The Silver Guardian Bk. 01 Ch. 05

Both men relaxed slightly and ratcheted down the tension everyone was feeling, though Lily seemed to be immune to it and was even smiling as she rested herself against her alleged mate. Dante wrapped his arms around Lily and gained some comfort from that.

The tension and silence stretched on until Odin finally broke them both. "Ok daughter, I will withhold my disbelief for now, and you're correct that I don't know what's going on and we do need to talk and find out what's what. And here in front of the Manor House isn't the place to do that. Let's go up to my office and the three of us will talk. Lily, your Mother is busy with some Pack business, but she'll also join us in the office. The little that I know, she also knows, as she was listening in using the bond. Let's go inside and sit down."

Alpha Odin turned to the large wolf on his right, his top Beta, and instructed, "Ben, go ahead and have yourself and the rest return to normal duties for now. Once I know more, I'll circle back with you to discuss things." At that the four men and four women broke formation and started heading in various directions.

Odin turned around and walked up the steps of the Manor House. Dante and Lily, again hand in hand, followed behind him. As Dante looked up at the impressive structure he saw it was made from cedar and pine. The middle section was three stories tall and had a large wing angled off each side of the central building in a V shape. They passed through the front door and came into the foyer, then headed directly towards a grand staircase leading to the second floor. Once they reached the landing, Odin turned left and led them to his office. Waiting in front of the door was a beautiful and regal looking woman. She was slightly shorter and older than his Lily, but otherwise looked very similar. She held herself with confidence and maturity, but she had a warmth to her and was smiling.

She stepped up to Lily and wrapped her in a hug, "Hi sweetie, it's so good to see you! Don't you think it's time to introduce me to your man?" she raised her eyebrow and smirked. All the tension that had followed them up the stairs vanished instantly.

Lily stepped back and laughed at her Mother. "Hi Mom, yes of course I will." She turned once again to Dante and said, "Dante my love, this is my Mother and Madame Alpha of the O'Connor Pack, Victoria O'Connor."

Dante couldn't help but smile at the beautiful woman with the welcoming smile who looked so much like his Lily. He extended his hand to offer to shake and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Madame Alpha Victoria, I can see where Lily got her beautiful looks."

Victoria's smile lit up her face, "You're a smooth one Mr. Silvrash, it's very nice to meet you too. You must be something special to catch Lily's eye." She stepped past his outstretched hand and gave him a warm hug. Dante tensed up, the only woman he'd ever hugged in his life being Lily, and unsure of what to do. The passionate and sensual embraces he'd shared with his mate would surely be inappropriate! He tentatively put his arms around the gracious lady and gently patted her back before she stepped back to her mate's side. Odin had let out a bit of a growl as his mate hugged another man. When she stepped back by his side, she kissed his cheek reassuringly and motioned them all to come into the office.

Once inside, Dante saw the large woodburning fireplace on the left wall and halfway down the room. There were two large sofas facing each other in the middle of the room, with a huge desk at the far end of them, which was clearly Alpha Odin's normal seat. The Alphas took a seat on the couch on the right and motioned for Dante and Lily to sit across from them on the couch on their left.

Dante sat down with Lily right next to him and she leaned into his side and held his hand.

Odin leaned forward, "Ok Lily, it's time to tell us what's going on, how you met Dante, how you are mates, and why you think he's a lycan."

Lily smiled and launched into the tale of the near fatal accident in her truck and Dante rescuing her, Dante getting injured and knocked out, and her taking him back to her cabin. How she learned that Dante had been an orphan and then in the Navy until he was injured and discharged and how he had wandered the last six months, winding up north of Whitefish by fate.

Both of her parents had gasped and squeezed each other's hands at the mention of Lily's accident and Dante saving her life. They listened as Lily continued to tell them how she learned Dante was her mate and how they discovered he was a lycan as well, but had never known and never shifted, and finally about how Dante learned he was Lily's mate and how he had come to accept everything and knew he was a wolf.

It had taken Lily nearly an hour to tell her parents everything, but by the end of it both of them were floored.

Alpha Odin spoke after a long pause to digest everything, "Lily, this is truly an impossible situation, but here it is, staring us all in the face. For one of our kind to grow up in the human world is impossible, and just as impossible if not more so, is one of our kind not receiving their gifts and shifting at the age of 12! I don't know what to make of this and have no way of explaining it. What you told him of how his wolf suppressed everything to keep him safe, is the only thing that makes even a little bit of sense and for now is the only conceivable explanation."

Victoria nodded her head in agreement.

Everyone turned and looked at Dante, making him tense slightly like he was under a microscope. Victoria gently asked, "I'm pretty sure I already know, but why are you here Dante, and what is it that you want?"

Dante nodded, "Thank you, Madame Alpha. What I want is to be Lily's mate, to gain your approval to become her mate officially, to learn to shift and perhaps to find my place in your Pack."

The two Alphas glanced at each other and warmed considerably. Odin had warmed up to Dante after hearing everything. He had seen how Dante loved and respected Lily and the fierce way he had risked his life to keep her safe. The way he had responded so completely to her calming touch and the words she had used to talk him down from his public fury. The impossible reality of how Dante had grown up and what he'd gone through broke Victoria's heart, and she was determined to help him and to see her daughter happy.

Alpha Odin smiled and said, "Dante, I know we didn't get off on the best foot initially, but I was mistaken. Victoria and I absolutely support your mating with Lily and we'll be glad to welcome you to the Pack as well as to our family."

Lily's smile lit up the room as she jumped on Dante and started frenziedly hugging him and kissing his cheek as her parents laughed gently, "I told you'd it would be ok!" she laughed lyrically in her melodic voice.

After watching the happy couple enjoy the moment, Odin sat up and his expression turned serious. "Now to practicalities: we need to discuss your first shift. That needs to occur before anything else takes place, we don't know what it's going to be like or how dangerous that might be. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so we need to prepare for anything."

Alpha Odin paused as his mate Victoria reached out and squeezed his hand. "For the safety of the pack and your own, I'd like to have the Betas form a ring outside of the Manor House with you in the center when you first meet your wolf, so there will be plenty of responsive force should we need it. I want Lily kept outside the circle until after you've shifted and we've made sure it's safe. You'll have the support of the whole pack this way, and the best environment to come into your gifts that are so long past due."

Dante nodded his acceptance, but Lily's countenance hardened. "Daddy, I'm not letting my mate go through his first shift without me. I swore to him I'd be beside him through it all and I am not going back on that! I will be there right next to my mate the whole time, and there is no one and nothing that will stop me!"

Dante looked at his Lily with concern, "Baby, I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you; maybe your Dad is right, and you should stay outside the circle and wait for my wolf to get control of himself and make sure everything is going to be ok first?"

Lily ran her hand along Dante's face looking into his eyes with such love and compassion that they made his heart swell. "No Dante, I am going to be right next to you throughout this and it is not up for discussion. You and your wolf are the same being, you both know who I am and neither of you could ever hurt me, it just isn't possible. I will be there with you and we will welcome your wolf for the first time together."

Odin and Victoria could tell their daughter wouldn't be moved on this and they also knew they would do the same for their own mate were they in this situation. With a defeated sigh Odin said "Very well, the full moon is tomorrow night. Let's plan to gather everyone together and help Dante with his first shift this evening. That way we can all, Dante included, greet our Mistress Luna as a Pack tomorrow night. Dante, you will take Lily on the altar, as must be done for all blood born Alphas and Alpha Heir matings. It will be a time for the Pack to celebrate and to see the beginnings of the next generation of Pack leadership."

Dante was shocked! To have to mate with his Lily in front of the entire Pack, not to mention her parents too! But he would not be deterred, he had promised Lily he would do anything to be with her and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Dante pulled Lily into his lap with her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Yes Alpha, very well. I had hoped for a little more privacy, but I understand the importance of Pack law and I will abide by your... our traditions."

Odin and Victoria smiled at the love and strength they saw between Dante and Lily. Victoria asked Lily, "I assume you will be staying here with the Pack for a while and not at your cabin?"

Lily nodded her head, "Yes Mom, we'll be staying here for a while so Dante can begin learning our ways and start to feel for the first time that he has a place he belongs. I'm sure we'll spend some time at our cabin again, but for a while we will stay here. Is my suite in the living area still open and available?"

Victoria responded with a laugh, "Of course it is sweetie, what did you think we did with it? Shipped it away? Why don't you two get unpacked and park Dante's car around back? At dusk we will all gather in front of the Manor House and help Dante with his first shift. There is much to do, and your Father and I need to inform the Pack that our daughter has turned everything on its head and get everything ready. We'll see you both in a few hours."

Lily stood up and pulled Dante with her out of the office after she gave her parents a three-way hug and Dante shook their hands.

Dante knew that tonight, with Lily's love and support, and under his new Pack's protection, he would meet his wolf.

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