Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
The door to Hunter’s room opened without a sound, and ninja footsteps made their way to the sleeping man.
The sunlight from his window stretched over his torso.
A man stood above him, and a slow smile formed on his mouth.
In an instant, Hunter was pinned to the bed, his arm held behind him and a knee wedged into his back.
“Say it! Say it!” Chasen laughed, holding Hunter down as he struggled. His dear little brother slept too soundly.
“Dammit Chasen … get the hell off me,” Hunter growled as he battled against his older brother.
“Say it.” Chasen grinned.
“Ugh, FINE! You’re the best guardian in the world. There. Happy?” Hunter shoved Chasen in irritation the moment he removed himself from him.
It had been weeks since he was betrayed by his fated mate.
He and Chasen had made a trip to the fairy kingdom, Elysia, to visit his family.
He was sure it was hard for Reiya and Brody to adjust as well, so he was worried about them and wanted to see them.
Brody seemed to be okay, but Reiya had put on a front.
She always thought she was good at hiding things, but they all knew.
Besides, as twins, Reiya couldn’t hide her feelings from him.
He wished he could bring her back to the pack.
He would protect her. But his parents insisted it was for the best.
Chasen has been like a hovering mother after the rejection, overly protective. Still, he wasn’t too good for his childish games.
“Did I miss rumpus time?” Sam grinned as he walked in the door.
Sam was Hunter’s beta, son of the former beta Caden and his mate Rosa, who was also a fairy.
He had a younger sister named Susan. Sam was much like his father.
They liked to joke around, but when it came down to fighting, he was a fierce warrior.
He was so much more than just Hunter’s beta, though. He was his best friend.
Hunter sat up and kicked at Chasen. “You’re always rough on me. You never tackle Reiya.” Hunter snorted and Chasen laughed.
“Aww, is the big bad alpha getting his butt handed to him?” Chasen smirked and hopped up from the bed.
“You want to see if this alpha gets his butt handed to him?” Hunter jabbed back at Chasen.
“Little wolf. Try as you might, you will never be on par with your guardian. Nope. Big bro here will hand it to ya. You want to actually win? Then you better wrestle with Sammy boy here,” Chasen said as he slapped Sam on the back.
“How is that fair? Why should I be his punching bag?” Sam looked over, giving Chasen a wry grin. “This wooly bear talks a big game until he gets beat up on by Brody.”
Chasen snorted. “Who gets beat up on? It’s even. Sometimes I win, sometimes he wins. I still think he cheats, though.”
Hunter grinned. “I’m sure he cheats, Chase. After all, in order to beat YOU, he’d have to cheat, right?”
Chasen chuckled and turned to look at the two wolves. “I’ll take both of you on. I’ll prove to you just how strong a guardian is.”
Hunter and Sam ignored Chasen’s challenge and walked out of the room.
They knew they were being goaded into a losing situation.
They couldn’t beat him in a match. If they could, there wouldn’t be any need for guardians.
Guardians were the protectors of the fairy kingdom.
There was a guardian in Elysia, and each fairy princess had their own guardian.
Hunter was the first fairy prince ever, so he was the first prince to have a guardian.
It didn’t mean anything being the fairy prince, though.
Unlike with other monarchs, it was the females that held power in Elysia, which worked out since Hunter was the Alpha of the Black Ice Pack.
One day, though … he would move to Elysia to live out the rest of his life in peace.
A peace that would only come after they had defeated the demons.
There was a lot on the young alpha’s mind these days, especially the prophecy of the impending war with the demons—one that would take the strength of all the packs and the fairies to even give them a fighting chance.
He did have the surrounding packs on board, though.
The Red Grove Pack, which belonged to his Uncle Drew and soon, his son Ace, and the Cedar Pack had all united together.
He would be rallying all the nearby packs for the upcoming war.
There had been a lot of unease in the woods lately.
Demon wolves had been sighted coming close to their territory.
They’d even had a run-in with them once, but it was an easy victory on their end, and they were lucky not to have suffered any casualties.
This had kept Hunter and those close to him occupied.
It helped to take his mind off the rejection.
It still stung, but he was trying to move on from it.
Finding someone to be his luna was on the back burner for now.
Not everyone got second-chance mates, so he was going to have to find someone on his own eventually.
Hunter walked down the stairs of the pack house and toward the kitchen, with Chasen and Sam trailing right behind him. Food was always a top priority with their animal appetites.
“Leave any food for us?” Hunter chuckled as he pulled out his chair at the table.
Already seated were his gamma, Winston, and his delta, Adam.
They were also his cousins. Their mother, Kristen, was his father’s cousin, and she and her mate Garrett had two sons back-to-back.
There was only one year between the two of them, and they were a couple of goofballs—great to have around for entertainment and great to have around in a tough situation.
In this sense, Hunter was lucky. He grew up here.
This was his home. He was adored by his pack and was surrounded by his family and friends.
Still, a few key players were missing. His parents, Reiya, Brody (his brother and Reiya’s guardian), and his Uncle Grayson (who was his mother’s guardian) were all in Elysia.
He wished he could visit more, but being the alpha had kept him busy.
Reiya was unable to visit him, so if he wanted to see them, he would need to go to her.
“Adam, did you eat all the bacon again?” Sam growled as he stared at the empty plate.
“You guys take too long. What was I supposed to do? It was just laying there like the strip tease it is. ‘Eat me, Adam. Crunch on me, Adam. I promise I’ll taste good, Adam. Mmmm, that’s right, Adam.’ The slutty whore knew exactly what it was doing. How could I resist?” Adam grinned widely.
“He left the sausage, so I’m good,” Chasen said as he stacked several on his plate.
“Winston, today I would like you to do a round out around our territory. We’ll check for signs of the demon wolves and take note of their movements,” Hunter said as he poked at his eggs.
“Adam, you’re on pack training today. I want you to step it up some. We need to be ready for anything that’s coming. The Black Ice Pack has a reputation to uphold, and I want to keep it fearsome.” Hunter barked out another order as he glanced up to see the affirmative nods.
“Hi guys.” Sam’s sister Susan walked in, smiling.
Her blonde hair swirled behind her, and her blue eyes shone as she looked at the guys.
Her eyes wandered over everyone but stopped on Hunter.
She had a minor crush on her alpha. They had all grown up together as kids, and it was like one big family.
But she wasn’t related to Hunter, and she was part fairy, too.
They made sense together, in her opinion.
His sun-kissed skin, light gray eyes, and ebony hair.
Not to mention his perfectly-shaped physique.
He was about 6’2 with beautiful, muscular arms and a toned body.
Yeah … she was definitely crushing on him.
“Hey Sues.” Sam bit into his toast, not sparing her another glance.
“Perfect timing, Sue Sue. I just finished eating and I could use dessert.” Adam grinned as he looked the girl over. Susan was seventeen years old and hadn’t gotten her wolf yet. She was adorable. Though everyone knew who she had eyes for, it didn’t stop him from hoping for her.
Sam growled. “She’s my sister, Adam!”
“What? You have a sister complex?” Adam teased back.
“Hunter, they're gonna start again …” Winston rolled his eyes. His brother and Sam were always bumping chests.
Chasen growled lowly. “Don’t disturb my breakfast.”
The two men immediately settled down. Chasen’s position was such that it was respected by all. He had grown up with all the boys and they knew his strengths well, so he had earned their respect and admiration.
“Hey Sue, are you going out today?” Hunter asked, making small talk.
He knew how Sue felt. He just didn’t feel the same way.
Honestly, the whole idea of his mate’s betrayal made him bitter.
It irritated him to see people dating and interested in others.
Where was their faithfulness? Why weren’t they loyally waiting for their mate?
The problem was Kristy as a person. He wouldn’t give up on having a loyal companion.
He just had to give up on the idea of having a fated mate now.
A second chance mate was rare and couldn’t be counted on.
“Yes, I was going to go out with Renee,” Sue said, sticking her tongue out at Sam.
Renee was Caspian and Merida’s daughter.
Caspian was half-werewolf, half-fairy, and Merida was a selkie, part of the fairy realm.
Renee was also Sam’s mate. They were all surprised when it happened.
The moment her wolf came forward, it happened so fast. Sam immediately claimed her and was very possessive over the cute brunette.
“I don’t want her to leave the pack territory without me. So, change your plans,” Sam growled, glaring at his sister.
Susan scoffed. “That’s not fair, Sam. We’ve been planning on going out. Besides, dad, mom, and Kristen are coming too, so it's fine.”
“If Caden’s going, there’s nothing to worry about, Sam,” Hunter said with a smile. Caden might have stepped down as the beta, but he was still as tough as they came.
Sam sighed, defeated. “Fine … but don’t stay out long.”
“Sam, why don’t you go with them? I have Chasen with me. Go ahead and go out for the day.” Hunter shrugged. There was no reason he couldn’t join them, especially with him being so protective over his mate.
“Really? It isn’t a problem?” Sam asked with a bit more excitement.
“No, it’s not a problem. Go.” Hunter nodded his head toward the door and Sam jumped up with a grin.
“Thanks, Alpha!” Sam jabbed playfully. Hunter didn’t like it when his close friends called him Alpha. He felt it was less personal. So, of course, they had to tease him with it incessantly.
Hunter and Chasen were walking together through pack territory.
Hunter couldn’t help but wonder how life would have been right now if things had worked out between him and Kristy.
He probably would have been a lovesick puppy that doted on her constantly.
Instead, he felt hollow, like a piece of him was missing.
Blaze had been very quiet since that day, rarely speaking anymore, equally resentful and angry over the betrayal of his mate.
“Cheer up, buttercup. You still got me.” Chasen elbowed Hunter and grinned down at him. “Just don’t ask me to warm your bed or anything. Other than that, I’m here for you.”
Hunter rolled his eyes at Chasen, then noticed a shadow above them. He glanced up to see two hippogryphs descending.
“No shit, it's Dad and Uncle Grayson!” Chasen yelled happily, slapping Hunter on the back.
Hunter watched as his father hopped off and walked toward him. There seemed to be something off in his eyes.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Hunter asked. His father, Asher, walked up to him and pulled him into a big hug.
“I’m here, son. I’m here,” Asher said gently, patting Hunter’s back.