Page 2 of Rescued By Her Guardian

Then he could come home in a few weeks and figure out his next step. There were shifter dating apps he could try and gatherings where shifters were welcome. He wouldn’t mind having a mate who was another type of shifter, as the leap’s laws allowed for any shifter to join. Magical people and humans were the only ones who weren’t allowed to join the leap.

If a snow leopard took a magical or human mate, they were exiled from the group and treated as if they were dead, not allowed to communicate in any way with their family and friends. Sometimes, leopards would choose to abandon theirmate and stay in the leap, but in the ten years he’d been alpha, he only recalled that happening once, a year ago.

He expected his truemate would be a shifter. Why wouldn’t she be? He was alpha of the most powerful snow leopard leap in the country, and his truemate would lead by his side.

Humming to himself as he thought about what the future would look like with a mate by his side, he turned and headed into the house to pack.

He’d leave for Northernmost in the morning.

Ivy Pine, elf and executive assistant extraordinaire, leaned back in her desk chair and stretched with a squeak. Her back hurt because she’d been sitting at the desk staring at the Naughty List for the last few hours, and it was tedious work.

And important too.

She’d hate to think how disappointed a child would be to accidentally be placed on the Naughty List and not receive a special toy from Santa.

Her mom had been a toymaker before she passed away a few years earlier and had wanted Ivy to go into the family business, but she had zero knack for textile work like sewing dolls and teddy bears. Instead, she’d chosen to work for Santa in his office alongside a few other elves.

Her brother and father were part of the security team that helped keep everyone safe. And there was another layer of security—the Guardians. They were shifters—specifically wolves, snow leopards, and polar bears—assigned by their alphas to protect Santa, the elves, and the most important place in the world: the Well of Magic.

Magical people had to come to Northernmost via a portal to recharge their magic. Elves, fairies, and witches, along with other good magic users, had to touch the Well once a year torecharge their magic, the way a person might plug a cell phone into a wall charger.

Just thinking about magic reminded her that she hadn’t replenished hers yet this year. She lived at the North Pole for tinsel’s sake, she should not wait so long to go to the Well. But she was the queen of procrastinating the recharge and always seemed to save it for December, which was by far the most dangerous time of year for magical people.

Jack Frost, Santa’s younger brother, thought he should control the Well of Magic and wanted to take over the Well instead of his older brother. But the mantle of leadership—the position of Santa itself—went to the oldest son in the Nicholas family, and that was Saint.

The Jack Frost and Santa duties were always given to members of the Nicholas family. They were supposed to harmoniously work together—Jack the bringer of the winter season, and Santa the bringer of joy to children everywhere.

While Jack, whose real name was Angel, still did herald winter on the solstice, he also attacked the town of Northernmost to not only try to take control of the Well, but also to abduct elves. He would drain an elf of his or her magic to recharge himself since he was forbidden from entering the town. Once an elf was fully drained by Jack, he could infect them with his evil magic.

She shuddered to think what it felt like to be drained of magic by Jack and turned evil. She’d seen his evil followers over the years—they turned gray and had solid black eyes like a monster. They no longer recognized their family or friends and were entirely loyal to Jack.

“Ready for lunch?”

Ivy startled and nearly fell backward in her chair. “Holy fruitcake, you scared me!” She straightened and spun to face herbrother, Alder. He was wearing his navy-blue uniform, but his tie was missing.

“Sorry,” he said with a grin.

“You’re not sorry, you reindeer butt. Where’s your tie?” She pressed the save button on her computer to ensure she didn’t lose the last few hours of work with the Naughty List and then stood.

“Uh, crap. I must have left it in the barracks.”

He hated wearing the tie. She bet he left it on purpose.

“I’m ready for lunch. Is Dad joining us?”

“No, he’s on the night shift, so he’s sleeping. He asked if we’d grab something for him and leave it at the main security office so he can eat before he starts his shift.”

“Sounds good.” She walked from her desk and knocked on the door to Santa’s office. His office had a huge fireplace made of sparkly white bricks next to an enormous pine tree that was kept up year-round and decorated for every holiday. She’d been in charge of changing the ornaments for the last year and enjoyed the ones for Easter the most. The little bunnies and chicks were adorable and so different from the Christmas décor. She knocked on the open door.

Santa was behind his massive desk, a quill pen bobbing as he wrote.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to lunch with Alder. Can I bring you back something from the cafeteria?”

“No thanks.” He didn’t lift his snow-white head, just kept writing. She knew he was stressed this time of year, worried about the elves who might be targeted by his brother and lost to the darkness, worried about the kids he would be leaving toys for. His worry meant he didn’t take care of himself like he should.

“I read in the cafeteria newsletter that they’re serving pot roast today. I could bring you back a double portion with extra roast carrots.”

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