For the Love of The Guardian

No Match

The men were all huddled about a map in the middle of the conference table. Hands pressed flat against the wooden table top, as their eyes moved across the borderlines that had been clearly marked with pen. Muddled discussions took place about the table. Everyone was looking for the best interest of their pack and were willing to defend it.

“We have to ensure we are adjusting for the lumber industry.” Alpha Jaroth spoke out, his fingers running along the edge of the old Storm Moon borderline.

The discussion had been going on for hours. Sarah stretched her neck and rose slowly from her chair. Eyes glanced her way, but ignored her movements as she walked from the table. Her coffee cup in hand, she slowly refilled it with the dark amber liquid. Her silent prayer that it would keep her awake through the rest of the conversation, replayed quietly in her mind. With her warm cup in hand, she moved back to her seat.

“Sarah,” Alpha Jacob spoke up amidst the ongoing discussions, “you’ve been awfully quiet. What is your take on the pack lines?”

Silence washed over the room as the males slowly looked to her. She felt the hairs on her neck rise as she stood from her place. She had just sat down as they began to talk to her. Very slowly she looked at the map and territory lines, then looked about the room at all the men. Most had their eyes on her, some had flung themselves into their chairs as she rose. Others, busied themselves by keeping their eyes on the map.

“Freely?” Sarah asked, her eyes moving from Alpha Jacob to her father.

“Of course.” Henri’s hand ushered into the conversation slowly.

“To be frank, sirs,” Sarah spoke with every bit of elegance that Vera and her mother had spun into her, “if you are going to adjust the territory lines so that you can pull down trees and make more homeless animals, then please end the debate now without a change.”

Gasps and grunts moved about the room.

“What does she know?” Garrett had spoken from a corner near his father.

“Sarah, you don’t understand the supply and demand of lumber.” Alpha Jaroth’s son, Jared spoke to her from across the table.

“You’re right, I don’t. I know the meat we hunt comes from the deer in these woods here.” Sarah pointed to the forest that sat at the base of the mountains, just on the edge of the Winter’s Cross lines. “That rabbit you men enjoyed last night? Those were hunted here.” Sarah jabbed a finger on the edge of the Evergreen pack lines, close to Vera’s home and Azure Rise lines. “If you keep taking away the forest for lumber our hunts will be more scarce.” Her eyes looked to everyone about the room. “Tell me, will your lumber put food on your table and fill the bellies of your pups?”

Silence washed over the room, the men all looking at the map.

“Sarah, we have to think of the supply and demand of the businesses.”

“You don’t have to meet every demand.” Sarah looked to Alpha Jacob, “You just have to meet the ones that will pay you what your product is worth. You can’t ask top dollar for junk and you can ask for pennies on a priceless product. Maybe instead of making more, we need to adjust prices.”

“We already have,” Alpha Gene spoke from the end of the table. “Prices for our products have gone up and we still can’t meet demands.”

“Then we have prosperity, but we can’t starve our families to fill our pockets.” Sarah looked at the men, their eyes moving about the map slowly.

“Let’s adjourn for the evening.” Henri’s voice broke the prolonged silence.

Sarah sat looking over the map slowly, her eyes processing the lines and boundaries. She didn’t hear her father’s voice, only the sounds of the vision that filled her mind. The dagger breaking through a window, shattering that glass into millions of pieces. Her chest it’s target, as it moved through the air to reach her.

“Sarah?” Henri’s voice spoke out, placing a hand on her back.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Sarah spun around. Henri didn’t miss the sweat on her brow or the hints of purple about her pupils. His voice caught in his throat as he examined his daughter’s face.

“Liam?” Henri didn’t need to look to know the man was right behind her. “Escort Sarah to her apartment, please.”

“No,” Sarah cleared her mind and her throat, “I’m fine. Just took much coffee.”

“Are you sure?” Liam leaned in with a whisper.

Sarah’s soft nod was all he received, her eyes turning toward the only window in the room. It looked out over the front lawn. Sarah took a deep breath and steadied herself, the moments of the vision playing through in slow motion before her. She turned to face the table once more, her eyes watching the glass of the window as she reached for her coffee cup. The males in the room began to sit around her. For a brief moment, she paused and took in the view across the yard. A flash of light told her it was coming, and she braced herself. The shatter of the glass happened so quickly, that no one else could react like she did. Her body gliding gracefully with arcane elegance as she shifted her weight and dodged the sharp blade. Her fingers wrapped nimbly about it’s hilt as she slammed it loudly on the table.

She didn’t hide her gift from them, her purple eyes glowing fully as her wolf howled in her ears. She climbed the table and shifted as she leapt through the broken glass. The second floor jump could have hurt a lot worse had she not shifted, her feet tingling for a brief second before digging into the gravel. She took off after the scent of the one that through the blade. Her fur shifting about her from the breeze her movement created. In the distance, she could see a figure running on two legs. It didn’t make sense that they hadn’t shifted yet. Deep within her soul, she spurred her wolf on.

Scarlet rose to the chase, her hunger for the dagger wielding foe overtaking her common sense. The pair watched as the figure stopped at the edge of the forest to shift, but they were not fast enough. They tackled their foe quickly, Scarlet getting a large bite in the hind quarter of their assailant just before they shifted. Sarah rose on her feet, her fingers dancing with amethyst smoke as she looked over the half shifted wolf.

“Change back.” Her growl was enough to for the attacker to lay prone on their belly. Their body slowly shifting back into human form.

From the field, Liam was the first to arrive, his arms moving to cover Sarah’s naked body protectively. Behind him, Henri charged the scene, shifting from wolf form as he approached.

“Liam, escort her to her home.” Henri looked to Sarah’s once gray eyes, the deep purple swirls threatening to over take her conscience. “Please, Sarah.”

With a calming sigh, Sarah exhaled and the purple about her fingers and her eyes evaporated. She looked with gray eyes to Liam, her body naked in his arms as he protectively shielded her from the view of the others. How he managed to keep pace with her in wolf, was beyond her senses. Her eyes watched as he removed his white button up shirt and covered her body with it. His body riddled with artistic expressions. Sarah let him wrap his arms about her and carry her back to the pack house, her face buried in his neck. Her nose breathing in his scent with deep inhales, just so she could remain calm.

“Sarah?!” Joe ran from the front door, “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine.” Liam growled out as he pushed through the growing crowd of on lookers.

Sarah still heard the voices of the Alpha’s as they passed them. How she was a threat, a danger to the alliance. She was uncontrolled and they were naive to think they could control her. A tear slid from the confines of her eye as she buried her face deeper into Liam’s neck. The sound of the apartment door opening and closing only bringing small pangs of relief. Sarah slid from the arms of her protector.

“Sarah,” her name a breath on his lips, while his fingers moved up her arms and his deep brown eyes gazed into her silver orbs.

Sliding from his grasp, she walked to the fireplace. Her hands brushing against the objects that decorated the small mantle, her fingertips finding the small switch. The white noise generator and frequency jammer came to life, that subtle buzz just barely audible to Sarah’s ears. She turned slowly and examined Liam, his body a firm wall of muscle and flesh. His chest hosting an intricate design that moved over his right peck and down his right arm, his left forearm hosting the intricate scaled design. The tension that rose in the air filled her body with desire. She may not have been of age to find her mate, but there was no denying the feeling in her soul in that moment.

“Liam,” his name slid from her tongue like candy.

His hand lifted and halted her actions, her body already starting to walk towards him. “What happened back there?”

Sarah’s eyes moved to her feet quickly, her mind racing to replay the entire incident.

“How did you move like that? What was that purple coming off you?” His body driving him closer to her, “I need to know what’s going on, Sarah.”

“My mother,” her voice barely a whisper, “she left me with gifts, powers that rage through my body.” She lifted her hand and watched as her fingers flexed. “Sometimes, I see visions of things to come.” Her silver orbs moved to meet his crisp, chocolate gaze.

“So,” his right hand moved to glance against the thin fabric covering her shoulder, “you’re ok? You’re not hurt?”

“No,” Sarah half chuckled, her tongue sliding across her lips, “I’m ok.” Her head reflexively leaning into his touch as he lifted his hand to her jaw.

“You had me worried,” he exhaled as his forehead leaned against hers. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

“I…”

His lips captured her words as he hungrily fell upon her. He didn’t understand entirely why he was sent to walk her home, aside from the lack of covering. Now he couldn’t deny the hunger creeping slowly within him. He’d never felt a desire for a female like he did in this moment. His mind replaying the sight of her leaping from the window frame and how his legs moved to follow her by reflex. His lips and tongue continued to assault her body with an unleashed fury, while his mind was lost in thought. How worried he’d been for her and how he couldn’t explain that he was able to keep the pace of her wolf, his arms securing her body close to him as his fingers moved to be lost in her dark hair. Liam didn’t miss the hunger that Sarah’s own fingertips held within her grasp. How her hands gripped his back eagerly and held him close to her chest.

Something was different about their relation, and Liam tried to put his mind to work to figure it out. Yet time and again her moans and whimpers drove him deeper into the sweet abyss of her body.

“Sarah?!” The door to the apartment opened and closed as Henri’s voice echoed into the apartment.

Sarah refused to release her grip on Liam, even as her father walked into the room. Her knees weak and trembling, as she stared at her only blood relative.

“Are you ok?” Henri kept his distance as he carefully read their body language.

“I am.” Her voice quiet as she rested her head against the firm chest of her affection.

Liam’s attempts to move were thwarted by Sarah’s firm grip and the whimper that would leave her throat. Each noise she made garnishing a growl from his chest.

Henri knew what was happening, as was common with their kind. The fear that must have ran through Liam’s body had his wolf in hiatus. “Sarah, I need a word with Liam, please.”

With a soft whimper Sarah released him from her grasp and moved away. Her arms empty and the cold that washed over her caused a shiver to run up her spine. With arms folded tightly across her chest, Sarah walked from the living space into her room. She listened as best she could to the conversation they held, though the white noise made it difficult to pick up more than a few words; “Safe.” “Careful.” “Leave.”

Sarah furrowed her brow as she moved from her door, the sound of the apartment door closing. The thought of her father sending Liam away made her want to growl, even Scarlet felt the fury that was rising deep within them. It wasn’t often that they agreed on emotions and outcomes, but they both hungered for the male. The soft squeak of her bedroom door had her spinning quickly. “Dad…” Her eyes going wide.

“He left, said we could take the evening if you needed it.” Liam softly latched the door behind him. “Gave me instructions to be careful with you, and to keep you safe.” His dark brow furrowed, his arms hungering to hold this amazing dark haired woman before him.

Sarah froze as she processed through what was going on. Her father gave them the evening?

Liam stood still, his eyes watching for her move. A flinch, a pulse, a flex of a muscle, anything that showed she wanted him to stay. Sarah didn’t move.

“Should I?” Liam motioned to the door, implying the option of leaving.

Sarah snapped from her trance and rushed to her male, her legs wrapping about his torso as her arms moved about his neck and shoulders. She felt his hands come along and firmly cup her thighs as he began his slow and melodic capture of her body. His fingers holding her tight against him as he moved her to the full sized bed in the corner of the room. With grace and care he laid her on the bed, her legs falling open as he nestled in between them. His lips kissing at her neck as his nose filled his senses with the soothing smell of her scent.

This woman would be the end of him, and he was happy to have such an end.