. This whole thing is severely messed up.”

A growl emanates from Renall’s throat; it’s low and sad.

Lupe takes a deep breath before approaching. “The wolves may know several Guardians in their lifetime. But the fates rarely give Guardians a second wolf. When their wolf dies, their world, their purpose ends. You should consider yourself blessed for every minute you have with Renall.”

Blessed. Is she delusional? She basically informed me I was the reason for my brother’s death, and soon to be Renall’s, and she wants me to feelblessed. Blessed that I’m such a curse in this world that I bring death to everyone associated with me. Blessed to feel the empty pain of loss twice in the span of a few weeks. My eyes narrow, my blood boils.

Renall squeezes my hand harder, swinging me around and into his arms. His body that’s usually warm is cool to the touch as I am pulled into his chest. His hand holds my head against him until I’m calm. He can’t read my mind, but I swear he just stopped me from ripping out Lupe’s throat. When did I get so violent? Is it this place bringing it out of me?

“When?” My voice is raspy. I clear my throat. “When is this trial?”

“We will announce it to the clan today at mealtime … it’ll start tomorrow.”

* * *

Renall pulls me back into the hallway with his vise-like grip. Whether I like it or not, I’m connected to Renall now, like I was to Colton. He’s shown that he wants to protect me from harm. Even the harm I do to myself. I glance down at my rabbit shoes. Which leads me to wonder, if he was reluctant to return … what does Renall fear from his own people? Are we even safe here? Suddenly, I find his grip comforting and not suffocating.

I twist my wrist out from his grip. Renall stops and spins on his heels to shoot me a glare as he reaches for me, growling something unintelligible. My fingers grab hold of his and I interlock our fingers until we are holding hands. The anger dissipates from his eyes as he watches our clasped hands in the dark, barely lit corridor. His green eyes flick to mine and hold them. All the air is sucked from the room and the warmth from his palm is the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. I think he might kiss me again, or better yet, take me against this wall. In the end, he takes a deep breath, turns around, and continues through the doorway to the ground floor of the cave.

My heart is still racing in my chest, reeling from the intimate moment I had with Renall as we wander into the central cave. The air’s changed. Tension lingers thick and suffocating like smog and anticipation dances over my skin. Everyone has filtered onto the second-floor ledge or a dark alcove save for a few naked wolf-men lounging at a table. My sixth sense aches in my chest. Renall’s fingers twitch against mine. His other hand clenches at his side as his spine straightens.

A collective growl of warning and hostility fills the air as soon as we step farther in the large, ominous cave. A dozen pairs of eyes dart toward us, their faces distorted by the eerie shadows that cover the walls. The three men rise from the table baring their teeth as their fangs elongate in their human form. My stomach flips at the sight of Renall’s bulging muscles, his fangs bared and claws extending as he attempts to shield me. Rage rolls off the men that surround us. It tastes bitter on my tongue. With every reverberation of their growls, my rabbit shoes tremble against the cold floor.

Stomping and chanting direct my gaze upward to the audience that lines the ledges above us. Dread pools in my stomach as my eyes scan the crowd. The shadows hanging in the air feel like a warning sign of the looming terror that awaits me. Every instinct inside me screams—they are craving blood.

Suddenly, one of the men jumps into the air, transforming into a wolf as he falls, speeding toward Renall. I open my mouth to scream for help when the air around me crackles with energy. Renall shifts before me. A flurry of fur and teeth tumbles to the ground, accompanied by fierce growls and yelps. As Renall fights off one wolf, another creeps closer to me, its bared teeth gleaming in anticipation.

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