Page 6 of Fated Guardian

You’re being fucking weird, Nolan.

I rise from my hiding spot at the edge of the meadow, shaking myself off. I need to stop.

I agreed to this as a way to get out of my head about my own problems, and to help Thorne out. With all the unrest around our pack, he wanted additional security, and I was happy to do what he asked. His concern for Coral at the time seemed odd, but now I get it. I’m not usually someone who engages with packbusiness like this, but Coral looks like a stiff breeze could blow her away, much less a rogue shifter.

It’s not that much of a burden, really. I’m always happy to help.

However, it’s time for me to check in with Thorne. I can’t in good conscience tell him that this is worth the daily guarding, because nothing happens. At this point, it’s just me, and my curiosity, and I can’t fucking stalk this poor woman on a daily basis and call it helping.

I finish up my shift, making sure that there’s nothing amiss anywhere else along my patrol route, before heading back to the alpha’s offices. I shift, putting on the pack sweats that I keep in a locker here, and knock on Thorne’s door.

“Enter,” he rumbles.

I step inside.

Thorne is sitting at his desk, frowning with concentration at something on his computer. He closes it when I walk in, nodding at the chair in front of him. “Report.”

I sit, straightening as I look at him. “Nothing new. No action.”

“And everything is… normal?”

The way that he says it makes me suspicious. “Yes. Normal.”

“You haven’t seen anything that you want to tell me?”

Fuck. Does he know that I’ve been straight up creeping on the fae woman in the meadow? I stiffen. Is Thorne going to be pissed…

“I’m being a little obtuse, I guess. Coral and I have a bargain that we made a long time ago. I’m wary of how a fae bargain works, and I’ve been hearing… rumors.” He frowns. “If she’s hurt, I don’t hold up my end of the bargain.”

That makes sense.

Thorne continues. “I know you’re thinking nothing is going on, but I can’t just leave her alone right now.”

I blink. “Uh…”

“She’s been helpful to the pack, but I’m not exactly trying to advertise her location. She’s a faerie, after all, but more than that, she’s been through a lot, and she doesn’t really want to be present in pack life.”

“I’ve seen her,” I say.

Thorne looks at me, one of his eyebrows raised. “Have you?”

“Yeah. Uh. She… I notice the cottage, some days. And then I saw her talking to Lyra.”

That’s it. He doesn’t need to know anything else. He definitely doesn’t need to know that I obsessively stalk by her place multiple times in a day, even when I don’t have to…

Thorne drums his fingers on the desk. “Coral is a wonderful person. She was here when we first moved, and given her past, I’ve been happy to let her stay. That’s the nature of the bargain. She stays, I watch her back. She also supports the pack. In exchange for her living here, she is my last resort for some things that only a faerie can do.”

“Why did you agree to the bargain?” From what I know, faerie bargains are not always a good idea.

Sighing, Thorne stops his fingers. “Can I trust you with this information, Nolan?”

If he doesn’t tell me what happened, I’m going to find out, one way or another. “Of course, Alpha.”

Nodding, he leans back. “A pack of rogue shifters, mostly lions, destroyed her hive outside of Seattle. Coral is the only survivor that I know of, and she’s requested to keep her presence here under wraps.”

I have to choke down the feeling of rage that’s crushing my throat.

Someonehurt her.

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