After Liam leaves, | try listening to some of his music. It’s all very angry and loud. | only try a few before | give up. | don’t know


    how to find songs and | don’t want to do something I’m not supposed to do, so | set it aside and turn to the books. | read for a


    while before getting tired and moving to the bed toy down. Dustines in while | am trying to get on the bed, and he helps


    me up.


    “You know I’m going to be in trouble if something happens to you on my watch, right?” He asks me.


    “Sorry, | was just getting tired and was ready toy down.”


    | sleep for a while then Dustin brings me food. | am starting to feel stronger, so | make sure to eat as much as | can. They are still


    giving me more food than | used to get in a week at the vampire coven, but maybe once Alessia is back to full strength, this won''t


    seem like a huge amount of food.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After lunch, | hear some noises outside and | go to sit by the window. | watch as the warriors train in one area behind the


    packhouse and mothers and pups y around the pool and yground that is in another area of the grounds. Everyone seems


    so happy. Maybe Liam is a good alpha as he has said he is. Although, | thought Alpha Peter was a good alpha, but mom and dad


    thought that me being a Guardian would change that.


    ‘| think Liam is a good Alpha, and | like Cyran. It was nice having him sleep with usst night.’


    ‘Alessia! How are you feeling?”


    “Stronger every day. I''ll have us back at full strength again soon.”


    “Alessia, we need to leave here before Liam and Cyran realize what we are. | don’t want us forced into a mate bond.”


    She''s quiet for a long time. ‘I don’t think they would force us. | want to stay.


    “What? Alessia, | don’t think that’s a good idea.”


    ‘Let''s see what happens, okay? Let’s not rush it. Didn’t Liam tell you there’s a bounty on our heads? It feels safer here than it


    would be running from vampires and hunters with nowhere to go.”


    She has a point. I’m still thinking about this when | hear the door open. | turn without thinking and see Liam standing there. | see


    him stop when he notices Alessia in my eyes. | immediately pull her back.


    *SKAYA


    | wait to see what he will do but he continues as if he didn’t see anything Maybe he didn’t or maybe he doesn’t know what a


    Guardian''s eyes look like.


    When he asks about dinner, | realize that I''ve been up for a while and I’m tired, so | want to rest first. He seems fine with that, so


    |y down and fall asleep.


    Not long after | wake, | hear Liam in the hallway, talking to someone, a female. | can feel Alessia standing up in my head.


    ‘Alessia, calm down, what’s wrong with you?‘


    She doesn’t answer. When Liam walks in, | don’t see anyone until he moves.


    Alessia’s response is instantaneous. She pushes forward. “Artemis.”


    What | don’t expect is the response from Cara, or actually, it''s Artemis that is responding. “Mother.”


    Mother? What? The next thing | know, Artemis has pushed across the room and is hugging me, or Alessia.


    ‘Alessia, what''s going on?


    ‘Artemis is my pup.‘


    Cara/Artemis is sobbing in my arms. | awkwardly pat her back and take control.


    “Can someone maybe help me understand what is going on?” | ask.


    Cara steps back, wiping her eyes. “I’m so sorry. Liam didn’t prepare me. | had no idea that | was going to finally see you.


    “Why is Alessia saying that Artemis is her pup? I’ve never had any pups.”


    Cara squeezes my hand. “It’s a long story. Can | sit? You have no idea how long people have been looking for you. I''ll exin


    what | can tonight but there is so much you should know.” She wipes her eyes and Liam brings over two chairs and some


    tissues.


    Cara sits and Liam sits beside her, waiting.


    When she has pulled herself together, she looks at Liam and scowls. “You really should have warned me.” She scolds him.


    “| wasn’t one hundred percent sure. But | knew you''d know. | just wasn’t expecting Alessia toe out like that.” He turns to me.


    “Someone’s been keeping secrets.”


    | look down, not knowing how to answer. He’s right, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.


    +15 BONOS


    Cara reaches over and takes my hand. “You can trust Liam. He’s not like other Alphas. He would never force you. And if you


    can’t trust Liam yet, trust me and trust Artemis. We''ve known Liam for a long time. | know he would never force you into a mate


    bond that you didn’t want.”


    Liam turns to me. “Is that what you think? That | would force you?”


    I shrug.


    “Wait. Is that why your family left your pack? Did the Alpha try to force you into a mate bond? You were only a child then.” By the


    end he was growling out the words.


    Cara turns to him. “It has be amon practice for Alphas to force. Guardians into mate bonds. They obviously bring


    strength to the pack and the only Alpha known in history that didn’t force a mate bond with themselves or their heirs was Anders.”


    She turns to me. “Alpha Anders is my mate’s father.”