: Madelyn

Did he say Guardians? Isn’t that what Alec and his friends were saying before? Something about twins finding their mates?

When the man, Cayden, crouches into a fighting stance, I don’t even have to duck to stay hidden behind him. Whether that was intentional on his part or he’s just that tall, I don’t know, but I stay behind him, my hands looping into the back of his pants. If Alec tries to tear me away, at least I have something to hold onto.

“We just want the girl, Alpha Cayden. She’s part of our pack and she’s distraught. We need to get her home and take care of her.”

Alpha? Oh no!

“Distraught…” he says as if he’s rolling the word around in his head but it’s not making sense. “Yeah, I might go with terrified, not distraught, based on her scent. So, I’m guessing that whatever you boys did, she didn’t like it. She’s run from you and now she’s asked for my help. If you know who I am, then you know I won’t say no to helping her or anyone that asks for my assistance,” he growls.

I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I’m thankful that it sounds like he’ll at least help me get away from Alec and his men.

“Alpha Cayden, you are severely outnumbered here. Give us the girl and there will be no problem,” Alec says.

“You think I can’t take five of you? You think I won’t kill you for going against me? The Holstins own this town. You have no say here. Run along before you get yourselves into more trouble than you’re already in,” he says.

Who the hell is this guy?

“Alpha, is there a problem?” I hear another man say, walking up on one side of me as a woman walks up on the other.

Alpha Cayden stands up. “I don’t know boys. Is there a problem?” he asks quietly, but his tone is menacing.

“No, no problem,” Alec says. “We’ll be on our way. We’ll see you soon, Maddy,” he says before I hear them walking away.

“Follow them, Jesse. Make sure they leave the city,” Alpha Cayden says.

“And if they don’t?” the woman asks.

“Show them what happens when they go against us, Penny,” he says.

The woman, Penny, looks at me. She starts to say something, but Alpha Cayden cuts her off. “I’ve got her.”

“We’ll check in with you later.”

“Thank you.”

The two werewolves take off behind Alec. I know they’re werewolves because they were both extremely attractive people and also because they are very muscular, even the woman.

I feel hands wrapping around my wrists and I try to pull away. He releases one wrist and turns. “Easy, Maddy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

I look up into his green eyes. They are startling against his tanned skin and blond hair. Geez the guy is gorgeous, but I shouldn’t be surprised since he’s not only a werewolf, but also an Alpha.

“Thank you for your help, Alpha. I’ll be on my way now,” I say, trying to pull away.

“Hey, hey. Maddy, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Madelyn,” I say, hating the nickname that Alec gave me.

“Madelyn,” he purrs, at least it sounds like a purr. I’ve never heard a werewolf purr before. “Where are you headed?”

“Oh, I um…” I say, jerking my thumb over my shoulder in the general area behind me.

He leans down, getting closer to me. Good grief, he smells like Sunday mornings when I was young and my mother would make pancakes with butter and maple syrup. It was my favorite breakfast and made Sundays my favorite day of the week. At least when my parents were alive.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

I don’t know why, but I feel locked in his gaze and I answer truthfully. “No.”

“Come on. I’m not letting you sleep in the street. The city isn’t safe, especially when you have a pack hunting you.”

“I don’t have any money,” I say quickly. I want him to understand that I can’t afford to get a hotel room.

“I have a place here,” he says and I’m not sure what sound I make or what he heard, but he pulls me to a stop, still having a hold on my wrist. “I’m not going to hurt you. You probably don’t know what a Guardian is, but I’m the son, brother, and friend of very powerful women called Guardians. The name is exactly what you were expect. Guardians protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

“Who got married?” I ask, sounding absolutely stupid.

“What?” he asks frowning.

“I heard Alec and his friends talking about twins finding their mates. That’s like marriage, right?”

“My sisters, Quinn and Malin. Yes, they found their mates, friends of mine, Alpha Emerson, and Alpha Cohen. Powerful Alphas who are in an alliance with my brother, Alpha Richard.”

Now it’s my turn to frown. “But they called you Alpha.”

“I was born into an Alpha family. My father is an Alpha and my mother is a Guardian. My oldest brother, Rich, took over the pack several years ago. Only the oldest son takes over the pack. My brother and I run our family’s business here in the city. Well, we will once we finish school,” he clarifies.

“Oh,” I say, feeling my stomach rumble. Alpha Cayden’s eyes flash to my stomach.

“Let’s stop and get some takeout on our way.”

“I said I don’t have any money,” I remind him.

“Hmmm,” he says, looking thoughtful. “Then I guess you’ll have to pick out what we’re eating, and I’ll pay for it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t even know what you like? And how is that fair?”

“Lucky for you, I like everything, and didn’t you hear me tell Alpha Alec that the Holstins own this town? It’s pretty much true. I think I can afford dinner for two.”

“Okay.” I’m not sure I’d be so amenable to his offer if I wasn't starving and exhausted, and so far, this guy is being nice to me. Of course, Alec was too, until he wasn’t.

“We’re not going to your pack, right?” I ask him.

“No, but if you’d feel safer there…”

“NO! No, I just wanted to make sure.”

We stop at a street vendor that sells pizza, wings, and hoagies.

“So, what are we having?” Alpha Cayden asks me.

“Uh…” I look at the prices and see that they are all higher than I’d expect to pay. Must be city prices. “Pizza?”

“What kind?”

I open my mouth to say cheese, but Alpha Cayden interrupts me.

“Nevermind, we’ll get several,” he says before ordering a cheese, a veggie, and a meat lover’s pizza. Then he adds wings and two sodas before turning to me.

“Did you want anything else?”

I shake my head, frowning at him. How many people is he feeding? I know that wolves eat a lot. I’ve been cooking for them for months, but even this is a lot of food.

“Ohh, dessert,” he says to me then turns and asks the vendor what they have for dessert tonight.”

He orders some cookie dessert that will be hot out of the oven and then he pays.

“It’ll be about ten minutes, Alpha,” the man says.

“Thanks, Tyson,” Alpha Cayden says.

We get our drinks and we move aside to wait for our food.

“So, tell me. How did a human get mixed up with nasty werewolves?”

: Cayden

My little mate is about as skittish as she can be. I’m not sure how she’ll feel about staying in my apartment, but it’s the safest place for her. As much as I want to know about her and what happened to her, I also feel the need to take care of her.

‘WE feel the need to take care of her,’ Baron says.

Baron has been thrashing in my head ever since that Alpha, his Beta, and the other warriors came charging after our mate. I don’t know why they want her or what they did to her, but I’ll be contacting Rich to find out everything he knows about Alpha Alec.

Her stomach hasn’t stopped rumbling and it makes me wonder how long it’s been since she’s eaten. As we wait for the food, I casually look over her body, noticing the bruises, the scrapes, the dried and cracked skin on her fingers and the cracked fingernails with dried blood that look like she’s chewed them down to the quick. All of that is making it harder for me to keep Baron under control and to remain calm. But she’s a human. I need to also remember that this may be new to her and that she won’t heal as quickly as a werewolf, at least not until she’s wearing my mark.

“Are you cold?” I ask her. Her arms are wrapped tightly around her body. As I watch, goosebumps raise on her arms. Is it cold out? I’m immune to the cold until we're well into the winter. This is a nice cool evening, but there is a breeze.

“I’m fine,” she says and I may not be a true Guardian, but I am my mother’s son, and I can taste the deceit on my tongue.

Next to the food vendor is a clothing vendor that is selling sweatshirts. It’s hard to tell her size, the drab clothing that she’s wearing is baggy on her. I’m not sure if that is her choice, but I don’t think so. I’m getting a very bad feeling about what has happened to my mate.

'The bruises weren't your first clue?' Baron snarls unhappily.

'I think it's more than abuse. She's human. Why were two ranked members and three warriors hunting one little human?' I ask him.

'They're afraid of what she knows or of what they've done,' he says.

'My thought exactly.'

When I reach over to take her hand, she jerks away from me. “I’m going over here to get you a sweatshirt. I didn’t want to leave you alone here. Why don’t you come pick out what you’d like.”

“I told you I don’t have any money.”

“Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t want any money from you. I’m not asking you for anything. But I don’t like someone who I’m looking out for to be hungry, cold, or hurt,” I say, making a point to look at the bruises that I can see on her arm. She quickly pulls the shirt down to cover them. “You asked for my assistance, and I take that very seriously.”

“You’ve already done more than enough.”

“Have I?” I ask her, holding her gaze.

She looks away. “Yes.”

“I think you have a bad impression of my kind. I want to change that. Not all of us are like Alpha Alec. Let me buy you a sweatshirt. Or something else if you’d prefer. But I can see that you’re cold.”

“You’re kind? You mean werewolves, right?”

I glance around to see if anyone is paying attention to us. “This is a human town. Not everyone knows about us.”

She looks around. “What if I started screaming for help. What if I told everyone what you are?” she asks.

“They’d probably think you were crazy. Werewolves don’t exist except in human horror stories. Do I look like a werewolf to you?”

“No, you look like a California surfer,” she says, making me smile.

“Not all surfers have blond hair.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to the beach.”

“I’ll take you someday,” I say before I can stop myself. My need to give my mate everything, make everything that has gone wrong with her right, is making me edgy.

She walks with me over to the clothing shop. “So, where is your family?” I ask.

She looks at me a moment, brushing her hand over the clothing but not really looking at it. “I don’t have any.”

“Where are your parents?” I ask, pulling a pastel sweatshirt off the rack and showing her. Her quick nose wrinkle tells me what I need to know, and I put it back.

“They died when I was young. I grew up in foster care,” she says, and Baron begin whining in my head.

“How old were you?” I ask gently, finding a black sweatshirt with our city’s name on it. She’ll look like a tourist, but I don’t care as long as she likes it. When she doesn’t crinkle her nose, I lay it over my arm and keep looking. She has the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re like ice, or aquamarine. They’re like Uncle Rik’s, only bluer.

“Five or six, I think. I don’t really remember.”

I find a long sleeve shirt and hold it up. She cocks her head to the side, as if assessing, but I know she’ll look fantastic in this one. It will match her eyes perfectly and with her raven-black hair, she’ll be drop dead gorgeous.

I hear them call my name that our food is up, just as Jesse mind links me.

‘Alpha, the group is gone. They tried to circle back, but we encouraged them to leave.’

‘Are you and Penny okay?’ I ask.

‘We’re fine. Who is she, Alpha?’

‘My mate.’

‘Oh shit. Want us to keep a lookout for them?’

‘Yes. Spread the word. I’ll be talking to my brother soon, too,’ I say, closing the mind link.

“Food’s ready. Let me get this and we’ll grab our food, and I’ll show you where I live.”

On the way to the register, I grab two more shirts and three pairs of sweatpants that look like they’re her size. I’ll have to get her some new shoes, but that can wait.

When I walk back over to her, huddled in a corner, I pull out the black sweatshirt and hand it to her. “Here, this will keep you warm while we walk. It isn’t far, but there’s a breeze out.”

She pulls it on quickly, sighing in relief.

‘Baron, we’re going to have to be more careful. She’s human and she isn’t as sturdy as werewolves or as immune to the cold and other elements.’

‘Yes. I don’t like our mate being cold. And I definitely don’t like those bruises on her,’ he snarls.

I’ve already decided that I need help with her. She’s not going to trust me, especially when she realizes that I’m taking her to my apartment and it’s only me and her. As it is, I’m struggling to keep my own anger and Baron’s in check.

We get the food and begin walking to the building that houses Holstin Enterprises, Inc, my family’s company. The closer we get, the more people I know. They all say hi, and give Madelyn curious glances which only makes her pull her sweatshirt tighter around her.

“No one will hurt you. I won’t allow it,” I tell her. She nods, but the scent of her fear is giving her away.

By the time we get into the elevator to go to my apartment, I’m feeling desperate to pull her into my arms and hold her. If she were a werewolf or any other type of shifter, it would be no question. But she’s human. A human that has been mistreated by werewolves.

I get her settled in the living room, quickly grabbing some plates and napkins and turning on the television. “Is there anything you want to watch?” I ask her.

“Whatever,” she says, looking around. “You live here?”

“Yep. My company owns most of this building and we’re continuing to buy more as our company increases. I’d be happy to tell you about it once you’ve eaten and maybe gotten a shower?” I say.

“A shower sounds good.”

Thank goodness. I want her to wash off the scent of that pack, but not before I get Rich over here.

“I’m going to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.” I notice that she hasn’t touched the food and she’s sitting on the edge of the couch like she’s going to run the moment she has a chance.

“Which kind of pizza do you prefer?” I ask her gently, careful nont to touch her as I open them.

“Whichever one you’re not going to eat,” she says.

“How about one of each and you can decide which on you like best,” I tell her, pulling a slice of each pizza onto a plate and putting it in front of her.

“Don’t wait for me. Your stomach is getting louder the longer you stare at that pizza,” I say, smiling as I try to hide my own stress that she’s so hungry and still not eating.

Because she looks ready to run, I walk back to the front door and hit speed dial.

“Cayden,” my best friend Emlyn purrs into the phone. I’m guessing my brother is standing in front of her and that he was about to start something that I’m going to interrupt.

“Emlyn, I need your help.”

“What do you need, Cayd,” she says, all business now.

“I need you to come to the city now, tonight.”

“Are you in trouble?” I hear my brother ask.

“No, well, I don’t know. It’s a long story and if mom and dad can take the kids, I’d like you both to come.”

It’s quiet a moment and I’m guessing one or both of them is mind linking my parents. Emlyn just had their second child, a girl this time, Briella.

“Give us an hour and a half, Cayd, and we’ll be there,” Emlyn says.

“Thank you both,” I say, hanging up and walking back into the living room. My mate is no longer on the couch. Only one slice of pizza has a bite out of it, the meat lover’s slice. Good, my mate likes meat.

“Madelyn?” I call out. I lift my nose in the air and follow her scent to the kitchen. I hear the whistling sound of something swinging through the air and I reach up to grab her hand before she can hit me in the head with a sauté pan.

“Who’s coming? Who is coming to get me?” she asks, sounding utterly terrified.