Chapter 130

Michael POV

Many do not know what we go through as Guardians, the training we are put through. It is hard, even for an Alpha. I often wonder how the ones who are not Alpha's manage. My training is what prepares me for any and all situations though. We are nearly indestructable, thanks to training and long inductions of things into our blood stream that kill most werewolves. Part of our training includes months living in the woods, nearly feral in our wolf state. This is so we can become one with the land and learn to hone all of our senses as a wolf. We are also put through rigourous testing and injected with wolfsbane, first in small doses to get used to it and then larger doses over time to become immune. It would take so much wolfsbane to kill me that most cannot even access that amount in a short period of time. We are cut with silver, liquid silver injected under our skin and into our veins. We all carry the scars to prove it, those who survive are the strongest werewolves alive. I am strong enough that I can kill any Alpha, very easily because I am an Alpha and I am a Guardian. It is rare to be both. I am a rare commodity. I always wondered why Alpha James was able to acquire me as his guardian. He's not a super important Alpha, he's not even from a large or profitable pack. Typically a Guardian like me would be assigned to a large pack or even to the King's personal guard. Now I'm questioning, who did he pay off or who did he blackmail to acquire me? And will it ultimately be his downfall? I sure hope so.

I have shifted and have my nose to the ground and up into the air, near as quickly as my muscles twitch with recognition. I know his scent like my own. It's ingrained into my sensory system for search and recovery. I smell him in the earth and on some of the leaves of bushes as I carefully stalk my way through the woods. My wolf is shaking with anticipation. He's salivating, wanting blood. He is dangerous and there are rare times that I cannot control him. I hope this is not one of them. I did promise to bring Alpha James back alive. I cannot betray the trust of Alpha Gabe.

I pick up the scent of another wolf nearby, quickly realizing that it's likely Cody or Dawson. It could be any number of their warriors, but it's not Alpha James. His scent is now faint here which tells me he has moved on further into the woods. I am thankful that so far his direction is not towards town. I keep thinking that he may try to make his way towards civilization and find a way back home. We cannot let him return to Idaho, to the pack. That could be disasterous. It would put many in danger, including the Beta and his family. I don't know what Alpha James would do at this point, considering we know he was the one to kill his Luna and probably intentionally killed his own son for fear of being discovered of that many wrong doings he was involved in.

I creep through the brush, his scent a little stronger here and realize he is headed towards the deeper woods. Probably up the mountain side. What does he hope to accomplish with this? I can't be sure, but if I know him, and I do, he's hiding out, biding time. I'm guessing that he assumes everyone will give up after awhile. He doesn't yet realize how much we know about the things he's done and that we won't give up until he pays for his crimes. I, especially will not give up. What my mate went through, it's a small fraction of the crimes he has been part of. He must pay.

It's been a few hours and I am deep into the woods when I feel the first drops of rain hit my coat. No! This can't be happening! The rain will wash away the traces of his scent and make it easy for him to slip away unnoticed. That's if he's smart enough to take advantage of this situation. I'm not entirely sure he is though. He's used to being waited on and catered too. He doesn't do the difficult things himself, to hike out in the elements, whether in wolf form or human form, it's not him. That's the only thing that keeps me pushing forward, knowing he's unlikely to move from whatever little hidey hole he has found to get out of the inclement weather moving in. I keep my nose down, keep pushing forward.

I'm about to make my way into a steep ravine when I hear the brush behind me rustle. I come to a complete stop, slow my breathing and listen. Something is there, or someone. I watch out of the corner of my eye as a nearly black wolf comes out from under the brush, his eyes fixed on me. My wolf bares his teeth and just as quickly, the wolf transforms into a naked man. Dawson stands before me, hands held up in surrender. "Easy Michael, it's me."

My wolf doesn't move from his aggressive stance, teeth bared. He's ready for battle. I have to push forward and tell him to calm the fuck down before we do something we will regret. I've been so attuned to looking for Alpha James that I forgot that Dawson and Cody are out here too. I shake my entire body, getting my wolf to lose his tension and then shift to my human form. "Sorry about that Dawson, I was locked in. Or my wolf was. Any luck?" I ask.

Dawson brings his finger to his lips in the universal signal for silence, then points up hill. I look to where he's pointing and way up on the side of a steep mountain is a cave. It's pretty well covered and probably not many would even notice it. I raise an eyebrow and turn back to him. "Is he in there?" I whisper. "His scent goes into the ravine."

"He's not, but he will be," Dawson replies.

"How can you be sure?" I ask. Dawson points to the sky and we both look up. The sky has become dark, clouds thick. The rain is starting to come down a little bit heavier.

"This ravine fills up in heavy rain. Further along this trek, there's a trail, used by deer. It eventually will bring you to the cave. If he's an Alpha, he'll figure it out soon enough. There's no where else around here to seek shelter except under trees. So unless he pushes on, he'll be in there once the storm hits hard. That's my guess anyhow," he says quietly.

"So we wait?" I ask.

"Not exactly. We follow. The sound of the rain will keep him from hearing us and he won't scent us unless the wind picks up. We take advantage of all the elements," he tells me. Now I understand why Alpha Gabe was so confident in Dawnson and Cody. They know exactly what they are doing, but not only that, this is thier land. They know this landscape better than anyone, and now it's time for us to bring back the prize.