Chapter 19
Guard Detail
JESSICA
EIGHT YEARS AGO:
Emerald Pack Clinic
The twins get into trouble at school, and Shakti grounds them.
Their punishment includes their visits to me.
Royal business requires Shakti to leave the territory, but she promises to remain in constant communication with Dr. York.
She also assures me that someone will stay with me so I am not alone. She will return as soon as she can.
Since last night, I haven’t seen anyone other than Dr. York and my nurse, Mimi. A sharp knock at the door makes me jump, and four large men enter my room.
“Anders sent us,” a deep baritone voice announces.
I adjust my glasses on the bridge of my nose.
The tallest one, with wide shoulders and black hair, spoke.
He looks like Elias with dark brown eyes, so dark they’re almost black, a square jaw, strong brow, and broad nose.
His muscular frame tapers to a skinny waist, and he stands with legs slightly apart.
“I’m Ean,” he introduces himself with a smile.
I scrunch my face as I study him. Then, it hits me. I slid between his legs the day I escaped from the clinic.
I look around at all of them again. These are the four guards I ran from, but… I thought there were five of them—two I outran and three by the gate. My eyes widen. Were they the four men by the car when Anders came to collect me?
Ean bursts with laughter. “You remember us now, do you?”
I give him a tight-lipped smile and nod.
“What’s wrong, Little One? Cat got your tongue?
” a blond-haired guard asks. His green eyes sparkle with mischief.
He isn’t as broad-shouldered as the twins, and his blond hair is a couple of shades darker.
He is leaner, with long muscular arms. I notice that his right forearm is slightly bigger than his left, making the veins more pronounced.
I quirk an eyebrow and point to my throat, still bandaged from my most recent surgery.
He raises both hands and shrugs. “Right. Sorry about that.” He stretches out his right arm to shake my hand. “I’m Charlie. You jumped me, by the way, from the roof.” They all chuckle.
Keeping my lips shut tight, I smile and blush, gingerly place my small hand in his much larger one. I hold up two fingers on my other hand. I actually jumped on him when I used him to grab onto a tree branch.
Another round of laughter circles the group. “Alright. Alright,” he mumbles and lifts my hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it.
Heat flames in my cheeks. I quickly draw my hand back, causing more snickers from the others. I turn to the guard on Ean’s other side.
“I’m Sodie. I was by the gate. You kicked me in the chest,” he explains, rubbing his shirt where I kicked him as he speaks.
I hang my head, silently apologizing. Ean claps him on the back.
Sodie is nearly as tall as Charlie and as broad as Ean, but he doesn’t have that heavy-on-the-top look. His hair is a dark reddish-brown, and his brown eyes are lighter than Ean’s.
Suddenly, another voice speaks up from the back of the room.
“I’m Liam,” he says, giving me a two-finger salute.
He is the shortest of the group, but not by much.
He has rich copper-colored hair, closely shaved on the sides and longer on top, which falls on his forehead just above his matching-colored brows and golden skin.
His dark lashes surround steel gray eyes, burning with intensity as he scrutinizes me in return.
Light freckles dance across his nose and cheeks, and he wears a diamond stud in his left earlobe.
He leans against the wall, one leg propped up behind him.
His muscular arms fold over his chest, and carved muscular biceps flex against the sleeves of his t-shirt.
I catch a glimpse of chiseled abs beneath the raised hem of his shirt.
I scan down the rest of his body and notice his sweatpants stretch over his muscular thighs.
He looks irritated, almost like he wishes he were anywhere but here. He is different-looking compared to the rest of the guards but still very handsome. He makes me blush a little as he continues to look me over.
Quickly, I look back at Ean, who adds, “The other one is Shadow. He’s not here. I’m sure you will meet him soon.” He bends at the waist so we’re eye level. “I hear you’ve been cooped up in this room. Want to take a walk?”
Leaving the room sounds amazing. I nod enthusiastically.
“I checked with the doc, and he thought it would be good for you.”
I glance around the room and then down at myself, grateful for my baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. I complained to myself about my behind hanging out for everyone to see in that clinic gown so Shakti brought some clothes for me.
Without a second thought, I shoot out of bed and grab my shoes, the hoodie I found that first night I woke up, and a baseball hat Jeremy gave me to cover my bald head. Scrambling to put everything on, I move toward the door.
“Slow down, Little One. Where’s the fire?” Ean jokes. I grin. I desperately need a change of scenery.
“Geez, you’re fast. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sodie asks, his expression filled with concern.
“Nah, she won’t go anywhere. We’re friends now,” Charlie claims, resting an arm around my shoulders. Shaking my head, I slip from under Charlie’s arm and shove Ean closer to the exit.
Ean laughs. “Alright, Little One. Don’t get pushy.”
I have never been more excited to take a walk in my life. I continue to urge Ean out faster, and chuckles follow me from the rest of the guards—well, except Liam.
I flick a quick glance at him over my shoulder.
He looks irritated as hell. I wonder if this is some kind of punishment, being here, or if I crushed his ego when I ran from them.
I shrug at the thought. Maybe he just sucks at being a guard, and it pisses him off that an untrained teenage girl like me got the best of him.
“I’m glad you brought a sweater. The weather has been a bit unpredictable lately.
It’s either gloomy as hell with small peeks of sunshine, or storming, especially at night.
Never seen the weather quite like this before,” Ean chats as he leads me out of the building.
Sounds fitting, like my mood. As we step outside, the weather offers clear skies and sun. Perfect for a walk.
“Well, I’ll be damned. It was gloomy just a few minutes ago, and I swear it was going to rain,” Sodie remarks, frowning and looking up at the sky.
“See? That’s what I’m talking about,” Ean moans.
We start our tour at a statue of three wolves in front of the clinic.
The clinic sits at the heart of the Emerald territory, combining both the Emerald Pack and the Guards.
At the beginning of their time here in the LS territory, the guards were known as the Black Obsidian wolf pack, which came from a long line of warriors from the original Northern A territory before it was divided.
When the small group of Black Obsidian wolves arrived in the LS territory, the White Wolf Alpha granted the Alpha a territory of his own next to the Emerald Pack territory.
In appreciation, the Black Obsidian Alpha swore their allegiance to the white wolf Alpha and offered their services as protector to the white wolves.
During the last great war, many of the guards died lending aid.
When the Emerald Pack Alpha was named King of the LS territory, the Black Obsidian Alpha swore their allegiance to the Emerald Pack Alpha, now known as the Alpha King of the LS territory.
Because so few Black Obsidian wolves survived, they merged with the Emerald Pack, and the Black Obsidian Alpha resigned himself to head guard.
The Alpha King and the head guard worked to rebuild the guards.
Over time, with still so few guards available between both packs, they decided to allow recruits to join from other packs.
Because both territories merged, the Black Obsidian Territory became the training grounds for the recruits and home to some of the guards.
The statue represents the original White Wolf Alpha, the Black Obsidian Alpha, and the first Emerald Pack’s Alpha King.
Ean grins. “My family carries the original Black Obsidian bloodline. For generations, we have either been in the guard or had a hand in leading it.”
“Thank you, kind sir, for the brief history lesson. For a moment there, I thought I was back in orientation,” Liam mocks. There’s a subtle accent in his speech. I wonder which area of the LS he comes from?
“Watch it. You’re still a recruit, and I am your commanding officer,” Ean sneers.
With a smirk, Liam shakes his head and continues to walk alongside Sodie, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Charlie bumps my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Little One. You’ll get used to the overabundance of testosterone around here.” He winks and smiles before turning his attention back to Ean.
I blush, not used to this kind of attention. Seriously, has he seen me?
“Don’t you have an off switch?” Liam grumbles. Charlie just laughs and throws his arm around my shoulders.
It leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable, so I grab his arm and place it back at his side, patting his muscular arm so he leaves it there. Another bout of laughter erupts from the group, including Liam. I silently chuckle along with them.
“Guess you found someone immune to your charm,” Ean snarks. I simply shrug.
The training grounds are impressive. Money is not spared when it comes to training weapons and weightlifting equipment.
The dorms are designed like a luxury hotel and include everything from a miniature movie theater with couches to a rec center with a pool table, dartboard, ping pong table, and an area to play poker.
Their cafeteria comprises an all-out buffet fitted with round dining tables covered in white linen, silverware, and crystal glasses.
They even have a spa and an indoor heated swimming pool.
The only thing missing is the guards’ academic area.
I thought I would find myself in an extensive library filled to the gills with books, many classrooms with teachers, a lab room with dead animal specimens, beakers, and chemicals used for science experiments, or a music room.
None of that is present. There is only one classroom and one teacher, and after everything else, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.
At the end of the tour, I stand in front of an obstacle course.
It’s vast, sporting quintuple steps, a rope swing, barrel role, what Ean calls a jumping spider wall, jump hang, spinning logs, curtain slider, and swing circle.
I can’t retain the endless names Ean gives them all.
He says that no one makes it through the obstacle course on the first try, and even then, only one person completed it within sixteen minutes.
I stare, imagining myself progressing through the obstacle course. I bet I could, or would at least like to, give it a try.
Nudging my shoulder, Charlie smiles down at me. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Little One?”
I shrug.
Sodie stands next to me. “I bet this Little One would give any of the recruits a run for their money.” I beam.
Liam interjects, “Nah. It’s a little more than jumping onto trees and roofs and climbing up a gate.”
I cock my head toward Liam and mirror his look of annoyance. I hope my nonverbal statement shuts him up. Instead, he breaks into a grin.
Ean claps me on the back, thrusting me forward. “I would put my money on this Little One. She’s definitely got grit.”
I flinch. That word—grit—makes me want to grind my teeth and pull out my hair, if I had any. Surprised at my knee-jerk reaction, I shake it off and elbow Ean in the stomach. I gesture toward the obstacle course, asking if I can try it.
Ean shakes his head. “Hell no, Little One. I was given specific instructions to keep you occupied and safe, which means there is no way in hell that I’m going to let you run this obstacle course.” I pout. “Come on. I told Anders I would bring you by his office.”
I fold my arms over my chest. Ean narrows his eyes and leans forward. Without saying a word, he grabs me by the waist and hefts me over his shoulder, knocking my hat and glasses off.
I pound his back with my fists and kick my legs. The roar of laughter follows us to our next destination.