The Alpha's Guardian

*Ali POV*

"Robin," I say, smiling as I limp into her room. "Ali!"

Robin looks over from her bed, and her face brightens up. She still looks pale, but at least she is awake and smiling. I can feel some tension in my shoulders melt away at finally being able to land my eyes on her. I hate that she heals like a human. That's how it is with born omegas, though. They get to know the werewolf world from the inside without ever fully experiencing it.

I was fortunate enough to have been born with a wolf. Because they ripped my wolf from me before my first change, parts of her still live inside me. Like healing abilities, speed, smell, and strength. Tearing every part of her out would have killed me since we are woven together until the wolf can be their own unit and thus the change occurs. I was strangely blessed in that way. It is uncommon to separate a child from their wolf before the wolf fully develops since it's essentially the same as a death sentence. "How are you feeling?" I ask her, lowering myself into the seat beside her.

"Not terrible. I'm going to have an epic scar for sure," she says, looking proud.

"I'm impressed with you," I say honestly. I have seen many wolves watch in horror as their mates die in a battle. Not that they want them to die, but they panic, and freeze and they are just too late in getting there. Not Robin though, no she threw herself on top of her mate to save him.

"Grandma is NOT impressed," she says, rolling her eyes.

"No? I can't say I'm surprised by that one."

"She is mad at Isaac. She won't even let him come see me." Robin says, looking sad.

"He

is

s your mate. His werewolf healing ability can extend to you if you are near him." I say, getting worked up.

"I know. But Grandma doesn't believe it. She said it is so rare to find your mate before you are of age." Robin plays with the fringe on her blanket before looking up at me expectantly.

"She isn't wrong. It is pretty rare." I say and Robins's face falls "But, rare and never aren't the same thing. Plus, the entire pack was poisoned for the past 2 years. It has many repercussions. It makes the animalistic side come out more. This means that it's entirely possible that Isaac was affected, and so was his wolf. But there are rules surrounding early mates."

"I figured there might be," she mumbles.

"How is mason enjoying training?" I ask her, changing the subject.

"He only went the first day," she says, looking at me strangely.

"What do you mean? That was 3 days ago."

"He said that Omega's aren't welcome in training." She shrugs. "He wouldn't even come out of the shadows to talk to me. He insisted the lights be turned off. Which makes me think something is wrong."

I stand from my chair quickly and hobble towards the door. This boy is infuriating, he told me he wanted this. I insisted that he train. I peek my head out the door and look back at Robin. I have no idea where his room is.

"The last door on the right," she says, smiling softly.

I move at an impressive speed for someone restricted and pound on his door. I can hear him groaning in annoyance and the heavy pad of footsteps within. This kid better have a damn good excuse.

"What?" he shouts.

"Mason," I say sternly. There's a silence and then he sighs.

"Yes?" but there is no move to open the door.

"Open this door or I will break it down." I threaten.

The door cracks open, revealing only a sliver of his face through the darkness inside. The area surrounding his eyes is a sickening shade of brown and blue that morphs into a red mark. Fury ignites in me, and I force the door open and turn on the light. Next to his bed are thawed-out ice packs, bottles of pain medication, and used discarded bandages.

"What is this?" I say, trying to control my emotions.

"Rough day at training?" Mason says, trying to make light of the entire ordeal.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Said the wrong thing to the wrong person?" he says, offering me a smile. His swollen split lips stretch across his teeth and he slightly winces in pain.

"Mason," I say I'm no longer controlling my rage.

What monster does this to a 16-year-old boy? There is movement in the hall behind me and I know it's Wade. I'm not even trying to keep my mental barrier up because all I can focus on is the thought of murdering the as*shole who hurt Mason.

"Ali, what's wrong?" Wade asks when he reaches my side. I look over at him as he looks at Mason, and I can tell he is not shocked. It hits me that he knew. He knew that this was how training was going and said nothing. The guilt through our bond says more than enough.

"You knew?" I seethe turning my anger to him.

"Yes," he says calmly.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" I yell.

"I thought to tell you but chose not to," he says

"What?"

"This is a pack issue. You have your orders and your place here. You don't need to interfere in our affairs." Wade says, void of emotion. He then turns and walks back down the hall. I leave Mason and totter my way after him, fuming in anger.

"Alpha!" I call to him. He ignores me and continues to walk out the front door and towards the forest line. I know he is weary and runs down with Liam being here. Every time we go to the training center or when Liam is in the room, he makes advances on me. Wade pretends to not notice. I can only assume my admitting to once-loving Liam is putting a strain on him.

I reach out when I close in on him and touch his arm. The sparks almost shock me at how strong they are. Wade turns to face me, his eyes closed. He is exhausted and run down. I know he has been working tirelessly through the night trying to get any answers he can for why this is all happening to him. He wants to know why the committee has decided he is so important. To be honest, I'd love to know their reasoning too.

"Ali," he whispers exasperated.

Slowly his eyes flutter open and he looks at me. For the first time in my life, my mind goes blank. The sun shines above us and his beautiful eyes look so lost and forlorn. My chest aches and I want to heal him and all his pain. I reach my hand out to touch him, but he pushes it away, taking a step back from me.

"Let me help you," I whisper.

"I'm not so weak that I can't carry my own burdens," he says, growing angry. "Is that what you see when you look at me? Is that why you feel the need to always jump at every bump and bruise to heal me?"

"What?" I say, completely taken aback.

"I don't need you to fix everything, Ali! What I need is for you to let me run my pack how I see fit. What I need is for you to not heal me every time I look mildly uncomfortable. I am not some broken unfit Alpha who needs saving.”This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

"You're not a damsel in distress?" I joke, hoping to break the ice a little. I fail.

"I am an Alpha. Not some fvcking Princess that needs saving. For fvck's sake! Is that all I am to you? A fvcking Joke?" he asks belligerently.

"Woah," I say, not knowing how to respond to his break. Because seriously, how the hell do you respond to that?

"No wonder you love that as*shole alpha." he chuckles dryly.

"Excuse me? You asked me a question, and I was honest. Don't you dare throw my honesty back at me.”

"You choose when you are honest!" he fumes. "Did you really think I didn't know you called Samuel to get a trainer here?"

"I did that to help you and the pack." I shoot back.

"No, you did it because you were worried I would fail. Just be honest, for fvck's sake."

"I did it to help you," I say weakly, walking closer to him. My heart hurts knowing that he is viewing himself as some failure.

Admittedly, when I first arrived here, I couldn't understand why he needed to be protected. Why he was deemed so special, but the longer I am in this pack, the more I see it. How he interacts with his members is rare. He is honest, kind and loves them all fiercely. He treats his Omegas with kindness and they are all loyal to him. Well, now that he isn't suffering from the side effects of the poison.

"What is this all really about?" I ask softly. His eyes turn cold and he looks at me.

"It doesn't matter. You are here to protect me, that's all." And he turns to walk away.

"Wade!" I yell, knowing dropping his title will get his attention. And it does. He freezes with his back to me. And slowly turns around.

"My job is to help you. In any way that you need it. Not just sacrificing my life for you, but talking to you, being your confidant, your friend. Why are you fighting it so much?”

"Fine. You want to know what's bothering me? All of it?"

"If it helps ease your mind, then yes!" I shout, throwing up my arms.

Finally, he is getting it. He rushes over to me and reaches out, grasping me by the back of the neck. Roughly, he tucks me into his warm chest. He pulls his face to mine and stops just before my lips. I close my eyes, waiting for them, but they don't come. Only his hot breath prickles my lips. Slowly, he presses his forehead against mine and breathes deeply.

My mind hums with emotions that aren't all mine. Feelings of frustration and heartache. The lust and desire that used to be at the forefront of his mind have morphed, matured into something more sustainable. Something like love. My eyes fly open and I find him looking right into me. He looks so sad, so broken. My heart is in my throat as I try to form words. Never have I experienced anything like this. Never has someone been so raw and open with me before.

My heart races as he continues to release all of his emotions. And then, in an instant, they are all gone. Locked away from me. My mind chases after them, pleading with them to come back out. And when I stand there for a moment reeling from what I had experienced, I notice that my feelings, my emotions mirror his, exactly.

"I know you are waiting for your mate, and I will honor and respect that. But I couldn't carry that alone anymore," he says, rubbing his temples and taking a step back. "I'm not someone who enjoys keeping secrets."

"Oh," I say, still feeling confused.

Wade chuckles, and the sound brings me back. I love his laugh.

"Did I break you?" he asks softly.

"No," I laugh. "You definitely caught me off guard. Thank you for being honest with me."

I sigh slightly and move to head back to the packhouse. Alpha Wade falls in line beside me.

"I called Samuel because I think your pack is different. It's worth ensuring its protection. I didn't mean to overstep."

"I knew you were doing it. There are eyes and ears everywhere in this pack. And I knew you would yield better results. I'm not naive enough to think that I have the skills to coerce people into helping a pack that can give them nothing in return." "So you planned it then?" I ask, raising a brow.

"No, I just judged you right, is all. You can't help but help. It's why you are so good at your job. You have a gentle soul and a helping heart, Ali."

feeling awkward about the compliment I clear my throat and we walk on in silence for a moment. Then my mind wanders to Mason and I remember his face.

"Now about Mason," I ask, sliding him a sidelong glance.

"That's a question for your beloved Alpha Liam," he says.