The Guardian Alpha by Evelyn Glass Page B

over their pallid flesh. Dread hung in the air like a storm cloud. A chill descended across the battlefield.
     
    A calm voice cut through the emptiness, “Excuse me, I must get through.” Dr. Young pushed her way through the ceased battle. Blood smeared over her torn coat. Determination dotted her brow and it was clear she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Finally, the doctor made her way to the center of the circle, kneeling down beside Jay and Kristi. Her fingers sought out pulses along their wrists, their throats, checking for fatalities with a calculating eye.
     
    Alpha Selene jerked forward, her hand reaching toward Dr. Young. Marie and Thad stopped her, but the bark still fell from her lips, “Don't touch her; the pack has heal–”
     
    “They're still alive,” Dr. Young ignored the alpha's demand. Her hard gaze tilted upward toward Selene, her expression impassive, but her tone betraying a sense of urgency, “They have a chance if we get them to the hospital. Now .”
     
    Alpha Selene's tense shoulders sank. While the pack respected Selene, they adored Kristi. Kristi embodied the fierce determination the pack always thought was consistent with their goals. Part of Selene knew Goldbridge had to pay – especially after everything she heard – but another part of her was sick and tired of the fight. It had lasted far too long. Suddenly, and for the first time, Selene felt extremely unqualified.
     
    It was Mayor Stone's turn. She sneered, her gaze drifting away from Jay and Kristi's bodies. This wasn't how she saw the battle going. Her mind scrabbled to make sense of the situation while clinging to pettiness. “Why should I permit the hospital to care for an alpha who wants us all dead?”
     
    “Because it's the right thing to do.” A voice cracked from the thick of the battle. Covered in blood, bruises, and scratches, Thad limped out of the crowd. He took a position beside Marie, his glare poised directly at Mayor Stone. “And it's the taxpayers who have a bigger say than you, Mayor Stone.”
     
    The mayor's eyes widened and her slit pupils dilated to roundness. She wasn't the unquestioned leader, as an alpha was. Whispers radiated from the assembled battlers, ranging from concurrence to bristled frustration.
     
    Mayor Stone swallowed heavily. She and Selene exchanged looks. For once, there was no vehemence passed between the two women. Both knew how this ordeal was going to end.
     

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
     
    On the outskirts of Goldbridge, houses had recently blossomed. They sat between the town and the forest, with their backyards opening into the wooded areas. In the backyard of one such house, thirteen-year-old Hazel watched two toddlers wrestle. Their yellow eyes stood out against their rich umber skin. Tufts of golden hair, which darkened closer to the roots, stood out at wild angles from their head. The twins grinned and giggled as they crawled over one another.
     
    From the forest, their mother emerged. Her clothes were spattered with blood. Her long black hair, littered with twigs and leaves, strained at the confines of the ponytail and her yellow eyes caught the evening sun. Kristi smiled as she approached Hazel. “Thanks for watching them.”
     
    “No problem! It was my pleasure.” Hazel stood up, dusting off the butt of her jeans. Her gaze dipped over Kristi's clothes, “The hunting go well?”
     
    “Yes, I put it in the smokehouse, if you'd like some.”
     
    “Thanks, I'm sure Mom will love some. You know her and elk.”
     
    Amicable silence fell over the two of them. A sense of surreality niggled at Kristi's mind, though. Little over three years ago, it would have seemed delirious to think the Crystal Ridge pack would ever live like this. In houses, hunting when they desired, always stocked with food and offered medical from Goldbridge. Meanwhile, the pack found their own ways to assist Goldbridge: farming, leading spiritual events, and assisting in