Page 22 of Rescued By Her Guardian

“Frost.”

Knox snarled and squeezed her a little tighter. “That fucker. We’ll get through the holidays safely and then you won’t have to worry about him.”

“It would be nice not to worry about him, but I worry about my dad and brother too.”

She was thankful she’d never lost a family member to Frost and his vile magic, but it worried her all the same.

“I’ll keep you safe, sweetheart, I promise.”

“I know you will. You’re the alpha.”

“Damn straight.”

Maverick appeared through the portal. “All clear, Alpha. Ready when you are.”

She walked with Knox through the Entrance, leaving behind Northernmost. When they stepped into Northern Kentucky, they were in the forest of what Knox had told her was the leopards’ town of Wildwood Crossing.

“Is Wildwood Crossing mostly leopard?” she asked as he grasped her upper arm so she didn’t fall as she gingerly stepped onto the snowy ground.

“For the most part,” he said. “Our people run most of the businesses, but we have other shifters who work in town, plus some magical people and humans.”

“So you don’t mind them in town, it’s just previously they couldn’t be part of the leap.”

“You got it.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Hey,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, “we like most everyone except Frost and his asshole evil followers, but not everyone gets to be part of everything we do. Just like Santa and Northernmost. Shifters aren’t welcome there by and large because there’s no real reason for us to be there except as Guardians.”

She let that roll around in her head for a bit. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

“Oh gee, thanks,” he said with a snort.

Maverick and Chase led them through the woods. The snow and ice crunched under their boots, and it was cold but not nearly as cold as it was in Northernmost. A house came into view, and a handful of males stood on the back porch.

She knew that he hadn’t told his people anything, save for Maverick and Chase who knew that she was Knox’s mate. It would be easy for them to see she wasn’t a shifter because of her pointed ears.

Maverick and Chase stopped, and she and Knox moved between them, a few yards from the males on the porch.

“Gentlemen,” Knox said, his voice giving all kinds of alpha-authority and making her lady bits quiver, “I called you here because I have some news that involves not only myself but the laws of our people.”

The males’ gazes pinged between her and Knox, but none of them said anything.

After a few moments had passed, Knox continued, “This is Ivy Pine, and she’s an elf. I’ve brought her here today because she is my mate, and I’ve already marked her as mine. Our laws as they stand ensure that I would be exiled from the leap because of this, but as I’m still alpha, I am going to change the laws.

“Ivy, the male in the middle with the blond hair is Calix, my second-in-command. To his left are Theo and Sam, third and fourth ranked in the leap, and to his right are two of our elders, Eddie and John.”

She stared at the males who were all looking at her like she’d suddenly sprouted a second head.

Then Calix took a step off the porch and approached, his eyes flashing to amber.

With a low growl, he lowered to one knee and dropped his head. “Alphas.”

The others joined him, each lowering to one knee in a line. Maverick and Chase joined them.

“If I could be so bold,” Calix said, lifting his head. “It’s about fucking time.”

Ivy looked at Knox. “What is?”

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