His Alpha's Guardian

It was now an hour later and I had one of the Omegas showing the two Elders to a room. I was sitting in my office, finishing up the last-minute financial documents that Oliver never got to finish. I had left notes for my dad and Elijah, detailing the extra stuff that I had added to the pack and what days I had everything done on.

I stood up and walked over to Justin's makeshift desk. I sat in his chair and pulled the jacket that was hanging on the back of it on top of me, using it as a blanket, as I inhaled his scent.

Goddess, I miss you, Justin. I miss you so much.

I looked at his desk and I saw an older picture of us. I picked it up as the tears dripped down my face. I held the picture to my face and placed a small kiss on it. I turned the frame over and took the picture out of the frame. This picture was going to come with me. I folded the picture and placed it in my pocket. I curled up in his desk chair and draped his jacket on top of me before I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I woke up several hours later to the annoying dinging coming from my phone telling me it was time to wake up. I shut off the alarm and stood up, stretching my muscles as I heard my bones pop and crack.

I looked around the room, realizing that I must have fallen asleep in my office, which I had not intended to do. I grabbed the jacket and walked around to the door and opened it, right as Oliver was about to walk in.

“What are you doing here? It is the middle of the night?” I questioned him.

“I was looking for you. I have been looking for you all night. You never came back to your room and I was worried about you. Your father told me that you were leaving and did not know when you were going to be coming back. Were you not going to tell me that you were leaving?” he asked me, hurt registering on his face.

“Ollie, don't be like that...this entire situation has been hard on me. I was going to say goodbye to you. I just feel like you would have talked me out of my decision and right now, this is what I need. I need a small break from the pack, so I can learn my role in life without my mate. Ollie, I will return. I just need time away. I promise I won't be gone for too long.”

Oliver stood there for a few moments, not once taking his eyes off me, before he took a step forward and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him and held on tightly.

“Just promise that you will not do anything too stupid or reckless.”

“I promise I will leave the recklessness and destructive behavior to a minimum,” I whispered.

“Thank you.” He bent down and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

I stepped out of his arms and I left him standing there as I made my way to my room and grabbed my suitcase. I ended up having to have my mom help me pack the suitcase. I still refused to step into the house with everything reminded of Justin, so I gave her a list of what I wanted and she went and grabbed it for me to pack up.

I quickly grabbed my bags and rushed to the front stairs of the pack house to wait for Tate and Carlos.

I heard rustling coming from the trees and I peered in that direction and I did not see anything. I took a few steps off the porch and walked a little closer to the woods.

"Whoever is there, show yourself!” I screamed to the woods.

I took another few steps closer and I was suddenly hit with the overwhelming smell of sandalwood and orange blossom. I shook my head, willing myself not to even think about it. It isn't possible. He is dead, Kataleya. Dead. You are imagining things. But is he though? We never found his body, even though I felt our bond snap. I heard his final words. We thought maybe one of the rogues had taken off with his body, but now I can't be too sure what happened.

I wish I could talk to Skye, but I haven't been able to. Each day I try to push her forward, but it is as if I am all alone here. I haven't talked to her since that night when she told me that she was going to recede to protect our unborn pup...

'Aziel? Gael?" I called through the link.

'Yes, Alpha?’ they both responded simultaneously.

“Can both of you check out the forest area to the west of the pack house? I keep hearing something over there. I just want to make sure that no one has been able to breach our territory...I am about to leave, or I would do it myself."

The link was quiet for a moment before Aziel was the first to respond, “Sure thing, Alpha. Are you planning on eventually coming back to your pack?’

“Of course, Az. I just need some time to do some soul-searching...I am hoping the distance away from the pack and everything that reminds me of him will help me to move on. I need something that will keep me busy. I think this will be one of the best things that I can do for myself during this time," I quickly responded. I knew that there were going to be pack members that would think that I was abandoning them, but I was not. Not really. I just need time to process my lost. You can call it running or whatever the hell you want. Truthfully, it does feel like I am running. If I was stronger, I would stay and face this head on. Face my demons that lurk here, instead of running for them and leaving them for another day.

“Of course, Alpha. We will miss you. Take care of yourself. And Alpha? If you want someone to talk to, I am still here. You lost your mate that day, but I, also, lost my best friend. I know that it isn't the same thing, but I am hurting too."

“Thank you, Aziel. Take care. Both of you. If you need anything, I am still a phone call away."

I abruptly cut the link before I accidentally let it slip that I was crying. I stepped back on the porch, trying to will the tears to stop and my eyes to dry. I was still a few minutes early, so I patiently waited for Tate and Carlos to show up.

I didn't have to wait long before both of them were standing in front of me, ready to leave

“Are you ready?” Carlos asked me.

I nodded my head and they led me to their car that was waiting.

It took us three hours to reach the Guardian's Court compound. During the drive, Carlos tried to make small talk with me, but I would usually answer with one or two words, too busy lost in my own thoughts.

When we pulled into the main entrance of the Guardian's Court, I was blown away by how magnificent their headquarters looked. The building consisted of four stories. The building was long and rectangular. There was a gorgeous garden that was outside. I could see the people that were walking on the grounds. Some of them looked as if they were going to attend classes, while others appeared to be heading to a training session.

To the far left of the building was their training grounds and it looked to be sorted into three different areas. There was an area for sparring in human form, one for sparring in shifted form, and the last one was for weapons training. I watched the people on the training grounds that were training.

“You like what you see?” Carlos asked.

I nodded my head. “I have never seen anything like this before. I have never seen so many different species in one area before. It is kind of nerve-wracking.”

"You get used to it,” he nodded. “For the most part, the people that we have here, no matter what their species, are getting along. You will find that the Elders are not just made of wolves. We have two representatives from every supernatural race on the Elder's council. In the coming weeks, you will meet each one of them. In order for you to graduate and be ready for field duty, you have to have at least one from every race sign off on you. They have to support you or we will cut you from the program.”

"How often is someone cut?”

“It just depends,” Tate's gravelly voice said, “some years, we only have a few that end up cut and then in others there are a great deal that we cut. We want to make sure that you can handle whatever charge we throw at you. You could end up with any type of charge. It may not be a wolf, as you are familiar with, it could be a demon, fae, immortal...anything. You have to be prepared for the best...and the worst.”

Tate parked the car and I stepped out, now more determined than ever to prove that I had a place here.

**Justin’s POV**

I can honestly say that the hardest thing that I have had to do was sit back and not do anything. I am so used to it when I feel her getting upset or anxious, immediately going to her and comforting her. Now? I am not able to. The Moon Goddess told me I could not intervene no matter what until the time was right. How the hell was I supposed to know the time was right?

She warned me that Kataleya's road to healing from my death was going to be rough and that there were many parts that I was going to wish that I did not see. She told me that I was going to want to jump in and reassure her, but under no circumstances was I able to...not until she was ready.

I learned that I could still feel our bond like nothing had ever happened, but Kataleya, on the other hand, could not. The bond for her was simply not there and it was as if I had truly died.

I had to force myself not to act when I felt her intentions to kill herself. I was going to react, but the Moon Goddess's voice filtered through my head, “Not now, son. Now is not the time. Remember her journey is going to be long and difficult.”

So, I forced myself to stay there and wait. I moved to the window of the room she was in and watched her. The Moon Goddess had given me a few extra abilities that made it easier to keep watch on her. Some abilities include being able to float and making it seem that I am not here. She told me it would be easier for me to listen in to conversations if I so choose to and it would help me sneak into the pack, undetected. I could, also, mask my scent, to prevent patrols from being alerted to someone crossing their borders. Not that I think any of my men would have attacked me. They would have thought that they had seen a ghost and probably freaked out. I don’t blame them; I would have too. Hell, I probably would have attacked first and asked questions later.

So, I watched and prayed that someone would come to her aid before it was too late. I felt the bond becoming duller the longer she bled out until finally the door opened and Oliver walked in freaking out. He kicked the bathroom door and rushed to save her.

I watched as he screamed for help through the link and Dr. Leigh came. They rushed her to the pack hospital. I watched as they ran tests and realized that she had taken more than the lethal limit of monkshood to prevent her healing.

Several hours had passed before she finally came to and talked with Oliver and then the King came and kicked everyone out of the room. I listened to what she told them about the miscarriage and losing me all at once.

I felt the tears trickling down my cheeks. The pain that she was in and there was not a god damn thing that I could do to help her. I could feel her pain. She feels that she has failed me because she had a miscarriage. But, never in a million years would I have ever contemplated blaming her for having the miscarriage. It was not her fault. The stress that she was under, the pain she was in, and even the injuries that she had sustained...it would have been a miracle for our unborn child to have survived that. Her pain was ricocheting through me and I wanted nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and tell her that I was there and that everything was going to be okay.

It was now the next day and she was meeting with the high elder for the Guardian Court. I watched as she explained the reasons for wanting to do this to them and they agreed to give her the chance that she needed.

It was now the day that she was leaving and I wanted to give her something. Something that would give her hope without her knowing that it was truly me that was there. I allowed my scent to seep through the closer to the forest line that she got. I could tell she was conflicted and was questioning everything that she had thought that she knew, but I needed to at least believe I was watching over her and that I would always be here for her.

I just wish I could tell her that I love her one last time.

Now, I follow her to the Guardian's Court. I just had to keep reminding myself that this was a part of her destiny.