The Silver Guardian Bk. 01 Ch. 20

A huge thank you to my editor Tex Beethoven for another amazing job and collaboration, thank you Tex you rock!!

Book 1

Chapter 20

Morning came, and Lily was secretly pleased that the early weekday rising at the Manor House meant that she could almost always awaken within her beloved's arms; this morning was no different. They snuggled in bed for a short while and woke up slowly together before they finally had to start moving and get ready. They took a hot shower together, where they soaped each other clean before Lily got her favorite hair treatment. Once they were out of the shower and dried off, they got dressed. Dante put on a tight red polo shirt and well-fitted dark wash jeans with his Luchesse black ostrich boots. Lily had selected a dark purple knee-length dress that left her shoulders and upper chest bare, with red heels. They arrived at breakfast and said hi to Mom and Dad, as well as Ben and Sara before they all chatted amiably about nothing in particular. Abigail had outdone herself with an incredible Eggs Benedict that was rich and filling, a delicious treat! Soon breakfast was finished, and it was time for Dante's history lesson and for Lily to make the rounds with her Mother.

Dante arrived in the library and bade Elder Maeve, Elder Bruce and Nick the Archivist a good morning. He sat down and Nick started today's lesson.

"Dante, today's lesson is a piece of history that is well known to all lycans. Although there are more scholarly renditions in our archives, complete with references and footnotes, the version I'm about to quote comes from an oral tradition that has been rephrased and perfected over many generations. Many schoolchildren memorize this story verbatim, and I was no exception. Although the language gives the impression of a myth, our archivists believe it to be accurate in every particular. So here it is.

"Thanks to judiciously kept Lunar records, lore and manuscripts, we know that lycans can trace their origins to a time 10,000 years ago. It is known that our Mistress Luna bore a special love for her children the wolves inhabiting the wilds and had watched sadly as humans encroached on them to destroy and dominate both them and the land upon which they trod. She saw the balance falling askew and She agonized for the wilds and her wolves within them.

"She searched across the lands for an alleviation, and in time came upon a great wolf more magnificent than any other, black as the moonless sky and more powerful than any before him. Luna chose him as her Champion against humankind's destruction of her children. She appeared unto this wolf and lovingly blessed him, and thus he became the First Lycan to walk both worlds. To stem the flow of sorrows against her children, she gave her Champion the ability to walk both among his own, wolfkind, and also among their oppressors, humankind, appearing to be one of their own, learning the ways of man in order to protect his brethren the wolves.

"For many years her Champion traveled the land alone, guarding, and insofar as it was possible, protecting his brethren from the growing encroachments that humans inflicted upon them. At times he would do battle with humankind, wielding their own weapons against them, and at other times he would lead them along paths that would benefit instead of harm his lupine kin. His tireless efforts pushed back the advance of men across the wilds and stemmed the tide of destruction laid against his own, although no power under heaven could halt it altogether.

"After years of his faithful service, Luna loved her Champion so, that she decided to bestow upon him a Great Love to fight beside him, to lead with him, and to love him and further his legacy. Our Mistress Luna once again searched the land and found one more magnificent wolf, this time one in Her own image, lithe and graceful like a dancing beam of pure moonlight, and as beautiful. Like the moon she was pure white, and Luna chose her to be the Great Love for her Champion. With her the first lycan mating occurred, and the first Alpha Pair was joined. The Champion's Mate walked by his side among the wolves, bringing them comfort and solace, and walked by his side among the humans, safeguarding their kin from destruction. They traveled the land far and wide as Alpha Mates, protecting and fighting and beguiling on behalf of their own kind and keeping the wilds alive. The Champion grew compassionate and wise from the council of his Great Love and they ruled and nurtured and battled with great wisdom and love for their kind, and with merciless justice for their enemies.

"After many years of their faithful service, our Mistress Luna appeared before them one final time, and because of their devoted love for each other and their selfless love for wolfkind, Luna blessed them with their own Pack to share in their gifts and in their guiding principle of stemming the rapacious tide of man. In them and in their Pack, lycans came into being as a race.

"Some Packs to this very day attempt to claim ancestry in those wolves of the first lycan Pack, but the translucent mists of ancient history make any direct lineage nearly impossible to trace, and their allegations are ofttimes no more than spurious claims, invented for self-aggrandizement.

"The only original line that was ever successfully traced was the Royal Line of the Original Guardians, of the Champion and his Mate, who was his Great Love and his Alpha Bitch. Their Line ruled our kind wisely and well for millennia, but tragedy eventually befell them when the last of the Line is believed to have perished when they were attacked and overwhelmed by rival Packs out of greed and fear.

"Our kind has been fractured ever since, and for nearly 1000 years we have been searching in vain for any trace of the Royal Guardian Line, the Bloodline empowered by our Mistress Luna to lead and guide all wolves with strength and wisdom. Many of our kind still yearn for a time when the Royal Bloodline shall return and grace us once again with their Lunar Birthright, but for now we have all waited in vain."

Dante was in awe of what he had just heard, and his eyes glowed with the fantastic tale and the convincing magic of it all. Dante and the three Elders spent the rest of the session discussing the present-day Packs in North America and would spend their time in upcoming sessions on the Packs in Ireland, the British Isles and Europe: their history, but especially the relations between them and the original O'Connor Pack. There was still plenty to cover, but he finally had absorbed the majority of the history and education that members of the Pack already knew. Now it was time to learn to be an expert, since he would one day become half of an Alpha Pair himself.

***

Once again Dante was lucky enough to catch his mate in their suite as they changed clothes for their training. He walked into the bedroom just as Lily was walking out of the bathroom naked, so she could change into her workout clothes. This happened a lot, and he wondered whether she planned it that way.

Dante intercepted his mate with an evil smile. He wrapped his arms possessively around her and pressed her tight to him and tilted her head up to capture her lips for a deep and overwhelming kiss. He deepened the kiss, and Lily started to moan and pulse against him. Feeling mischievous, he tossed Lily onto the bed, lowered his mouth to her sex and began feasting on her core.

Lily protested, as she wasn't prepared for love play during this interval within their workday, "Dante what are you doing?! We don't have time, we have to get to training... uhhhh oh my goddess, fuckkkkkkk!!"

Lily's protestations were cut off abruptly when Dante zeroed in on her clit and claimed that little piece of feminine flesh as his bitch!

Less than a minute later, Lily was screaming out her orgasm, "Danteeeeeeee oh FUCK!"

Dante drew his messy face away from Lily's now swollen pussy lips, his own lips smirking and smacking. He stood up and went to the bathroom to rinse his face and quickly changed his clothes.

Lily lay there for a minute, still shocked at her mate jumping her like that, wondering what the fuck had just happened.

When Dante returned into the bedroom, Lily had barely gotten to her feet, perched precariously on shaky legs after her suddenly forced orgasm.

Dante chuckled as he came over and now gracious, assisted Lily in getting dressed, this time in a black sports bra, white stretchy short-sleeved top and blue yoga pants.

As he, more than she, was dressing her, she asked, "Baby, where the hell did that come from? I'm not complaining, but that took me completely by surprise, and I'm still weak and shaking!"

Dante smirked and kissed her cheek, "I just had a sudden compulsion to taste you and feel you cum under me while we had a moment. I'd say I accomplished that goal nicely."

Lily playfully smacked his chest, "I'll find a way to get you for that! It will be your fault if I'm too distracted and out of it to focus today, Mister Silvrash!"

But with that dire but playful threat delivered, all was well between them, and Lily and Dante walked hand in hand to the Training Center; although Lily had a secret smile on her face.

They entered the Hall and made their way over to Ben and Sara as the rest of the Betas and Enforcers broke up to start their own training.

Ben told Lily, "Today is the same as yesterday for you: 10 mile run with Sara and then a workout. After that, it's weapons training and hand-to-hand."

Lily nodded, but as she headed off with her trainer and friend, the heard Sara asking, "What's with the smirk, Lily?" There was no reply, or at least not one audible to the pricked masculine ears, but they did hear both ladies giggling as they both looked back over their shoulders at Dante with sexy leers on their faces.

Ben looked at Dante with a raised eyebrow, and Dante just grinned widely without saying anything. He knew he was in trouble and probably even in embarrassing trouble, but it was all good.

Ben shook his head and clapped Dante on the back as they headed out of the Hall, "Let's start your other kind of workout, you horn dog."

Dante threw his head back more like a wolf than a human and laughed, "I'm pretty sure I'm a bit bigger than a dog, but a workout sounds good."

A little more than an hour later, the boys had returned from their long run as wolves, shifted and dressed, and met the girls in the gym to run through their respective workouts.

Dante again was rolling through an intense circuit training program and working on the heavy bag, while Lily pushed herself on the machines and free weights, already seeing small increments of progress. They headed back into the Hall, where Sara grabbed a few Betas and Lily started on her weapons practice again.

Ben explained to Dante, "Today is your first lesson in fighting as a wolf. This is where we'll need to focus the most, as you have no experience; so at least at first you'll be at a severe disadvantage in a fight against another lycan who has been doing this since the age of 12. Your claws and teeth and in your case your size and devastating power will be your greatest weapons. We'll start by showing you how to shift just your claws while still remaining in your human form, which can provide a nasty surprise for your opponent in a hand-to-hand combat. Simply imagine approaching your wolf in your mind, getting close to him, but only beginning to allow the shift. Stop it there, and let it flow into your hands, to bring forth your wolf's claws."

Dante listened intently, focusing on what Ben was saying as he closed his eyes, not much longer than a blink. He would be fighting someone while doing this, after all! When he opened them, he saw his fingertips shifting, and vicious looking 3" razor-sharp obsidian-looking claws growing and extending.

"Very good Dante, and on your first attempt too: perfect! I want you to practice doing this anytime you have a spare moment throughout the day, until you can do it unconsciously and within a split second."

Ben then said it was time to shift and begin Dante's lesson as a wolf.

Ben and Dante shifted as their clothes fell away, and they picked them up in their mouths and dropped them outside the challenge circle. Ben and Dante began communicating through the Pack bond as Ben coached him through the lesson.

Ben tested Dante, attacking from many different angles and using a variety of approaches, appraising how Dante responded and defended and countered.

Ben coached, Let your wolf out more and give him more power, let his instincts guide your actions while your human still thinks and processes the overall fight and your surroundings. Merge with your wolf more, and he will protect you. His instincts are lightning fast, while even with all your training and experience, your human ones are not.

Dante started to surrender his control and hand it over to his wolf, observing that his movements and instincts were improving as a direct result.

Good, better. You're trying to restrict your opponent's movements and keep him away from your throat, your back, your belly, and your flanks. These are the same places you will be trying to attack and distract his defenses away from. You can ram your enemy with your shoulder too, and with your inherent size and overwhelming power, you can break bones and just as you're able to do as your human, take another wolf out of a fight quickly. Biting, crushing, or tearing the legs or flanks open, can hobble or even cripple your enemy. Anytime you see an opening to take your enemy's throat, you should capitalize on that, as the throat is a wolf's greatest liability. If you can mount your enemy's back just as if you were having sex, then get your teeth or claws into their neck, the fight will likely be over. Lastly, protect your belly and don't lower your guard in your opponent's death throes; even while dying they can still claw your stomach to shreds or slash you in other places.

Ben and Dante kept at it, as did Lily and Sara and the other wolves working with them, until it was time to break for lunch. They all made their way to the dining hall and enjoyed huge bison burgers that Abigail had cooked up for lunch. It was so good that Dante slipped into the kitchen before leaving, just to compliment Abigail and her staff. "Abigail, thank you so much for the delicious lunch, and all the wonderful meals you cook! You and your staff are amazing, and we're all so lucky for the delicious and filling food you feed us!"

Abigail smiled broadly, pride shining on her face, as the rest of the staff also smiled and relished the praise, "Thank you Dante, it's always nice to be appreciated, and we love hearing that you enjoy the food. This is what we do, and we take a lot of pride in it. Thank you!" She gave Dante a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, as the staff whistled and clapped at the normally strict Abigail letting down her guard for a moment.

The training group had made their way back to the Training Hall and everyone picked up where they had left off. An hour later Lily had completed her remaining time working with Sara and several other wolves on her hand-to-hand combat. She took off and went back to their suite to clean up and change and then continued her work with Alpha Odin on running the family business.

Dante spent his final two hours working with Ben, who cycled in several other wolves and even started instructing multiple wolves to work with Dante simultaneously. Dante was picking things up quickly, as his wolf's fighting instincts were primarily inborn and thus didn't require much of a learning curve. Nevertheless, Ben wanted to capitalize on Dante's strengths and keep him challenged and pushing as hard as he could. He was already making great strides, and Ben wanted that to continue.

When his training time was up for the day, he too made his way back to the suite to clean up and change into a crisp long-sleeved black shirt, his platinum wolf's-head ponytail holder and dark wash jeans. He preferred looking more put together than everyday when dealing with Pack issues as Alpha Heir, and that possibility existed every afternoon and evening.

He made his way to Alpha Odin's office and arrived to see that he and Lily were still engaged in working on the family business and each spared him no more than a look and a friendly wave. He pulled out his laptop and sat down on the couch to get started on the products and services he was developing for marketing by his future company. Or perhaps not marketing at first, since his first client would be his own Pack.

He began by planning the software and interface for linking each camera and audio feed into a system that provided displays and options in a single panel, as well as the identification software that would pick up and highlight readings that occurred within certain parameters predetermined by the operator. He was designing it to alert the user to personnel and activities in developing situations that an experienced operator could query for many different eventualities on the fly. For example, he would be able to select a face on the video feed and run it through facial identification software to find out who was out there. For instance, if he identified the point man for the Grand Est Pack, that could tell him a lot.

It took Dante quite a while, and he was only partway done with the program and coding but had made good progress, when Victoria came in and extracted Lily for their Madame Alpha duties.

Dante and Odin began work on implementing the security projects and changes they had decided on yesterday for the Pack.

The pistol range would be expanded, and the rifle and shotgun range would be ready, all by Monday morning, at which point Dante's duties in firearms training for the Pack would begin. Since he would have finished the bulk of his history lessons by then, they would pull back to just an hour each morning for that. The hour freed up would be spent in conducting a morning firearms training session. His personal training and session schedule would remain the same, and in the afternoons, after his own training was wrapped up, he would lead another one-hour firearms session so that each wolf enrolled in these sessions would have some time with Dante every day.

Lily would remain an extra hour for firearms training with Dante and the other Pack members for firearms training with Dante trading the last hour of his training to instructing the afternoon session for the Pack. He would supplement her lessons on the weekends, working on both pistol and long-range rifle skills. If and when battle called, the Alpha Mate Heir Pair planned on partnering with each other as much as possible, and Dante, being who he was, would of necessity be required (and require of himself) to spearhead the most challenging assignments, so Lily would need to be well prepared to keep up! Not that she was any slouch at the moment, except for firearms.

Once all their training was completed on a given weekday, Dante and Lily would head to Alpha Odin's office. Lily would work with her Father on the family business while Dante would address any Pack matters assigned by Odin or Victoria for him to handle alone, and the rest of the time he would work on getting his company off the ground.

In the late afternoons and evenings Dante and Lily, along with Odin and Victoria would also handle any Pack issues and matters that might arise, continuing until dinnertime.

With the details hashed out and a good start made on some of the construction projects, it was soon dinnertime. Dante and Odin met Lily and Victoria at the head table and caught up before dinner was served. They all ate heartily, as tonight was prime rib that had been roasting all day, along with scalloped potatoes and a fresh garden salad with slices of French bread, freshly baked in the hearths in the kitchen.