Alpha Bond

Ella’s POV

There is a different kind of confidence brewing inside me as I step outside with Oliver’s wolf walking beside me.

Walking a little far, we stop and decide to wait for the guardians to leave.

Burton and the guardians walk outside the building and head back towards the territory. Burton stops and looks in our direction with an indecipherable expression.

His gaze moves to Oliver’s wolf from me, and he looks intrigued. I am not getting good vibes from his sudden interest in his wolf, but I can’t let my doubt alert him.

Oliver’s wolf is highly alert and tensed as he keeps his eyes on the guardians. I don’t understand what is something about these guardians that always keeps me on edge.

Not every one of them gives me these weird vibes, but I am always wary of these high-ranking guardians.

Oliver’s wolf demeanor changes as he becomes slightly relaxed as soon as these guardians are out of sight.

He nudges me with his muzzle and demands to be petted.

Smiling at him, I raise my hand to pet him but stop when I find dried blood on my hands.

He looks at my hands and lowly growls, sounding displeased, then he again nudges me.

“I am sorry. I can’t pet you; my hands are dirty.” I look at him apologetically.

"Come with me." His rough voice echoes in my mind as he looks at me expectantly while taking a few steps on the opposite side of the building.

Looking back at the territory border, I turn to look at him, then nodding my head, I begin to follow him.

After walking for a few minutes, he stops then momentarily raises his head towards the sky. A second later, I can feel the shift in the air. The air feels lighter. The invisible burden, which I hadn’t even realized I was experiencing, suddenly disappears.

Even Oliver’s wolf looks relaxed, like he is tasting the freedom.

I can smell the fresh water from far away, so I am not surprised when he leads me to the pond tucked in the middle of the woods.

Sitting on the rock near the water, I begin to clean my hands with water. Oliver’s wolf plops down a little further from me on the grass, but his eyes are trained on me.

After a few moments, he closes his eyes, seeming to enjoy the sun. The way he is comfortable here, I can tell this is his place. Maybe Oliver lets out his wolf here and lets him enjoy his freedom and nature.

Our wolves need to be let out. Otherwise, if we constantly keep them caged inside us, they will start losing their mind. I have heard stories about wolves going crazy because their human hardly let them out, and once they took over control, they turned completely wild.

The sound of soft snores reaches my ear, and I find him completely passed out on the grass. Quietly, I walk to him and sit beside him.

I lift my hand to run through his fur when my eyes land on several marks on his back from where the fur has been missing.

My blood boils as I realize these bastards have not only tortured Oliver but even wounded his wolf. I can bet this is not the first time something like this has happened.

From the way Oliver has quietly accepted his punishment, it seems like this is a common occurrence. My throat tightens while my eyes burn with unshed tears, just thinking about how much he is being suffered by the hands of these guardians.

In front of everyone, they treat him with complete respect, and even granted him the title of a high-ranking guardian.

But what I can’t understand is why they are treating him in such an inhuman way?

"Ella." I hear Elena’s voice through the mindlink, ”Where are you? Are you okay?"

She must have sensed my distress because her voice was full of concern.

There is no way I can keep all these secrets from her. Moreover, she is the only one whom I trust.

I can’t even fully trust Oliver because even though my heart believes him, I still have to be cautious.

She can help me to decide what my next steps should be.

I don’t know exactly where we are, so I sent her the mental picture of this place and the path leading to this place. I know she will easily find me.

Just as I have predicted, Elena reaches near the lake, but she doesn’t move further. Her eyes roam around this place while her eyebrows are pinched together in confusion.

She raises her hand in the air as if she is trying to feel something. Then her eyes connect with me, and the confusion turns into concern.

“Elena, what happened?” Standing up, I walk towards her, “Why are you standing there?”

“This place is protected.” Her face is serious with concentration, while her eyes are alert.

“But I haven’t felt any spell.” I frown while trying to feel any kind of spell surrounding us.

“Because there isn’t any spell.” Closing her eyes, she tilts her head slightly to the side. I can feel her channeling her powers.

Her eyes have become black when she looks at me again; even her skin has turned a shade darker.

“There is an invisible veil of energies, present here, separating this side from that side.” She points at the ground in front of me. She can sense different energies, something which she has taught herself.

So, this is the reason why I felt that shift when Oliver’s wolf brought me here.

Her gaze travels behind me, and a knowing look appears on her face.

I noticed Oliver had shifted back, and now he is wearing a fresh pair of clothes. He must have kept his clothes here, confirming my earlier assumption that he visits here to let out his wolf.

“May I?” Her lips turn into a teasing smirk, looking at Oliver.

Nodding his head, he motions her to come forward.

“Wow!” She breathes in awe, and she shifts back to normal, “It feels so different.”

She voices out my earlier thoughts while looking around.

“So, now who is going to tell me that Lord Emerson is actually Oliver?” Crossing her arms, she arches an eyebrow giving us an expectant look.

A laugh escapes from my lips while Oliver looks too stunned even to answer. I am not surprised she has already figured the truth because she is Elena. Nothing can pass by her vigilant eyes.

I think she has her eyes everywhere because she never misses any details, even the trivial ones. Dad believes she will be a great warrior because of her exceptional observant skills.

“How did you know?” He asks, sounding surprised.

“Well, you didn’t give me those creepy looks which all those guardians were giving me.” She rolls her eyes with her signature bored look, “And I never got any weird vibes from you. If anything, you felt familiar.” She shrugs, and her eyes brighten when she looks at the water.

“Moreover, I don’t think there was anyone else among these bunch of losers other than the famous Ollie who would be amused to see Turd’s weenie on fire.” Without even looking in his direction, she heads straight towards the water.

Sitting on my previous abandoned rock, as she removes her shoes and slips her feet in the water.

Oliver’s quiet chuckle causes me to look at him. His eyes connect with mine, and he gives me a slight nod as if he is silently telling me to share our truth with her.

“Guess what? Who found her mate?” Biting my lip to stop myself from laughing, I lift my eyebrows.

“No fucking way!” Elena jumps to her feet and looks between us with wide eyes, “Lord Handsome is your mate?!”

“I guess he is.” Shrugging, I let out a loud laugh while Oliver’s cheeks slightly turned dark at the title which my sister bestowed on him.

“But there is a slight problem,” I add with a sigh.

“Guardians,” She states knowingly while I nod my head in response.

Oliver looks in deep thought, but I know even he is thinking what I am thinking.

Somewhere I have started the war with these guardians, and if we want to win then, we have to be ten steps ahead of them.

“None of them will be happy to find out about our bond, and I am sure they will try to break this bond. Even if it means ending one of us, or both.” I look at Oliver, and when he looks at me, it confirms that what I have said is true.