The Missing Guardian

Chapter 3 - Discovered (West)

Twig (West)

I come to, but my eyes are closed, eyelids heavy with sleep, so heavy I cannot pull them open. Through the darkness I search for ways to move but my body feels glued to the ground, my limbs refusing to cooperate, numb and lifeless.

“I don’t understand how this has anything to do with you?”

A male voice pierces the silent bubble I felt trapped in, I push out my fairy senses and pick up two other people in the same room as me.

I may be temporarily blind, but I can still recognize essences and no one’s essence can hide from me. Their souls unable to not shine through the darkness under my scrutiny.

There is a male and female werewolf in here with me, from his voice I can ascertain that he must be in his twenties, young, arrogant and angry.

His essence swirling with pent up rage and ranking, I wonder who could carry that much violence in their beings and not be physically thrashing from the anguish. I can feel his authority, his power vibrating across the room. But I do not sense he is a threat. More of a danger to himself.

The female, her essence piques my interest the most. It is multicolored, which I have never seen before, a whirlpool of delicate pastels, dancing in amongst one another. As I try to delve further into her essence, she starts talking.

“I was there, I watched it happen, I saw her appear from inside the tree.”

Her voice is also young, but firm, agitated almost.

“You should have left her there, someone else would have found her.”

His answer takes me by surprise.

Who would leave someone for another to find, what are they talking about? Are they talking about me? Did she find me? Did he want her to leave me?

Where am I? Did I fall through the ground? Maybe I dreamed that, maybe Alpha Blake's men found me.

Before I can list any further questions, the She-wolf growls low, letting out a warning signal to the man in front of her.

He starts laughing, a deep chuckle of amusement and I can see her essence begin to darken, her agitation reflecting through her.

I am fascinated. I cannot help it. Curiosity killed the cat, and I can now understand why. I decide to allow my body to recover and listen in on their conversation, then I can figure out the best course of action.

“I’m just saying, this is absurd, if you take this to my father, he will think that you have finally snapped.”

His voice amused, light almost but there is a trickle of a threat laced in his tone.

“You don’t believe me.”

Her voice shakes slightly as she says this, the last word almost a whisper.

“Did you hear me say that I don’t believe you?”

A snarl rips from him as he shouts out his reply.

Her essence blinks at his reaction. I see everyone’s essence if I choose to, but I have never seen an essence do the things hers are doing. I am intrigued, but cautious.

“She may need help, she hasn’t woken up and I’m not about to let her suffer because you think this might cause suspicion, well it won’t. Your father was there when my mother was taken, it would be natural for me to go to him.”

She barks back at him; I can’t suppress the overwhelming sense of pride that washes over me at her words. I feel a weird pull toward her. This is strange and I am suddenly aware of how calm I am. I should not be this calm…

I should be freaking out over the fact that I watched the ground literally swallow me whole, and now I am in an unknown location with two people I do not know, and I am unable to move my limbs or wings. I should be on high alert, searching for an escape, but instead I am calm, waiting for them to make the first move.

My brother would be pretty proud, he is constantly scolding me for letting my emotions cloud my judgements. Wait, that's why this feels off, I'm never calm, I don't think things through rationally.

It must be magic; something has been done to me. My mind once again starts to list everything that can go wrong, over and over.

It has been quiet since my mind went into overdrive, no one has spoken. I can just hear their breathing in the distance. Finally, footsteps and then the creek of a door.

“Do what you must, but I can’t protect you.”

His final word before he leaves, leaving me alone with the bewitching she-wolf. I hear her shuffle around the room, pulling things out and putting them one side.

I am suddenly suspended in air, and I realize I am in my shrunken form, which means I am probably in a box or on a piece of paper.

I am being carried, through a door and then the click of the door closing behind us. I can hear her breathing getting more heightened, possibly from fear, but her essence is now back to the swirling pastel colours.

With the close proximity, I can feel her essence actually calming me. How could that be? I have only ever been able to observe other essences, I have never been affected or been able to cause an effect.

I am deeply intrigued by this creature that has me in a state of submission. She could be dangerous, but I have no way of assessing this situation in a rational state.

I start to panic slightly at this thought but the discernment dissipates within minutes.

Her walking creates a rhythm that I can match with her footsteps. As we go along, I can hear other people and from the scent that fills the air, I must be in a werewolf pack. I start scanning the passers-by to find an essence I recognize, hoping that I may in fact be in the hands of someone from Copper Moon, but as we go, I do not pick up anyone that I have met before.

I am in an unknown pack, with a strange wolf that seems to have serious powers. How am I going to get out of this?

As I am trying to fight the sensation of calm that ripples off my captor, we stop. Two wolves from either side of us approach, their colours are insignificant, lower ranked wolves.

“What do you want?”

The man to our left asks, in an almost irritated in a way.

“I would like to ask the Alpha if he would please have an audience with me.”

Her voice does not crack or give away any hint of fear, but I notice her colours begin to become sharper, the blue popping over the others.

The other man laughs next to her, a deep guttural laugh that makes me feel uneasy.

“The Alpha is busy, come back later.”

The first man speaks up, in a flat tone.

“Please, this is urgent, I must speak with the Alpha.”

As she says this the blue inside of her has taken over completely and I watch in awe as a tendril of blue reaches out and touches the man’s dull brown aura. The blue lightly strokes the colour of the mans, with what has escaped from within her. I know I am the only one who can see this unless my captor is aware of her actions.

“I will check if he has a moment to spare.”

The man blurts out, unsure if he said it or not.

His comrade must be shocked, I would love to see his face at this moment, but I settle for watching his colours change in confusion. She impacted his decision, whether on purpose or not, I still have to ascertain. This is unbelievable, my curiosity peaking again.

He leaves into the building that must be in front of us, leaving us with the man that made me uneasy, a wave of concern rushes over me. But not for me, for her, my captor.

His laugh made me feel dirty, I can only imagine what his eyes could do.

“What do you have in that box.”

His question confirms that I am indeed in a box, but his words drip with a flirtatious undertone that makes me queasy.

“It’s what I have to speak to the Alpha about?”

She answers, matter of fact.

He chuckles again and approaches slightly. But the girl with my life in her hands, literally since I am what’s in the box he is referring to, doesn’t flinch or step away. Actually, she hasn’t moved at all I note.

“Well, I should ensure that you have nothing that could harm our Alpha in there.”

His words laced with intent; man, this guy is radiating creepy from his pores.

“The Alpha is overwhelmingly more powerful than I, Nick, you know that, besides why would I wish any harm on the Alpha, he has helped me in the past.”

I notice how she almost coos at him, satisfying his core being and settling him, she doesn’t have to use her essence to persuade this one, she must know him well.

A few moments pass in silence before the other guard, I presume, comes back.

“The Alpha will see you.”

*****************************

Kiron:

The tap, tapping pulls me from my slumber, forcing reality into view, pushing the blackness to the background.

Peeling myself off the desk and wiping the drool from my cheek, I grunt for whoever is at the other end to enter.

Asher appears, but showered and rejuvenated, as if the last eight weeks had simply not happened.

“You look like shit.”

His comment makes me laugh as I imagine his view of me, trying to get up off my desk, disheveled and disorientated.

“Why are you so sprightly this morning?”

I question him, in a grunt as the weight of my responsibilities makes themselves comfortable on my shoulders, as they do every morning.

“We have a lead.”

He says, nonchalant.

A smirk creeping across his face, accentuating his features as he watches me launch over the desk to stand right In front of him, eager for him to continue.

“A scent, now go get yourself cleaned up before I show you.”

A cheeky sense of achievement, as he leans against the door frame, allowing me enough space to get passed.I rush from the room, pride at my beta, consuming me, driving me forward. A renewed sense of energy and motivation.

I understand now why he looked so fresh.

I charge down the hallway to my bedroom, fling open the doors, heading straight to the adjoining bathroom.

Stopping at the windows to yank the heavy drapes open, exposing the large room to the days sunlight that beams through the floor to ceiling windows. The warmth of the sun, recharging me.

I strip from yesterday’s clothes and turn on the water in the shower, hoping there is some hot water left.

I get to enjoy a whole five minutes in the shower before the water runs cold and I step out, feeling better than I did yesterday, which in itself is a miracle, I grab a towel and dry myself before looking for a pair of jeans and a shirt.

I manage to find what I'm looking for and head out to find the dining hall, no doubt that is where I will find Asher, and finally some answers to this mystery that is driving me insane.

I greet those that I come across as I make my way to find my beta, politely, ensuring to not give anything away in my body language or what I say, always the politician, but especially now when everyone is on edge.

The strain to not run down the halls and push passed everyone to get to my destination is overwhelming and I feel like a young pup again, desperate to keep my curious mind and hyperactive energy in check to avoid a lashing from my father.

Dishonoring the family by acting like a child, when I am of Alpha blood was not acceptable behavior.

Asher meets me at the entrance of the dining hall, a huge grin spread across his face as I reach him.

“What do you know?”

I immediately begin to question, my patience now non-existent.

“I will explain everything, but you have to promise me that you will wait until I have finished before you rip my head off, I understand that had my plan gone south, that I would have faced serious repercussions that could have cost the pack. But I had to try”.

My excitement of finding a lead, now begins to taste sour in my mouth as I wonder what sort of trouble Asher may or may not have gotten himself into.

“Well, after I left you last night, I called the elders before you changed your mind again.”

1

Ash States as he leads me into the dining hall and up to the buffet of breakfast foods being served. We avoid the people and head for the back of the line, keeping a distance as we talk.

“Two of them will arrive within the next few days…”

“Why only two?”

I interrupt him mid-sentence.

“They are only sending two, because we are not the only pack being targeted, which I discovered when I spoke to them.”

He drops his voice as someone joins the line behind us, we shuffle along in silence, until eventually getting to the front and dishing ourselves a fair portion of everything.

A full breakfast with all the trimmings, I always ensure that everyone has enough food to keep up their stamina during training.

We head to a deserted table at the back of the room, not surrounded by others, with our food. I take a seat and start shoveling food into my mouth, my stomach grumbling in satisfaction as I let him continue.

“Apparently, wolves have been going missing up the coast, all from different packs, they didn’t realize that it had reached as far north as we are.”

With that, he devours his bacon on his plate, as I ponder this new information, while I wait for him to chew his food and swallow his bite to continue.

“Once I had arranged their visit, I phoned a friend of mine from the Gibraltar sisters coven.”

I stop chewing my eggs on toast at his words, looking up to him in shock.

That is dangerous, contacting the coven could come with consequences. They do not mingle with others and keep to themselves unless they can gain something from you. I do not trust witches, they have too many unknowns to be trusted.

Asher sees me tense up at his words, and he shrugs at me knowing how I feel about the witches. I know he has had a few successful moments with them, and is trusting, especially since they gave him back his memories after the attack that earned him his face scar.

“Jasmine met me at the scene first thing this morning.”

I can see he is hoping I will drop my defenses, but I know better than to do that and counter his words with my own.

“What made you call Jasmine?”

My question reasonable, as she is a rain witch and can control water elements, how she fits into the equation is beyond me.

“I remembered it was raining when I got the call about the missing wolf.”

His answer not easing my curiosity and I throw a confused look his way.

“Well after breakfast, Jasmine is going to meet us both at the scene with the lead she found.”

“So, you don’t even know what she found?”

I say harsher than I had intended, and he lifts his eyebrow at me, probably contemplating his response.

I can feel my rage building at his naivety, leaving evidence in the hands of witches, that’s even if we can trust what the witches have found, if they have found anything.

I cannot believe I got myself worked up for something that will most probably end up being another dead end in our investigation.

“Relax, I know exactly what she has found and have already verified its authenticity, I just want you to see it for yourself.”

I take a deep breathe at his words, trying to calm the inner beast inside me. Khoda has already lost his patience and wants me to immediately deal with this new situation with brute force. I know better than to do that, especially if this does lead us to our silent attackers. Any lead is better than no lead.

*********************************************************

Ebony:

I can feel eyes on me as I stand there, waiting for Noel to return, I dare not move.

Nick is a predator that will pounce the moment he sees even the slightest inclination that you could be interested. His eyes gazing up and down my length with a dirty smirk on his face.

Nick has always been lurking in the background until he has a moment to corner you, using his status as a guard for the Alpha.

He makes my skin crawl, but I shove that feeling down and stare at my feet, avoiding him, praying to the Moon Goddess that Noel gets back soon.

Conal's face as he left flashing back to mind. Imagining his face as he walked out the door, his dusty brown hair catching the sunlight and reminding me of all the other times he’s left, but then I am pulled back to reality by Nick.

“What do you have in that box.”

Of course, he would ask about the box, next thing he will be making dirty innuendos about my box, ugh, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me and now I am fairly sure he is picturing me without my clothes.

I hold back a shudder, if I react in any way, he will make this so much worse, but I also do not want him to look in the box.

I have to do the worst thing possible… I have to placate Nick Fleming, I know he will cause a scene otherwise and demand to search me, a true narcissist, but luckily easily outwitted. His vanity runs deep within him.

“It’s what I have to speak to the Alpha about?”

I state as calmly as I possibly can.

He chuckles to himself, that sound bringing back years of uncomfortable moments.

I watch him take a step toward me, I dare not flinch. He will feed on my fear, I stand my ground, will my body to obey me until I have control.

“Well, I should ensure that you have nothing that could harm our Alpha in there.”

He wants to draw this out, create tension, possibly create a scene. I must end this and play into his hands, give him what he wants…

“The Alpha is overwhelmingly more powerful than I, Nick, you know that, besides why would I wish any harm on the Alpha, he has helped me in the past.”

I say in my best attempt at flirting, almost submitting, admitting to him that I am weak and not possibly any threat.

I see a smug smirk stretch across his face at my words as his eyes drift from my feet and settle on my chest.

I stand there, staring at the ground, then at the building in front us, occasionally I look back to see if anyone else approaches, anywhere but at Nick, who I know is still smirking at me while I avoid eye contact.

But I am grateful that Nick hasn’t persisted any further, instead basking in his own glory.

After what feels like forever, I hear footsteps and internally release a sigh of relief at the sight of Noel coming toward me. His large build steps up and eyes me suspiciously before announcing.

“The Alpha will see you.”

I sigh in relief, I know the only person who can help me is the Alpha, he is the only one who can find a Fae healer. If I can convince him that we should help her that is.

“Follow me.”

Noel sneers at me, his greasy black hair combed back accentuating his sharp jaw line and pointed nose. Looking down at me, as they usually all do, as an outsider, untrustworthy.

I nod politely, sensing his frustration that the Alpha would even entertain an audience with someone as low ranked as myself. I follow the large guard in front of me into the Ranked Quarters. Leaving Nick thankfully behind.

I have snuck in here a few times over the years, usually late at night when everything is dim and clouded in shadows.

During the day though, the large foyer we enter is bright and clean. Polished wooden floors sweep across the room, a center glass table holds a large bouquet of flowers, all picked from the gardens I presume.

Sunflowers and lavender, brought together with bright green foliage placed in a large ornate glass vase. It really is beautiful to look at.

I glance over the walls as we pass the bouquet and take note of what the paintings are on the wall, instead of what I thought they may be, in the dark.

On the left wall hangs a large banner with WESTERN HOWLER PACK written in black at the top and a black silhouette of a large wolf howling to the moon, our pack crest, underneath it, against a red background.

On the right the Alpha family tree, I scan over the pictures as we walk by, desperate to glimpse a picture of Conal.

And as we are about to head through the center passageway I see his picture near the bottom, under his brothers. It is a slightly outdated picture, from when he was about fourteen, but his cheeky smile is the first thing you see.

I smile at the younger version of him but drag my eyes forward to watch where Noel is taking me. The next space leads to different sections of the house, doorways and staircases lead to other rooms and levels.

Conal lives on the second floor, up the left staircase, and his door is the first one as you reach the second level.

So, besides the hallway on the second floor and Conal’s bedroom, I have not seen further than this point.

But I know his brothers live above him, and the Alpha and Luna live on the top floor, or so I have been told.

But today, we head straight to a door opposite the foyer, a wooden, unnamed door.

Noel opens it and leads us into a large smoking lounge, brown leather couches for entertaining, with little tables at each end, to hold your drink or an ashtray for your cigars.

I imagine the important men and women who have sat in these seats and drunk fine liquor while talking amongst each other as equals.

My mind immediately begins to play an old black and white movie about the rich and famous in the nineteen twenties. Rich men in suites, tipping their hats while greeting beautiful women in elegant dresses.

Filling the room with smoke from their cigars without so much as a complaint.

But the seats are empty today, the room tidy and smells fresh. We walk through the lounge area to another door with a simple sign that says OFFICE.

Noel knocks on the door and steps back, ensuring to not step on me standing behind him. I back up to give him some space.

Desperate to not draw any attention to the box in my hands.

The door is pulled open to reveal Alpha Keittle, in his usual worn blue jeans, and formal shirt tucked into his belt.

His hair the same shade of dusty brown as his son except speckled with grey, and bushy eyebrows and a smiling face.

“Thank you, Noel, you can go back to your post.”

Alpha Keittle says through a broad smile, a smile I know is a show and can turn on you in an instant.

I politely nod my thanks to the guard as he turns back in the direction we just entered from. I smile weakly back at the Alpha in front of me now, and he gestures into his office with his hand. Walking into his office I take in the many pictures and maps he has framed on the wall, moments caught behind glass.

“How can I help you today, Miss Baryn?”

He asks me as he walks back behind his desk, pointing out the seats in front of his desk, the masculinity is overwhelming, dark leather chairs and a big mahogany desk with papers neatly stacked along it.

I take a deep breathe and remind myself that an Alpha’s office is his sanctuary, of course it would be masculine, his Luna has her own office.

“I’m not sure how to explain what I am about to show you, but I think that whatever I have discovered needs our help, and you are the only person I know who would be able to help.”

I blurt out the words, unable to formulate a better way of putting it, I sound insane, Conal was right, he is going to think that I have absolutely snapped. Oh god, what am I doing, I begin to panic, waiting for his reaction.

“Well, let’s start with what you have found young lady, we can then figure out the rest.”

His voice is calm, reassuring almost, I was not expecting this, I was expecting irritation, doubt maybe, though the Alpha is not someone you want to catch on a bad day or caught out doing something you should not be, he is also incredibly wise and patient, he has been Alpha for almost forty years, he has experienced far more than I can even imagine.

He looks down at the box in my hands and I extend my arm out to hand it to him.

He gently takes the Jewellery box from me and inspects it in his oversized hands, careful not to tip it over at least.

“Will this be dangerous if I open it, Ebony?”

His words are filled with curiosity, I can see I have intrigued our Alpha with my little box of mystery and smile instinctively.

“I don’t think so, she has not woken up yet, sir.”

I say with as much respect as I can muster, he smiles brightly at me when I say that his eyes shining with inquisitiveness.

“There is something alive in here?”

His question now turning into how an adult would play along with a child when they have brought them an insect they found in the garden.

“Yes sir, I put holes on the side so she could breathe and made her as comfortable as I could with what I had, and then brought her straight to you.”

I start explaining, but stumbling over my own words, because my brain doesn’t really believe that any of this is true. He is going to open the box, and there is going to be nothing inside, and I am going to get into serious trouble.

I start to tremble at the consequences, it would be mortifying, but if on the off chance I may not be insane, I need him to take me seriously.

Alpha Keittle is now inspecting the sides of the box and the tiny holes I punctured for air with a thumb tack, he ever so slowly lifts the lid, and peeks inside.

As he does, he catches a glimpse of the contents and then quickly replaces the lid before looking down at me in wonder.

“Ebony, where did you find this Fairy?”

Just a whisper, like a young pup who has discovered something new for the first time.

I swallow hard, if she is really in the box, and the Alpha can see her, that would mean that the tree at the cemetery did snap open and release the tiny woman from within.

I thought that she may be of Fae decent but wasn’t sure.

“That’s the part that gets a bit strange, sir.”

I answer trying to figure out where to start.

He has reopened the box now and is staring down at the tiny female figure with wings that is unconscious and laying in a small ring box.

“I think she needs help; can we help her, and I will tell you exactly what happened, I am just worried that she is sick or injured, please help her."

I begin to plead, but the Alpha raises his hand to quieten me before walking back to his desk, retrieving his phone and dialing a number. I quietly watch him, fear suddenly coursing through me, who could he be calling?