The Alpha's Guardian

Chapter 7

*Ali POV*

Frowning in the mirror, I reach over to the countertop and put my necklace back on. I have always hated jewelry and I often have begged Samuel for an amulet like the male guardians. Their rings are large and gaudy, and each one matches their personality. Mine is 3 dainty metal chains twisted together with a circular moon locket. Inside the moon-shaped locket lives the seeds of a moonflower. The necklace has many qualities to help protect me. For one, it’s my mate's deterrent.

I am bound by an oath to not find my mate until I am released from servitude. Taking the oath meant my ability to sniff out my mate was now suppressed. This is to keep me from leaving the heat of battle to protect someone that is not in my charge. The one I am protecting must always be my first priority, even over my own preservation. This is nearly impossible with the mate bond in place.

The necklace I have is a scent suppressor, meaning my mate is incapable of smelling me when I am near. We can literally walk by each other and never be the wiser about our soul connection. Many male guardians come to the committee to fill this position after their mate passes, it’s a way to give them a purpose, a meaning beyond their own heartache and self-destruction that inevitably follows the death of their soulmate.

I have worn this necklace every day since the day I turned 18. I’m not supposed to take it off for any reason, but more and more lately I can feel the weight of it, its heaviness weighing me down at every turn. So when I take a shower, I allow myself to be fully me. The unsuppressed unburdened me. It’s liberating, but gets harder and harder every day to put back on.

I sigh as I tuck it down into my sports bra and step back to check my appearance. I really don’t care if I look great. At this point, I couldn’t have my mate even if I wanted him. But with my position, I have a sort of image to uphold. My vibrant purple tank top fits snug to my muscular curves and my black leggings highlight the sculpted muscles of my thighs and butt. I’ve worked hard for these muscles, and by showing them a little, I’m proving to those doubting me I am indeed fit for this position.

I walk in the doors ten minutes to seven AM and find Alpha Wade standing on the side of the mats chatting with two men while a few other wolves straggle in and only 2 or 3 of them are actually warming up. I have to remind myself that the rest of his so-called warriors have ten minutes before they are late. Even if I feel that 5 minutes before arrival is technically late.

“Alpha,” I say as I walk up to him. He smiles curtly while the other two me gawk. “Gentlemen,” I say, nodding and trying to hide my smirk.

“I’m Francis.” One of them says, stepping forward with a warm welcoming smile on his face as he sticks his hand out in my direction. His dark hair is a mess and his shirt is wrinkled, but his smile is pleasant and his eyes gentle.

“You’re the beta?” I guess as he smiles largely.

“Yep! And this is Kane,” He says motioning to the quiet man to his right. I take a moment to look him over. He is shorter than the other two, but his presence is calming and I immediately know he is a gamma. Gamma’s are the pack protectors. Not in the sense that they are the warriors, but they deal with the inner circle of things, like ensuring the pack gets to safety when the alpha and warriors fight, making sure people are fed, have shelter, and are clothed.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” I say while shaking their hands. I shoot Alpha Wade a scowl for not introducing me to his men and he smirks happily. It’s feeling like he enjoys being a defiant little s**t, though it could just be the alpha in him, or perhaps he just truly dislikes me.

“Do you have a training plan set up for the day?” I ask Wade.

“I figure we spar in human form for a little while, and after a couple of hours shift into wolf form.” He shrugs. I roll my eyes. Great training with no proper plan is always a terrible idea.

“Your warriors should learn the technique. You should assess weaknesses and strengths so you know who to place where and who to rely on for certain tasks. Do you have a group of trackers at least?” I look between the 3 men who say nothing. Kane puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels, while Francis whistles and looks up at the ceiling. My eyes land on Alpha Wade, who turns red.

“I am the Tracker.” He finally says.

“What? You can’t be the Alpha and the Tracker. You lead your people into battle, you fight side by side with them. You can’t track and fight simultaneously.” I say, in shock.

“We were losing too many trackers to the rogues,” Kane says, looking down at his feet.

“So what, you felt sending your Alpha was the smart thing to do?” I ask, aghast. “That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard.”

Alpha Wade growls angrily as he steps into my personal space, glaring daggers at me.

“I will never ask my people to walk into a situation that may lead to their death if I am capable of doing it and have a higher chance of survival.” I step into him, chest to chest, nose to nose.

“Then train them appropriately so they can survive,” I say curtly.

“I can’t afford to lose more people,” He says simply.

“By refusing to train them to be better than you, you are consigning them to death! You can not protect each wolf by sacrificing yourself. You must train them to defend themselves, so they can be accountable for their life. Not you.” I respond by puffing my chest out to assert a little more authority. Before he can respond, his eyes glaze over as he listens to someone in the mind link.

He turns to me, anger still clear in his eyes.

“Kane will lead the training for a while. You will stay and observe,” he orders as he and Francis turn and sprint from the building. I look over at Kane.

“Have you ever led a training before?” I ask him, raising my brow. He smirks at me.

“Like once. But I’ve trained with Alpha Wade, so I am well versed in fighting and certain styles,” he says.

“Good. I want a list of the weaknesses of the five strongest wolves. I do not care what the gender is.” I say as I move towards the door.

“Where are you going?” he asks, looking worried.

“I’m heading to check on the alpha. My job is to protect him.”

“He doesn’t need protecting right now. The Alpha is punishing a couple of Omegas for a prank they pulled.” He says, following me.

His words make me feel sick. So they treat their Omegas poorly here as well. Every pack is always the same. The hierarchy leads to the beating of those lower and treating them like slaves. A hierarchy that destined me to the lowest of ranks when my family decided to run from the punishments, resulting in their death and me wandering the woods wolfless and weak. A menacing growl escapes my lips and Kane looks at me, bewildered.

“Then I will go protect them.”

“They are Omegas…” He says confused.

“Every wolf is capable of being great.” I snap out, turning to face him. “The fault of male leaders is thinking everyone is weaker than them. I guess it's time for them to learn a little humility.” I mumble as I take off, running out the doors in search of them.