Chapter 4

Grace's POV

Logs flew like missiles across the training yard behind our house. I weaved between them, my heart pounding with adrenaline and lingering anger.

"Grace! Dodge! Left side! Watch your back!" My father's voice carried from the sidelines, his wheelchair positioned at the edge of our custom training area.

I remained in human form—this training was clearly designed for my human shape. My movements were sharp and aggressive, my mind still churning with everything that had happened today. Those glacier-blue eyes lingered in my thoughts—William's soul-piercing gaze when I challenged him. That electric current that ran through my entire body.

Focus, Grace. Concentrate!

My distraction cost me. A massive log hurtled toward my face, too close, too fast, beyond the limits of human reflexes.

"Damn it!" I cursed, instinctively shifting forms.

The transformation happened in an instant—bones breaking, muscles expanding, my entire being reshaped into wolf form. My fist, now a powerful paw, connected with the log and shattered it into a thousand splinters.

I could feel Seraphina surging within me, nearly uncontrollable.

The gold in my eyes intensified as she pushed against the boundaries of my control.

"Let me out! Let me run!" she demanded, more agitated than I'd ever felt her before.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my father launch himself from his wheelchair, his body twisting in midair as he shifted into wolf form. Even with his disability, he was magnificent—powerful shoulders and massive jaws, his fur grayed with age but still thick and lustrous.

His hind legs trembled pitifully as they tried to support him. He could only maintain this posture for a few seconds, but it was enough. His unique howl—part warrior's cry, part father's command—cut through Seraphina's frenzy and pulled me back from the edge.

We both shifted back to human form. I stood naked amid the wreckage of shattered wood, breathing heavily, while my father dragged himself back to his wheelchair.

"If this were a strength training day, you would have passed with flying colors," he said with a wry smile, looking around at the destruction. "Unfortunately, we were working on agility."

Still sulking, I wrapped myself in the robe I'd left nearby. Concern flashed in my dad's eyes.

"Grace, both you and your wolf are different today. What happened?"

I remained silent, avoiding his all-seeing gaze. Since I was a child, Jackson had put me through countless training regimens.

Not just physical combat, but extensive study of anatomy, physiology, and chemistry—skills that would help me identify poisons and find antidotes if someone tried to harm me or those I protected.

Sometimes I hated these training days. They pushed me and Seraphina to exhaustion, to our limits. But I couldn't deny the results. Each day we grew stronger.

I had accepted my destiny as a Guardian, my parents' exceptional bloodline helping me reach my current skill level.

But knowing all this training—all this pain—was to protect William fucking Davis made me physically ill.

After a long silence, I finally answered, "Dad, do I really have to follow in your and Mom's footsteps? Even if that person makes terrible decisions? Even if that person might abandon us, do we still have to be these damn Guardians?"

Jackson's face softened, his weathered hand reaching out to stroke the back of mine. "You met your Alpha today. How did it feel?"

I frowned, "A playboy who only thinks about sex. He doesn't deserve my protection! He's nothing like his father Alpha Carter! Carter is mature, has strategic vision, thinks of the pack. Sacrificing for someone like that would be an honor! But that William..."

I didn't continue, too disgusted to speak.

Jackson finished for me: "A teenager with raging hormones."

I nodded firmly.

To my surprise, my father burst into laughter. "What if I told you that when Alpha Carter was eighteen, he and your dad were whistling at pretty girls on the street, wrapping their arms around women's slim waists in bars, indulging in all sorts of excesses—would you think we were just as worthless?"

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. In my mind, they had always been dignified warriors and leaders, carrying the fate of our pack on their shoulders, nothing like those reckless boys.

"Boys eventually become men," Jackson said meaningfully. "Trust me, William will grow into a leader worthy of respect. The destinies of Guardians and Alphas have always been intertwined."

Again I thought of the electric current that ran through my body when William and I locked eyes. I shook my head vigorously, rejecting the possibility in my mind: William was absolutely not my fated mate!

In fact, I already had a better candidate.

I'd been flirting with Alpha Ethan from the Wildfire pack for almost a year. He was a bit older than me, twenty-four. He hadn't met his mate yet, and he knew I was waiting for mine. He respected my decision but continued to court me.

"Don't get all mushy," I snapped. "I'm just fulfilling my duty as a Guardian—making sure he doesn't die. That's enough!"

"You might come to love him," Jackson suggested.

I forced out a casual laugh. "I'm going to take a shower! Alpha Carter will be here soon, and you haven't even started preparing dinner!"

Jackson said no more, wheeling himself toward the kitchen.

In the bathroom, I stood under the hot water, letting it soothe my aching muscles.

Steam filled the small space, fogging the mirror. Without thinking, my hands wandered to my breasts and between my legs, my fingers circling my nipples until they hardened under my touch.

I watched myself in the foggy mirror with a mixture of shame and excitement as Seraphina gradually took control.

The gold in my eyes grew stronger, intensifying with each second.

Then, suddenly, the golden glow in my eyes began to change. I watched in horror as the color shifted from gold to ice blue—exactly like William's eyes!

"Ahh!" I screamed, jumping back from the mirror.

What the fuck was that?