Chapter 5 Guardian's Awakening

Knox's perspective

I headed downstairs for some food as soon as I left my bedroom. It had been an arduous and protracted drive. I was extremely mad with Noah. I adore the child, but spending hours locked in a car with him was agonising.

I went up to my room as soon as I got there to take a hot shower and unwind. My wolf remained tense, and we were unable to identify the cause. We knew it wasn't the problem as Noah was safe and playing with his friends at this point.

I made the decision to visit our new guests at the Pack Hospital after grabbing a quick bite to eat. Perhaps the problem was that they weren't met. Raphael started making a lot of noise as we approached the building and insisted that I go more quickly.

After entering, I went to the area where the women were being attended to. My footfall paused as I passed the corner, and then my legs started to pump harder until I reached the room where the enticing smell was emanating from. A growl came out of my mouth as I burst through the door and saw my mate lying in the bed-MINE. My friend, give it another go.

A small figure with a knife in her little hand leaped in front of me before I could enter the room again. The girl tried to stop me from going to my partner, but Raphael laughed at her. Nobody could stop me. I let out another growl from my chest and told her who the room's Alpha is.

Alpha, halt! Take a moment to reflect. Ella is your new daughter if Sophia is your partner. After experiencing abuse at the hands of her father, your new daughter is afraid. It will not help that you are growling at her. Observe her. She is trembling as she tries to keep her mother safe.

I stopped to process what Alex had said. When I turned to face the young girl once more, I could sense the fear radiating from her. She actually shielded her mother by standing between us. Raphael gave in right away and was now lying down, crying. Alex was correct; we now owned this young child. Not to frighten and intimidate, rather to safeguard and tend to.

I lowered my knees to the floor so that I was eye level with the young girl. She struggled to pull herself together, tears tracing the corners of her eyes. At that time, I was incredibly proud of her. After all that she had gone through, she was now standing up to me. My feelings for her were immediate. The father-daughter relationship started to develop. As she experienced my love coursing through her body, her posture softened a little.

Her face was covered in confusion as she attempted to make sense of everything around her. Oh, my wretched angel.

"Hello, my little one. My name is Knox. I never mean any harm to you. From now on, I am here to keep you and your mother safe. Please trust that no one will ever harm you while I'm here.

The knife was still raised by the young girl and was aimed at my chest. Raphael would have resisted the threat if it had been someone else, but since this was now his puppy, a puppy he was afraid of, he chose to back off and let her exercise whatever authority she required to feel secure. So be it, even if the knife was aimed directly at my heart.

However, I did not feel comfortable with her owning a knife, not because I feared for her safety, but rather because of her own nature. It is inappropriate for a young girl to handle knives.

Where did she obtain the knife?

Alpha, I'm not sure. She hasn't talked or moved from her mother's side in the entire week. It could have been off her tray during dinner.

Jane and Alex were seated next to the window-facing couch. Perched on the couch's edge, Jane was prepared to assist Ella.

Jane, calm down; I got this.

"You must be Ella, then, little one?" She responded after a few moments with a nod. Alright, I'll consider that a step forward. I just have to be careful. Only God knows how long this little kid has endured this horror. Rapahel waited patiently, endorsing my approach.

Ella, you are really courageous to defend your mother in this way, but know that you are both in a secure environment. Nobody in this room wishes to hurt any of you. Alright, we're all here to keep you safe.

A short while later, I received another nod.

"All right, I want to say I'm sorry for how I felt when I first came in here. I was so furious that someone would hurt you or your mother that I snarled. Men do not hurt their wives or children in my world. We tend to them and keep them safe. To us, they are the most valuable items. I was somewhat offended to find that you both had injuries. I apologise for frightening you.

I have never apologised to anyone in the past-not even to my first partner. Since I was the Alpha, it is not in our character to acknowledge our mistakes. It seemed like giving in, which is something that Alphas never do. But I would do anything right now, kneeling in front of my helpless little girl, to win her faith. Raphael agreed, silently stepping back to let me take care of this. He was in the dog house, crying out loud. He felt terrible about it.

The small hand with the knife started to droop slowly. As I talked to her and helped her get acquainted with me, her teary eyes never left mine. She backed off a little when I got up because of my bulk, as dread fled from her. Once more, the knife was raised. Alright, sh*t. We were moving along rather nicely, but I was unable to change my size. Okay, let's go back to the beginning.

The largest wolf in our group was me. Hell, one of the biggest wolves in America, if I may be that bold. Since many of us were pure blood shifters, like me, we catered to those who were little larger than shifters. Because of our increased size and strength, our pack was therefore seen as being stronger. Its strength and size undoubtedly transferred to our human sides as well. In the pack, most of the men were taller than 6'5", like myself. Although my stature had always been a huge advantage, it was clearly not working for me right now.

Before I could fall to my knees once more, Ella's bed behind me let out a quiet groan. Ella, wailing, Ella, Ella. I started to move forward, but Ella's glance froze me in my tracks.

Raphael knew better than to stand in the way of a mother and her youngster, so even though we both wanted to go to our mate, he kept me back. Ella leaped onto the bed and raced to her mother's side. Alex and Jane watched from the couch, mind-linking for Doc Murphy.

Sophia felt a tiny hand softly cup the side of her cheek. A little cry came out of the youngster. Seeing her cling to her mother was painful. Silently, I moved to the opposite side of the bed, facing Ella rather than behind her. I reasoned that it was best to be directly in front of her.

Observing my movements, she turned to face me, her eyes full of tears. I put my hand on Sophia's arm since I was itching for some touch from my partner. It felt like absolute nirvana. I had lost sight of the connection, the link, and the sensation of touching your partner. Ella scowled as she glanced down at my hand. We were sidetracked from the moment by another groan.

Sophia was waking up bit by bit. Doc Murphy entered the room abruptly and looked around, taking note of everyone's positions before casting a bewildered glance in my direction.

Doc, Ella is my new daughter, and she's my second-chance mate.

Alpha, congratulations. Please allow me to examine her. I swear to be considerate.

I give you permission, but please act quickly.

Sophia opened her eyes to find her daughter's eyes staring back at her while Doc and I were having our little conversation. Ella nestled her head against her mother's shoulder as they embraced. Thank you, God, she said again, holding her infant.

As I took in my partner and daughter, my hand continued to softly stroke her arm. It was so lovely to watch them together and to sense their love for one another. They were such a blessing in my life. Sophia finally looked up into my eyes as I was staring down at their. I thought she was still so attractive in spite of all the bruises. My love grew with every second that went by.

All I could hope was that she would swiftly accept our mating link. After the relationship begins, most partners are unable to break it. Because of their intense link, most shifters mate in a single day. I hoped that the bond would make her accept me right away, even though she was still hurt and we were unable to mate well.

Her eyebrows narrowed in perplexity as I grinned. She became enraged when she realized my hand was on her arm.

"IMMEDIATELY remove your hand from me and move away from my daughter!"

I suppose not.