The Silver Guardian B. 01

A huge thank you to my amazing editor Tex Beethoven who again worked his magic and polished this to a great shine!

Book 1

Chapter 3

Dante was toweling off after his shower and couldn't remember the last time he'd been this distracted. The scent of honey and cinnamon filled his nose and he could almost taste it! It had been a mistake to use Lily's towel to dry off, her very scent was intoxicating to him, which confused him even more.

Why would it do that?

He'd never been attracted to anyone before, and it wasn't that his attraction to other girls or women paled in comparison, but he'd never before met anyone that excited him at all. He'd never felt like pushing the issue, probably more of that destiny that seemed to be guiding his life, so at 25 he was still a virgin. He had caught hell for such a so-called 'pitiful condition' on the Teams, but he'd never given into his buddies' pressure just to 'find someone and get it over with', as they called it.

But now his head was filled with Lily's scent, and he could feel the blood rushing to his member and thickening quickly.

Get yourself under control Dante, for god's sake! You just met her and there is no way she's looking for anything with you!

he inwardly ordered himself. He dressed in a pair of dark green cargo pants and a black muscle shirt, which is what he normally wore.

It was still hot in Montana, being the tail end of summer, and he didn't want to embarrass himself by sweating up a storm near Lily. He exited the bathroom and quietly made his way out the bedroom door, heading towards the smell of cooking food. He turned the corner and saw Lily standing at the stove, flipping over whatever was in the pan.

He walked up behind her quietly and said, "Thank you Lily, the shower helped clear the cobwebs out, and gave me a moment to think."

Lily jumped and spun around, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry! You startled me, I didn't know you were behind me and I jumped!" Lily had to make an effort to slow her breathing.

How the hell did I not sense him behind me? No one has snuck up on me in years: that isn't even possible!

she thought.

Dante apologized in return and Lily relaxed as she turned back to the stove.

"Go ahead and sit down at the table, the omelets will be done soon and we can eat," she offered while Dante took a seat. "I hope you like them: they're sausage, mushroom and poblano pepper omelets, my favorite! You're not allergic to anything are you?" she continued over her shoulder.

"No, I'm not allergic to anything and that sounds amazing Lily, thank you. I guess I keep saying thank you a lot, but I really appreciate the kindness you're showing me, especially when you don't need to," Dante smiled shyly as he responded to Lily.

The wild presence that had already been so loud in his head ever since he'd awakened had kept growing louder and louder, and now Dante was having a hard time ignoring it. It had never been this close to the surface before and never this loud in his mind. He had no idea what was going on, why he was losing his calm and his center, and now began worrying about what would happen when the pressure became too much. It had never remotely approached this intensity before, and he had no idea what to expect next, or how to calm it down. It was getting stronger and stronger the longer he was here, especially around Lily, which just added to his confusion.

Lily turned around, heading towards the table with two plates, each with a huge omelet on it. She set down one plate in front of the empty chair on Dante's left, then leaned around behind him to set down the other one. Her houseguest was so tall that she had to lean in and over him, so her nose ended up almost touching his neck. She took a deep breath without thinking, and his scent assaulted her for the first time full force! Pine and leather with a spicy musk overwhelmed her senses, causing her to freeze and drop the plate still inches above the table, where it landed with a bang.

One word was playing through her mind over and over, keeping Lily rooted to the spot unmoving,

MINE!

Her mind was screaming

MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!

over and over again as her world turned upside down in an instant! Lily's mind kick started and began racing. How was this even possible?? Lycans only mated with other lycans, and Dante was a human! He couldn't be her mate, it just wasn't possible! But her mind kept screaming

MINE!

endlessly.

When she had first scented him shortly after she'd awakened from the wreck, she had confirmed he was human. Sure, his scent was a little odd, but she'd attributed that to her recent unconsciousness as well as all the smoke and fumes from the fire, not to mention the blood, his and hers. She hadn't scented him deeply, but even when she had gotten another hint of his scent while dressing his wounds he still smelled human, although once again just a little bit off.

As her mind began to calm just a little, it was racing, analyzing what she knew of Dante. He was bigger than almost any man she had ever known, and she could tell his strength was impressive from his build and muscle definition alone, bigger even than any of the other men in her Pack! He was fluid and graceful in his movements and had even managed to sneak up on her from behind; something nobody, not even her Father, had been able to do since she'd been a young girl. She realized with sudden clarity what had been staring her in the face ever since he'd awakened... Dante was a lycan too!

She had dismissed it as impossible and even now knowing the truth, it still seemed impossible. How could he not know?! Lily knew Dante was 25 and had been in the Navy, and he clearly should have known she was also a lycan the moment he'd first scented her in the bedroom. All lycans can instantly recognize another by scent alone. But this still didn't explain anything! Every lycan in history has had their first change and has met their other self, their wolf by 12 years old. Their body quickly changes, their scent changes and they come into their gifts. Dante was more than double this age and apparently didn't know anything, so his gifts must never have surfaced. What the hell was going on???

Finally clarity slammed into her like a tidal wave. No matter how impossible, she was forced to accept the truth.

Dante was a lycan, he had never come into his gifts so didn't know about his other half, and more important than anything, he was her MATE! As Lily's focus came back to the present she realized belatedly that Dante had been talking to her.

"W-What?" Said Lily after shaking her head and stepping back a bit. Dante had turned in his chair with a very concerned look on his face.

"I said, are you alright Lily? You froze and had this confused look on your face and were radiating fear. I can tell you've calmed down some, but I'm really confused here. What happened to you and what's going on? Something's been happening to me as well! Do you have any idea what it is?" He started rising from his chair. Lily took a deep breath and let it out, blinking a few times, trying to think of what to say.

"I'm sorry for that, Dante. I was a bit freaked out there for a moment and yes something happened to each of us, but it's ok and I've calmed down a bit." As she took her seat and motioned for Dante to do the same, he slowly sat back down. His brow was furrowed but he kept his silence.

"I do need to talk to you about what happened, though I honestly don't know where to begin," said Lily, now much more calmly than she'd managed before. She paused and gathered her thoughts and looked into his silver eyes. Those eyes had such power, but she could also see the concern and gentleness they couldn't help holding for her.

"I need to ask you some questions to be able to explain what happened, is that ok with you? I know you barely know me, but I need you to trust me and just listen and answer my questions as truthfully as possible, no matter what I ask or how strange they may seem to you. Can you do that for me Dante, please?" Lily asked, full of care and feeling.

Lily saw a flash of pain and fear shimmer across his face and his eyes widened slightly and he even looked away briefly. Once he'd gathered himself, he looked back up, although with hesitation, and answered.

"I'll try Lily, but I've been alone my entire life and have only known pain, with only brief glimpses of kindness here and there from very few people. I grew up an orphan in Boston, I've never been close to anyone, and have shielded myself from people and the rest of the world for my entire life. I don't know how to trust: I've never done it before, but for you I'll try. I sense you're different from anyone I've ever met before, so I'll try for you. Ask whatever you want, and I'll answer as best I can, but please have some mercy when it gets too much."

This large, dangerous man was laid low by the beautiful woman sitting next to him and he didn't know why. He'd never opened up to anyone, and here he was, promising Lily to open up his deepest wounds for her, never having talked much about even his shallowest cuts and scrapes with anyone else before. His sixth sense was telling him to do the inconceivable, to trust her completely. He truly wanted to, he wanted to believe in

someone

just this once.

Lily's heart was breaking as she listened to her mate trying to express himself from a base of such tragic ignorance, feeling in her own chest the pain he was radiating. He had never known, not even met, anyone before with the slightest ability to understand him. Without his saying a word, her natural empathy for her mate was subjecting her to all the pain and agony he'd experienced, laid out like a story across his body.

"I swear I will never hurt you Dante, you have to believe that... you... you just

have

to." Lily's voice broke and her eyes started to fill with tears. She blinked them away and took another deep breath before looking up at him and softly asking,

"Have you ever felt another presence in your mind? Have you been able to do things that shouldn't be possible? Have you noticed your senses of smell, vision and hearing being sharper and better than other people's? You already know you heal faster than anyone should, and I've seen you move and walk; except for the limp from your injured knee, you move with a fluid grace that is rare and unique."

Dante's eyes had gone wider and wider as tension filled his body. He was silent for several minutes, looking down at his hands in his lap. Lily was patient and allowed him time to process his thoughts and feelings, staring with deep compassion at the man who had already come to mean so much to her.

Dante looked up and started speaking slowly and quietly, almost to himself, "Growing up in the orphanage, from an early age I was always aware of myself and what was going on around me. The older kids were never very nice and always seemed to have it out for me. I had to learn quickly how to take care of myself and how to watch my back. I barely spoke to anyone, and was always studying and practicing something. I developed what I thought of as a sixth sense. I could read the intentions of people around me, tell what they were feeling and where they were located.

"When I entered the Navy that sense was honed even more. It saved my life several times on my tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then I earned my spot on the Teams. That environment and training is what sharpened them to a razor's edge and brought clarity to what I was feeling in my mind. It was what I have thought of as some wild presence in my mind that has kept me hyper vigilant and alive.

"There were times throughout my life, becoming much more frequent when I entered combat, when I was either in situations needing to save my own life or other people's, that this raw primal energy filled my body. It felt like a rush of heat and strength that infused every part of my being and ended up being the difference in life or death situations.

"It happened six months ago on my last mission in Mosul in Iraq. I had gotten my wounded team into the bird and was turning to jump in myself, when an RPG went off next to me. At the last moment I was able to sprint a few steps and begin to dive away when it hit. It threw me twenty feet and shredded my back and destroyed my knee. That's where I got most of the scarring on my back and my limp. After that I was discharged from the Teams and soon released from the Navy.

"I hadn't experienced or felt anything like it again until I was trying to open the door on your truck while you were unconscious and upside down. I didn't know who you were, but I was desperate to get you out of there and the door wouldn't budge. I felt that rush of heat and strength like fire in my blood, and was able to rip the door clean off the truck itself! I hadn't really had time to think about it before now but looking back that should have been impossible, but somehow I managed it." Dante stopped, realizing he'd been talking for several minutes. And pouring his heart out for the first time in his life, to this near-stranger he knew he could trust!

Lily was calmly sitting at the table next to him, her eyes as expressive as ever. He saw the caring and understanding and acceptance he'd always wanted to see before, but never had until now.

Lily reached her hand across the table and took his huge hand in her small one, squeezing it comfortingly.

"There is nothing wrong with you Dante, and there

is

a reason for everything you just told me. I know what I'm about to tell you will sound unbelievable and impossible, but it's the Godess' own truth. Trust me please, and believe in me." Lily had spoken firmly, but with such feeling that Dante simply nodded trustingly and waited for her to continue.

"You're a lycan Dante, just like I am. You're a werewolf." Dante went perfectly still as his breathing sped up and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

"That's just not possible..." he whispered. "I would know, wouldn't I? I've never changed into even a wolf, let alone a werewolf... it just isn't possible! Werewolves don't exist, they're just stories."

The presence and pressure in his head had been increasing the entire time Lily had been talking to him, banging and beating against his mind. As his vision began to dim, the dam, the one that had been holding back his wild presence his whole life, the dam finally burst.

For the first time ever, he saw in his mind's eye a giant black wolf emerge snarling and crashing through his subconscious. The great black wolf slowly approached Dante and he could see that at the shoulder it was almost four feet high and had silver tips on his ears and the tip of his tail. As the muzzle of the great black wolf almost reached Dante's outstretched hand, he finally faded and the lights went out. He slumped out of the chair and tumbled to the floor.

"Dante!!" Lily screamed as she sprang from her chair faster than any human could, to catch his head before it slammed into the hardwood floor.

Cradling him in her lap she lost herself weeping for her mate, weeping for all he had experienced and the pain and shock he just had succumbed to.

As she leaned down to bury her face in his neck, she pledged haltingly through her sobs and tears, "I will never let you be alone again my mate, I will always be here with you, easing your pain and showing you my love. You are mine and I am yours."

***

Several minutes later Dante came awake and opened his eyes. His head was lying in Lily's lap. She was looking down at him with a mixture of concern and another emotion he didn't recognize.

She started to speak gently, soothingly, "It's ok Dante, I can't even begin to imagine the shock and the fear you must be feeling, but I promise it's going to be ok. I will help you through this, help you to understand and learn about yourself and your wolf, and find the balance we all seek between our two halves: our wolf side and our human side. Are you ok to stand up and sit back down? We still need to talk some more."

Dante slowly sat up. "Thank you Lily, and yes, I can get to my feet and we can talk as much as you like. I

need

to understand. I need you to speak with me and help me to figure this out."

He stood up and reached down for Lily, gently pulling her to her feet and guiding her to her chair again as he seated her, and then sat back down again himself.

Lily started speaking again, "When one of our kind is born, they begin life as a normal human child, although they always have a few differences. They have their wolf living in their minds and in their souls from the very beginning, guiding them and keeping them safe. As the child grows, they become more in tune with their wolf and find the time to learn about themselves and find the balance and acceptance of who they are." Lily paused to let that sink in.

"When they reach 12 years old is when the first change occurs. They come into their 'gifts' as we call them; their body changes quickly as they develop their physique and grow quickly, reaching full maturity by their 18th birthday. When they come into their gifts at 12 is also when their wolf fully comes forward and thereafter they can change freely from their human self to their wolf. By 18 the mating pull finally develops, for each of us has a deep-seated craving to seek our other half. To seek the one person who completes our soul, the one we cannot live without. Some find their mate immediately, while others spend years searching for their other half, but this primal force is what drives both us and our wolves.

"The Pack's future and health comes from our children, and we can only breed them with our predestined mates: female lycans can't get pregnant without the right male. We know our mates by scent, and the bond, once accepted, is nearly instantaneous. It is the most consuming and powerful feeling and emotion we have. It completes us, and there is simply no way to properly explain it until someone experiences it."

Dante was listening closely, trying to process it all. Lily waited and after a while began speaking again.

"The Pack always takes care of its own and the Alpha watches over and leads the Pack. A mating is one of the most celebrated occasions in each pack, only eclipsed by the birth of the children that renew and grow the Pack."

Dante was learning much, though there were many questions remaining unanswered as well. When Lily was finished talking Dante smiled at her, wanting to reassure her that everything was ok, that he was accepting what he was hearing and wasn't freaking out.

Dante spoke, "Lily, thank you for beginning to explain things. It really is helping me, and a lot of it is making sense. But there is one question I can't figure out. If the gifts come on at 12 and fully mature at 18, what about me? I've never changed and there was no gifts that I grew into. What happened and what does that mean?" he pleaded.

Lily sighed softly, "I honestly don't know Dante, I wish I could explain it to you, but I can't right now. The only idea I can think of is that since you grew in the human world and then were in the military, perhaps your wolf knew it couldn't expose itself and put you in danger, so it suppressed everything. Since you've never been around your own kind, it never surfaced and you never knew. How could you?

"I mean it's an impossible situation! Our children are our greatest treasure and it's unheard of to leave one abandoned, let alone tossed away into the human world to be raised apart from their own kind. The risk of exposure for our kind is too great and too unacceptable. It could never happen, but somehow it did happen with you, and I have no way of explaining it.