Page 68 of The Hidden Guardian

My blood boils and bile rises in my throat. I swallow it down before standing to my feet, drawing attention. “And what of my fate?”

Onai quickly translates in werewolf.

The cave hushes again, all eyes turn to me. Renall’s stare is heavy on me, but I don’t spare him a look. I can barely hold it together as it is. Zev turns around as if he forgot I was even there. He’s willing to sentence my mate to death, but can’t even remember his Guardian is watching. He glances back at Lupe, who only offers him a nod.

“Well, obviously you can’t be allowed to leave, now that you know where we are.”

“I can’t leave?” My sweaty fists clench and unclench at my sides.

There’s a pause as Onai translates once again. “We couldn’t lose the secrecy of our location.” He scoffs. “Plus, we will never be able to turn away an unmated Guardian. With Renall’s death, you can be mated with another wolf and the line can carry on.”

“But I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Renall.”

“And we appreciate his sacrifice, but he never would have left if he didn’t disobey my Alpha order. So everything recouped on that trip is fruits of the poison tree, so to speak.”

“I’m a piece of fruit, a piece of property to be decided about as if I weren’t here? My virginity is a thing to be handed out to the highest bidder?”

“Well … that is how things are here in this pack. If you don’t choose to remate, you will suffer the same fate as Renall.”

“So my options are death or rape?” Onai is quiet as she translates this time.

“That is how things are done.” He looks smug, too smug. Zev’s not smart enough to have come up with this plan on his own. This has a conniving Lupe written all over it. Her arrogant smirk behind him says it all.

I spit at his feet. “You are weak.” Onai meekly translates. The cave silences at my insolence.

“Excuse me.” He growls, takes two full steps before he backhands me. My neck snaps to the side and the sting of the pain in my cheek is nothing compared to my pride. I spit again, this time it’s tainted with blood.

A low, threatening growl resonates from Renall that echoes in my heart. But I find the strength to continue so if these are my last words, I will make them count, “This pack is failing because you are weak. You speak of obedience and obeying your laws, but your laws are bullshit. Our numbers are dwindling because of you and your failure to protect them, failure to bring Guardians here. You will be our end. Renall was right to disobey you. I would ignore you too. This pack needs a strong leader, a fierce warrior in these times against the humans, not a coward who wants to hide, pillage, and one who condones rape.”

Then I take a deep breath, and just as Onai has secretly taught me, I growl in their language, loud for all to hear.“I will never be mated to another wolf. If Renall dies, I die with him. My fate is tied to his, always.”With my final words, I leap onto the cave floor, prepared to meet the same fate as my mate.

At first there is stunned silence. Whether from my words, my sheer disobedience, me using their language, or the fact that I would rather die than bang another wolf is something I’ll never know.

But I wasn’t going down without a fight—for my life, or Renall’s.

ChapterThirty-Five

AUTUMN

My feet hit the cave floor with a thud and my eyes instinctively search his out. He’s already walking toward me, hand outstretched. I reach my hand for his and I hear his words in my mind as soon as they link.

“You’ve been keeping secrets.”

“No more than you.”

He smirks before his hand slips from mine to cup my face.“I can’t believe you just did that, but I love you for it.”

His lips crash down on mine, desperate and fierce. This might be the last time I feel them on mine. I return his kiss with just as much fervor and passion. Grabbing his face to mine as the tears fall. We had a couple months together and a few blissful weeks of passion, but it will never have been enough. Even if we had an entire lifetime, it never would’ve been enough. The world around us fades as he deepens our kiss, pulling my body against his. My breath escapes me until it’s no longer mine, but ours. There will never be another wolf for me. Even in his death, I would not survive the pain that tears through my heart. I would not survive the silence like I had after Colton. No, I made the right choice. The only choice, really. This pack will see—and this pack will pay … with blood.

Shadows and footsteps intercept our moment, and eventually we break free from our embrace. His hands slip down my shoulder to my hand. I shiver at the absence of his heat against my body.

“Remember what Onai taught you,”he states as they circle around us. Some in human form still. Some as snarling wolves.

“How do you know Onai showed me anything?”

“I don’t really,”he smirks.“I just know my stubborn Guardian would never sit idly by leaving her fate to chance.”

Again, I kiss him, through my smile. “We die together then.”

---