The following day, I woke up with a gasp, then nearly freaked the hell out when I had no clue where I was until Clay took my face in his hands.
"Little Bird, baby, it was just a nightmare," he consoled as he pulled me into his lap and wrapped me in his arms; the dam broke on my tears, and everything that's happened crashed down like a bolder. I wrapped my arms around his neck and bawled nasty, snotty sobs as my amazingly wonderful mate held me tight, as tears streamed down his handsome face.
"I'm here, baby, and I'm sorry that you were taken from me again. I'm so sorry, my love, I failed you again," Clay cried as he held me.
At the sound of his words, I pulled back to look at his face as I wiped away the tears, "It is NOT your fault, Clayton Branham!! I never want to hear you say that again!" I yelled, "I never blamed you once; you found me when I was lost both times; you never gave up, and I'm here with you again."
I wiped away his tears before I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.
This ignited the wolf inside Clay, and he returned the kiss with a growl as my mate let go, and we lost ourselves to each other in a tangle of pleasure as we let our animals go. We needed reassurance that we were with each other again.
It was a little while later before we emerged from Clay's room. My face was burning with embarrassment when I saw my brother and Waverly sitting out in the living room.
My brother raised his eyebrows as I took a seat next to Waverly.
"How are you doing, sister?" asked Asher.
"I feel weak, hungry, and tired, but I will live," I replied as I looked around the room.
"I'm glad we found you," says Waverly as she wrapped me in a hug.
"Thank you, Waverly," I said as I returned her hug.
When I pulled away from Waverly, I stood up from the couch, then turned to talk to Clay, "I need to go to my room to take a shower and get changed before we head off to breakfast.
"I can go with you," says Waverly, "I'm sure the guys want to take showers themselves."
Clay sighed, obviously not liking the idea of being separated, but he knew that as long as we were in the Academy, there were limits, so he just ran a hand through his hair with a sigh as he nodded, "Alright, but go and return to me quickly, please."
I gave him a nod as I leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek, then headed for the door with Waverly close behind.
After a much-needed shower and clean clothes, Waverly and I met up with Clay and Asher at the landing between the dorms before we headed towards the cafeteria for breakfast.
Waverly froze in her tracks when an older man I had never seen before came into view who was speaking to my father.
When Dad saw me, he smiled and motioned me to come to him.
With a sigh, I walked over with Clay, Asher, and Waverly in tow. The closer we got to them, the more Waverly seemed to deflate and retreat into herself. I have never seen her act that way since we met… who is this man?
"Good morning, daughter; how did you sleep?" Father asked as I stood next to him.
"I slept okay," I replied, feeling wary of the unknown man.
"Evelyn and Asher, I want you to meet Nanyuk Hensley," Father stated, " He is the Alpha of the Yukon wolves here in Alaska."
"Oh," I muttered as I looked at the older man who appeared to be in his late forties, with long salt and pepper hair bound in a rope-like braid, long feather earrings, dark tanned skin, and dark brown eyes, "It's nice to meet you, sir."
Clay put a protective arm around me as he stepped forward, looking the new Alpha up and down.
"You have already met Clay, my daughter's mate," Said Father, "and you have also already met my son Asher and his twin sister Shelby."
I noticed the Yukon Alpha nodd before he took a long look at Waverly, who was still looking at the floor as my brother wrapped his arm around her… I wonder what happened?
"Waverly, are you not even going to greet your father?" Nanyuk asked Waverly with a raised brow.
Waverly stiffened as she looked up nervously, "Good morning, father," she whispered as she nervously rubbed at her arm.
I did not like the way my friend was submitting to this man… but it wasn't my place to say anything, so I gritted my teeth and crossed my arms in frustration. Thankfully, my father saved us all from the tension.
"Why don't you kids go get some breakfast?"
I nodded, then stepped beside Waverly as we passed her father. I didn't even know the man, and I wanted to punch him for making my friend scared. I rubbed at her back as we wandered over to the table where Shawn, Gray, and Shelby were sitting.
"Are you okay?" I asked her as we took a seat.
"That man is not my father," she snapped, "He is my stepfather."
Ohhh…
"My mother met my birth father, who was just a human when she was young. When I was eight, she met Nanyuk, who happens to be her mate, " Waverly continued, "They have five boys together, and I practically get treated like I don't even exist, and my brothers are worshiped like little princes for being sons of our Alpha… Oh, and even though I'm the oldest, I have no chance of being the Alpha because I'm not blood-related to the Alpha, so my oldest brother Quinn is the future Alpha."
"I'm sorry that you have to go through that," I said to Waverly, "But you do realize that my brother, who is your mate, is the future Alpha of my pack, right? That makes you the future Luna…"
"Ummm, sister… did you forget that you are six months older than me?" States Asher, " That makes you the future Alpha… not me…"
Shelby scoffed as she took a bite of her bacon and maple donut; who knew that bacon could taste so good on a donut?
But I shook my head at my brother's comment, " Asher, I don't want to be Alpha; I would rather learn about herbs and work with Clay. Plus, no one will want me as the Alpha anyways…" I explained, "You are the rightful heir to our pack, brother… not me."
Shelby was quiet and made no comment as Asher looked at me, looking a little sad…
Thankfully, Waverly stepped in and said, "Well, for some reason, it slipped my mind that I will eventually move to your pack in North Carolina. I won't have to deal with my stepdad or my little brothers anymore."
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Clay when he returned with our breakfast. I rubbed my hands in glee at the sight of my very own maple and bacon donut.
I took a big bite as Asher answered Clay.
"Your mate told us that she doesn't want to be the future Alpha and would rather help you when you become a Shaman."
Clay raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Wow, really?" he said with a smile.
I nodded as my face heated; I felt a little embarrassed about it for some reason, but seeing the smile on Clay's face was worth it.
"Really," I replied, "I'm not really suited to be an Alpha; no one would want me leading the pack anyways…"
"Oh, Little Bird, don't say that…" Clay started, but I interrupted…
"It's the truth, Clay. But I'm honestly alright with it… I would rather help and heal the pack than lead it…"
"Okay, Little Bird, I will respect any choice you make," Clay said as he leaned in and pressed a kiss on my temple.
The rest of breakfast was quiet as we ate; when the bell rang, my father, Mr. Hensley, and the Motherbear of the grizzly tribe walked into the dining hall with the Headmaster in the lead. I wondered what this was going to be about…
"Everyone, can I have your attention, please!!" Shouted Headmaster Okhmhaka, who was still bruised and battered but not near as bad as he looked yesterday. I can't imagine what Father Lucas put him through… When the hall quieted, the Headmaster continued.
"I'm sure you have many of questions about what went down the last few weeks, and we are here to tell you about it. Apparently, Laquetta Tocho, who was the Assistant Headmistress of our school, was in cahoots with the enemy the whole time. I will not divulge her history, but no matter how much you hate one person, it is not okay to do what she did," he stated as he looked around the room, "But with that said, as of now, you will remain here at the academy, where you will be trained by some of the best fighters to help prepare for the worst to come. Now is the time to let go of the differences in species and greed; it's time we stand together and fight."
The hall grew loud as everyone cheered. The shock of everything weighed me down as I leaned against Clay's shoulder. I fear that they are preparing us for war…
Clay wrapped his arms around my waist before pressing a kiss to the top of my head, "We will get through this, Little Bird, and we will get through this together."
Just as the meeting was wrapping up, someone burst in through the door towards the front of the hall and ran towards the Headmaster.
I watched with curiosity as they chatted, but the look on Mr. Okhmhaka's face showed that something terrible had happened.
The Headmaster seemed to deflate as he turned to tell us the news.
"I have just been told that my father, Elder Okamkha, has been killed… He was killed by Laquetta and her daughter Kelly."
I gasped in shock at the news, but what was even more shocking was when Clay gasped in pain.
I winced as I felt his pain through our bond as he clenched his hands and gasped. I was surprised when the scent of freshly mowed grass and dirt filled the air. When Clay looked over at me, I gaped in wonder when I saw the elemental symbol in the center of my mate's head…
Oh, Great Spirits above, Clay had just been changed into an earth elemental. I gaped in awe when I realized that my incredible mate was now the newest member of our Elder Council…
THE END
"How did you like Guardian Academy? If you liked it, please stay tuned for book 3…. And for a possible side story for Asher and Waverly!!!"