| am having the best day! Every time | see Cara, I’m stealing a kiss. She doesn’t seem bothered by it and actually seems to start


    waiting for me to kiss her.


    By lunch, I’m on a high. I’ve grabbed a couple of minutes to make ns for dinner tonight and | called in a favor with my mom to


    make Cara’s favorite brownies. Chase is still, well, chasing Lacey. | can tell he’s enjoying the hunt. | know my friend. The longer


    she holds out, the more he’s going to keeping after her. If Dean had a bet going, my money would be on my boy. He won’t


    lose. After lunch, | walk Cara to her ss. I’m thinking about our ns tonight and about ready to steal another kiss when she


    takes me totally by surprise and pulls me down, kisses me like I’ve been dreaming she would. I’m stunned for about one second


    before | respond, pushing her against the wall outside her ssroom. When she runs her tongue against my lips, wanting to


    deepen our kiss, | feel the heat flowing straight to my dick. Instinct kicks in and | take control. | want so much more, but we are in


    the middle of our school day with everyone watching. I’ve heard snickers from some guys and huffing from some girls as I''ve


    been kissing Cara. Don’t care. Let everyone see that she’s mine.


    When | pull away, | feel drugged. By her scent, by her taste, by her. Her eyes are zed for a moment before they be filled


    with mischief. She pecks my lips, ducking out from under my arm and then turns and shes me a sizzling look that has my dick


    going from semi hard to rock hard. My girl is flirting with me, very publicly. My growl is all satisfied pleasure. Damn this girl. If this


    is any indication of what our life will be like, I’m a goner. One hundred percent,pletely over the moon. And | couldn’t be


    happier about it.


    | turn to head to ss, not getting more than a few steps before Chase is beside me. “Might want to take care of that tent you’re


    popping before walking into ss Alpha.” | look down. Shit! Shifting myself around isn’t going to hide this


    one.


    “Thanks man.” | say to Chase before detouring to the bathrooms. Again, this girl has me so out of control | have to relieve myself


    at school. A thought urs to me about how to punish my little guardian for getting me this worked up during my school day. The


    thought alone has me cumming so hard and fast | still make it to


    ss on time.


    | meet her after ourst ss. When | walk her to the passenger door, | push her against the car before she can get in. | put


    everything into the kiss, every bit of passion, desire, love, possessiveness. Everything. | hear the softest, sweetest


    moan from her before | pull away and put my forehead against hers. | let her know that this is the punishment she gets for


    working me up during the school day before stepping back and opening her door. | feel very smug when | see her wobbling on


    her feet. Mission aplished.


    | hold her hand on the way home. I’m bing addicted to the tingles that are only getting stronger as her birthday gets closer. |


    can’t imagine how much more intense the feeling will be when she recognizes me as her mate and then once we''vepleted


    our bond? Euphoria.


    When we get to her house, | jump out of the car and walk around to open her door for her. She’s my girl and | want her to know


    that this is the kind of treatment she can expect from me. I’m pleased that she waits for me this time and | help her out of the car


    before grabbing her bag. | put it over my shoulder and take her hand, walking her up to the front door.


    “I''ll pick you up at 6pm, okay?” | turn to her, taking both of her hands in mine.


    “Okay. What should | wear? | mean, how should | dress?”


    “Dress nice. I’m wining and dining my future girlfriend tonight.” | smile at her and kiss her nose. | start to tilt my head to kiss her


    lips when | hear Clint clear his throat behind me. | pull back and turn to greet him.


    “Good afternoon Clint.” | reach out to shake his hand. “I’m nning to take your daughter out for dinner tonight.”


    He raises an eyebrow and looks past me to Cara before looking back at me. “I expect you to take care of my daughter while


    she’s in your care Rik. If anything at all happens to her, you''ll answer to me.”


    “Of course, sir. She''ll be safe with me.”


    I''m not used to having fathers threatening me. In the times when | have taken a girl out, the parents are usually so happy that


    their daughter is going out with an alpha that they practically throw her at me.


    “Do | need to remind you of the rules Rik?”


    “No sir.” Yes, | remember that she’s waiting for her mate. Her mate being me. But I''ll respect that she doesn’t know that yet, even


    though | know she’s already started to feel the mate bond.


    Chapter 0108


    “Dad. Have you forgotten that I’m HIS Guardian, not the other way around? Shouldn''t you be threatening me to keep him safe?”


    | can’t help my smirk. Cara can’t see it, but Clint can. He looks past me at Cara again. “First, you''re not back to full strength yet.


    Second, he’s taking you out as a date, not as his Guardian so he damn well better treat you with the respect and protection that


    he would provide any other woman on a date.” His gaze shifts back to me. “Isn’t that right, Alpha?”


    “You are absolutely correct Guardian.” | use his title since he used mine. “And | will treat your daughter with the utmost care and


    respect this evening.”


    His gaze returns to Cara. “Go get ready for training, | want to do some light strength building today.”


    “Okay dad, be right there.” Cara replies.


    I start to turn to say goodbye to Cara, when Clint stops me. “Rik. Why don’t you n to start joining us for our afternoon training


    sessions starting Monday.


    | think my mouth fell to the floor. “It would be my honor sir.”


    He nods once before wheeling himself inside.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I''m still staring after him when | feel Cara’s finger under my chin, closing my mouth for me. She moves to stand in front of me.


    “Guess I''ll be seeing a whole lot more of you Alpha.”


    | focus my attention back on her. “Well Little Guardian, after | defeat you on Monday, you''ll be spending more time than just


    training with me. Now get going and be ready by six. | can’t wait to have you all to myself.”


    | pull her to me and give her a scorching kiss before heading back to my car. When | look back at her, she’s still watching me, her


    fingers touching her lips. Yeah, I''ll be spending as much time as possible with my girl.


    When | get home, | check in with my mom. She has the brownies baked and set aside for me. She took it a step further and put a


    pic basket together and added some wine and sses. | thank her giving her a hug and a kiss on the top of her


    head.


    “Where''s dad? He wanted to talk to me.”


    “He’s in his office.”


    | head up to my father’s office and knock, waiting for him to tell me toe in


    When he does, | walk in and go to sit in front of his desk. He looks tired. | ask th most important question. “Any news from Liarn


    about Eli Gunnar?”


    “Nothing yet. He’s found traces of him, but he’s good at hiding. He’s been doing It for years.”


    I nod. | knew I''d have heard if Liam caught Eli, but | was hoping for better news.


    “Son, | wanted to talk to you about Cara.”


    | sit up straighter, this was unexpected. “What about her?”


    He folds his hands together and leans forward resting his arms on his desk and he looks at me. “Have you given any thought to


    what it will be like to have a Guardian as a mate?”


    It has urred to me, and | have to admit, | don’t like it. Kai and | already feel protective of Cara. Losing her to Eli, even fora


    week was maddening. And this is before we have a solidified bond. It will only be harder once she epts us and we’ve


    marked and mated her.


    “| have. I’m not really sure how to handle it Dad. | can’t give her amand to stand down, and | don’t want tomand her. |


    want a partner. | want her to stand beside me, not in front of me. | should be the one protecting her, not the other way around.


    That’s my job as her Alpha, as her mate. But, | think we''ll have to have a serious conversation about what that means for us and


    our future.”


    He nods his head. “I’m d you''re already thinking about it. | don’t know that | have any advice for you. My bond with Clint made


    it hard enough to have him putting his life on the line for me. If it had been your mother...” He stops, shaking his head. Yeah, it’s


    not afortable thought and one that I’ll need to think about more before tonight. | want to have a n to discuss with her.


    She’s stubborn and fierce, but | need for her agree with me on this.


    “That was all, son. | wanted to make sure that you were thinking about the potential consequences


    of the future.”


    | smile at my father. Thinking about the future is what good alphas do. And my father has raised me to be a good alpha.


    I stand to go. “Thanks Dad. | appreciate it.”


    As | turn to leave, he asks, “Where are you taking Cara tonight?”


    “Ethereal.” | smile. “I want her to have the true dining experience. Then I’m taking her to the overlook to see the stars and eat


    brownies.”


    “Sounds like a good night. Enjoy son.”


    “| will.” And with that, | head out to get ready for my date.