The children of the Guardians have grown up together. Emlyn Gunnar has known Richard Holstin her entire life. She gives her virginity to him when she is 16, on the night of his Alpha ceremony. For the next year and a half, they date in secret. Emlyn has fallen in love with Richie and dreads the day he finds his mate. But as her 18th birthday draws near, she is feeling more confident that he is her mate.

Due to an impromptu moment of unprotected sex a couple of weeks before her birthday, Emlyn finds herself pregnant with Richie's baby. On her birthday, when she realizes he is her mate, she is relieved. She knows Richie wants to have a baby, they just weren't planning on one so soon.

At her birthday party, the moment her wolf howls that Richie is her mate, saying it out loud for everyone to hear, Richie also cries mate. Only, he isn't looking at Emlyn. He is looking at a female from another pack.

When Richie refuses to reject her, letting her escape the pain of his romance with his “mate”, she will have to be the one to reject him, causing him to feel the pain of the shattered mate bond. Before he can decipher what is going on, Emlyn leaves. She goes to Araphyra, to the Fae King, to find out how she can break her Guardian bond with Richie. If he's not her mate, then she isn't going to be his Guardian.

Richie will have to race against time and Emlyn to figure out why they have a mate bond he can't feel. But will he be fast enough to keep her from breaking the Guardian bond, the last bond tying her to him, or will their bonds be shattered forever?

Prologue

It’s the day of my Alpha ceremony. My father, Liam Holstin, couldn’t wait to pass the Alpha title over to me. He’s been training me to take over our pack, the Shadow Falls pack, since I was a child. Unlike him, I’ve had my parents to help raise and guide me. I’m ready to take over the pack. And, unlike many Alphas that don’t want to give up the power and control that comes with being an Alpha, my father couldn’t wait to spend all his time with his mate, my mother, Angel.

My parents are disgustingly happy. I may be the oldest, but I have six brothers and sisters ranging in ages from 6 months younger than me to three years younger. Four of us are only two years apart if that gives you any idea of how much my father enjoys my mother. The thought of my parents together still makes my stomach churn. I've walked in on them in a compromising position way too many times.

My parents plan to take my three youngest sisters with them to the house that they built for their retirement, but my brothers and oldest sister will stay here in the packhouse with me. Since I haven’t found my mate yet, it’s no problem having them here. My sister, Leana, can help with Luna duties until she finds her mate, or mom can come and fill in as needed until I find my mate.

I’m the first child of our allied packs to reach adulthood and take over as Alpha for my pack. While the first child of Canyon Ridge pack, Lily, is my age, she is a female and has known that she was mated to fae royalty her entire life. There was never a plan for her to take over their pack. Cohen, Rik and Cara's first-born son and my brothers’ best friend, is still a couple years away from reaching adulthood. Emerson, the Alpha heir of Safe Haven pack, is still a year away from taking over for his father, Eli. So, that makes me, Richard Holstin, the first to ascend to Alpha.

The children of the three packs have all grown up together. Our mothers are all Guardians, werewolves blessed by the Moon Goddess with extra strength and senses compared to other wolves, including Alphas. Cara Nelson, the current Luna of Canyon Ridge pack, was the first Guardian born to two Guardians. However, this generation, my generation, has shown that when a Guardian mates with their fated mate, they produce more Guardians. Every Alpha female in all three packs has the Guardian gene. None of the males show the tell-tale signs of the Guardians, the golden eyes, but we are stronger than most Alphas our age. And, if we happen to be mated to one of our neighboring packs’ Guardians, we will take on their strengths as our fathers have done.

My father comes to find me. He and my mother have always told me how proud they are of me. Compared to the lives of my parents, my brothers, sisters and I have led charmed lives. We’ve always been safe, loved and well cared for. Our pack has thrived and our alliance with our neighboring packs is strong. I plan to continue this pattern when I take over as Alpha.

“Are you ready son?” My father asks me. He comes to stand behind me in the mirror. I am a perfect replica of my father except for my gray eyes. I have my mother’s eyes. But, I have my father’s curly, unruly dark blond hair, his tall, muscular build and his dominant personality. I am my father’s son in all ways.

“I’m ready.”

After standing in front of the pack, taking my oath as Alpha and having the entire pack swear their loyalty to me, it’s time to party.

: Emlyn

“Mom! You know I don’t like wearing dresses. Richie doesn’t care if I’m wearing a dress.” I say to my mother. This argument is one that we’ve had countless times. My sister, Riley, is the girlie girl. Give me a t-shirt, a pair of jeans and boots any day of the week.

“Emlyn Grace! This is Richard’s Alpha ceremony, and you will dress the part of not only an allied pack member supporting the transition of power, but the Alpha female and Guardian that you are.”

I grab the dress that my mother is holding out for me and stomp down the hallway back to my room. “If I was really an Alpha female and Guardian, I could wear whatever I wanted to wear.” I say under my breath as I get to my room. My brother is just coming out of his room, and he winks at me.

Emerson is a great older brother. He never tries to make me into something I’m not and accepts me for who I am. I wish he was a little bit more relaxed and laid back, but he takes his future role as our next Alpha very seriously. He’ll be great at it.

“It’s one night Emin.” He says, using the nickname he gave me when I was first born, and he couldn’t say my name. The nickname stuck. “I’m quite sure, as an Alpha female and Guardian, you can handle a dress for one night.”

I roll my eyes and go into my room to change. I don’t know why women can’t wear dress pants to big events. It should be a rule that if men can wear pants, women can too. Okay, maybe it’s just my mom that makes me wear dresses. Or maybe it’s because I never wear them unless I’m forced into them.

Thankfully when I turned sixteen a couple months ago, I convinced my mom that, since it was my birthday, I should be able to wear whatever I wanted. We compromised on dress pants and a blousy top. I’m tall, like the rest of my family, at 5’11”, so my mom doesn’t fight me on wearing flats. However, if you’re going to put me in a dress, I’m going to wear heels.

The only ones in the room that will be taller than me tonight are the Alphas. Of course, there are a ton of Alphas now. Besides my father and brother, there is the Alpha of Canyon Ridge, Alpha Rik and his two sons, Cohen and Clint. Clint and I are the same age and I was taller than him until this past summer when he sprouted up to a giant 6’5”. He and Cohen are two of my best friends. My other friend, Cayden, is an Alpha of Shadow Falls pack. He, along with his father Liam and his brothers Richie and Andrew are the other Alphas that will be in attendance.

It's Richie’s Alpha ceremony. I’m happy for him. He’s the first of us to become Alpha. Not that I’ll be an Alpha. Even if I wasn’t a female, I’m the second child. And, while I appreciate the responsibilities that I will have being a Guardian to my mate and their pack, I would never want the responsibility of being an Alpha. I’ve watched my father and I've seen the stress it has caused my brother. No thanks!

Richie will be a good Alpha. Like Emerson, he takes the job very seriously. All our parents worked hard to create the peace that our packs have today. And not just for the werewolf packs, but every supernatural group. They went through a vampire war, a hunter war and then created a supernatural council.

When I finish getting dressed, I grab my phone and text one of the sprites born in our pack.

A few minutes later, I hear a knock on my door.

“Come in, Aspen.”

When the wolves and sprites began mating, no one knew what kind of hybrid they would create. In almost every instance, and there are a LOT of wolf/sprite mates in our three packs, the females became sprites while the males became wolves. There are a couple of exceptions, and Aspen’s youngest sister is one of them. She got her wolf last year. Aspen, however, is a perfect sprite and she’s amazing when it comes to doing hair.

She walks into my room. “Ready Lady Emlyn? Ohhhh, look how pretty you are!” Every sprite I’ve ever met is a girlie girl. Riley is friends with lots of them, but I honestly don’t have much in common with them. I’d rather run through the mud and spar with my friends than play dress-up and do my hair. And no matter how many times I tell one of them it's just Emlyn, they still put 'Lady' in front of it. My brother is 'Sir Emerson.' It's a sprite thing, I guess.

“Thanks Aspen. And I appreciate you helping me with my hair. You know I have no idea what to do with it.”

She expertly pulls my hair into an updo of gentle waves and pinned curls. When I feel her putting something into my hair, I have to ask. “Are you putting flowers in my hair?”

Her hands go still. “It’s okay. It will probably look better than a clip with metal flowers.” I say to her.

“Oh, it definitely will! And, I’ll add a little sprite magic and it’ll bloom all night.”

When she’s done, I have to admit, my hair looks great. Just as we’re finishing up, Riley comes barging into my room.

“Oh Aspen, it’s beautiful! I wish I’d thought to ask you to do my hair as well.” She says pouting and that’s all it takes for Aspen to make a couple minor changes and Riley’s hair looks incredible. It looked good before, but there is something about the touch of a sprite. It’s, well, magical.

When we’re all ready, we head over to Shadow Falls pack. When we arrive, Alpha Liam and Luna Angel are there to greet us. As soon as I’ve said hi, Cayden thankfully pulls me away from my family.

“Cohen and Clint are already here.” He says, pulling me into a room. I should have been prepared, but I was so aggravated at having to wear a dress, that it hadn’t occurred to me. As soon as Cohen and Clint see me, the wolf whistles begin, drawing everyone’s attention to me.

“Damn Cayden, who’s this sweet little thing you found?” Clint says, eyeing me like I’m one of their flavors of the day.

“Yeah, she looks like our friend Emlyn, but our friend wouldn’t be caught dead in a dress.” Cohen says, walking around me and eyeing me appreciatively.

“Knock it off, before I remind you both that I’m stronger than all of you.” I say to them, narrowing my eyes.

“We’re just playing, Em. But seriously, you look hot!”

“Thank you.” I say and give them a grand curtsy.

I know my friends, and though there is a slight possibility that I may be mated to one of them, they are very protective of me and all the girls in our pack. Even though they have no problem surrounding themselves with willing she-wolves, if another male comes sniffing too close to any of us, they are right there. While I love them and appreciate their concern, it makes finding a boyfriend difficult. I can’t even blame the guys. It’s not like they are going up against one or two Alpha males. There are six of them and I’m pretty sure they made a pact to watch out for each other’s sisters, myself included.

: Rich

As I walk into the after party, I’m surrounded by people who want to get close to the new Alpha. This isn’t new. It’s been this way most of my life. My brothers are I are constantly surrounded by she-wolves that want our attention or want in our beds. And then, there are the guys that want to be close to or friendly with Alpha males.

When I walk further into the room, Finley, my wolf sits up. ‘What’s up, Fin?’

‘I don’t know.”

“Something dangerous?’ It’s not uncommon for packs to be attacked during Alpha ceremonies or the night of the celebration in an attempt to weaken the pack by taking out the new Alpha on the night of their oath.

‘No, not dangerous.”

‘Well, let me know when you figure it out.’ I tell him, refocusing on the party.

The party starts out as a full pack celebration with food, drinks, and dancing for pack members of all ages. As the night goes on, people begin to leave and only the young wolves are left. As the new Alpha, I wasn’t drinking, taking the time to speak to those that wanted to speak to me, setting up appointments for meetings and beginning my Alpha duties. My intended Beta, Jackson, was beside me all night. While he isn’t yet old enough to indoctrinate into his Beta role, he is my father’s Beta’s son, and we’ve grown up together, knowing he’d be my Beta.

Thankfully, my father also has a business, so my brothers aren’t jealous of not being my Beta. If things continue as intended, I’ll be sending Alexander off to college next year to get a business degree, so he can take over as CEO of Holstin Enterprises, Inc.

As the families and older pack members head to bed, I see my sister, Leana, and her best friend Lily standing by the bar. I walk over to say hi and get a drink. I kiss both of them on the tops of their heads. Lily is as much of a sister to me as Leana. Lily and I were born very close together in age and Leana is only 6 months younger than us. They’ve practically grown up as sisters, they are so close. Almost as close as my twin sisters.

“Ladies.” I say and order a bourbon.

“Alpha.” They say in unison and when I raise my eyebrow at them, they both smirk.

“What do you think Lea? Do you think, now that he’s Alpha, that Rich will let us use his name, or will we have to start calling him Alpha Richard?” Lily asks Leana as if I’m not standing right beside them.

“I don’t know Lils. Sometimes the whole Alpha thing goes to their head and they start acting like they are so above everyone else.” I shake my head and thank the bartender as he hands me my drink. He’s smiling, watching the girls make fun of me.

“I guess it’s a good thing we’re Guardians. If his head gets too big, any one of us can bring him back down to size.” Lily says.

“Good point. I mean, I love my brother, but he needs to keep his feet on the ground if he’s going to be running this pack the way it should be.”

“Okay, I’m out.” I say, seeing my brothers across the room. As I head that way, Finley sits up again.

‘Fin?’

‘Let’s go say hi.’

‘I was already headed that way.’

I'm intercepted by a she-wolf that is obviously drunk and is practically falling out of her dress.

“Hi Alpha. Did you need some company?” She's slurring her words.

“I’m good, thank you. Maybe you should find your room and lay down?”

“Is that an offer, Alpha?”

‘Get rid of her. I want to say hi to that woman with our brothers.’ Fin growls in my head.

Thankfully, Jackson shows up at that moment. And this is why he’s my future Beta. “Jackson, can you help this young woman find her room?”

“Of course, Alpha.”

As he pulls her away, I look back over to where my brothers are laughing with a woman. Her hair is up, leaving her long, graceful neck exposed. Her one-shoulder black dress is hugging her curves and I can feel my body responding. She’s tall, made taller by the black heels she’s wearing. I wonder how she’ll feel about keeping them on when I’m fucking her, because that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m not sure why Fin and I are drawn to this woman, but I know I want her in my bed, naked, sweaty and screaming her pleasure tonight. I feel Fin growling his agreement.

When I walk up, I almost swallow my tongue when she turns around and I see it’s Emlyn Gunnar. “Em…Emlyn. You look….” I’m honestly at a loss for words. I’ve watched Emlyn grow up. I don’t remember a time when I saw her in a dress, not even for her birthday party a few months ago. She’s a tomboy, always sweaty and dirty and doing whatever the guys are doing. I had no idea that she looked this good all done up.

‘Mate.’ Fin whispers in my head.

Well, fuck me! My mate is Emlyn Gunnar, who is about two years too young to recognize me as hers.

She’s smirking at me over her drink. Is she drunk? I hope to the goddess that she isn’t, or I’ll have to kill my brothers. While drinking doesn’t impact shifters the same as humans and we don’t have a drinking age, I don’t want my mate drunk.

“Cat got your tongue, Richie?”

She’s the only person that has refused to call my Rich. When I turned 10 years old, I felt I was too old to have such a juvenile name. But Emlyn refused to quit calling me Richie. So, I never gave up my nickname for her, one that she also hates.

“Well, if it isn’t one half of the Em and Em’s.” Her smirk turns to a scowl. I have a moment of prescience, seeing myself dominating this little Guardian in the bedroom, turning that scowl into an ‘O’ of pleasure. “I didn’t recognize you all dressed up.”

“Well, don’t get used to it. My mother insisted, so here I am. I told her you wouldn’t care.”

I take my time, looking over her dress. It’s elegant and has a slit up the front that goes to her mid-thigh, a thigh I want to kiss, lick and nip on my way to sweeter pleasures. My gaze lingers on her long enough that it makes her fidget. Now it’s my turn to smirk.

“Well, I can’t say I don’t appreciate the effort. You should dress up more often.” I take a sip of my bourbon, my eyes never leaving hers. She fidgets until she looks away. My smirk turns into a full-on smile. Oh, these next two years are going to be fun.

My brothers, and Cohen and Clint are scoping the room, looking for a girl they want to spend the evening with. I have no intention fo spending time with anyone but the girl in front of me. The guys are nudging each other, pointing out the girls they are interested in. “Ugh, if all you’re going to is look at girls, I’m going to see Lea and Lily.” Emlyn says, about to walk away.

“Why don’t you keep me company?” I say, hoping my brothers are too far into their drinks to catch on.

“Great idea, Rich. I mean Alpha.” Cohen says, and I can tell he's definitely feeling good.

“Yeah, thanks Alpha.” I ignore the use of my title. They’ll be back to calling me Rich tomorrow.

I put my arm out to Emlyn. She frowns at me but takes my arm. “Where are we going. Alpha.” She says, and the way she says it has my dick twitching. I can’t wait to make her mine. But, of course, I can’t officially make her mine until she turns 18. And based on the problems Aolis is having with Lily accepting her mate bond, I have no intention of telling Emlyn that she’s my mate. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t make her mine. Her father, Eli, would never approve of me taking his daughter as a girlfriend, not knowing that she’s my mate. So, we’ll have to keep this quiet. Now, all I have to do is convince my mate.

“How many of those have you had tonight?” I ask, nodding at her drink.

“This?” She asks, tilting her glass back and forth. “I’ve lost count.”

Fuck, she’s drunk. Well, I’ll just make sure she’s safe tonight then.

“I have a bar in my room. Do you want to come and have a nightcap with me?” I say, drawing her up the stairs to the Alpha floor.

She laughs, throwing her head back and exposing her throat to me. I know she doesn’t mean it as a submission, but she’s in the presence of an Alpha and the gesture is submissive. My fucking dick is so hard it’s getting hard to walk.

“Maybe you better taste this before you invite me up to your room, Alpha.”

Her taunting has me on the verge of insanity. We reach the Alpha floor, and I push her against the wall. “Do you want me to be your Alpha?” I say, taking the cup from her hand and taking a sip. Hers eyes have gone wide, and I nearly choke on the plain water in her cup.

“This is water?” I say, giving it back to her.

“Yeah. My parents were here, and I haven’t had a chance to get a drink since they left.”

“Your parents don’t want you to drink?”

“They didn’t want me to do anything foolish and embarrass you or your family on your big day.”

“Do you normally drink so much that you act foolishly?” I ask, not ever remembering her ever making a scene.

She snorts. “No, but I don’t usually wear dresses either.”

“Speaking of,” I say as I slide my free hand up the inside of her dress on the outside of her thigh, “I really like you in this dress.”

She frowns at me. “Are you drunk, Richie?”

I raise my drink, tilting it back and forth like she did hers. “My first one tonight.”

I pull my hand away and step back, giving her space. I don’t want to scare her. I take her hand and lead her to my room. She will be mine before the night is over.

: Emlyn

I have no idea what’s gotten into Richie. It’s not like he’s never given me attention. I’ve spent my life surrounded by Alphas and Guardians, but this is different. This feels…intimate. And I swear when he pushed me against the wall, it felt like he had a hard on. I’ve not actually ever felt one before, but I know what it is. I’ve seen them. When your best friends are guys, you see and know a lot that you wouldn’t necessarily know as a sheltered woman. So, he either had a large, steel pipe in his pants, or he was excited.

Was he excited by me? Was seeing me in a dress really that arousing? Or was he aroused by someone else and I’m here? No, that can’t be it. Richie would never do that. First, he knows my father would kill him, alliance or no. And then, he has to know that his brothers and Cohen and Clint would never forgive him either. So, this is something else.

He leads me into his room, closing the door behind us. “Did you want a drink?” He asks me, heading to the bar.

“I probably shouldn’t.” I say, feeling like I need to keep a cool head until I know what’s going on. I almost feel like this is some sort of prank and my friends are waiting to jump out and laugh at me.

“Good girl.” He says and the way he says it sounds like a purr and it makes my back arch, and my head lean back.

I snap myself back to reality. What in the goddess’s name is going on??

He pours another finger of bourbon for himself and comes back, taking my hand and leading me to the love seat in his room.

He sits beside me and narrows his eyes at me. “What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?”

“I’m wondering what this is?” I say, gesturing around the room nervously.

“Are you scared?” He asks and he seems very serious. If I say yes, he’ll stop whatever this is. I may not know what this is, but I know I’m not ready for it to stop.

“No. I’m not scared.”

His smile is brilliant. “Good girl. You have no reason to fear me. Not ever, Emlyn. But I’m going to be honest with you. I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone in my life like I want you right now.” He says.

I can’t help but laugh. Now I know this is a joke. “Come on, Richie. Stop. Is this a joke? Because I’m not buying it.”

I turn and look back at him and his face is deadly serious. “It’s no joke, Emlyn. I became Alpha tonight and as important as that event is to me, being here with you, right now, is just as important.”

“Why?” I whisper, shocked.

“There’s something about you tonight. Something that has caused a change in my feelings for you.” He runs a finger up my exposed thigh from my knee to the hem of my dress that is dangerously high since I’m sitting down.

“If you want me to stop, all you have to do is tell me. I will stop. But if you don’t, I’m going to keep going.”

“Okay.” This time, my whisper is breathy.

He never breaks eye contact with me as he puts his thumb into his glass of bourbon. He brings his thumb to my lips and rubs the amber liquid over them. He pulls my lip down and slides his thumb into my mouth. I lick the bourbon off his thumb and watch as his gray eyes go dark.

“Have you ever been with a man Emlyn?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Have you ever kissed a man?”

I look at his lips. They are plump with a perfect cupid’s bow, and they look soft. The thought of kissing him has me licking my lips. I immediately hear him growl.

“Emlyn.” The sound of my name, growling from his mouth has my back arching again. It was supposed to be a warning, but instead it feels like a caress.

He stands, taking my hand and pulling me up. He gently touches my cheek, wrapping his hand around the back of my head. “You’re about to be kissed, Emlyn.”

His lips touch mine and they are warm and soft. I lean into him, enjoying the feel of his lips moving over mine. When he nips my bottom lip, I gasp and his tongue slides into my mouth. He dominates my mouth, showing me how to tangle with his tongue. I’m a quick learner so I try to take back control. I feel his smile against my mouth as he shows me that he is in control. When he finally releases my mouth, letting me breathe, I realize that I am leaning against him, my hands fisted in his tux shirt. I start to pull away, and then realize that he has wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me to him.

He rubs his nose against mine. “Did you like that Emlyn?”

I look into his eyes. If I’m being honest, there has always been something about Richie that has drawn me to him. It can’t be that he’s an Alpha, I’m surrounded by them. Maybe it’s the constant banter between us, or that he’s intelligent and challenges my beliefs and knowledge about things. Whatever it is, I’m not at all unhappy to be here, right now, with the new Alpha of Shadow Falls pack.

“Yes, Richie. I liked it. I hope you kiss me again.” I don’t know where my daring comes from, but from the look on his face, he seems to like it.

“Good, because there is so much more than I want to do to you tonight.” I feel my body clench and heat travels south.

“Turn around.” It’s a demand. It’s not an Alpha command, and even if it was, I’m immune as a Guardian. I know, I’ve tested it with every Alpha I know. But, even if it was an Alpha command, I would want to comply.

I turn and I feel his fingers gently caressing my shoulder, moving to my neck and to the zipper of my dress. “Remember Emlyn. Any time you want me to stop, just say so.”

I nod, not saying anything. It’s only a moment before I feel the zipper of my dress unzipping. He slowly slides the zipper down, making sure his fingers caress my back as he goes. Once it’s all the way down, he slides his hand up my back, pulling the one shoulder strap off my shoulder and letting the dress fall to my feet.

I start to reach my hands up, not sure what I’m going to do, but not totally comfortable being this intimately dressed in front of Richie.

“Don’t. Put your hands at your sides.” It’s that demanding tone again and it makes me want to comply, so I do. His hands slowly travel from my shoulders down my back, to my waist and then down over butt cheeks which are exposed because of my thong.

“Beautiful.” He says and his voice is so reverent, it sends a thrill through my body.

He kisses my shoulder. “Turn around.” Demanding again.

I do, and since I’m a Guardian, I look him in the eye. His smile is pleased as his eyes leave mine to travel down my body, studying my strapless black bra down to my lacy thong.

“Who did you wear the thong for Emlyn?”

“Myself.” It’s the truth. I like the way I look in thongs.

“You like to look sexy?” He asks me. I hadn’t thought of it like that, but if that’s how he thinks I look, then I guess so.

“Yes.”

“Has anyone else ever seen how sexy you are Emlyn?” My eyes close briefly. The way he keeps saying my name is like a caress over my body.

“No.” It sounds more like a whimper than an answer.

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” He says and my eyes snap back to his. Is he serious?

He reaches out, his eyes on mine and his thumbs rub over my nipples through my bra. I feel my body tense and my nipples harden as I watch him smile at my body’s responsiveness.

“Do you like that?”

“Yes.”

“Take off your bra.”

I reach behind me and unhook my bra, letting it fall to the floor.

When l look back at his face, his eyes are so dark, they are nearly black.

He watches me and he runs his thumbs over my nipples again, this time they turn into hard peaks. I can’t help the whimper that leaves my mouth.

“Good girl.” He says and I’m not sure why, but it still feels good to hear him say it. Whatever I’m doing seems to be making him happy. And if he’s happy, maybe he’ll keep touching me like this. It feels so good.