Chapter 121
Claire’s POV
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Anger pulsed through my veins, but I did not show it outwardly. Losing my cool in this situation would only make everything worse. At the same time, however, I was not going to let this man get away with speaking like this.
More than his words, his attitude was what was truly dangerous. This kind of flippant approach to the duties of a bodyguard could lead to Leo being hurt or worse.
Did he think this would be an easy job because Leo was a child? Didn’t he understand that Leo being a child made everything more difficult? Children were smaller and weaker. Leo didn’t have his wolf yet, so he couldn’t really defend himself. If someone wanted to hurt him, only his bodyguard would stand in the way.
Yet this man could not be bothered to look up from his phone.
I glared at this man, a blizzard in my eyes. When he finally looked up, seemingly nervous by my calculated stare, I spoke, my voice cold, “I have protected Leo like he was my own child. I had suffered for him, was even poisoned to protect him, but I would do it again, willingly, to keep him from harm.”
The man swallowed hard.
“If you do not have that same dedication as an outsider then what are you even doing here?” I snapped. “Any lack of focus, and slip in your guard, and Leo could die.”
“You are being dramatic,” the man said. “No one would hurt a child.”
This man truly had no idea.
Gideon had said he was sending me the real potential bodyguards this time. That meant this man had to be the top of the list. If this group was the best the pack had to show for themselves, then Leo was in a world of trouble.
Maybe I shouldn’t leave.
No, I had to. For Nova.
But to leave Leo in the hands of such inattentive guards?
“You need to take this seriously,” I said. “Leo is under constant threat.”
The man was clearly afraid of me. Most people tended to be, with my mask and serious demeanor. But what this man seemed to fear more was any kind of hard work.
“Leo will be fine,” the man said. “He’ll probably feel relief at not having/someone breathe down his neck the whole time.”
“If anything happens to that child,” I started, a growl entering my voice as I struggled to maintain my cool. “I will take it out of your hide.”
“How?” the guard said. “You won’t even be here.”
The words sliced through me. Gods damn him, he was right. But that didn’t mean I was going to sit by and allow that to happen.
Speaking with this man was useless. Whether because he was lazy or because he wouldn’t listen to someone he perceived as an outsider, he wasn’t going to hear anything I had to say. He certainly wasn’t going to take my words to heart.
I turned on my heel, ready to march straight to Gideon’s office to tell him his guard was full of duds. The group snickered behind me, which only fueled my anger.
19:02 Sat, Jan 24
Chapter 121
At the edge of the courtyard, Peter flagged me down. At once, I allowed myself to vent.
“With this group in charge, Leo is going to get hurt,” I said bitterly.
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“They won’t be in charge,” Peter said. “They might think they’ll be, but Leo will be protected. He’ll have someone looking over him from the shadows.”
I looked at Peter more closely. “You aren’t coming back with me?”
He blushed slightly. “I have reasons to stay. I’ll tell Gideon my presence is to help improve relations between the pack. It makes sense for Ivan to have a contact here.”
That did make sense, but… “You won’t be too busy? You would keep an eye on Leo?”
“I promise,” he said and drew a cross over his heart.
With Peter’s reassurance, I felt infinitely better. I didn’t trust those guards, but I trusted him. If he said he would protect Leo, then he would.
“Thank you, Peter,” I said.
“Give my regards to our home,” Peter replied.
With Leo protected now, I had no more reasons to stay. Nova had taken the news of our departure relatively well. For a long time now, she had been torn between two homes. I knew she loved Leo and liked Gideon, but she didn’t really have any other friends here.
I think, perhaps, though she didn’t want to admit it, she was ready to go home.
After packing, we both said goodbye to Leo. There were a few tears, but my boy was brave and strong.
I held him tightly, one last time.
Gideon was waiting for us outside, helping the servants load some of our heavier suitcases into the car that would take us to the border. When he saw us, he approached us.
Nova immediately went in for a hug. Gideon returned it.
After, he stood and looked at me. “I wanted to thank you, for everything you’ve done.”
“I didn’t do all that much,” I said, trying to downplay it, when we both knew that wasn’t true.
I held out my hand for Gideon to shake.
“It was nice working with you,” I said.
He took my hand in his. His skin was rough, but his hand was large and steady. I had a flash of our dancing together, where his arms were around me.
At once, I put the thought out of my mind.
“Goodbye, Raven,” he said.
“Goodbye, Alpha Gideon.”
In the car, as we drove away, Nova pressed her nose to the glass as she took in the sight of Gideon’s pack house one last time.
“We can always return to visit,” I said.
19:02 Sat, Jan 24 DJ M.
Chapter 121
“Sure,” she replied halfheartedly.
We both seemed to know that we likely wouldn’t.
My heart was heavy in my chest.
Gideon’s POV
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The next couple of days were a blur. I had grown accustomed to searching out Raven and watching her. Now that she was gone, I felt her absence like a missing limb.
She had slowly become such a pivotal part of my pack, that, now that she was gone, nothing felt quite right.
Even so, life moved on whether I wanted it to or not, so I had to also.
My pack was still a mess. Traitors abounded, and my court proceedings loomed. There was much to keep me busy, to keep me distracted, so that I didn’t focus on a certain missing piece of my life.
Between the busy moments, were times of quiet reflection. I would glance out the window, taking in the sky or the trees in the courtyard. I’d slow down for a moment, just to think. To feel.
To regret.
Today, my reflection was interrupted by Xavier, who burst into my office without knocking. Such rudeness was unusual for such a stout and loyal Beta.
“Xavier? What is the meaning of –”
“Alpha, the scouts from our border with the Crimson Claw pack have returned. There is an army forming.”
“Crimson Claw would attack us?”
“I don’t know, Alpha.”
Why else would they be gathering an army?
Damn it. We’d only had a few months of peace. It seemed that was going to be shattered now.
“Gather the council,” I said, suspecting a battle might be imminent.
In times like these, it was typical to turn to allies for help. But I wasn’t sure of the state of my alliance with Ivan, now that Raven had left us. Peter remained, but his presence felt more like a curtesy than any sign of a strong alliance.
My only other ally at the moment was… Justin.
Gods.
“Send word to Justin. He shares a border with Crimson Claw. Maybe that will be enough of a reason for him to aid us.”
Giv
me, I c
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