Ch. 491..500

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 491-As Lily closes the door, | immediately hear her sniffles and soft sobs. | clench my fists and go in search of Patrick. I’m furious that they didn’t throw her father in the cells or at least make sure he returned home.

| find him in his office. | walk in without knocking. He looks up and when he sees it’s me, he sits back in his chair, folding his hands together on his desk.

“Clint? Something on your mind?” | should sit down, but my temper won't let me settle. “I took Lily for a run tonight to get her out after everything that happened.” | look up to see if he’s going to make some smart comment, but he remains quiet, watching me.

“Her father was laying in wait for us when we returned.” That got his attention. He sits up, leaning forward. “Where?” “Outside the packhouse. Called her slut, ungrateful and basically blamed her for everything. Then he said something about it all being a misunderstanding and Lily will be moving back home when it’s figured out.” | turn to look at him, my anger flashing hot. “I thought you were going to punish him, not let him harass his daughter and lie about what is really going on.” Patrick sighs. “Have a seat, Clint.” “Til stand.” “It wasn’t a suggestion.” He says and stares me down until | sit. | may be stronger than he is, but he’s still my Alpha.

When | sit, he rubs his hands over his face. | can see that this entire situation is causing him stress. But that’s his job as the Alpha. You get the good and the bad with leading a pack.

“| was not expecting Evelyn Raines to break down in my office and beg for leniency for her mate on her knees. | did it for her.*

Okay, that was unexpected. I’d never met Lily's mom, but | assumed that she got her strength of character from someone, and since it obviously wasn’t her father, | thought it would have been her mother. Apparently, Lily got her strength from herself.

‘Another reason our mate is incredible and perfect for us.‘ Donovan pipes in. 12 “So, now what? He just gets to harass ver?” | ask, still forming from the confrontation.

“Of course not. He'll be spending a night in the cells for that little stunt. He’s also been bannaé from leaving the pack lands, but lll give him an Alpha command to stay away from Lily without my express permission.” He wouldn't be able to refuse the Alpha command.

“Were you able to get her some clothes and things for school tomorrow?” Task.

“Yes, they were left in her room. Her mother wanted to see her and that’s when i realized that you must have taken her out.” | look out the window behind Patrick's desk. “She looked so sad.

He nods, giving me a moment. “Was there anything else?” “Yes. | wanted to get your permission to train Lily and Andra away from the warriors. Especially now, with how her father treated her, | don’t want her distracted.” He looks at me intently long enough that anyone else would be squirming in their seat. But I'm a Guardian, | don’t squirm. | wait him out.

“| want a demonstration every other day of what she’s learning. And Clint, I’d better see progress quickly.” I smirk at him. “I already knew you'd say that.” When | leave his office, | go back to Lily’s room. | put my ear to her door, and I can hear that she’s still sniffling. As | turn to leave, | see Beta Calvin standing in his doorway, watching me with his arms crossed across his chest.

“Clint?” He says, his eyebrows raised.

“| was just checking on her, Calvin. We had a run-in with her father earlier and | wanted to see if she was okay, but she’s still crying.” | say quietly, looking at her closed door.

His arms drop and he steps closer to me, lowering his voice. “What kind of run- in?” He asks.

| tell him and his lips press together. “I was worried that Evelyn was more concerned about her mate’s punishment than he was. I'm assuming you spoke to Patrick?” | tell him my conversation with Alpha Patrick and he nods. “The Alpha command will ensure that he leaves Lily alone, or at least that he doesn’t speak to her 203 without Patrick’s consent. But I'll keep my eye on her anyway.” “Thanks, Calvin.” | move to step around him when he starts chuckling.

“Don’t thank me. The closer I’m watching her, the harder it will be for you to get to her.” 4

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 492-| turn back and look at him. “She’s my mate. | don’t intend to do anything that will upset her or means me staying away from her. Besides, once she old enough to realize she’s my mate, she’s mine.” Donovan’s deeper voice growls, overlaying mine at the end. He shakes his head before walking back into his room.

go back to my room. 1 got the guitar and I’ve started practicing with an online course teaching me the guitar chords. | practice for an hour before setting the guitar aside and picking up my phone.

Me: How are you doing Lily bud?

Mate: I’m okay. Thanks for checking on me.

Me: Do you need anything? Warm milk? Cookies? Soap?

I'm hoping to make her smile with that one.

Mate: Are you implying that | stink?

She's teasing back, this is a good sign.

Me: Nope. | love the way you smell. I’m just trying to make sure that all your needs are met.

Mate: What do | smell like?

Me: Orange blossoms and ginger.

Mate: And that smells good to you?

Me: Very!

Mate: Has anyone ever told you that you're weird?

Me: Weird good? Or Weird bad?

Mate: So far, it’s good.

Me: Try to get some sleep Lily bud. Patrick approved our training, so tomorrow morning, your ass is mine.” Mate: | look forward to it.

Me: Go to sleep, but if you need to talk, I’m only a text message away.

| wait to see if she’ll respond. When she doesn't, | take a shower and crawl into bed. Just in case, | leave my phone vollumne on before falling asleep, thinking about my sweet male.

Somewhere, in the middle of the night, | hear my phone ping. I’ve always slept well, but I’In not a heavy sleeper. | reach for my phone and see that it’s sam.

Mate. Are you awake?

| was worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep and | was right. Rather than replying, | put on some sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, before crawling out of my window and going to her room. | gently knock on her window. | hear her shuffling around in her room before the blind is opened, her eyes wide when she sees me. She opens the window. “What are you doing here?” She whispers.

“You texted me. | wanted to check on you.” “You didn’t need to do that.” She says, looking down at the ground three floors down. | can tell that she hasn't fallen asleep yet. “Can't sleep?” | say, running my thumb under her eye and across her cheek.

She shakes her head.

“Come on.” | tell her and reach out my hand.

“Where?” She asks, looking down again.

“Trust me.” | say and wait to see if she'll take my hand.

When she does, | smile and help her out of her room. We crab—walk across the ledge until the roof slants down. | climb up and reach back to help her up. When we get to the top, there is a flat roof area where | take her. | grab a blanket that | keep up here for times when | need to get away. | spread it out before laying down and patting my chest for her to join me.

“How many girls have your brought up here Clint?” She asks, and | can hear the frustration and disappointment in her voice.

| stand back up, taking her face in my hands, making sure she sees the honesty in my eyes. “Just one, Lily bud. You. | come up here when | need to escape. | don’t bring anyone up here with me.” | take her hands and | sit back down. | wait until she begins to sit before laying back down and tapping my chest for her to lay on me.

When she does, Donovan immediately begins purring in my chest. She chuckles. “Donovan, you flirt.” “He can’t help it, it’s not just Andra that he’s got a soft spot for.” — | can feel her shaking her head against my chest. | feel whole having her in my arms like this. Without consciously thinking about it, | begin rubbing her head, running my fingers through her hair while | look up at the stars. Donovan continues his purring, the rumble deep in my chest and it isn’t long before | hear her breathing even out, her body twitching as she falls asleep.

Once | know she’s asleep, it isn’t long before | follow her to dreamland.

Cooper Author

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 493-I'm warm and comfortable when some rude person starts shaking me awake “Lily, wake up, we have to get back to your room.

That jolts me awake and 1 shoot up. I’m outside, on the roof with Clint. | fell asleep. I’d been tossing and turning all night and on impulse, | texted him. When he brought me up here, | was ready to stomp right back to my room until he told me | was the only one he’d every brought up here. And then | fell asleep, almost immediately. Between Clint’s fingers in my hair and Donovan’s purring in my ear, | didn’t stand a chance.

Clint is standing up, holding out his hand to me. “We have to get you back to your room before anyone notices.” “What time is it?” | ask, moving off the blanket and letting him fold it up and put it back where he stores it.

“Early, but not early enough. We both fell asleep.” He gets to the slanted roof and carefully slides down before turning, reaching out for me with one hand and putting a finger to his lips. The universal sign to be quiet. He helps me down and we scoot across the ledge before he helps me back into my room.

“Meet me downstairs in 15 minutes.” He whispers and | start to hear the warriors. moving around below us. My eyes widen and | nod before quickly closing the window.

I rush to get dressed, quickly use the bathroom and brush my teeth before grabbing my hair tie and leaving my room. As I’m walking downstairs, | hear someone coming up behind me. | turn and it’s Clint.

“Good morning, Lily. Did you sleep well?” He asks me with a goofy grin as if he didn’t just see me a few minutes ago. “It took me awhile to fall asleep, but when | did, | slept very well. Thank you, Clint.” “Patrick told me the warriors will be running and sparring this morning, so we’re taking the obstacle course.” Over the next hour and a half, he pushes me hard. He’s forcing me to test my strength and speed and I’m quickly realizing that | am stronger and faster than |

was. When he asks me to start jumping long distances, | hesitate. I've never been good.

at leaping distances. Andra’s great at it. Me, not so much. Clint takes his time showing the how to push off with my feet, use my strength and basically testing my ability. By the time we are done, I’m leaping the same distance that he can.

Nice! You'll need to learn what your abilities are now that you are a Guardian. We'll continue to practice, but this was a good start today.” He tells me as wan climb down the obstacles to get back to the ground.

When we get there, Alpha Patrick, watching us. “Nice job, Lily. It looked like Clint was putting you through your paces up there.” He says.

I'm still out of breath when I reply. “Yes. But it was fun. I’m stronger than | was even a couple of days ago. “I'm glad to hear it. Did Clint tell you I'd like to assess your training every couple of days?” | look at Clint. He mentioned that it might be the case, but not that it was definite. | turn back Alpha Patrick. “He mentioned something about that. What were you thinking? How can | show you what I'm learning?” He gives me a wicked grin. “You'll have to spar with me or Calvin.” Clint laughs at what must be a terrified look on my face. “Don’t worry, Lily. | won’t let you fail. We'll spar this afternoon and see how you do.” Clint assures 1. me. Before we can walk away, Patrick stops us. “There is another reason | came to see you, Lily.” We stop and Patrick gives Clint a look, like he expects him to leave. He doesn't, and | don’t say anything. | watch Patrick sigh before speaking. “Clint mentioned that your father approached you yesterday evening.” The reminder instantly makes my stomach clench, and | can only nod. Clint moves to stand beside me, putting his hand on my back in support.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 494- “| want you to know how sorry Tam that he did that. | didn’t want to give an Alpha coramand for him to stay away from you, but since he didn’t listen, | have now given the command. If anything like that happens again, | want you to let me know Lily.” “Yes, Alpha. Thank you.” “In light of that, | will have someone go to your home today and pack up your things. They will be in your room when you get back from school. Did you get the clothes and other items that we left yesterday?” “Yes, thank you.” I'm thankful | won’t have to see my father. I’m not sure how my mother is reacting to all of this, but she hasn’t reached out to me. Given my father’s response to me last night, I’m guessing | won’t hear from her.

“If you need anything at all, Lily, please don’t hesitate to ask me or Luna Olivia.” We head inside to grab breakfast before getting ready for school. “Meet you back down here in 45 minutes?” Clint asks. I'm confused. Why would | be meeting him downstairs.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You're going to school with me and Anders. Don’t worry, we'll swing by to pick up Calista on the way.” “Oh my goddess. Cali. She has no idea what’s happened.” The thought of having to tell my friend everything that has happened in the last couple of days makes the breakfast in my stomach feel like it’s going to come back up.

“Hey.” Clint reaches out and gently grips my shoulders. “She’s a good friend. | know she'll be there for you.” | nod before reaching out and hugging him. He may only be doing this because I’m a Guardian now, but he’s been my rock though this whole ordeal. “Thanks Clint. | would never have expected you to be such a good friend to me.” “| told you, you're stuck with me Lily bud. I’m not going anywhere, and I'll help you with anything that you need.” “Well, right now, | need a shower.” | see a flash in his eyes, and | know he took that as in invitation. “And NO, | don’t need help.” “If you ever do…” He wags my eyebrows at me.

I laugh as | turn to head to my room. | can hear Clint taking the last set of stairs Forty five minutes later, | meet Anders and Clint downstairs and we head out. When we get to Calista’s house, Clint jumps out, opening the door for her.

“Here, Calista. Why don’t you sit next to Lily today.” He says. It might be the www.est thing he’s done so far. He seems to know | need my friend.

“Lily, what's going on?” She looks at everyone in the car then back at me. “Why were you already in the car?” | look at my friend, hoping that she will support me. “I moved into the packhouse yesterday.” Her brow furrows and she takes my hand. “What? Why?” | look up front seeing Anders watching us from his rear—view mirror and | know Clint is listening in. “I’m going to tell you something that only a very few people know, Cali. | want it to stay between us, okay?” “Lily, you know I can keep a secret.” And | hear the hurt behind her words. She doesn’t understand why Anders and Clint know and she doesn't.

“You know how | went away with my father this weekend?” “Yes, | thought you would be home yesterday, but | never saw you. | guess you were moving to the packhouse?” “Not exactly. | realized that my father is trying to push me into a mate bond with Alpha Mahli. My father has large gambling debts, and he wants to force me to take Alpha Mahli as my mate to pay them off.” My voice chokes up at the end, my throat has gone dry.

I'm immediately pulled into Calis embrace. “Oh my goddess. What can | do?” | reach my arms around my friend, holding her tight. “You just did it.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 495-While | expected Calista to support Lily, it was nice to have it confirmed. As much as | want to be the one Lily goes to when she’s worried or upset, our relationship isn’t at that point yet. She needs the support of her lifelong friend.

As we're pulling up into the parking lot, Calista asks one more question. “So, Alpha Patrick knows what happened, but who is looking out for you? You're not 18 yet.” “Alpha Patrick has taken over as my parental guardian. My mother could have come to stay with me, but | expected her to stay with my father, and she did.

“Well,” Calista says as we exit the car, “I guess I'll just have to come to the packhouse to so we can do our homework together.

| watch as she wraps her arm around Lily’s shoulders, and they begin walking to the school entrance. Anders and | walk behind them, almost in a protective stance. I’m not sure what look we have on our faces, but no one approaches us as we walk inside.

We split off to go to our lockers. | can see that Lily and Calista are still whispering to each other, but Lily has relaxed a little bit. Anders closes his locker and steps up beside me as we watch them. “She'd make a great Luna, wouldn’t she?” My snarl is instantaneous. | turn to my friend, ready to fight for Lily if that’s what it takes. She was worried about Anders forcing a mate bond on her and here he is confirming her suspicions.

To my friend’s credit, he doesn’t flinch or take a step back. “I’m speaking about Calista, of course.” | immediately relax and smile apologetically at my friend. “Yeah, she would.” | turn to look at them as they start to walk to class. “She handled that situation really well.” As | watch, Lily turns and looks at me. | smile and nod at her. I'll see her in class. Hopefully, she'll handle the rest of it just as well.” “She will.” | look at my friend. He’s never shown this kind of interest in someone before. We start to walk toward our classes. “You really think she’s your mate, don’t you?” He never takes his eyes off her. “I do. Zakai has never shown this kind of interest in someone before. It’s almost like he’s ready to roll over and show her his belly.” I snort. “Donovan's the same with Lily and Andra. It’s like he’s willing to do anything to make them happy.” ‘She’s our mate. | will do anything to make her happy.” Donovan says to me.

Chemistry class goes much better today | realize that when we're actually working together, Lily and | work very well together. | feel like something has changed between us. | don’t know if it’s that she feels at some level she can trust me, or just knowing that we share a bond now, with both of us being Guardians, that something in her has relaxed around me. Whatever it is, if our teamwork in Chemistry is any indication of how our lives will be when we're mated, we'll be unstoppable. It’s effortless, easy and unlike everyone else in the class, our experiment worked perfectly.

In Literature, I'm behind again, but | plan to catch up. If Calista is going to come to the packhouse to study with Lily, Anders and | will be joining in. That will not only give us more time with them, but it will also give me a chance to spar with her mentally about some of this crap we're reading. Okay, maybe it’s not crap, someone somewhere decided that these books were good enough to be considered classics. It's just never been important to me. But it is to Lily, she seems to really like what we're reading, so now, it's important to me too.

“When are you going to tell Calista the rest?” | ask her as we walk to our lockers at the end of the day.

She shrugs. “I'm not sure. | laid a pretty hefty bomb on her this morning. | don’t want to overwhelm her.” “If | may, I'd say she was a bit hurt that it took you that long to tell her. She’s stronger than most people give her credit for.” “She definitely is.” Lily immediately defends. “I just…” I stop, pulling her to a stop, making her look at me. “You just…?” “What if knowing puts her at risk? Maybe it’s better that she doesn’t know.” “Do you want my opinion?” She nods. “If you trust her, tell her.” We start walking again. “Did you tell Anders right away?” “Yes, but it was different for me. | was 10, he was my best friend, and | was excited that it meant that no one would ever be able to separate us.” She nods again. “I'll tell her.” We drop Calista off at her house, and she promises to come by after dinner to do homework When we get to the packhouse, | tell Lily she’s got to minutes before it’s time for training.

Since the warriors are using the obstacle course this afternoon, | take her closer to the forest where we can have some privacy, just in case Andra pushes forward. | don’t know how long Patrick plans to try and keep Lily’s existence as a Guardian a secret, but the fewer people that see her sparring, the better.

“Do you want offense or defense?” | ask her. “Offense.” | take a defensive stance and nod that I’m ready. Her speed and strength are almost identical to what they were last week. | give her a few minutes to start pushing herself. When she doesn’t, | start to push her. | push her hard, forcing her to become more defensive in her fighting.

After knocking her to the ground, | give her a hand to help her up. “You’re not pushing yourself. You're still acting like you have the same strength you've always had. You're stronger than this. Again.” Again, she fights. She’s good, but | know she can be better. After taking her down again, | can see she’s frustrated. “I'll take offense this time. Stop holding yourself back. Trust Andra and let her Guardian spirit flow through you.” She's breathing heavily, but she gets in a defensive stance. | come at her hard. Harder than I’ve ever come at her before. As hard as | went at Patrick, Calvin and Anders. | increase my speed, forcing her to act on instinct rather than thinking about her moves.

I can tell the moment she gets out of her head. Her eyes rim with gold and she’s able to block me, her speed matching mine. | push even harder, my hits coming faster. She continues to block everything. When she goes on the offensive and is finally able to hit me, | call the match.

“Nice!” | say, as we both bend over, our hands on our knees, sucking in air. | look up at her. “Did you feel the difference?” She nods.

“Good, that’s the strength you need to tap into when you spar with Patrick, Calvin and Anders.” | tell her, before leading her back to the packhouse. Time to get some food and then meet up with Cali and Anders for homework.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 496-Dinner was strange First, | don’t usually eat in the packhouse. Since my parents have the own house, we usually eat there unless there is a pack event. But Clint insisted that | eat with him and Anders, which meant that | am sitting with at the ranked wolves. It people hadn’t noticed that | had moved to the packhouse before, they certainly notice that | am getting special treatment by eating with our ranked members.

When | sit, Luna Olivia and Beta Naomi turn their attention to me. “Lily, dear, how have you settled into your room? Do you have everything you need?” Luna Olivia turned to me.

“Oh, Alpha Patrick had my things brought over today. | haven’t checked but | should have everything | need. Thank you.” “If not, please let me know, or Naomi can help you. You are closer to her room if it’s something urgent.” “Thank you both, | really appreciate it. | don’t want to be a burden.‘ “| was thinking it was nice to have another she—wolf at this table.” Beta Naomi whispers so only Luna Olivia and | can hear her. “Too much testosterone if you ask me.” | can’t help but laugh. Both Luna Olivia and Beta Naomi are being very kind to me.

“What are you girls laughing at down there?” Alpha Patrick has turned his attention back to us. No doubt our laughter, or at least the laughter of his mate, has caught his attention. I’ve heard he’s a very attentive mate.

“Oh, we’re just discussing how glad we are that Lily was able to join us for dinner.” Luna Olivia says, winking at me. | try to hide my smile by looking back at my plate.

The conversation starts up again and | look up to see that Clint is watching me. He smiles before starting to eat again..

“So, Patrick, Anders and | are going to join Lily and Calista in their study group tonight. | was thinking that we could use the small meeting room.” Clint says and the table goes quiet.

“You and Anders are joining Lily and Calista in a study group?” Patrick says as if this is a difficult concept to understand. Everyone at the table is staring at him. and Anders.

“Yes. Lily and Calista are used to studying together, and with Lily moving here, 1/2 Calista is going to be coming to the packhouse to study. Clint and | figured we'd join them So, the small meeting room, dad?” Anders answers his father.

“And what, exactly, will you be studying?” Beta Calvin asks. “Well, | need to get caught up on my literature reading.” Clint says. “Yeah, and | need to prepare for an anatomy and physiology test.” Anders says.

Both of them have the most innocent looks on their face that I’ve ever seen. | glance around and see the looks of surprise and exasperation from everyone else at the table.

“Door stays open.” Alpha Patrick says before he goes back to eating.

“Of course, dad. What did you think we were going to do? Geez, get your mind out of the gutter.” And 1 suddenly realize exactly what everyone at the table was thinking and | blush, what I’m sure, is a bright shade of red.

Luna Olivia turns back to me. “Your friends with Calista, isn’t that right Lily?” “Oh, yes ma’am. We're best friends, we have been almost all our lives.” “| don’t know her very well. Tell me about her.” She says with a smile. | see Anders tense up from the corner of my eye. “Well, she’s very smart. She’s a kind and generous friend. Unlike me, she doesn’t want to be a warrior, so she’s working to become a doctor.” “She sounds like a lovely girl.” Beta Naomi says.

“She really is.” | say and Luna Olivia turns to Beta Naomi. “We should invite her to have dinner here with us tomorrow night.” She turns back to me. “Do you think she would like that?” “Uh, | think so. I'll ask her when she comes over tonight.” | say, not understanding why Anders looks more and more uncomfortable as this conversation continues. Clint, on the other hand, seems to be trying hard not to laugh. “How about you introduce us to her when she gets here.” Beta Naomi says. “That way we can invite her ourselves.” “Okay, I’m sure that will make her feel more comfortable about coming tomorrow.” | tell them.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 497-After dinner, | head up to my room and quickly shower and change before Calista is supposed to arrive. | grab my books and head downstairs just as she is walking into the packhouse.

“Hey Calli.” “Lily!” We hug like we didn’t just see each other a couple hours ago. “Did your parents say anything about you coming here tonight?” | ask her.

“No, apparently, they saw the warrior that Alpha Patrick sent to your house to get your things. They haven’t seen your parents at all.” “What did you tell them?” | ask her.

“| told them you were living in the packhouse now, but | didn’t know what had happened.” “Thanks, Cali. Hey, Luna Olivia and Beta Naomi want to meet you. They wanted invite you to have dinner with us tomorrow night.” toi “Me? Why?” I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe so | don’t feel so awkward.” | lean in toward her. It was weird being at the ranked member's table.” She and | are giggling together when we turn the corner and find Luna Olivia.

“Luna Olivia. This is my friend, Calista Johns.” “Oh, Calista.” Luna Olivia takes her hands. “Aren’t you beautiful? We'd love it if you would join us for dinner tomorrow night at the packhouse. I'd be happy to speak to your parents about it, if needed.” I can see Cali is just as flustered as | was earlier. “I’m sure they will be fine with me having dinner here, Luna. Thank you for the invitation.” “Before you go study,” she turns, “Naomi!” She calls out.

Beta Naomi comes out of another room. “Oh, is this Calista?” She asks, her eyes brightening. “Yes, isn’t she lovely?” “She definitely is. I'm so glad to meet you. You'll be having dinner with us.

tomorrow evening?” “Uh, yes, Beta.” “Wonderful, we'll catch up more tomorrow night, then. Enjoy you satme.

As we turn and walk away, Cali “What was that?” “| have no idea.” Studying was interesting. When we arrived, Clint and Anders had already set up the room so that one of us would have to sit with Anders and the other with Clint.

“Why don’t we pull the tables together?” | suggest when we walk in.

“Oh, we set it up this way so we could study our joint classes without disrupting each other.” Anders says quickly. “Cali, you can come sit with me and we can study for our anatomy test.” it off to our | look at her quickly before we separate tables. “Did you tell her?” Clint mind links me, wanting to know if | told her I’m a Guardian. | shake my head.

Studying with Clint was actually fun. When the man applies himself, he’s very intelligent. And while | appreciate a gorgeous body as much as the next she-wolf, there is something about a man that can match wits with me that turns me on more than a ripped body. Maybe it’s because anyone who works hard enough can have a great body, or maybe because the mind is something that isn’t as obvious as a hard body, but | found myself looking forward to tomorrow's study session. As we finish studying, | watch as Calista starts to pack her bags. “I'll walk you home.” Anders says to her.

“That’s not necessary.” She tells him.

He reaches out and puts his hand on hers, waiting until she looks at him. “It may not be necessary, but I'd feel better knowing you got home safely.” He holds her gaze until she nods.

“Now’s your chance.” Clint says. | look at him and he gives me a ‘it’s your choice’ look.

I sigh. “Before you leave, Cali, there’s something | want to show you.” I stand and close the door to the room. | know it was supposed to stay open, but | can’t risk anyone walking in. When I look back, Cali is frowning at me. “Lily?” “There’s something else that’s going on, another reason I’m living in the packhouse now. But an even smaller number of people know about this.” She looks at Anders and Clint before turning back to me. “Okay.” Cc | let Andra push forward, my eyes turning to gold.

Cali’s eyes go wide, and her hands go to her mouth. “Oh, my goddess.” She whispers.

“You're a Guardian.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 498- As Calista collects herself, she looks from Lily to me. “This is why. This is why you are spending so much time together.” “Yes.” Lily says to her.

| move to Lily, standing beside her. “I’m going to be training Lily and making sure that she is safe. But you know what this means, Calista, especially in light of what we know about her father.” Her eyes go from me to Lily. “You must have been terrified this weekend.” Lily takes a step toward Calista, just as the door swings open. | move to block Lily from whoever is walking in as Andra is still shining in her eyes.

“| thought | was clear about the door staying open.” Patrick says, walking in.

“I'm sorry Alpha, it’s my fault.” Lily says, not turning around. “I needed to show Calista something private.” She turns, showing Andra in her eyes.

Patrick turns, closing the door. “Calista, this is a lot of information and it’s dangerous for Lily if this information gets out. | expect that what she has shown you here will stay in this room.” He says, using his Alpha tone.

“Cali knows how to keep a secret, dad, and she’s a good friend. She wouldn’t do that to Lily.” Anders jumps to her defense.

Patrick looks at all of us in the room. “I would suggest that this conversation not include anyone else in the pack. At least not until | have figured out how to keep Lily safe once the secret is out.” “Can't we just keep it a secret until she turns 18? That’s only a couple months. away.” Cali says.

“It's not that easy.” | tell her. “When we spar, Andra comes out. It’s not something we can control, or not easily. Our wolves are warriors, and their strength pushes through us, frequently showing in our eyes.” “Well, I'll do whatever | can to help.” Calista says, reaching out and pulling Lily into a hug. “You're my best friend and | love you. Whatever you need from me, you let me know.” “Thanks Cali. | love you too.” Lily says, hugging her back.

“I'm taking Cali home, dad. I'll come see you when | get back.” Anders says before pulling Calista’s bag off her shoulder and throwing it over his.

| grab Lily’s books and stack them on mine before guiding her out to the hall, nodding at Patrick as we pass. “We'll see you in the morning, Cali.” Lily says. before we walk upstairs.

| walk Lily to her room before handing her books back to her. | wait until she opens her door, standing in her doorway, making sure everything looks normal. ” Text me if you have trouble sleeping tonight.” | tell her.

She sets her books on her desk before coming back to the door. “Thanks Clint. | really do appreciate everything you are doing for me.” I'm just about to lean down and kiss her when | hear someone clear their throat behind me. “It’s after-hours Clint.” Calvin says to me.

| turn and look at him over my shoulder. He’s in the same position at his door, arms crossed over his chest, just like last night. “I was just walking Lily to her room after our study session, Calvin.” | turn back to Lily and roll my eyes. She giggles, making me smile.

“See you in the morning, Lily.” | say before heading back to my room.

When | get back, | grab my guitar. I’m still practicing when Anders walks in and flops down on a chair. “You know that sounds like you're killing cats.” “How do you know what killing cats sounds like?” | ask him, continuing my practice.

“Because I’ve been listening to you do it every night for days!” He says.

I strum my next chord. “How was your walk?” | ask him, knowing he’s been wanting alone time with Calista. He smiles, his eyes lost in a memory. “It was good.” I strum another chord, before looking over at him. “Did she agree to go out with you yet?” “No, but she did say she enjoyed studying with me more than she thought she would.” I snort. “So, basically she thought you were a dumb Alpha but now she knows you actually have a brain?” “| believe her actual words were, ‘It’s nice to know you use the head above your waistline almost as much as the one below it.” | laugh at that. “I like her more and more.” “How about you, you walked Lily to her room.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 499-“Remember, she doesn’t spend as much time with your parents as we do. | just. hope your mom and Naomi don’t scare Calista off tomorrow. | think Lily will be happy if she comes for dinner more often, now that she’s living here.” | set the guitar aside. “Are you really going to play her a song on that thing?” Anders asks me. “Yep. I've found the song | want to play, | just need to get better, then pick my venue.” “How are we going to get them to agree to go to Prom with us?” “That, my friend, is the question of the day.” After Anders goes to his room, | shower and get into bed. | make sure my phone volume is up, just in case. This time, | hear the ping around 12:30.

Mate: You awake?

Excellent. | grab a thicker blanket, dropping it on the roof before making my way to her window. When | get there, | see she has the window open and is sitting beside it.

“Waiting for me?” | ask her quietly as | sit on her windowsill.

She smiles shyly. “Maybe.” “Come on.” | extend my hand and take hers, waiting while she closes the window before we start our crawl to the roof.

When we get there, | have the blankets already laid out. “I thought maybe you’d want to lay up here again, so | dropped off a couple more blankets so it’s a bit softer to sleep here.” | tell her before getting settled then motioning for her to join me. When she does, | pull another blanket over us.

“What made you start coming out here? I’mean, it’s a great view, but was that the reason? You said it was a place for you to escape?” She asks.

She looks up at me from her place on my chest. “If it's too personal, you don’t have to answer. | was just wondering.” She says.

| kiss her forehead. “I don’t mind answering, Lily. I'll tell you anything you want to know.” | look up at the stars. “I found this spot after my parents died. | was having a hard time, struggling with losing the only family that | had. | mean, Anders and his parents are like family, but…” “It's not the same.” She finishes for me.

“No, it’s not.” | confirm. | look down at her. | don’t know if she’s realized that. she’s rubbing my chest, but it feels amazing having her touch me.

“How did you manage? | mean, | don’t know if I'll ever have a relationship with my parents again. | don’t have any siblings either. She looks up at me. “How did you get over it.” | begin rubbing back in slow circles. “The hardest and easiest answer is time. It takes time to come to terms with the loss, time to get through the pain, time to adjust to your new normal. But having friends and people that care about you makes it easier.” | tell her.

We settle into silence, each in our own thoughts. Donovan starts purring in my chest, and | hear her sigh before she falls asleep. ‘She likes my purr.‘ Donovan says proudly.

‘It's a soothing sound for her.*

‘Andra likes it too. | can feel her respond as well.’ “I'm hoping we’ll be meeting up here more often and you can purr to both of their hearts‘ content.’ | tell him.

| cover her hand that is still laying on my chest, wrapping my fingers around hers before falling into sleep.

‘Wake up!’ Donovan shouts.co my head.

| jolt awake and realize the sky is lighter than it should be. Damn, even up here, | sleep better with my mate beside me than | do in my own bed.

“Come on, Lily bud. Time to get you back to your room.” | say, pulling her hand to my lips and kissing her knuckles while she slowly opens her eyes.

Her head pops up. “Oh, we did it again?” I smile at her. “Yep, we both fell asleep. Come on, let’s get you back to your room before anyone notices that you’re gone.” We fold up the blankets, putting them away, before making our way back to her window. | quickly check her room before opening the window and helping her inside.

She turns to close the window. “Lily.” | say, getting her attention.

She turns to me, and | lean in quickly and kiss her lips. It’s quick but the minute 19 our lips touch, | want nothing more than to devour her. But now is not the time. | pull back smiling at her shocked expression. “I'll see you in 15 minutes downstairs.” | wink at her and leave her staring after me as | move back to my room.

Cooper Author Seems like Clint and Lily are getting closer! It’s looking like

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 500- He kissed me.

| watch as he moves away from my window, but I’m so stunned, | can’t move for a moment. When | do, it’s to bring my fingers to my lips. The moment his lips. touched mine, it sent a zing through my entire body. | can still feel my lips. tingling.

| shake my head, getting my thoughts in order and begin changing for our training session. I’m nervous about seeing him, but when I run into him on the stairs, it’s the same as yesterday. He acts like we didn’t just see each other a few minutes ago or sleep together on the roof.

| wasn’t sure about texting him again last night, but | was glad | did. Lying in bed alone, | kept thinking about my father, my mother not reaching out to me and Alpha Mahli and what would have happened if he had realized | was a Guardian. Donovan's purring helps me to sleep well, even on the roof, and | feel more refreshed today than | did yesterday.

When we get outside, Clint tells me the plan as we head to the forest. “This morning we're going to workout in wolf form. You know that our human form strengthens our wolf form, but Andra hasn’t really worked out since you got your Guardian spirit. Today, Donovan is going to push her. You ready for that, Andra?” Clint asks her.

She pushes forward. “I’m ready.” Donovan pushes forward as well. “You're stronger than you realize Andra. You need to trust me. | won’t push you to do something you can’t do. Let the Guardian spirit flow through you so you can learn what you are capable of.” For the next hour and a half, Donovan pushes Andra harder than she’s ever been pushed. He has her try leaps and moves that she’s never felt comfortable doing before, but now, she’s able to do them with ease. When we're done, he walks over to her, rubbing himself on her before licking her face.

We shift and dress before heading back to the packhouse. “Good job today, both of you. Andra, how did that feel?” “It felt good. You were right, | don’t know what I’m capable of, but | feel better now knowing that | can do more than | thought.” “We'll keep practicing. You were used to taking time each evening to train Andra, right Lily?” +15 RONOS “Yes, every day after training.” “So, we'll plan to work Andra after our afternoon training session. We'll just extend our time and switch it from sparring to practicing in wolf form.” Clint says as we walk into the dining hall.

I'm still getting lots of dirty looks and multiple groups of girls are whispering as Clint and | walk in together. | don’t care other than | don’t need any more crap to deal with. | have enough on my plate without dealing with jealous she—wolves.

| grab some food and turn to Clint. “I’m just going to eat in my room and get ready for school.” He frowns at me. “Is this about earlier?” My eyes quickly track around the room. “No, | just want a little extra time to get ready this morning.” It’s a lie and he knows it.

He turns, looking around the room and he must see what | see. He growls low and deep, causing everyone to find something more important to do. “Stay. It won’t take long. Ignore them.” When | don’t move, he leans in. “You'll have to get over it eventually. We'll be training and coming to meals every day, twice a day from now on.” He says.

He’s right, | know he’s right. | sigh. I'll have to face it sooner or later. “And if anyone bothers you, just let me know. I'll handle it.” I snort. “I can handle my own shit, thanks.” “But you don’t have to do it alone anymore, Lily bud.” The school day goes the same as always. When we drop Cali off, she looks at me.” | have an idea, we can discuss it later today.” “Okay, sounds good. See you at dinner.” As Clint and | head out to spar, Beta Calvin steps in front of us. “Today is show and tell day, Lily.”