Looks like we're headed to Canyon Ridge tomorrow. Updates occur daily.
The rest of the day goes by, and I’m exhausted by the time I head back to our room. Carlos found the carpenter and asked him to build a crib. Apparently, the carpenter was so excited he said he’d build him a bassinet as well. I was happy to see him being more affectionate with Amber at dinner and watched as Grace introduced her to Victoria, getting her set up to see the gardens while we are away. When I get to our room, I see that Grace has packed a bag. I begin looking for my backpack before spotting it on the bed, looking like it’s already packed. “Did you pack my bag as well?” I ask her. “I did, I hope that’s okay. You looked tired at dinner, and I wanted you to be able to come up and relax. You’re still recovering from yesterday. Why don’t you go take a shower while I finish up.” She says, pulling some clothes out of the closet. I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her. “Why don’t you join me in the shower and then we can curl up and go to sleep.” I tell her. “Why Alpha
The memories that come when I see the place where Clint and Donovan died is nothing compared to the flood of memories that start when I see Angel and Alessia. But the dam breaks when I see Cara and Artemis. I don’t know what it is about her, maybe because Artemis is the daughter of my Guardian spirit, but everything comes flooding back. It’s overwhelming and while I was embarrassed to have Eli carrying me, I’m not sure I could have walked on my own. When we reach the pack lands, the difference in this pack and my pack with Eli is apparent. But, I can also see the difference in this pack and my father’s pack. Where my father needed to be the most intimidating wolf in the pack, Rik seems to lead with love and patience. Pack members of all ages run up to him, surrounding us and walking with us back to the packhouse. There is no fear or intimidation as they ask him and Cara questions and are asked questions in return. Both Cara and Rik seem to know every pack member by name and know their
I can feel the impact that Liam and Rik’s news has on Grace. It’s one thing to assume and another to find out you were correct. I pull her face to me, leaning into her. “Are you okay, baby?” She just nods, a single tear sliding down her cheek. My sweet mate has had so much thrown at her in such a short period of time. Sometimes I forget that she’s still so young. She’s a strong and fierce woman, but there are moments, like right now, that she’s fragile. I look up at the others at the table. “I’m going to take my mate to rest for a bit. Thank you for lunch. We look forward to spending more time with you and getting to learn more about Maia’s Guardian spirit, but right now, Grace needs some time.” I say, before standing up, picking up my mate, much to her surprise and walking us to our room. “You didn’t have to do that.” She says quietly, her head resting against my shoulder. “Yes, I did. The actual job description for ‘mate’ is to take care of the one that is given to you by the Moo
I decide very quickly that, not only are we sisters through our Guardian bond, but Cara, Angel and I would have been friends regardless of the bond. We are all very different, but very much alike in the ways that matter. I tell them about our pack and how all of the pack members have come from packs where they were mistreated. They are shocked at our numbers and the separate number of packs where our members come from. “How can an Alpha and Luna allow their pack members to be treated so poorly? It’s their job to care for their pack.” Cara says. Angel is nodding. “I agree. I almost lost it when I thought Liam was allowing our omegas to be abused. He had to rein me in because my aura had pushed the pack to their knees and was causing them pain. It’s a partnership. As Alpha and Luna, we have to work together. There will be times when we lose our temper or become frustrated. That’s when the mate bond is so important, not just for each other, but for the health and safety of the pack. I’
At dinner, we sat with Rik, Cara, Liam, Angel, Rik’s Beta Chase and his mate, Lacey, his Gamma Jason, and his mate, Willow, the one pregnant with twins. I realized Rik’s entire team of ranked members is pregnant at the same time. In addition to them, Rik’s parents, Alpha Anders and Luna Calista joined us. Rik introduced us to his pack and let everyone know that we were forming our own official pack. He explained how our pack came into being and I could tell by the looks some of them were passing back and forth, that they knew of others that may need to escape to our pack. During dinner, we talked about getting together tomorrow and seeing what strengths the girls could use together. I can see Rik is hesitant to let Cara do much, but she likes the idea. “It’s not the Guardian gifts that tire me out, Rik. I’ll be fine.” And that was the end of that discussion. I couldn’t help but smile. At least I’m not the only one willing to do just about anything for my mate. After dinner, we sat o
For several hours, I train with Angel and Cara, tapping into and manipulating each other's power. Then Rik wants me to train physically. As we walk to Clint’s and Cara’s old house, he explains. "You’ve found your Guardian strength and power, but you need the physical strength in your human form. It will also help Maia for you to train both in human and wolf form. You probably remember that Clint had an entire training center set up for Cara." When we get there, I recognize the house. It has feelings of both happiness and sadness, loneliness and family. It’s a strange combination. ‘Clint lived here after losing Lily. While he had Cara and loved her, and Anders visited every week, he still felt the constant emptiness of losing his mate.’ Maia explains to me. “What is this?” Eli asks as we walk up and see an incredible training center. “This is only the outdoor training equipment. There’s an entire indoor training center as well.” Cara says. “Clint built it over the years to train
When we arrive back at our pack, I know Grace is exhausted. It’s been a grueling couple of days for her. I was able to complete our application to make our pack official, I applied for us to participate in the Tournament of the Moon Goddess, we set a date for the first mate gathering with Rik and Liam’s packs and I told Liam that I’d have numbers for him in a couple of days for those that want to work for him. All in all, it was a very productive weekend. When we get to the packhouse, Carlos is waiting for us, Amber’s baby in his arms. “Alpha, Luna. Welcome home.” He says. We shift and put on some clothes before walking into the packhouse. “Carlos, nice mark you’re sporting.” I say, referencing his new mate mark. He smiles sheepishly. “Thank you, Alpha.” “Congratulations.” Grace says to him, coming up beside me. “Uh, I know you both probably want to go clean up and check in on everything that’s happened while you were gone, but before you go, Amber and I would like to share someth
The announcements went as well as expected over dinner. Afterward, I took a much-needed soak, mentally thanking Cara for the muscle soak. The rest of the week became a whirlwind. I began training with Eli and Carlos in the morning and again in the afternoon. Afternoons are now three hours of training, the first two are required for warriors in the pack and the last hour is for those that want to participate in the tournament. We found out that the packs can only take their top 20 individuals, so our members will have to battle for their right to represent our pack. Eli and I are both pleasantly surprised at the number of individuals that are vying for those positions. It seems our pack members are proud of their pack, officially named Safe Haven. That’s right. On Tuesday after we returned to our pack, Eli received a verbal notification from Alpha Anders that our pack was approved. We are official. Then on Wednesday, Eli informed Liam that 250 of our nearly 300 pack members want to be