The Missing Guardian

Chapter 7 - Explanations (West)

Ebony (West)

Standing in the adjoining guest bedroom to the smoking room, I can only imagine what the purpose of this room once was, the debauchery still hangs in the atmosphere. Though it’s evident that it hasn’t been used in an extraordinarily long time, the heavy drapes dripping with thick layers of dust, I don’t think they have been opened in decades, the windows behind must be so dirty you wouldn’t be able to see out. The bed sheets are luckily clean and fresh, a pale grey colored duvet set that clashes with the dark grey walls, but a vacuum was most certainly in order. The room is dreary though, outdated and neglected through the years.

Willow is kneeling next to her bag of potions and herbs, a briefcase made from differently textured leathers intertwined together, truly something to behold if I’m honest, but then in general everything about her is spectacular.

I didn’t know what to think of her slight gasp when Alpha Keittle introduced me, I would have missed it if it were just a breath softer because I was so entranced by this woman. She has the silkiest silver hair that falls straight to below her shoulders, an elongated face that makes her eyes seem larger, long eyelashes that burst from big green eyes that sit on high cheek bones with a dainty nose and sumptuous lips. Was there something about me that made this amazing woman gasp? Maybe she knew my mother. I couldn't possibly compare even if I tried.

She carries with her an aura of authority but with a gentleness to her demeanor. I am captivated by her, she must be of Fae decent, their beauty is rumored, but I’ve never been sure, because well, I’ve never met anyone Fae.

Kids at school would tell stories of them amongst themselves during lunch, I would listen in from where I was sitting and enjoy how mystical they were, but I always assumed they were just stories told on the playground to keep other children enamored.

I watch as she picks out a few jars and bottles and turns to place them on the bedside table, before gesturing to the Alpha to place the young Fae on the bed. I can feel his hesitancy at having to handle her in her miniature form.

This was one of the stories that I never would have believed was true, how Fae could be both very large and very small. Slightly taller than the average human but able to somehow magically transform into the size of a slightly larger insect. It was this story that made me think she may be Fae. As if she had emerged out of a fairy tale book in front of my very eyes.

The Alpha takes off the lid of the small box that I placed her in and peers in curiously. He then dips his thumb and index finger in the box, pulling her out gently by her clothing before quickly dropping the box and placing her gently in the now free hand, slightly cupping his hold in order to not drop her, almost like a pup would trap a bug before using it to taunt its younger siblings or an unsuspecting mother hanging the washing.

I can see the trepidation in his eyes, but I can detect something more than that, something more meaningful to him. I’ve always been good at reading people for some reason, I won’t lie it has come in handy a few times…

“Place her on the bed, gently please.”

Willow sweetly asks, obviously picking up on the Alpha’s hesitancy and distracting him from his own thoughts. He slowly and stiffly starts walking to the side of the single bed that is pushed up against the wall next to the dirty curtains. Painfully slow and rigid, it’s almost uncomfortable to watch.

I don’t know why he didn’t just leave her in the box to the bed, before taking her out. He doesn’t seem to be handing this rationally, letting his emotions and fears sneak out on his face and body language. I can read him clearly; I just don’t understand the affiliation.

And then I notice the sudden change in his facial features before he lets out the most blood curdling scream, flinging the poor girl in his hand in the air as if she had stung him, which I truly hope isn’t possible. I watch for only second as she flies over us all, through the air, Willow is wide eyed, horrified at the scene before her.

My instincts take over and I leap from my position, reaching out and as gently as possible catching her in my cupped hand. Trying to cushion the blow by twisting and landing on my shoulder. I can feel the throbbing pain shoot through my arm at the impact.

The Alpha and Willow are now both staring at me with wide eyes.

I gently uncurl my hand to check that I haven’t squished her accidentally, she lays perfectly still against my skin, but seemingly unharmed, or so I hope at least.

“She twitched; I may have overreacted a bit.”

Alpha Keittle says while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. His face now red as well. Willow nods in understanding but doesn't say anything further about the incident, before helping me up and showing me where to lay the young Fae on the bed. I move and place her as gently as possible not to hurt her in any way.

I then move back to the other side of the room, giving Willow space to do what she must do. I just hope she can do something; she must be here for a reason. The Alpha moves over and stands next to me, watching the back of Willow as she works over the bed on the tiny patient under her.

I watch as she gently starts mixing oils and tinctures in a wooden bowl before crushing herbs in a pestle and mortar. She rubs them all together into a paste almost, or that’s what I can make out from where I’m standing, before smearing it gently on the pocket-sized person.

“Where did you find her Ebony?”

Her question catching me off guard, how do I explain what occurred earlier today without sounding completely insane?

I am brought back to the moment I saw her floating in the tree, I try to choose my words carefully, gauging any reactions she may show.

“I didn’t find her, she appeared before me, if that makes any sense.”

Alpha Keittle cuts me off accusingly.

“I thought you said that you found her inside of a hollow tree, or were you mistaken young lady?”

I knew I was going to sound crazy, or worse, but all I have is my truth, though who is actually going to believe the outsider? Ivory growls low inside my head at the Alpha's insinuations.

Willow is quietly working away by the bed, every now and then reaching over and grabbing a jar or replacing a tincture in her large bag. When the Alpha finishes trying to catch me in a lie, she c***s her head to the side slightly, before looking directly at me and then to the large man next to me.

“Are you saying she appeared to you in a hollow tree?”

She sounds like she believes me, could that be possible?

I nod my head toward her, desperate for her to see the truth in my eyes, Alpha Keittle humphs next me, I can already tell that he doesn’t believe me, but he must acknowledge I found her, she was in my care when I brought her to him.

“May I ask which tree she appeared in?”

Is she asking because she wants to catch me out on a lie or because she really wants to know? I can’t seem to get any sort reading from her, she gives nothing away. Not like the man next to me, who is trying to divert the focus from him sending the Fae I had just found in the air because of a twitch to rather how I had somehow done something to get her and was lying about it all…

“I went to the cemetery; the tree is located at the top of the hill overlooking the pack.”

I try to not mumble my answer, I must just be as honest as possible in this situation, I may have to bring my plans forward slightly and leave sooner than I want if this goes bad. I knew this could be a bad idea when I brought her here, Conal had literally thrown it in my face when I told him.

“The tree with the red flowers in summer?”

Her question confuses me slightly, not because she knows the tree, but because she is taking me seriously, me, the girl everyone has avoided because she wasn’t born in the pack, and her mother never took a pack member as her second chance. But she is an outsider and doesn’t have any prejudice against me, not that I know of anyway, I guess.

“Yes, I went up to visit my mother, and there was this loud buzzing noise.”

I try to explain, but she interjects with her own thoughts.

“Did the tree break?”

She is now staring right at me; her full attention directed my way.

“Yes, I think it was hit by lightning, but I didn’t see any, please believe me, I didn’t do anything to it, and it just snapped in front of me, curiosity got the best of me, and I went to get a closer look, that’s when she appeared, or rather, burst from the tree.”

I try get it out as quickly as possible, I am almost begging her to understand what is going on and for the Alpha to not blame me for any property damage that they are inevitably going to find soon.

“Alpha can you please send one of your scouts to investigate and let us know, if the tree is indeed broken.”

I can feel my heart in my throat as the Alpha closes his eyes and mind links one of his scouts. All I can hear is the thumping from my chest as I anxiously await my verdict.

“I have sent someone, what is wrong with her?”

Willow turns back to her patient, ignoring his question, which is probably going to backfire onto me. I desperately try becoming one with the wall I am pressing my back into. At least once they find the tree, that will corroborate my story and they will see that I haven’t been lying. The minutes seem to drag as we all wait in silence. The only sound coming from the thin glass of the Fae healer as she mixes and mashes ingredients into potions or remedies…

I see the Alpha’s eyes glaze over, before he glares down at me accusingly.

“The tree is intact; do you have anything to say about that Miss Baryn?”

Willow whips around to us, and I am expecting the worst from this woman before me. I have been made a fool of them, how am I going to get out of this, I am going to be handed over and tortured for answers I do not have.

“We must leave at once Alpha, I do not want to risk anyone else finding out about this.”

The Alpha looks confused, I can see the lines in his face, created from years of frowning, now deeply embedded in his face.

“But the tree is okay, Miss Baryn will start explaining in about five seconds where she actually found the young lady.”

As he says this, he once again glares down at me with a venom I haven’t seen from him before, I must have well and truly embarrassed him.

What Willow says next has the Alpha and I stunned to our core.

“That is exactly why we must leave immediately and with no further suspicion, the Fae before us is from the Southern Fae kingdom, the Kingdom of the Tree of Life, there is no other way she would have got here, and you my dear, were able to retrieve her from within the tree.”

I didn’t have to retrieve her, I just reached in and pulled her out. How is she from the Southern Kingdom? Nobody has heard from them since they sealed themselves away. I had learnt that in History, they govern themselves now and have no interaction with the rest of us.

I am so confused, but maybe this is my way out, maybe I can slip away while he is focused on this, or maybe I can follow her out.

“What are you saying Willow, what is going on here?”

Alpha Keittle disrupts my thoughts of leaving.

“I am saying they are connected, and that by the tree covering its tracks by healing itself means that this a sensitive subject and needs to be handled with the utmost delicacy.”

Connected? Connected to what exactly, I seem to be missing information that the others know, because I can see as understanding washes over the Alpha’s face.

“My mother has just been called South for the first time since they sealed the border, and suddenly one of their Fae ends up at our doorstep, found by…”

She stops and looks my way, a look I can’t decipher on her face, sympathy possibly, but I'm not quite sure.

“What do I have to do with this?”

I blurt it out before I can stop myself, they keep talking about me as if I don’t know a vital piece, and I need to know what’s going on.

“Ebony, I think its best if you came back with me, you are somehow connected to why this Fairy is here, and I do not want to test the repercussions of separating you for long periods of time yet, once my mother returns, or the fairy herself wakes up, we can determine what is going on and we can go from there.”

“Come back where exactly?”

I feel like I am about to be thrown down a rabbit hole that I am unsure I can get myself out of… And then it hits me, what about Conal? He will notice that I’m missing but then just assume I left without him. I can feel the panic in me begin to rise to dangerous heights. What would he do?

“I would like to take you both back to Mystic Grove with me, there we can keep this hidden as well as keep the connection intact by keeping you close.”

My mind is doing back-flips with what this means, I could start my search for what happened to my mother, but I had always planned that Conal would be with me, would I be able to explain? Before I can process my options the Alpha answers for me.

“Ebony will accompany you at the request of her Alpha, I’m sure she will assist you in your endeavors going further, it will be exceptional training to liaise with others.”

And with those words I am obligated to go and be on my best behavior. I just hope that the Alpha will tell Conal before he thinks I left without him, I promised I wouldn’t. I can feel the Alpha's relief seeping from him, finally the outsider will be someone else's problem, no longer will he have to defend my existence to his pack. A sad truth I have had to deal with all my life.

I notice the Alpha looking at me while I nod in response, the thought of leaving Conal behind breaking my heart, not that the Alpha would understand, he doesn’t know about us, nobody does. The realization that we will never be remembered makes my chest clench involuntarily...

Suddenly there is a knock on the door making me jump from the tension in the room. Willow looks at the Alpha with a questioning heat.

“Come in.”

The Alpha booms, slumping his shoulders slightly in aggravation.

The door opens and in walks Conal, who looks at his father and then notices me standing behind him and shock morphs his face, before utter fear spreads. I can feel my own shame at his embarrassment at the possibility of being caught with me, a simple Omega, an outsider…

“What’s the matter with you boy?”

The Alpha smacks Conal behind the head in a disappointed manner at his behavior in front of guests. I’m even surprised at his reaction, hurt mostly. I gulp down my feelings and stare at the floor, I always knew where I stood, but it stings all the same.

“Conal, this is Willow from Mystic Grove, I would like you to accompany Ebony and Willow back there, to ensure their safety, they may need help if they plan to move around, this is a sensitive matter and I can only rely on family, I cannot spare your brothers unfortunately, but I can send aid in honor of our pack.”

“Thank you Alpha Keittle, we are unsure what we could be facing if the tree is getting involved, I will ensure his safety as best as I can.”

Willow seems pleased with the Alpha’s contribution, an Alpha born, aiding in protecting them is well sought after, especially since Alpha families were starting to get smaller and smaller through the generations.

“My only request is he travels no further north than the edge of the mountains, and I truly hope that you don’t either.”

His warning surprises me, I didn’t think there was anything that frightened the Alpha, obviously I was wrong, but I have barely experienced the world to be honest, I know the tales of the North though, their cruelty and disregard for life is well known. I don’t blame him for wanting to keep Conal from there. Willow nods in understanding, before turning to me.

“I know this isn’t what you were planning for today, but I need you to go and pack as quickly as possible and please don’t tell anybody where you are going or why, both of you, this is of the utmost importance that no one can trace us through pack members.”

She smiles sympathetically at me and then at Conal. I simply keep nodding as I don’t have much else I can do, I guess this is a good start and now Conal will be with me, regardless of his reaction.

I take a deep breath and hope that this leads me to the answers I’ve been desperate for all these years, and possibly the briefest hint of revenge…

“It will take two days by carriage to get there, so rest up, we leave at dawn.”

With those as Willows final words on the matter, she turns and continues creating ointments for the fairy on the bed.

"Ebony, you may go and pack quickly, pack light, take only what you need, once you are done, come back, you can stay in the pack house tonight."

I am frozen in my place, this is it, I am leaving finally, but the fear of the unknown has turned me to stone. I can't seem to move, and the Alpha's gaze is making it so much worse.

The more I stand there in fear, the louder Ivory's growls become in my head, her impatience with my lack of confidence becoming very apparent. She seizes control of my limbs and nods towards the others and backs out of the room quietly and as quickly as possible, desperate to not show any dominance in her taking control of my body.

She relinquishes control when we are on the other side of the door, my back pressed against the wood.

"What was that?"

Her question valid but unwelcome right now, my emotions raging through me as I process the last few hours. I have to leave, I have to leave my home, the only place where I feel my mom's presence.

"What if we find the answers we are looking for?"

I ask Ivory back as I take a deep breathe and head for the main entrance.

"We will face whatever truth we find, but I have a feeling this was meant to happen, Willow knows more than she's saying."

I ponder her response, there was definitely something that neither of them wanted to share with me, and the gasp when the Alpha introduced me has my curiosity taking over any common sense.

I ponder this further as I make my way to the front door, uninterested in my surroundings. Suddenly there is high pitched laugh that catches my attention, the pitch makes my skin crawl as my brain registers who it is...

Mizette, the Beta's daughter, the last person in the whole world that I would want to see at this moment. She is the most power desperate she - wolf I have ever met. She was furious as each Alpha male came of age and they weren't her mate. She despises me because Conal talked to me once at a pack gathering.

"What exactly do you think you are doing here?"

Her shrill shriek echos through the foyer that we are standing in, my body instinctively recoils at her voice, but I refuse to back down from her. I stand where I am, looking out the front doors at my freedom from this encounter. I ignore her question, it's easier to deal with Mizette if you are silent.

"Isn't filth meant to stay outside?"

She sneers at me as she comes further into the room, her amusement at her little taunt evident in her smile spread across her overly caked face.

I keep ignoring her, hoping she will tire of her game and let me leave, instead I try and peel the layers of her make up off in my mind, figuring out whether she possibly could have once been beautiful underneath it all.

"Hello? Are you listening, or are you really that stupid to ignore me?"

I can see Ivory rolling her eyes in my mind, nobody could control her, ranks didn't seem to have an effect on us as much as they did to other wolves in the pack. I never let this on and always submitted, I didn't want anyone to know that their hierarchy had no domination over me, that would be dangerous. Ivory and I both knew this and therefore avoided any sort of confrontation that could cause suspicion.

Ivory hates it, but submitting is our means of survival but keeping her quiet while Mizette was around, took an enormous amount of energy to keep her contained on a regular day, today may be the day I lose control and she eats the stupid cow blabbering beside me.

"I thought Omega crud would leave stains on the carpet, I'm sure that's why they use the servants entry."

It takes every ounce of willpower not to laugh in her face at her words.

"If that were true, it would lead her directly to the door she so desperately wants access to."

Ivory barks back a retort I so wish I could repeat, rub it in her smug little face that Conal chose me over her, even if it's in secret. The bitter taste that is left in my mouth after swallowing the well timed reply down and forcing myself to not react starts to rise as bile in my throat. Oh God I need to get out of here! I slowly start taking slow, steady steps towards the door ahead of me.

"Excuse me, you haven't answered my question, I am you superior, you will explain yourself at once!"

She shrieks at me, causing me to stop again, I slowly turn to face her, her dirty brown hair swept up in a stylish bun neatly created to look messy. Her brown eyes holding nothing but contempt for me, a conceited grin creating cracks in her make up.

She is standing with her arms crossed waiting for my reply. If only I could wipe that self centered look off her face, but I need to play my cards carefully, especially now...

I need to answer her but my brain is struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why I am here, not even the truth seems plausible, not that I would share that with the likes before me.

As if my prayers are answered, in walks Alpha Keittle and Conal, both having a very hushed conversation that they both had strong opinions on. The moment they see us, they stop and scan the room before them, I watch as Mizette plasters on her best fake smile and saunters towards Conal.

The thought of her near Conal makes my blood boil, I want nothing more than to watch her desperate look of fear as I rip her apart. But with the Alpha right there I simply have to endure the scene before me.

"Alpha, I'm so pleased that your are here, I was just asking this Omega here what she was doing, loitering around as if she were welcome, but she refuses to answer me, her insubordination is appalling."

Her little speech makes me roll my eyes, she is hoping that the Alpha is going to reprimand me for being here, but I know that he is actually a pretty fair Alpha and would never segregate his Omega's from this area.

"Mizette, I asked Miss Baryn to come see me, she is helping with one of our projects this coming Spring."

I can see the exasperation at once again having to defend my existence and hear his sigh of relief at the end. Mizette once again looks down at me with a raised eyebrow but turns to Conal, placing her hand on his arm while she pushes her chest out toward him. Desperate to catch his attention at any cost.

"Fine, Conal be a dear and walk me home, I'm afraid what I may run into."

She pouts her lips seductively and flutters her eye lashes at him and I begin to take my leave before I rip her head clean off her shoulders and get myself thrown in the dungeons. I nod towards the Alpha in thanks for the rescue and back out the building.